The Hourglass Sanatorium: Restored Edition (1973) – DVD/Blu-ray

Full frame-by-frame restoration and fully remastered soundtrack, funded by the Polish Arts council. 

A young man named Joseph visits a dilapidated Sanatorium to see his father. On his arrival, a sinister doctor informs him that his father had stopped breathing but hasn’t died yet, perhaps due to Joseph’s arrival which may have halted time in the sanatorium. Joseph undertakes a strange journey through the many rooms of the sanatorium, each of which conjures worlds composed of his memories, dreams and nightmares. 

Adapted from a collection of short stories by Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz, The Hourglass Sanatorium dispenses with traditional narrative, fashioning an audiovisual mosaic that blurs the line between reality and fantasy.

"There are many films that have been described as dreamlike but few remain worthy of the description for their full feature length. Hourglass Sanatorium, however, is the (sur)real deal" - Film4

DVD spec: 1973 / PAL DVD 9 Dual Layer / Colour / 16:9 / 119 minutes / Stereo 2.0 / Polish with English subtitles

Blu-ray spec: Picture: 1.85:1 HDTV 1080p / Sound: DTS-HD MA 2.0 / Region: All / Format: BD50 / 125 minutes / Polish with English subtitles

Cast & Credits: Jan Nowicki, Tadeusz Kondrat, Irena Orska, Halina Kowalska, Gustaw Holoubek, Bozena Adamek

Awards: Cannes Film Festival (1973) Special Jury Award Winner / Cannes Film Festival (1973) Nominated Palme d'Or 

Licensed from Jeck Film.

Introduction excerpt: