Popular Demand - Michael the Brave - part II
Popular Demand - Michael the Brave - part II
At the request of the majority of the national spectators, tonight on cinepub.ro you can watch „Michael the Brave" - part II: „Unification".
At the end of the century I was in the Studio cinema hall; at that time I was writing film reviews for România Literară and Pro Cinema. The film critics were watching there the exclusive previews - the internet had long since been invented, but no idea about streaming at that time. "Saving Private Ryan" was the next premiere.
The long, interminable, unbearable, opening sequence, the carnage on Omaha Beach in Normandy, was a showcase of directorial mastery - Spielberg was at the height of his maturity - if not of his creation, certainly of his impeccable craftsmanship. I had my habits and idiosyncrasies at these screenings - I always sat on the edge, so I could stretch my legs, but also as close to the exit as possible – I was afraid of earthquakes since childhood.
I had enough time to watch the lanky figure rise emphatically from the middle of the room, rambling in the half-light, for the whole audience to hear him, heading for the exit, less than a quarter of an hour into the film he obviously despised: 'I had this cup of tea a long time ago'. Film director Sergiu Nicolaescu - it was him - could not have failed to "have" mass scenes - the official director of Ceausescu regime had at his disposal whoever he wanted, whomever and whatever, wherever, however and whenever; one of the most privileged of the era, in the most beautiful world possible for those happy-go-lucky, spiritless people who profited, sucked and licked, with no reflux, let alone regret.
He remains a symbol for the Romanians of yesterday, as well as for those of today, those who probably don't understand one bit of what I meant above (and it's not their fault, of course). Nicolaescu was and remains the "national director": unlike the little man – the 160 cm long dictator Nicolae Ceausescu - he tried to make great through grandiloquent cinematic metaphors, his glory continued beyond the red covers of the Communist party card. Nicolaescu is the phoenix in the national stable, and his protean appearances through a variety of characters - powerful ones, no doubt! - have created a mythology that endures to this day. "Michael the Brave" is cinepub.ro's first attempt to approach popular Romanian cinema.
When we programmed the Romanian industry's biggest box office hit (until Romina VTM and other Vidra Productions titles, of course…), we were curious to see how it would perform in the context of our niche platform, dominated by NCR productions and short films by young directors who had never even heard of Nicolaescu.
Moreover, I was curious to see the audience's reaction to two films, so different and yet so close. "Why are the bells tolling, Mitică?" by Pintilie and „Michael the Brave" by Nicolaescu, represent two fundamental hypostases of the Romanian people, who refuse to recognize themselves in Caragiale and prefer romantic-nationalist edulcorations, which project them as brave, with good faith, talented poets, welcoming hosts, good Christians, etc.
In less than a week after its release, Michael the Brave (part one - Călugăreni) reached the top three of most viewed films on cinepub.ro. Nicolaescu has overtaken Pintilie and is on Gulea's back, Michael the Brave will probably dethrone Ilie Moromete and will certainly take the ”Old Communist Hag” beard.
So, at the request of the majority of the national spectators, tonight on cinepub.ro you can watch „Michael the Brave" - part II: „Unification". And, for the minority of those who may wish to (re)read the curatorial text for Nicolaescu's film, we have made it available here.
(Lucian Georgescu, cinepub.ro)
