Vlad Tepes

History buffs will be enthralled with this accurate depiction of the 15th century brief rule of Vlad the Impaler who became Romania's great national hero. Stefan Sileanu is nothing less than great in the role of the ruthless, bloody sovereign who defied Church, tradition, and the obduracy of his fractious boyars in order to drive the invading Ottoman Turks under Mahmud II out of his country. But first he had to overcome entrenched opposition from his own rebellious and traitorous nobles. He accepted nothing less than obedience...fight or die. His uncompromising stand and dire punishments earned him his sobriquet, but after viewing this masterful film one is left astounded at his great achievement during his short reign. Bram Stoker has a lot to answer for in fictionalizing this astonishing patriot into a horrific monster. Anyone interested in the truth about this legendary personality should see this film.

An impressive movie (considering its age, the political context, and the fact that the Romanian film industry is definitely not Hollywood, in terms of budget), and a well deserved tribute to an interesting historical figure, who was very badly mistreated for centuries. People usually remind only Dracula's cruelty, forgetting his incredible courage and cleverness in fighting for the freedom of his country and of Europe against the overwhelming power of the Ottoman Sultan (who killed many more people than Dracula did). The life of Vlad III is narrated in a quite bare biopic style, strictly focused on the Voivod as a warrior and a political leader, with the obvious intent to celebrate a national hero under the sponsoring of the PCR regime, but the story and the dialogues are good enough to make the film interesting and entertaining, not a mere propaganda, though it's a pity that Dracula's well known interest for alchemy and science, as well as his vast culture (he spoke several languages fluently), aren't mentioned. The best thing are the performances of the actors: on top, the excellent Stefan Sileanu, who's very convincing and charismatic in the role of Dracula and has got the perfect rude charm required for the character. The medieval age is portrayed well enough and there's a decent attempt of insight into Vlad's character: a very brave warrior and smart leader, living in a dark age, who is cruel out of necessity (and not without some moral doubts) in order to save his small country from a Turkish invasion and from his own greedy and unfaithful boyars, who have led Valachia to poverty and corruption. The script underlines Vlad's devotion to his land and somehow also his "rebel hero" side: he's not afraid to break rules and traditions, even to defy the Church, and to raise his head and fight against the arrogance of the Ottoman enemies. Still the best movie about the real Dracula.

like many films under Comunist regime, it is a tool of propaganda. and this is the rule who defines especially historical films. the past legitimating the present. the hero in heroic aura. the history as a kind of magnificent page of hagiography. two small details impose the difference. first - the theme. it could be an answer to the image of vampire who is so popular in West. and who has an explanation in film. then - the performances. like in many other Romanian films from the same period, saving the film against the not remarkable dialogues or political command.in rest - well known ingredients : the fight scenes, the music, the war between boyars and the leader, the loyal poor men and the Ottoman Empire. but the virtue is the science of Ștefan Sileanu to do a remarkable Vlad Țepeș. to reflect the essence of a not comfortable and too ambiguous character. then,Alexandru Repan as Mahomed II and the fascinating meet between Vlad and the Valachian Metropolit.

In my opinion, the films of that generation create a beautiful way to know history and at the same time to see how the art of cinema has developed over the years. These are movies that reach the soul. Congratulations to Stefan Sileanu and the entire production team!

To speak about Vlad Țepeș is always a risk. Too many masks. The hero, the demon, the myth, the vampire, the character of historiography and the silhouette of Bram Stoker. The leader from chronicles and the model for Russian czars. A story without frontiers and rules. And, for the circle be full, the Communist vision about past, part of an absurd ideology. So, Procust bed. And, in this case, a good result. A story about courage and justice, patriotic values and crumbs of Medieval facts, politically correct and not very far from facts. A sage interpretation of a period with small extravagant sparkles. Ștefan Sileanu at perfect place, in struggle to create an interesting character, Ernest Maftei in same eternal role and director under PCR pressure. Today, an ironic remark is obligatory. But the 80 years was not a comfortable decade in Romania. In this case, like more others, a gentle smile is enough. And search to discover the dust of that period in its movies.