Die Oberschüler

An excellent movie. Maybe it's relevant only for ex-communists countries, because the action takes place in a communists country, and you can see lots of those elements. If you ignore all this, it reminds you of your days as a high school teenage. Beside that the actors like Tamara Buciuceanu or Ion Caramitru are very good actors and they fit being teachers. Comparing to US movies on this subject (high school teenage), it's not a big difference and the main ideas are pretty much the same, the understanding teacher, loved by students and the sever teacher who scares students, or the love stories between the students are all seen in US movies. But the particularity of this movie is that it's more closer to me or to other ex-communists countries because my days being a high school student are pretty much like those in movie. That's why I rated this movie with 10/10

Times really have changed, that's for sure. Unity is gone and so, who cares for more but himself? Too few, that's for sure. This is the only piece of fact I was able to extract intact from the film. The only intriguing idea. The rest is easily forgettable.

The story itself did make me raise my eyebrows in disagreement, but I can hardly criticize things which I could not live through. As a whole, the story isn't even the real issue. It will make you smile, grin and maybe think a bit, but I consider this to be a film for the youth, a message to a certain extent. It's easy to connect to it, in this regard, but I fear the movie falls far short of delivering to its full potential. The fault lies at the actors, who are terribly stiff and almost repugnant in their ignorance. The closest to being an actor comes the one who plays Ionica, the troublesome best friend of lead actor Stefan Banica. By far the worst acting performance I have seen in a long, long while is the one of Oana Sarbu who is so distant and so lacking expressivity that all her charm and beauty can not compensate enough.

In total contrast to the disastrous acting is the main theme which simply reaches exhilarating heights. In a funny kind of way, that is. It generally gives the monotonous scenes some flavor and were it not for this, I don't think I could've bared to watch the whole movie.

Sure, it isn't something you'd necessarily be proud of. I wouldn't. Still, it's fine enough not to bore to the core and, despite those terrible acting performances, I'd suggest it for a beautiful summer day. I suppose it's got an undeniable charm - innocence and youth in the system, or something like that. 5.5/10

As it happens, I was an assistant director to this movie - so my comments will provide some really valuable inside info.

Not surprisingly at all, the script was quite lousy. George Sovu, an education department inspector, was trying his hand at screen-writing, careful not to offend the communist authorities... I remember so well how exasperated Stefan Banica was - during the rehearsals, he was telling me: "I should paste on my brow the Communist Party status!"

...But what really saved the movie, was Nicolae Corjos' talent - his unique feeling of making it true. While shooting the most sensitive scenes, he used to say: "Now, silence, please... we must concentrate... and a sort of magic gets created, helping our actors to play their roles..." So, it's not surprising at all that this movie had such a box office success. Nick Corjos really knew how to talk to his audience.

after Declarație de dragoste and Extemporal la dirigenție, it is basis of ambitious project. high school is not only place of life, passions, adventures and confrontations between teachers but scene for ideological drops. it is a good movie and it must be OK in condition of its time. because more than mirror for teenagers life , it is lesson about freedom at different levels. and, for present, testimony of refuges in dark period. it is nice, smart and interesting. for cast, presence of children of great names in Romanian theater, hopes yesterday, important names today - Ștefan Bănică, Tudor Petruț, Mihai Constantin are few examples - and for fresh air . nothing fake, nothing strange. personal histories and levels of self definition.

like many other films from the same period, it is part of a way to discover and present the reality, not inspired for the taste of today , but useful. for the public of "80 years and for to resist to the pressure of propaganda. its success is not surprising in the context of Ceaușescu regime - "Liceenii" was a fresh air mouth and one of the small escapes from the circle of official speech. sure, it is naive and uses clichés, sure, the situations are not always credible but it was the beginning of admirable actors and proposes interesting, maybe seductive, in few cases, characters. it represents the first part of a link. and reminds, to few generations, the atmosphere, the feelings and the enthusiasm of high school years. and its music "Ani de liceu" is so well - known than represents, against the not most inspired lyrics - but it is not surprising for Romanian musical industry - a brand.so, a film about the spirit of a beautiful age.