Masca de argint

part of Mărgelatu series,first film of series directed by Gheorghe Vitanidis , it is new wave of adventures, treasures, mysteries in same manner of series. here, a strange Russian business man is the axis of story and the levels of his evolution - occasion for impose Romanian patriotism - are nice and seductive. in rest - same ingredients. beautiful landscapes, credible atmosphere, good performance of actors, amazing fight scenes - the Szobi Cseh sign - and touching music of George Grigoriu. after years, it is not difficult to consider it a surrogate. but this definition is almost strange. it represents , for its period, a form of cultural survive. sure, form , not real special, of entertainment but, in same measure, drawing of history page and courageous game with Communist censor. that is the key - it is a window. to Romanian sensitivity and, in same time, to a form of artistic resistance using, in perfect manner, small subjects to create a image about past ( the propaganda note is not missing ).

During the socialist period the Romanian cinema was widely recognized in my home country. The story about Yellow Rose was one of the best loved adventure movies in the mid-eighties. I remember how me and my friends and classmates were saving money just to go and watch them, "Masca de argint" being the most dynamic and vivid. Concerning the plot, all the films devoted to the adventures of Margelatu /a.k.a. Trandafirul galben/ are set in the mid 1840's, just before the Romanian revolution of 1848. Margelatu himself is a rather rough, dour and taciturn character, whose presence, nevertheless, is much impressive. "Masca de argint" begins with a jail-break - Margelatu is being taken out by his faithful friend, Buza /a superb performance by Szabolcz Czeh/. Then both of them start fighting the Romanian authorities in their favorite way. There are enough pub fights, shootings, and, which is the best in the series, a big fight on a square, including a dynamite blast of police barriers. Assuming that the authorities can not deal with Margelatu and his friends, Agatha Slatineanu launches a perfidious plan in order to discredit Margelatu, in which is involved even the Turkish consul in Bucharest. She is aided by the inventive arch-rogue /and at the same time coward/ Trojanoff, who pretends to have a diplomatic immunity. Margelatu has to deal with the new threat. The stunts are perfectly executed, the soundtrack is wonderful, the scenery of the Romanian mountains is just marvellous, the musical score, composed by G. Grigoriu is once again powerful, so I can only recommend the movie to everyone, who likes and apprehends the kind of adventures, typical for the cinema industries across East Europe.

Just a movie made by fairground amateurs for illiterate proletarians.

the actors are great and the story is first class ... it has been a pleasure watching it ... wonderful movie.before i took the necessary time to watch it i thought it would be boring because it is old but i was so wrong ... it's great , and to be honest i am a very big fan of Mr Piersic.His company is also a great actor ... and a professional stuntman.it's a shame i cannot find the other movies that link with this one ... the sources i tried to take them from are too slow and it takes forever to complete the download.I sure hope that Romanians will begin making great movies again because all i saw these days made in Ro is only junk ...

This movie is rudely copying the western style. Not to mention that the guns they fire, old shotguns that can only hold a bullet- fire continuously like they were machine-guns :) quite funny. Some suspense and pub-fights ... and a little preview on Romanian way of life in the 19th century. Anyway, in 1985 when this movie was released,the romanians' access to the outside world was limited, fact which makes this movie appreciated more than it should be.

Anyway, it is fun to watch, has an interesting plot - inspired by real historical facts- and nice lines.

I recommend it only if you are accompanied by a romanian, for a good translation of the lines and a background explanation of historical events.