“That’s life” is often heard throughout Lucian Pintilie’s adaptation of Ion Băieșu’s novel The Oak. It’s such a sweeping response to the grotesqueries that mark everyday life amid the death throes of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship, during which the film is set, that it practically becomes a shibboleth. The words may seem little more than a verbal shrug, but in the mouths of Pintilie’s characters, full to bursting with lust for life, they express a liberatory side of absurdism that goes beyond mere politics. That the meaning and the mechanisms of their lives are unknowable is as much cause for jubilation as despair.
Fittingly, The Oak opens with a death—that of Truica (Virgil Andriescu), former colonel in the Securitate (Romania’s secret police agency during its communist regime) and father to Nela (Maia Morgenstern), the film’s protagonist. As his caretaker, Nela projects for him...
Fittingly, The Oak opens with a death—that of Truica (Virgil Andriescu), former colonel in the Securitate (Romania’s secret police agency during its communist regime) and father to Nela (Maia Morgenstern), the film’s protagonist. As his caretaker, Nela projects for him...
- 4/24/2023
- by William Repass
- Slant Magazine
Pintilie was known for films including ‘Reconstruction’ and ‘Next Stop Paradise’.
Lucian Pintilie, the Romanian director of film, television, theatre and opera, has died on May 16 in Bucharest at the age of 84, according to local news reports.
Known for films including 1968 drama Reconstruction, Pintilie had a long career in filmmaking, directing his first film Sunday At Six in 1966 and continuing to work throughout his life – he was most recently a co-producer on fellow Romanian Cristi Puiu’s 2016 Palme d’Or nominated Sieranevada.
A graduate of the I.L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, Pintilie twice appeared in Competition at Cannes,...
Lucian Pintilie, the Romanian director of film, television, theatre and opera, has died on May 16 in Bucharest at the age of 84, according to local news reports.
Known for films including 1968 drama Reconstruction, Pintilie had a long career in filmmaking, directing his first film Sunday At Six in 1966 and continuing to work throughout his life – he was most recently a co-producer on fellow Romanian Cristi Puiu’s 2016 Palme d’Or nominated Sieranevada.
A graduate of the I.L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, Pintilie twice appeared in Competition at Cannes,...
- 5/17/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi.
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Echoes of Autumn: Jurgiu’s Understated Debut Tender, Unmemorable
Inevitably, it’s difficult to consider the merits of Romanian director Tudor Cristian Jurgiu’s directorial debut The Japanese Dog without first positioning it within the context of the current output of Jurgiu’s peers, many of whom belong and have flourished in the framework established by the New Romanian Wave. Simple, sort of tender, and not without a subtle blend of layered meaning, many will (and have) compared the film, mostly unfavorably, to the works of Yasujiro Ozu, wherein in delicate, incredibly fragile familial emotions interweave within the confines of simplistic narrative. Yet Jurgiu’s film feels much to sleight of hand and shirks from the responsibility of going beyond the superficiality of its sentiments.
Costache (Victor Rebengiuc) is a crusty curmudgeon, a man who mostly keeps to himself in his small village. Recently, it seems a major flood has...
Inevitably, it’s difficult to consider the merits of Romanian director Tudor Cristian Jurgiu’s directorial debut The Japanese Dog without first positioning it within the context of the current output of Jurgiu’s peers, many of whom belong and have flourished in the framework established by the New Romanian Wave. Simple, sort of tender, and not without a subtle blend of layered meaning, many will (and have) compared the film, mostly unfavorably, to the works of Yasujiro Ozu, wherein in delicate, incredibly fragile familial emotions interweave within the confines of simplistic narrative. Yet Jurgiu’s film feels much to sleight of hand and shirks from the responsibility of going beyond the superficiality of its sentiments.
Costache (Victor Rebengiuc) is a crusty curmudgeon, a man who mostly keeps to himself in his small village. Recently, it seems a major flood has...
- 5/23/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Produced with the participation of HBO Romania, "The Japanese Dog" features no scenes of violence, no bad language, not even the barest suggestion of sex or nudity, and the minimal events that unfurl over the span of 83 minutes might be the first act of a single episode in any cable network program. However, the debut feature film by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu is far from dull. A surprisingly expressive, layered drama, the filmmaking may be unshowy, but it's confident and compelling, allowing viewers to settle into its intimate story, told in gentle, hushed rhythms. The aesthetic may not be for everyone's taste, but Jurgiu's film is deeply refreshing cinema, using what little it has to evoke a complex portrait of a man coming to terms with the final stage of his life. Costache (Victor Rebengiuc) is an elderly man of few words and fierce independence. A flood recently ravaged the small town where he lives,...
- 12/6/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Being a huge fan of Japanese cinema I can honestly say that I was really intrigued when I carefully looked through this year's festival and saw a film entitled The Japanese Dog. After a few minutes I finally realized that it's actually a Romanian picture, which got me even more excited due to the fact that I've probably never seen a film produced in that particular country.Tudor Cristian Jurgiu's debut feature stars Victor Rebengiuc, one of the most famous Romanian actors, as Costache, an old widower and flood victim living in one of the country's rural villages. Forced to stay temporarily in a replacement house Costache is a conscious prisoner of a rather insipid everyday routine that is suddenly disrupted because of some surprising news....
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/15/2013
- Screen Anarchy
If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle was the big winner at the 5th edition of Gopo Awards (Romania's film industry honours) last night, winning seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Florin Şerban) and Best Supporting Actress (Clara Vodă). Titus Muntean's Kino Caravan was a surprising winner of four Gopos for Best Original Music, Best Production Design, Best Costumes and Best Make-up. On the other side, Victor Rebengiuc winning Best Actor for his performance in Medal of Honor was no surprise. While Mirela Oprişor received Best Actress award, the only Gopo award for Radu Munean's Tuesday, after Christmas. George Piştereanu impressed the jury, winning the Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle. Adrian Sitaru took home the award for Best Shortfilm – The Cage, and Andrei Ujică's The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu winning the Best Documentary category was not much of a surprise at all either.
- 3/30/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
The nominations for the 5th edition of Gopo, Romania's film industry honours, have been made publicly available during this week. As expected, Florin Şerban's first feature film, If I Want to Whistle I Whistle received the most nominations with 13, followed by Marian Crişan's debut film, Morgen, with 11 nominations, while Radu Muntean's Tuesday, after Christmas was nominated in 10 categories. The Best Film category includes the three mentioned titles above plus Andrei Ujică's The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu and Medal of Honor, a film by Peter Călin Netzer. For the Best Actress award compete Ada Condeescu (If I Want to Whistle I Whistle), Adriana Trandafir (Europolis), Maria Popistaşu (Tuesday, after Christmas), Mirela Oprişor (Tuesday, after Christmas) and Ozana Oancea (First of All, Felicia). Best Actor award will go to one of the following: Andras Hathazi (Morgen), George Piştereanu (If I Want to Whistle I Whistle), Mimi Brănescu (Tuesday, after Christmas), Victor Rebengiuc...
- 2/24/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, Tuesday, After Christmas, and the other nominations for the 2011 Gopo Awards (Premiile Gopo) have been announced. The 5th Annual Gopo Awards (Premiile Gopo) ”are the national Romanian film awards, similar to the Academy Awards (U.S.A.), the Goya Awards (Spain), or the César Award (France). They are presented by the Association for Romanian Film Promotion.” The full listing of the 2011 Gopo Awards (Premiile Gopo) is presented below.
Best Film
Autobiografia lui Nicolae Ceau?escu (The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu)
Producer, Velvet Moraru; Director, Andrei Ujic?
Eu când vreau s? fluier, fluier (If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle)
Producer, C?t?lin Mitulescu, Daniel Mitulescu; Director, Florin ?erban
Mar?i, dup? Cr?ciun (Tuesday, After Christmas)
Producer, Drago? Vîlcu; Director, Radu Muntean
Medalia de onoare (Medal of Honour)
Producer, Liviu Marghidan; Director, Peter C?lin Netzer
Morgen
Producer, Anca Puiu; Director, Marian Cri?...
Best Film
Autobiografia lui Nicolae Ceau?escu (The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu)
Producer, Velvet Moraru; Director, Andrei Ujic?
Eu când vreau s? fluier, fluier (If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle)
Producer, C?t?lin Mitulescu, Daniel Mitulescu; Director, Florin ?erban
Mar?i, dup? Cr?ciun (Tuesday, After Christmas)
Producer, Drago? Vîlcu; Director, Radu Muntean
Medalia de onoare (Medal of Honour)
Producer, Liviu Marghidan; Director, Peter C?lin Netzer
Morgen
Producer, Anca Puiu; Director, Marian Cri?...
- 2/23/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu has been named the Best Romanian Film at the 11th Best Film Fest edition - a festival which awards the Best in Romanian film of the previous year. Its director, Andrei Ujică, has also won the Best Director category. The award for the Best Film released in Romania during 2010 went to David Fincher’s The Social Network, while The White Ribbon/Das Weisse Band by Michael Haneke received the Best European Film award. Victor Rebengiuc was named Best Actor in a Romanian film, for his role in Medal of Honor/Medalia de onoare directed by Călin Peter Netzer, while the Best Actress award went to Ozana Oancea for her performance in Răzvan Rădulescu and Melissa de Raaf’s First of All, Felicia/Felicia, înainte de toate. James Cameron’s Avatar has been the best film at box office in Romania during 2010. Avatar took in almost...
- 2/8/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
[Editor's note: I've asked our team of world film correspondents to dish out their top 5 films of the year from their respective countries. Here's Marin Apostol's take on the Best in Romanian Cinema in 2010.] It was one more vintage year for Romanian films on the world cinema scene. The long-awaited film from Cristi Puiu in the Cannes' Un Certain Regard selected Aurora won over some critics (including two on our site) but those who didn;t give the film a glowing review accused the film which runs at 180 minutes of being too long. Despite this, the film has been sold to more than a dozen countries (including The Cinema Guild in the U.S.) and it will be released internationally next year, as well as domestically. Another Romanian film that received a lot of good reviews through the year has been Radu Muntean’s Tuesday, After Christmas. This was the movie that pushed La Times' Steven Zeitchik to say that, "Romanians can't make a bad film. It's, like, illegal in their country. Or at least not in their DNA." Romanians were especially proud by...
- 12/23/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Sunday, December 5th concludes the 5th annual Romanian Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City. This year hosts The Romanian Cultural Institute and curator Mihai Chirilov added the moniker “A New Beginning,” in appreciation of the recent success of what has been dubbed the “Romanian New Wave.” This year, Cristi Puiu, arguably the one who started it all with his 2006 debut The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, returns with his second feature Aurora. The three-hour long film premiered earlier this year at the New York Film Festival to resoundingly positive reviews. Also returning from Nyff are Radu Montean’s Tuesday, After Christmas (opening May 25 at Film Forum) and Andrei Ujica’s The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu, which opened the festival. All three were standouts this past May on the Croisette. Bobby Paunescu, producer of “Aurora” and “Lazarescu”, screens his directorial debut Francesca. Rounding out the “Romanian New Wave” roster of attendees is Razvan Radulescu,...
- 12/5/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
This weekend, December 3-5, Tribeca Cinemas is proud to host the 5th Romanian Film Festival in New York City, featuring a roster of shining stars from past and present. Hosted, as always, by The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, this year's festival is entitled A New Beginning and will feature the best and most recent films from Romania's unique and critically exalted national body of contemporary cinema. These include works from filmmakers at the forefront of the Romanian New Wave, such as Cristi Puiu, Radu Muntean and Razvan Radulescu, as well as debut features from Constantin Popescu and Bobby Paunescu. For its opening night, the festival will present the highly anticipated new work from Andrei Ujica (Videograms of a Revolution), The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu. The festival will conclude with the landmark Romanian film Carnival Scenes by filmmaker Lucian Pintilie, featuring celebrated Romanian stage and screen actor Victor Rebengiuc...
- 12/1/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Outsider Films On India, London
This fascinating series offers rarely seen artist eye views of India, revealing much about both the country and the people doing the looking. Roberto Rossellini's semi-documentary India Matri Bhumi, from 1958, captures the contrasts of the modernising nation in mystical imagery, just as Alain Tanner's 1966 documentary Chandigarh looks beyond Le Corbusier's architecture at the everyday humanity, while Marguerite Duras's avant-garde drama India Song comes on like a Calcutta-set answer to Last Year At Marienbad. On the other hand, Fritz Lang's European-made epic The Tiger Of Eschnapur is a campy slice of 1950s exotica. More up to date are Mark Lapore's 1990s experiments in "visual anthropology".
Tate Modern, SE1, Sat to Mon, tate.org.uk/modern
Starlite Urban Drive-In, London
There were good reasons why the drive-in cinema never caught on in Britain – limited space, limited car ownership, unlimited rain – but that...
This fascinating series offers rarely seen artist eye views of India, revealing much about both the country and the people doing the looking. Roberto Rossellini's semi-documentary India Matri Bhumi, from 1958, captures the contrasts of the modernising nation in mystical imagery, just as Alain Tanner's 1966 documentary Chandigarh looks beyond Le Corbusier's architecture at the everyday humanity, while Marguerite Duras's avant-garde drama India Song comes on like a Calcutta-set answer to Last Year At Marienbad. On the other hand, Fritz Lang's European-made epic The Tiger Of Eschnapur is a campy slice of 1950s exotica. More up to date are Mark Lapore's 1990s experiments in "visual anthropology".
Tate Modern, SE1, Sat to Mon, tate.org.uk/modern
Starlite Urban Drive-In, London
There were good reasons why the drive-in cinema never caught on in Britain – limited space, limited car ownership, unlimited rain – but that...
- 6/25/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
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