Gopo – A Romanian Walt Disney
In 1957, a short animated film, about a strange little man, created by an unknown Romanian artist named Ioan Popescu-Gopo (1923-1989), won the greatest prize for this section at the Cannes Festival.
Ioan Popescu was born in Bucharest in 1923 and he got his nickname “Gopo” from the abbreviation of his parents’ last names – Gorenco (his mother) and Popescu (his father). He made his artistic debut in 1939 by drawing caricatures in different newspapers. He attended the courses of the Art Academy from Bucharest, but never graduated; what he succeeded in graduating was an animation course he followed in Moscow.
There are early proofs of his talent – his friends used to draw three dots on a sheet of paper, told him that those were the nose or a leg and challenged him to create a naked woman, starting from them. Needless to say, he always succeeded, no matter how far or strange the dots were placed.
Ioan Popescu-Gopo made his debut in animation movies in 1949 together with his father and another pioneer in this field, Matty Aslan, by creating a short animated film, “Punguta cu doi bani” (“The Bag with Two Coins”), a free adaptation of a popular story by Ion Creanga. In 1950, he started working for the Movie Studio from Bucharest and realized some educational animated films.
As he activated in the same field as the legendary Walt Disney, Popescu-Gopo was one of his great admirers, but he also strived to produce equally masterful animations. As he himself confessed, understanding that he could never match the American’s technical achievements, he decided to make anti-Disney movies, ones that didn’t distinguish themselves by color, grace or beauty, but by subject.
This is how Gopo’s Little Man appeared. This character is a schematized human, with a long head and with no facial features than two dots as the eyes, a circle as the nose and a line as the mouth. His first story was named Scurta Istorie (Short History) and it presents a strange and unique perspective upon the cosmogony and upon the evolution of life on Earth.
In the beginning, there was the sun, which had curlers and the planets were hanged to them. One day, the sun sneezed and the planets were thrown away into their present orbits in the solar system. The Earth, a wet blue planet that served the Sun as its nose, shared their fate. In time, animals appeared on our planet and, because of the earthquakes a dinosaur produced, a monkey fell from a tree and broke its tail. When it recovered, it noticed it had the shape of a man. Gopo’s Little Man. This silent, curious, round bellied character went through several adventures that were quite premonitory for those times – he flew in a spaceship, walked on the Moon and travelled under water. All this time, he never gave up his most precious treasure – a flower.
“Scurta Istorie” captivated both audience and specialists. The renowned movie critic Georges Sadoul praised its originality and Gopo’s creation was rewarded with the Golden Palm for Best Short Film at the Cannes festival, in 1957. The story about how the animation entered the contest is equally spectacular. The authorities initially decided that a short movie called “Delta Dunarii” (“Danube Delta”) would represent Romania’s proposal for the competition. When the delegates arrived in France, one of them realized that there was a possibility that their selected film would be too long and it would be rejected, so he rushed back to Romania that very evening, took a copy of “Scurta Istorie” and returned to Cannes. Gopo, the composer Dumitru Caloianu and the Sound Director Dan Ionescu – together called the Golden Triangle – didn’t even knew, until after the festival was over, that their creation had actually entered the contest.
After this success, Ioan Popescu-Gopo continued the adventures of his Little Man in “7 Arte” (“Seven Arts” – 1958), who won him the Best Prize for An Animated Film at the Film Festival in Tours, and in Ecce Homo! (1977), a creation that, unfortunately, didn’t have the success it was expected.
The Romanian artist also tried to write, direct and produce long movies and, although he didn’t feel too comfortable working with live actors, his creations are characterized by the same innovative animation techniques.
Author: Iulian Fira
George Emil Palade – The Romanian Nobel Prize
The 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature, won by Herta Huller, a German writer who was born and spent a part of her life in Romania, reopened the debate whether a winner of this prestigious prize should also be claimed by his or her native country, not just by the adoptive one.
In the case of Emil Palade (1912 – 2008), although he lived and worked in the USA, his Romanian origins are no longer neglected, as he himself admitted in his acceptance speech. He was born in Iasi in a family that valued education above all else: his father was a Philosophy professor and his mother was a teacher. He started his studies in his native city and graduated through a baccalaureate at the Al. Hasdeu highschool in Buzau.
Although his father would have wanted him to study Philosophy, he was more inclined towards tangible and material issues, so he decided to enter the School of Medicine of the University of Bucharest in 1930 and he got his M.D in 1940, with a rather unusual topic – the nephron of the Cetaceean Delphinus Delphi. However, human beings became his main object of study, as he served in the Romanian medical corps, during the Second World War. In 1946 he married Irina Malaxa, daughter of a wealthy businessman, Nicolae Malaxa, and, in 1946, he decided to move to the USA to continue his research.
For a few months, he worked in the Biology Laboratory at New York University and, while there, he attended a seminar about electron microscopy, held by Albert Claude (1899 – 1983), who invited him to come to the Rockfeller Institute for Medical Research. Palade activated in the Pathology laboratory and initially worked on cell fractionation procedures. The scientific enviroment was extremely favourable – he had capable collaborators, the research institution didn’t lack funds, the field he was activating in was newly found, the competition between the scientist was fierce (in a positive way, of course) – so he had his contribution in several important results: the defining of the mithocondria’s structure and its role in energetic production, the description of the small particulate component of the cytoplasm (later called ribosomes), the investigation of the local differentiations of the endoplasmatic reticulum and the analysis of the chemical synapses.
Since his highschool he had been very interested in history, especially in Roman history, and, as a result, the Latin language proved to be very useful in providing him with names for his newly found corpuscles.
In 1961 he was awarded membership of the United States National Academy of Sciences and he won a couple of prestigious prizes, during the ‘60s – the Lasker Award (1966), the Gairdner Special Award (1967) and the Hurwitz Prize – shared with Albert Claude and Keith Porter (1970).In 1974, George Emil Palade, Albert Claude and Christian de Duve were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “their discoveries concerning the structural and functional organization of the cell”. Palade’s Nobel Lecture, having as topic “Intracellular Aspects of the Process of Protein Secretion” was published by the Nobel Prize Foundation in 1992.
Besides working at the Rockfeller Institute for Medical Research, he also activated at the Yale University Medical School (where he was the first chairman of the Deparment of Cell Biology) and at the University of California, San Diego.
The day he was born, the 19th of November was declared the Romanian Researchers’ Day and it has been celebrated since 1944 by Romanian scientists, who present their latest discoveries in the fields they activate in.A less known fact is that there is another Romanian scientist was supposed to be awarded the Nobel Prize, but who was prevented in receiving the international recognition because of the restrictions of the Communist regime. Ioan Moraru (1927 – 1989) was an important Romanian physician, specialised in Pathophysiology, Pathology and Forensics and vicepresident of the World Health Organization’s Executive Committee. He was also one of the members and founders of the organization named International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), which, ever since its foundation in 1980 has used research, education and advocacy to help prevent nuclear war and encourage the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Author: Iulian Fira
Romanian Touches In World Culture
Bram Stoker’s Dracula transformed a piece of Romanian history into an icon famous throughout the world, but there are other, less known, references about Romania and Romanians in various manifestations of universal culture.
Let’s continue with literature, for instance. In Breaking Dawn, the fourth novel of the best selling Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer, there are two secondary characters, Stefan and Vladimir, originating from Romania, ancient vampires, former rulers of these creatures’ world and one more proof that Stoker’s novel was a cornerstone in the development of the fictional universe of these blood sucking entities.
The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling also mentions Romania, but somehow differently – one of the places presented in the novels as where mighty dragons were bred is, as you may guess, Romania. This detail may not have been chosen accidentally, because the father of Vlad Tepes, the historical figure that inspired Dracula, belonged to the Order of the Dragon, a medieval congregation, similar to that of the Knights Templar.
Cinematography is also a field in which Romanian references appear now and then. In Carol Reed’s excellent thriller The Third Man, starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, there is a Romanian character, Popescu, involved in the conspiracies that take place in the post-war Vienna.
If you haven’t seen the excellent mystery movie Charade (1963), starring Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Walter Matthau, don’t read this paragraph, because it will spoil the excitement. But those of you who have seen it must remember that the plot reveals that all the action and crimes are related to some precious stamps on an envelope. Among them, the most valuable, is the one with the head of an aurochs. This stamp really exists and it is part of a short series emitted in 1858 in Moldavia, the first to appear in a Romanian country. The symbol on the stamp is related to the legend of the foundation of Moldavia and it was the country’s official emblem. Several years ago, at an auction in Geneva, a Romanian magazine bearing eight such stamps was sold at the value of approximately one million Euros.
A specific Romanian musical instrument is called “nai” (Pan Pipe) and the Romanian that has mastered it is Gheorghe Zamfir. The equally sad and beautiful sounds of this instrument can be heard on the soundtracks of The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, The Return of the Tall Man with One Black Shoe, Once Upon a Time in America, Karate Kid and Kill Bill, vol. 1.
In his quest to revolutionize creation, Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) was inspired by various sources, be it Renaissance or African Art. At a party both Matisse and Constantin Brancusi took part, the sculptor came dressed with a specific Romanian shirt, called “ie” and the French painter developed an interest for its decorations and, in 1940, he executed the painting called “Romanian Blouse”.
The early advertising campaigns are also related to Romanians. In 1924, the wife of King Ferdinand I, Queen Maria of Romania, who became famous throughout Europe because of her energetic activity during the First World War, accepted to appear in a printed commercial in which she praised the properties of a cosmetic product called Pond’s Cold. It was the first testimonial of a public figure, used in commercial purposes, and it has remained one of the most efficient marketing techniques ever since.
Author: Iulian Fira
Petrache Poenaru – Inventor Of The Fountain Pen
When you sign an important document or your wedding certificate, you shold bear in mind that the fountain pen you are using was invented by a Romanian, Petrache Poenaru (1799 – 1875). Actually, this was one tiny detail in his many achievements as an engineer and pioneer in the development of modern Romania.
He was born in 1799 in Banesti, Valcea County. His uncle, Iordache Otetelisanu, was one of the promoters of an institutionalized educational system, in a time when a great part of the population was illiterate. Poenaru attended the seconday school Obedeanu in Craiova and worked as a copyist at the office of the bishop of Ramnicu Valcea. Later on, between 1820 and 1821, he taught Greek language at the Metropolitan School in Bucharest.
In 1821, the Revolution led by Tudor Vladimirescu began. That time, Wallachia was under Turkish domination and was ruled by the Phanariots (Greeks originating from Constantinople and very loyal to the Sultan), who burdened the country with numerous taxes and an expensive and corrupt court. Tudor Vladimirescu gathered an army of Oltenian soldiers called ”panduri” and moved towards Bucharest to overthrow them. He was joined by many and, among them, was the young Petrache Poenaru. During his first skirmish, he proved he didn’t have any fighting abilities and his comrades took him in front of the revolution’s leader, for punishement. But Vladimirescu was impressed by the young man’s educated spirit and sharp mind and made him his personal assistant. From this position, he ellaborated the army’s manifesto, now considered one the first Romanian newspapers and designed their flag, which is now Romania’s national flag (red, yellow and blue). Poenaru was lucky enough not to be around Tudor Vladimirescu when the leader was lured in a trap and assassinated, as he was sent in a diplomatic mission to advocate the Romanian cause to the representatives of the great powers, Russia, Austria or England. After news of Vladimirescu’s death spread, he took refuge in Sibiu.
When the political situation improved, he was able to earn a scholarship to study in Vienna, in 1822. There, he learnt about measuring tools and micrometers, unknown to the underdeveloped Romanian engineering field and discovered a great appetite for technical sciences, while also fervently studying Greek, Latin, French, Italian and English. In a letter sent to his family, he confessed that he thought the sweetest pleasure a man can experience is learning. In 1824, the Wallachian ruler Grigore Ghica granted him another scholarship, which compelled Poenaru to return to the country after the studies ended and share his acquired knowledge as a teacher. In 1826 he went to France and attended Ecole Polytechnique from Paris, where he studied Geodesy and Surveying. He was so busy taking notes and copying courses, that invented a writing tool which allowed him to save time. This was the fountain pen, presently used by millions of people around the world. On the 27th of May 1827, the Manufacture Departament from the French Ministry of Interior registered Poenaru’s invention with the code 3208 and the description ”plume portable sans fin, qui s’alimente elle-meme avec de l’ancre" (never-ending portable pen, which recharges itself with ink). This invention prevented paper scratches, ink leaks and was made of replaceable parts.
His insatiable lust for knowledge took him through French harbors, mines and farms and, in spite of his poor financial situation (there were days when he had only one meal), he enjoyed and valued every moment, even when he activated as a simple worker.
As the leading industrialized country of the period, England was inevitably his next destination. He became the first Romanian ever to travel by train, from Liverpool to Manchester, in 1831, only a year after the first railway in the world was inaugurated, and he was deeply impressed how a single steam engine could pull all those carts (as he called them).
After he returned to Romania, he became a Physics and Mathematics teacher at Saint Sava College in Bucharest and, later on, he was appointed headmaster of this institution and established specialized courses in the fields of Agriculture, Geodesy, Superior Mathematics or Mechanics. These sciences’ specific terms and concepts didn’t exist in the Romanian language, so, in addition, Poenaru had the difficult task of adapting them or thoroughly explaining them to his countrymen. In 1838, he became general supervisor for all the schools in Wallachia and he initiated a project of creating village schools. He also engaged in a struggle to convince his contemporaries to implement a decimal measurement system, he worked on a project destined to implement the use of bricks with the same dimensions throughout the country, he initiated the silkworms rearing and he actively supported the release of the slaves (mostly Gypsies).
After the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859, he continued his multilateral activity and he became member of the Romanian Academy in 1870. In his ceremonial speech he recollected that he owed everything he had accomplished to those several months when he had been a “pandur”.Author: Iulian Fira
Emil Racovita – A Scientist With A Taste For Adventure
The great explorers are those who feed upon adventure, are endowed with a sharp mind and have a ceaseless desire to discover. Emil Racovita (1868 – 1947) fitted perfectly into these traits.
He was born in a respectable family from Iasi and spent his childhood at Suranesti (Vaslui County, Moldavia). One of his early teachers was the Romanian writer Ion Creanga; later on, he became a student of Grigore Cobalcescu, who initiated him in the universe of natural sciences (Emil Racovita will reward his mentor’s contribution to his personal development in a very special way). Following his father’s wishes, he studied at the Law University in Paris, but he couldn’t help attending the courses of the Anthropology School, too.
After getting the degree in law, he pursued his interest in Biology and attended the Faculty of Sciences from the Sorbonne University in Paris. After his graduation in 1891, he worked in the Arago laboratories of the Marine Biology Station from Banyuls-sur-Mer. During this time, he performed a couple of divings at a depth of 10 m, dressed in classical Siebe-Gorman equipment, in order to study the underwater life forms. He got a PhD on this topic in 1896.
Meanwhile, in 1895, a Belgian explorer, Adrien De Gerlache had got the approval of the Royal Geographical Society from Bruxelles to organize and lead an expedition in Antarctica. He purchased a Norwegian ship called “Patria” and renamed it “Belgica”. The next step was to assemble a team of capable scientists: Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer that would later become the first man to reach the South Pole, a month earlier than the English captain R.F. Scott; doctor Frederick Cook, an American Doctor who would later be the first person to reach the North Pole (although this achievement was challenged by Robert Peary); two Polish scientists, H. Arctowski and A. Dobrowolski. The crew needed an expert in Biology, so H. Arctowski made the proposal to Emil Racovita. The young Romanian scientist was more than delighted, but there was an obstacle: at that time, he was performing his military service and he wouldn’t have been available until the departure was scheduled. But that didn’t prove to be much of a problem – several interventions at the highest level, and Racovita got a military leave on indefinite term.
The Romanian had no problem integrating into Belgica’s crew, as he was valued for both his scientific abilities and humor; besides, they were all young men, as the team’s average age was 26 and the oldest was only 34. Apart from his tasks as an expert in Biology, he was also entrusted with the photographic laboratory, which was provided with devices manufactured in the workshops of Auguste Lumiere, the great-grandfather of cinema. Of the many pictures taken during the expedition, one of the funniest is that in which Emil Racovita has his hair cut by Roald Amundsen.
The expedition set sail from Antwerp, in august 1897. Belgica reached the Graham Land in January 1898. They sailed between the coast and a long string of islands and named this new found strait Belgica (later on, it would take the name of the ship’s captain, Gerlache Strait). They also landed a couple of times and, as every crew member had the right to give whatever name he chose to the newly found territories, Racovita gave the name Cobalcescou to one the islands from the Palmer Archipelago, in the memory of the teacher that guided his first steps on the path of natural sciences. Of course, he relentlessly observed, drew and classified all the animals and plants he encountered.The most dramatic part of the expedition began when Belgica reached Antarctica and remained trapped in the ice of Bellinghausen Sea, near Peter Island. Despite their efforts, they had no option but to spend the polar night (which lasts for six months!) there. Although they had a lot of time to study the Antarctic ecosystem, plenty of problems occurred. They suffered from cold, scurvy (caused by the lack of nutriments having the C Vitamin) and some of the crew members reached the brink of insanity. Emile Danco, the ship’s first mate died, despite his comrades’ efforts to save him. Finally, in February 1899, they succeeded in making a breach in the ice, for which they had worked a couple of weeks, and made their way back to Belgium, where they arrived in November 1899.
The results of research the scientists from Belgica performed in Antarctica were more comprehensive than everything that had been done before. Emil Racovita alone brought 1270 Zoological and 481 Botanical samples. To this day, some species he discovered bear his name: a sort of fish – Racovitzia Glacialis; a sort of sea shell – Rhynconella Racovitzae; some sorts of insects – Thynnus Racovitzai and Antarctica Racovitzai. His observations on the life and behavior of whales, penguins and other Antarctic birds were very appreciated by the science community.
In 1904, during a research in the cave Dueva Del Drach from Mallorca (Spain), he discovered a new species of crustaceans and became fascinated with the underground ecosystems. In 1907, he published “Essai sur les problems biospeologiques” (Essay on Bio-Speology problems), the first study ever to deal with this issue. He initiated an international research program called “Biospeologica” and, in 1920, he founded the first Bio-Speology Institute in the world at Cluj-Napoca. Several renowned scientists, such as Jules Guiart, Rene Jeannel and Alfred Chappuis joined him.Emil Racovita was headmaster at the University from Cluj, Senator in the Romanian Parliament and Chairman of the Romanian Academy from 1926 – 1929. It is said that, after he was forced to move to Bucharest in 1940, when a great part of Transylvania was transferred to Hungary, under German political and military pressures, he could be found working at a candle light, in an unheated room which served as an improvised laboratory, in the middle of the night.
Photo from Plural Magazine
Author: Iulian Fira
Unforgettable Romanian Movies
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, directed by Cristi Puiu, and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, directed by Cristian Mungiu are recent cinematographic productions known throughout the world. But, there was a time when Romanian could make equally masterful movies, but which lacked international promotion, due to the restrictions imposed by the Communist regime.
Padurea spanzuratilor (which can be translated as Forest of the Hanged) appeared in 1964 and it was directed by Liviu Ciulei (born 1923). It is the adaptation of a Romanian novel written by Liviu Rebreanu, that tells the story of a young man, Apostol Bologa, from Transylvania, part of the Austria-Hungary Empire, during the First World War. The kingdom of Romania (Moldavia and Wallachia) was on the opposite side, so Apostol Bologa finds himself in the difficult situation of fighting other Romanians. He is torn between his duty as a soldier and that as son of a nation, he tries to desert, but he is captured and has a tragic ending. The main character is played by Victor Rebengiuc (born 1933), a little known actor that time, but who would later become one the most acclaimed Romanian screen and stage performers.
The director had the inspiration of diminishing the slightly nationalist touches of the novel, not an easy task, considering that the Communist regime emphasized them, and concentrated his efforts on an univeral story about friendship, moral dilemma and true vs. artificial love. Apostol Bologa befriends his captain, a Czech named Klapka (played by Liviu Ciulei himself) and falls in love with a Hungarian girl, Ilona, who conforts him in the last moments of his life, during a silent dinner, a scene whose sadness is only surpassed by its beauty. Padurea Spanzuratilor drew world’s attention upon Romanian cinematography, as the movie was nominated to the Golden Palm at the Cannes Festival that year and Liviu Ciulei won the Best Director award.
An appreciated and somehow controversial Romanian director is Sergiu Nicolaescu (born 1930). He is best known for his historical movies, altough he didn’t avoided other genres as well. Some statistics rate him as the best battle scene director in the world: he shoots 70-80 m of useful shots, while the average is 12-15 m.
Dacii appeared in 1967 and, because it was a Romanian-French co-production, it was very popular in the Western countries. A young Roman nobleman is captured during Emperor Domitianus’ attempt to conquer Dacia in 88 A.D. He gets to know the indigenous population, falls in love with a local girl and gradually discoveres he may have Dacian origins. The action also involves plot twists, conspiracies to overthrow the emperor and large scale battles. The director, who benefitted from the help of numerous soldier units, who acted as collective stunts, was able to orchestrate spectacular scenes, in a time with no digital special effects available.He produced and directed an even more impressive historical drama, Mihai Viteazul, several years later, in 1970. The movie, recounting the life of Wallachia’s ruler who united the Romanian countries for the first time in history in 1600, has all the traits of blockbusters such as Cleopatra or Spartacus. It has larger than life characters, rich costumes, even more spectacular battle scenes than those in Dacii and a tragic story.
After the succes Dacii had enjoyed, Columbia Pictures offered Sergiu Nicolaescu the opportunity of directing an international co-production, with a four million dollars budget and that would have starred Orson Welles as emperor Rudolf, Laurence Harvey as Sultan Murad III, Richard Burton as Sigismund Bathory and Charlton Heston as Mihai Viteazul, but Nicolae Ceausescu refused and ordered the movie to be entirely Romanian. Some historical battles (Calugareni or Selimbar) were filmed in the places were the actual armed struggles took place.
To this day, Mihai Viteazul has remained one the best sold Romanian movies. The great actor Amza Pellea (1931 – 1983) and Sergiu Nicolaescu would collaborate for several other productions. "Atunci i-am condamnat pe toti la moarte "(1971) – That was when I condemned all to death - is a strange story about innocence, sacrifice and hypocrisy. A German soldier is killed in an occupied village from Transylvania, during the Second World War. The village leaders are given an ultimatum: they will surrender the killer, otherwise the community will face mass executions. The only person willing to sacrifice himself is Ipu, the village’s idiot; in exchange, he asks for some land for his family and a showy funeral. The story is seen through the eyes of a child, who experiences a paradox: he witnesses how a short-minded person everyone laughs at is more unselfish that the village’s respected grown-ups. Amza Pellea is best remembered by the Romanians as portraying Nea Marin (Uncle Marin), a not very educated, but witty and talkative Oltenian peasant, who delighted everyone with his funny stories, during TV shows. In 1978, he was subject for a movie, "Nea Marin Miliardar" (Uncle Marin Billionaire) directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu. While at the seaside, Nea Marin is mistaken for a rich American businessman, Mr. Juvette (also played by Amza Pellea), whose daughter has been kidnapped. This confusion leads to a lot of funny situations, involving a suitcase full of dollars, two rival mobster gangs, Nea Marin’s nephew, Suca, his fierce wife, Veta, and a detective (played by Puiu Calinescu) who parodies the popular character Columbo.
A different kind of comedy is Operatiunea Monstrul (Operation Monster), appeared in 1976 and directed by Manole Marcus. A Communist enterprise manager (Toma Caragiu), his deputy (Octavian Cottescu), a couple of their employees and a slightly sociopath writer go on a fishing trip, while their wives think they are on a business trip. Their goal is to catch the biggest fish in those waters, also known as the Monster. Nothing spectacular happens, but the exceptional interpretations and subtle script offer a hilarious perspective of the contrast between flamboyant words and petty achievements.
Morometii (1988), directed by Stere Gulea is generally considered the pinnacle of Romanian cinematography before the fall of the Communist regime. The story is the adaptation of a novel by Marin Preda and revolves around a peasant’s family, between the two world wars. The main character is played by Victor Rebengiuc, who delivers his lifetime performance as Ilie Moromete, a father trying to preserve his family’s unity, a peasant trying to survive and a man trying to remain socially active, while exterior forces strongly accelerate the community’s desintegration. The rest of the cast (Luminita Gheorghiu, Mitica Popescu, Dorel Visan, Florin Zamfirescu, Ilie Gheorghe) is also at their best.
A Romanian village is, literally and figuratively, a colorful universe, but the director chose to shoot the movie in black and white; this proved to be an excellent choice, as the old looking images augmented the feeling of authenticity and focused the attention on the characters’ internal struggles.
Author: Iulian Fira
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