Actorul si salbaticii

An overrated film, with underused great actors and historical and stylistic inaccuracies. It's not only that it vilified excessively the Iron Guard and the Germans, but its black and white script makes it a mere propagandist speech. In fact, the Iron Guard was a political party emerged from a hugely popular civic and patriotic movement (the Legion of Archangel Michael), and its later violent excesses were not at all exceptions in that time (actually, King Carol II and some of his ministers first triggered the series of political assassinations, by the way).

Then, the great vaudeville actor and producer Constantin Tanase, the model for this film's lead character, was actually in his last years under the censorship of Soviet forces who had occupied Romania in 1944 (and who apparently even killed him for saying inconvenient truth and for mocking their barbaric behavior). Of course the film makers couldn't say that in Communist Romania in 1975, so they blamed it all on the usual scapegoats, the 'pro-Nazi' legionaries, while the Communists were the 'good guys'.

Perhaps if one takes Caratase's final, didactic monologue about freedom of speech and laughter as being aimed actually and secretly to the much longer lasting tyranny of Communism, that final scene would be bearable. Could the stylistic incongruities (onstage music and dance from the 60s and 70s) be pointing discretely to such an interpretation? But the film is still one-sided, forced, and trying too hard to be funny.

This film is an opportunity to watch great Romanian actors at work, under the direction of Manole Marcus, one of the first Romanian film makers that attended Film School (the first generation at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Bucharest). Toma Caragiu is portraying Constantin Tanase, a great Romanian comedian from the '30s. The film looks like a musical-comedy, but in fact is tragic. The historical background is carefully designed and crafted, starting with the costumes and ending with the grim atmosphere, suggested mainly through an attentive manipulation of light and shadows. Marcus took a pretty long shot with the subject, because Tanase was an "old-time" entertainer, from the the so-called "exploitation" period (that's how the communists called the years of monarchy in Romania). A careful watcher can observe the sympathy for the culture and civilization of that troubled time. Watch for Mircea Diaconu and Mircea Albulescu in two special appearances.

This film is probably one of the best Romanian movies ever made. Great script, wonderful actors (among them, even the director Mircea Veroiu), ballet ensemble, good dramatic scenes, human mixture of comedy and drama, talking about a troubled period of history when tension was building beneath the apparent tranquility of everyday life. Small signals suggesting the end of Romania's golden age, between the two world wars, when our currency was stronger than today's major currencies. In my opinion, it is probably the most "Hollywood"-style films set in showbiz life, but still very Romanian. I also liked a lot Margareta Pogonat, as the star's understanding wife, and Marin Moraru, as the butler, another brilliant actor, an acting icon for entire generations. One of Toma Caragiu's unforgettable roles - that of a comedian teaching his people dignity at all costs.

A imperfect beautiful film.

Toma Caragiu is magnificent in a gorgeous role. The interbelic atmosphere is recreated with talent and the acting of Marin Moraru, Mircea Albulescu or Mircea Diaconu is precise and subtle.

But, it is an important problem: the transformation of film in a political instrument. A very uncomfortable manicheism transforms a decent movie in a caricature and only the art of Caragiu may evit the metamorphosis in a Communist moral lesson.

The movement of right-extreme is a fundamental character in modern Romanian history and its gestures (murder of five Prime-Ministers), ideas ( a irrational ideology in which the influences of "Mein Kapf" was mixed with East Christianism dogmas), relations with Nazi Germany are parts of reality.

But the message of film is more profound. And his consignee is every anti-democratic regime.

like many Romanian films from the same period, it is saved by actors. the script gives only a Manichean conflict between an actor at the end of his career and the organization of Iron Guard organization. it is not surprising - under the Communist regime the film must be tool of propaganda. the good point - the script who gives to Toma Caragiu possibilities to create a seductive character. the bad thing is the political message who covers under fascist menace different parts , using sketches of characters. the final monologue reminds the speech from the Dictator. and it is not surprising because the message is the same. its bizarre status is result of the context. in a dictatorship, to pledge for the freedom of speech is pure non sense. but the sinner confessing his sin could be a virtue in this case. short, with indulgence, not ignoring the political context , a decent film. few drops of humor, interesting performances, tension and the brilliant Toma Caragiu.