Ion Fiscuteanu Movies
Though Romanian actor Ion Fiscuteanu enjoyed a lengthy tenure of film work in his native country, he only achieved international stardom within the final few years of his life. Born in Bistrita, Transylvania, in November 1937, Fiscuteanu received his formal dramatic training in Bucharest, then spent decades in Romanian stage productions before transitioning to film in the 1980s, in such productions as Mircea Daneliuc's films Glissando (1985) and Jacob (1988). Fiscuteanu found global recognition among audiences (and substantial critical acclaim to boot) at age 68, with his starring role in Cristi Puiu's jet-black 2005 tragicomedy The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. As Mr. Lazarescu, an overweight, ailing alcoholic who gets helplessly shuttled through the labyrinths of the Bucharest medical system one miserable night, Fiscuteanu managed to simultaneously convey horror, angst, exhaustion, and misery while keeping the audience emotionally involved in his plight. Tragically, Fiscuteanu's best-known performance was also his last: on a note of grim irony (given the film's subject matter) the actor himself died two years later, from colon cancer, at the age of 70. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Mr. Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu) is not feeling well. He has a bad headache and has been vomiting. He feels that it is something more serious than the pain caused by his ulcer and the hangovers caused by his regular excessive drinking. He calls for an ambulance, and after convincing the skeptical dispatcher that he is not simply drunk, he begins the long wait for help to arrive. Eventually, he visits his neighbors, Sandu (Doru Ana) and Miki (Dana Dogaru), in search of stronger pain relievers. They are busy and reluctant to help him, but eventually realize that something may be seriously wrong with the smelly old drunkard. Sandu takes him back to his apartment, and, later, the paramedic, Mioara (Luminita Gheorghiu), finally arrives. After ascertaining that Lazarescu has been drinking to excess, she considers giving him an aspirin and going on her way, but a quick examination shows that the old man is in severe pain, and Mioara begins to suspect that he is gravely ill. Thus begins a long, unpleasant journey from one hospital to another, as Lazarescu faces a backlog of patients caused by a massive traffic accident, and the cold indifference of arrogant doctors who appear hesitant to cure a man who has seemingly destroyed his own health. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu was co-written and directed by Rumanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu. It was shown at the 2005 New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ion Fiscuteanu, Luminita Gheorghiu, (more)
- 1996
In this French-Romanian thriller, a rookie prosecutor teams up with a female topographer to investigate the mysterious death of a coal miner. Upon his first look at the mine, prosecutor Costa feels appalled by the terrible, unsafe conditions there. He makes a full report to the mine administrators but they, fully aware that their mine is a death trap, and caring only for profit, are disinterested. The miners, desperately needing their jobs, would rather keep things quiet too. Meanwhile Costas and Alina, the topographer become better acquainted until news of a newly discovered corpse, in a supposedly closed section of the mine reaches them. More bodies then turn up. Costas finds a key clue in some early mine footage and with only that, manages to bring the killer to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Razvan Vasilescu, Cecilia Barbora, (more)
- 1992
Lucian Pintilie wrote this dramatic tale of a woman who travels through Romania on a journey to bury her father's ashes, while the countryside lapses into chaos during the final days of the Ceausescu regime. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maia Morgenstern, Razvan Vasilescu, (more)
- 1991
The savage ironies and injustices of the Stalinist policies of farm collectivization are given a human face in this drama, based on Faces of Silence, a novel by Augustin Bazura. In the story, a farmer who has scrabbled his way up to some wealth has his lands and wealth confiscated and is forced to work on the farm within the collective system. His three sons, who were formerly studying at a university, are unable to continue with their studies. Two of them become anti-communist guerillas, hoping against hope that the Americans will step in and free their country. The third one, a philosopher, has been hidden by his father in a cellar. Party officials arrest and torture the much-aggrieved father in order to find the whereabouts of his sons. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Remus Margineau, Dorel Visan, (more)
- 1988
Jacob (Dorel Visan) is a gold miner who risks his life daily to support his wife, mother-in-law, and four children in this socio-political drama. Under the rule of an oppressive monarchy backed by military force, the miners often resort to stealing gold to compensate for their meager wages. Workers are subjected to strip searches and are forced to take laxatives by the often brutal guards and inspectors as they look for stolen gold, and Jacob raises his vocal objections over the treatment of his fellow workers. Although the story takes place in Rumania during the 1930s, the viewer can draw parallels to worker oppression of any era. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorel Visan, Cecilia Birbora, (more)
- 1985
In a devastating story rife with visual metaphors, Romanian director Mircea Daneliuc traces the slow mental disintegration of a confirmed gambler, using his disorder as an allusion to a greater national and social disorder. Set in the 1930s, the middle-class gambler meets an elderly man who seems to bring him good luck at the gaming tables. Rather than treasure his friendship and the good fortune it brings, the gambler takes advantage of his friend, and by his actions drives the man to suicide. Unable to reconcile his own mental demons, the gambler wanders through the house of his dead friend, and his experiences there only serve to unsettle his mind more and more and more. In the last reels of the film, the fantasies of the hero's deranged mind take over. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefan Iordache, Tora Vasilescu, (more)
