Operatiunea 'Monstrul'

So from my point of view, as a romanian, is that the Operation "The Monster" is a parody of the Romanian communist period. At the beginning are establishing a set of rules, stupid rules like in the communist period. After they are breaking those one by one and everyone is fearing not be seen by another one, like in the communism when you were afraid to say anything even to a friend or a neighbor because you aren't sure that is not working with the security! So, it's a genial parody wich was released IN the communist period when everything against the system was out for the public! 😂😂😂

Now this movie is simply awesome! It's by far the best ever produced in the history of romanian movies! Toma Caragiu's sublime acting make it unforgettable! Just imagine under what sort of circumstances the movie was made - ubiquitous communism! In a time where freedom of speech was simply utopian the actors simply overcome this imprisonment through subtle and subliminal commy jokes. The comprehensive understanding of this movie is limited to those able to overstand the romanian language as well as for the versed viewer and connoisseur of romanian history, which may count imho as the only drawback of the movie, apart from the poor audio/video quality - but hey, remember it's 1976 in communist Romania?!??? Well 'nuff said, but remember: don't even try to start a conversation about romanian movies if you didn't see this work of art!

The movie is an absurd comedy with probably low budget and little "action" if any. Comunist potentates, probably typical characters for the Eastern Europe in the seventies, flee their wives and jobs for a couple of days and go fishing on a quest to hunt down some local myth: a monster of a fish. What makes the movie worth while are the performances by representatives of a great generation of Romanian actors.

Much better than... Alan Alda, for instance, Marin Moraru had a great theater career in Romania but also some film appearances that should place him among the classics of comedy. He should be up there with Chaplin and Buster Keaton. "Operatiunea Monstrul", sadly flawed by poor light, sound, and probably cheap pellicle, is nevertheless a showcase for Marin Moraru, Octavian Cotescu and Toma Caragiu, all "monsters" of Romanian comedy. I only wish someone would translate it in English and circulate it a little. At least the acting classes would greatly benefit from the exposure.

I'd rate it 8 out of 10, if only for patriotism.

my favorite Romanian movie... this and Filantropica rules the comedy.... Toma Caragiu is the most absurd character, but is seducing, is charming... He has the control, but he has nothing.. life is sometimes so simple... You get the big fish if u have luck... that is the lesson... Sometimes we don't have it. I recommend this movie to all the people who said that Romanian comedy is not one in the top of the comedies... Please watch this movie.. You will laugh... And you will laugh... For all the Romanians in the world, smile, we will rule the world someday, but then we will be dead... I said it... Look, this is a stupidity, but in this movie everybody believes the stupidity... They are so naive so ambitious to believe the ideals that they don't respect... But all you can't is good for other...

A couple of communist businessmen go fishing while their wives think they're on a business trip. They take along two of their friends and side-kicks and a somewhat unstable children book writer fella who's providing them with a means of transportation.

Once there, they set up a camp and make plans for catching the biggest fish around those waters, legendarily called `The Monster'. While the action drags on, the movie is great in depicting the mentality and attitudes of socially important people back in communist times.

The leading actor, Toma Caragiu, delivers exceptionally as the flamboyant leader of the group, self-righteous and passing judgement at every step, with great self-irony. A great performance by Octavian Cotescu, who depicts another influential socialist figure, bent onto bragging either about places he has visited abroad or the fabulous things he had acquired there. Marin Moraru is their inadvertedly funny right-hand man in the office and their delivery boy and messenger during this whole trip.

The movie is great and definitely delivers, yet hindered by its technical flaws.