Vlad Tepes

Excellent film biography of Vlad Dracula, also called Vlad Tepes (Tse-pesh), or "The Impaler", a nickname bestowed upon this 15th century warrior by enemies - the Turks of the Ottoman Empire - after his favorite method of execution. This is a good, albeit one-sided, biography of the historical Dracula, who is considered a great hero of Romania for defending his home country against excessive and insurmountable odds, which were later proven to be just that. Some of the salient facts are skewed just a bit (you can't make a hero look too much like a monster - which is what both the Turks and the Germans thought him to be), but the story is still great, and is comparable in its way to "Braveheart." Definitely recommended, but difficult to find.

The movie "Vlad Țepeș" presents us the life and deeds of Vlad the Impaler during his reign, the challenges he faces and the sheer determination he had to overcome them.

The acting, costumes and scenery are all top, as well as the historicity of the actions in the movie, but the real thing that makes the movie special is Vlad and his deeds, it's more than a life lesson, it's a new moral understanding that he left his people as a legacy, that things can be different, that evil can be defeated, and by not only opposing but actually fighting the typical human weaknesses and wickedness, he managed to stay in the collective memory of his people and foes, thus becoming an immortal, and the personification both cruelty and righteousness and that the human spirit can indeed cleanse itself and get closer to perfection and justice by deeds rather than words.

This movie should be an inspiration for all humanity, willpower overcomes evilness and weakness, and sets us free.

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!

The communistic states used historical films to make propaganda on their policy, as well as to promote national pride. Romania was not an exception and this film is one of the most interesting of its kind.

It presents the true story of Romania's national hero, prince Vlad Tepes of Vlachia, a man who tried to reform his country and resist the Ottoman invasions, using every way available, no matter how cruel, in order to succeed. The idea is that the cause justifies the means and for this, Vlad Tepes was a perfect example.

Having cinema treating their national hero as a monster since 1922, the Romanians have every right to present him as a cruel BUT great leader, which he practically was. There have been other films about this topic but no other has approached so much the historical truth as this one.

Worth the trouble of watching if you don't hate history.

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.