During the Napoleonic Wars in Spain two soldiers discover a strange manuscript in a deserted inn. The book tells the tale of one soldier’s ancestor, Captain Alfonso van Worden, an officer in the Walloon Guard who sets out on a journey through the treacherous Sierra Morena mountains.
His quest quickly spirals into a surreal, gothic, and picaresque odyssey. Van Worden repeatedly finds himself in the company of seductive Moorish princesses, a devious hermit, a wise Cabalist, and the shadow of the Spanish Inquisition.
The film is famous for its intricate, story-within-a-story-within-a-story narrative structure, where the characters he meets tell him their own astonishing tales, which often loop back and interlock with his own experiences.
A masterpiece of visual imagination and philosophical satire, the film is an intoxicating exploration of fate, reality, and the sheer joy of storytelling. It has achieved cult status globally.
During the Napoleonic Wars in Spain two soldiers discover a strange manuscript in a deserted inn. The book tells the tale of one soldier’s ancestor, Captain Alfonso van Worden, an officer in the Walloon Guard who sets out on a journey through the treacherous Sierra Morena mountains.
His quest quickly spirals into a surreal, gothic, and picaresque odyssey. Van Worden repeatedly finds himself in the company of seductive Moorish princesses, a devious hermit, a wise Cabalist, and the shadow of the Spanish Inquisition.
The film is famous for its intricate, story-within-a-story-within-a-story narrative structure, where the characters he meets tell him their own astonishing tales, which often loop back and interlock with his own experiences.
A masterpiece of visual imagination and philosophical satire, the film is an intoxicating exploration of fate, reality, and the sheer joy of storytelling. It has achieved cult status globally.
His quest quickly spirals into a surreal, gothic, and picaresque odyssey. Van Worden repeatedly finds himself in the company of seductive Moorish princesses, a devious hermit, a wise Cabalist, and the shadow of the Spanish Inquisition.
The film is famous for its intricate, story-within-a-story-within-a-story narrative structure, where the characters he meets tell him their own astonishing tales, which often loop back and interlock with his own experiences.
A masterpiece of visual imagination and philosophical satire, the film is an intoxicating exploration of fate, reality, and the sheer joy of storytelling. It has achieved cult status globally.
Info
Production year
1965
Global distributor
PÖFF
Local distributor
PÖFF
In Cinemas
11/8/2025