Enescu, Skinned Alive

Romanian cinema seems to feel uncomfortable with George Enescu, the most important Romanian composer and one of the most appreciated musicians of the 20th century. Violinist, conductor, educator, but above all composer, who in addition to a few hits (especially the rhapsodies) also composed a lot of profound and difficult music, a challenge for performers but also for listeners, Enescu traveled a winding path throughout his life, from his appearance in the world of music as a child prodigy, going through a sentimental life often in the focus of the scandal press, to the end of his life as an exile from Romania that had became a communist country, marked by illness and disillusionment. Paradoxically, no film has been dedicated to him so far. Director Toma Enache worked for many years on the construction of the project that became the film 'Enescu, jupuit de viu' (English title - 'Enescu Skinned Alive') which fits well into the trend of biographies of great composers that seem to enjoy success on screens in recent years. The result is one of those films that polarizes opinions, declared by some as a masterpiece or art film, criticized by others as 'soft porn' and blasphemy against a national cultural icon. I will try to share what I felt while watching it, my impressions being also a combination of contradictions.

Enescu's biography is presented in somewhat chronological order, although there are many 'flash-back' and 'flash-forward' insertions. For the Romanian viewer, somewhat familiar with the composer's biography, the exposition does not present any problems, but for less initiated viewers I think there will be quite a few difficulties in placing some episodes in time and especially in context. The emphasis is placed on the passionate love story between Enescu and Maruca Cantacuzino, which unfolded over the course of several decades. However, a problem arises here that I am not sure if it is technical or a directorial decision that is difficult to explain. Toma Enache uses very little makeup, or if he does, it is clumsy. Enescu seems frozen in an eternal allure around the age of 50 while Maria Rosetti Cantacuzino looks about 20 years younger. In reality, the two were quite close in age, Maruca being about three years older. Problematic decisions or executions, because, for example, the relationship of the woman about 50 years old with the philosopher Nae Ionescu over ten years younger is difficult to understand based on the way the protagonists look.

I cannot avoid the comparison with the film 'Boléro' by Anne Fontaine, made in the same year, which tells the story of the life of Maurice Ravel, Enescu's contemporary. In both movies the scripts center around the gestation of the major mature work of each of the two composers - Ravel's 'Bolero' and Enescu's opera 'Oedipe'. In my opinion, we learn much less about Enescu's masterpiece in this film. Is Oedipus' suffering meant to be a replica of the musician's love pains, passionately loved but occasionally deceived by the capricious princess? We learn too little about Enescu the man and his relationships with the world around him. Toma Enache built sets, used authentic locations when he could, and created luxurious costumes to reconstruct the world of the Romanian aristocracy before World War II, but the image seemed as brilliant as it is superficial. The music is, of course, formidable, with Enescu performed by the Orchestre National de France conducted by Cristian Macelaru, but the spoken text does not always work well and sometimes sounds more like a precious documentary commentary. I was not enthusiastic about either the choice or the acting performances of Catalin Bocirnea and Theodora Sandu. They look great in the love scenes, but from a film about Enescu I expected something completely different. More about the soul and music, less about the flesh. The producers chose not to release the film in the commercial cinemas in Romania, limiting themselves to special screenings and now to broadcasting on television. Perhaps it would have been more successful in cinemas. If I'm wrong, 'Enescu, jupuit de viu' may even become a cult film, not just one good for anniversary screenings.

I saw this movie in a glamorous setting, at the Romanian Atheneum and I could tell from the get go that this was going to be bad. We've had a 40 mins introduction by a guy in a bow tie who asked the public for applause for like 7 or 8 times, for the brilliant acting, directing, screenwriting and so on and so forth. Everything needed to be applauded - at one point I thought we're going to honor the fact that we are still alive through this painful intro with a round of clapping.

The movie is atrocious: there is no narrative line, the characters lack any depth, the dialogue is grotesquely cliche, filled with pompous phares that have no meaning. We got out after 20 mins of projection. What a waste of time and money!

The director of movie brilliantly illustrates the love story between George Enescu, a huge composer of last century, and controversial and passionate princess, Maruca Cantacuzino ,born in Romania .The kindness of this great composer and his emotional state increase the princess confidence that they pass together with "magna cum laude" over love pressures and their efforts will eventually turn into achievements, scattered on their life as well precious ring mount of diamond . Enescu seems to be like a fisherman in the boat who paddles up on the smooth or rough sea. It says that a big slice of "success cake"" of love is on each plate of partners, although. The main characters perform into glamorous ways, all the loose ends are finally tie up in their love.

Enescu skinned alive - a film by Toma Enache Finally a movie that made my whole being (mind-body-spirit) vibrating. A movie that is not about gangsters, guns and violence but about the art of music, love and beauty.

It is about the life of a genius Romanian classic music composer, his inner emotional univers, his struggles, his ups and downs in the world of creativity and recognition but also it is about the passionate love between him and the beautiful princes Maruca No, I am not gonna narrate the story in this movie but instead I am telling how this movie made me feel from the first music note till to the last one.

It was like my whole being was willingly kidnapped and flown away through a time tunel to the XIX Century. The decore, epoch costumes, interior decorations the streets of Paris with beautiful arhitecture or the rustic house with a beautiful garden in Moldavia where Enescu was born and spent his childhood, the magnificent palaces and concert halls, the elegance of beautiful women, the romantic evenings where piano was played by Enescu for the high class audiences.... all these has made me forget for 2 hours the present times where the soul of the world I live in has become poorer with each technological advancement and oh boy, I felt so happy for 2 hours when this movie helped me to escape it into a like fairytale world.

Assuming that each cell of the human body is a music instrument ... well, this movie has made all my "instruments" play and vibrate in a perfect, devine like, harmony with not even one false note.

The passionate love between Enescu princess Maruca has given the movie sweet, erotic, sometimes even dramatic flavors which I have absorbed with pleasurable emotions.

My mind was really impressed by the wisdom flowing out from the intelligent dialogues among the movie characters.

Yes, by making this movie the regizor Toma Enache has proven his dedication to perfection.

It was nothing I did not like about this movie,. Oh, yes I did not like when the movie ended and I found myself back in the present.

It was no wonder that this movie has been the winner of 45 international prestigious awards

Dini Trandu - a fan of art, music poetry, love and beauty.

I had the chance to see this movie in two different festivals that I attended, in Monacco and Los Angeles, and I'm in awe of the creative team that made it. No wonder it won so many awards. I did not know who Enescu was, but I was completely captivated by the story. Such a great way to discover brilliant musicians and inspiring love stories! The actors are well picked, costumes are great and the music is simply amazing. Behind all this can be nothing but a great director. I highly recommend this skillfully crafted movie to all film and classical music lovers. In a world full of noise and violence, it is comforting to find films as beautiful and moving as this one.