Romanian Film Industry During the Communist Era
Nicolae Ceausescu
With the dawn of the communist era and the Nationalization of The Romanian film industry, the medium was now able to be mass-produced with skilled directors and actors. This era is said to be the Golden Age of the Romanian Film Industry, because of the sheer growth in the production in the medium. For the first time in Romania directors and actors became notable and nationally recognized. But like many things in the Communist Era the Golden Age of Cinema was a facade for the lack of freedom that directors and producers had in the medium. It polarized a happy working-class society in both fictional and non-fiction films. Film was used as a medium to drive the communist rhetoric in Romania until 1990. A film that did not fit the criteria would be banned from cinemas "Reconstituirea" is an example of a film that was displayed but then later banned because it did not match the Communist Rhetoric.
The Paradox: Funding, Skill, but lacked the Freedom of ContentBackgroundBefore WWII in Romania there was a paradigm shift of power. In 1938 King Carol II of Romania changed has position and form of government in Romania from a Constitutional Monarchy to a dictatorship which he led.
In 1940 Romania cedes territory to Hungary and the USSR after signing the Germany-Soviet pact. General Ion Antonescu forces King Carol to abdicate his position in favor of son Michael but Antonescu assumes power himself and leaves Micheal as the puppet politician.
During the beginning of WWII Romania fights on the German side against the Soviet Union, but as the Soviet Union forces close in on Romania, Romania switches to the soviet side. Antonescu is then ousted form his position and a Soviet backed government is installed. In 1948 a soviet-style constitution is established that purges of dissidents in the Communist Party. In 1952 Party leader Gheorghe Gheoghiu-Dej become the prime minister of Romania.
When Gheorghe Gheoghiu-Dej died Nicolae Ceausescu become the Communist Party leader. Ceausescu gradually makes Romania a totalitarian socialist state that he and his wife rule. With his power he controls every aspect of the government and the rules.
In relation to cinema these historical changes, and constitutional changes of a Soviet state brought in limits to the artistic creations of cinema. The Decree 303 that nationalized all media including cinema brought film in to the Golden Age in Romania where it had the funding, the skill, but lacked the freedom to produce medium of any sorts.
FundingWith the nationalization of the Film Industry, Romania film finally had sufficient funds to create the medium. The nationalization of the Film Industry occurred with Romania's switch from a Constitutional Monarchy to a dictatorship, to a communist state.
Since film was an art, that could easily manipulate the mind through propaganda, in the age of communism it was widely funded to perpetrate the idea of of a successful state. Vladimir Lenin said of the art "Of all of the arts the most important for us is cinema." With the appreciation of film in communist Romanian a solid infrastructure was build around it. New film studios and a center of film production opened on the outskirts of Bucharest, in Buftea. Romania Films were distributed throughout the countries 7000 cinemas. In the period of 1976-1982 alone 42 cinemas were created. Film production was also important with a means of 30 movies per year. During the communist era 232 films were created and funded in Romania. SkillWith the funding that was provided by the Romanian Government to the film industry, Romania finally had developed a certain amount of skill in producing cinema. Ion Popescu Gopo a Romanian animator, writer, and movie director. Became a prominate personality in the Romanian Cinematography and founded the Romanian Cartoon School. Gopo with the help of Liviu Ciulei and Mirel Illiesiu won an award a Cannes in the 20th century. The Film was "Scurta Istorie" (A Brief History) won the best short film in 1957 at the Cannes Film Festival.
No other internationally renowned films were created in Romania at this time that won an assortment of awards. Romanian cinema still had the issue that it had in the Early Years where it was five years behind everyone else in the medium. A skill however in the art was developed at the time.
Freedom of ConentThe communist era was the Golden Age of Romanian Cinema, money that should have been spent in other sectors were spent on film in order to create a communist propaganda machine. Though the skill level of the film industry increased, and there was a substantial amount of funds poured into the industry, there was a great lack in freedom to create. The directors that created film in Romania at the time were accomplices in a cultural genocide. By law through Decree 303 the content that the directors produced had to fit the ideology of the communist government. If it did not fit the ideology of the government it would not be published. This lead the directors and producers of film to a tough decision to either create the medium with the conditions that communist government sanctioned on Freedom of Content, but utilize the new production sites, and technology that the government poured into the cinema in hopes of creating a communist propaganda machine. With the pure amount of content that was created during the communist era. It can be assumed that most directors took advantage of the system, in order to continue the craft that they loved, even at the cost of cultural genocide.
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“Of all the arts, the most important for us is cinema". – Vladimir Lenin Decree 303On February 11, 1948 Decree 303 was signed into legislation by the communist party in Romania. This decree nationalized the film industry and the regulation of commerce in cinematic products. That means that during this time if a medium of film is going to be produced it needs to first be approved by the party. Following the nationalization of the film industry, three major film studios were established in Romania one in Buftea for the production of features, and two other for the production of documentaries and cartoons. In order to have supplies for these films a place called the "Intreprinderea de Stat Tehnoci" was created which provided technical supplies to the studios. The Institute for the arts was also created at the time with the mission of creating actors for the new cinema that was being created. These establishments increased the growth of cinema in Romania but limited the creativity that once existed in the medium. It also decreased the amount of professionalism in the industry because those who had ties in the party were immediately granted access to funds to create future films.
Ion Popescu GopoThis film entitled A Brief History displays the success of the Communist Film Industry. Even though it limited the power of citizens to be able to think and create freely. It did give filmmakers a chance to successfully make wonderful imaginative film with in the ideology of the party. "This 1957 Romanian short animation and Cannes Film Festival winner skilfully and with incredible artistic expression manages to condense the entire narrative of human evolutionary theory into a ten minute short film. Not only that, he eerily anticipates the communist triumph of the USSR launching the first man into space by a few years (IMBD.com)".
ReconstituireaWas one of the films during that was made during the Communist Era and then was later banned. The Movie was directed by Lucian Pintille, and is in the Comedy Genre Category. The movie is a Reoconstitution of a banal story incident, a fight between two men taken by militia that turns into a felony, it later goes on to alluded the Government of Romania as a hell both morally and spiritually and a labyrinth for justice. The movie was released in Bucharest but was banned by the party shortly after. During the post communist reign the film was rebroadcast. The film is done in black and white but is particularly interesting because it is kind of a fortune teller of the future of the Romanian Film Industry which focuses on the trials for the individual of the Communist Era. For More information regarding this film click here.
The Executionn December of 1989 a bloody uprising is triggered throughout Romania against the current regime.
Ceausescu and his wife try to flee, but are caught and then executed on Christmas Day. Their execution was filmed and displayed around the world. The documentation of this event brought the end of communism, but also the end of state controlled media. The images that flickered on the screen this day is significant because for the first time in more than twenty years, something anti-communistic and nationalistic can be displayed. It is horrific and violent but it displays a significant passage of time in Romania.
The following information on this webpage was provided by the following sources.
"Cinema of the World." Cinema of the World. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2013. Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: Norton, 1981. Print. Gheorghiu-Cernat, Manuela. A Concise History of the Romanian Film. Bucharest: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 1982. Print. Gheorghiu-Cernat, Manuela. A Concise History of the Romanian Film. Bucharest: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 1982. Print. Liehm, Mira, and Antonín J. Liehm. The Most Important Art: Eastern European Film after 1945. Berkeley: University of California, 1977. Print. Nelson, Barbara. "Hollywood's Struggle for Romania, 1938-1945." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television 29.3 (2009): 295-319. Print. "Romania Film." Romania Film. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2013. Roumanie: Le Film Documentaire (1898-1990) : Une Rétrospective Du 22e Festival International Du Film Documentaire, Nyon (Suisse) : Une Documentation Co-produite Avec La Section "Panorama" Du 41e Festival International Du Film De Berlin = Rumänien : Die Dokumentarfilme (1898-1990) : Eine Retrospektive Des 22. Internationalen Dokumentarfilmfestivals, Nyon (Schweiz) ... = Romania : The Documentary Films (1898-1990) : A Retrospective Programme of the 22nd Nyon International Documentary Film Festival (Switzerland) : A Documentation Coporduced with the "Panorama" Section of the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. Nyon [Switzerland: Festival International Du Film Documentaire, 1991. Print. |
Film in Romania during the communist era suffered under the rule of Ceausescu and the lack of freedom of speech during this era. Ironically the freedom of press came to Romania with the horrific publication of Ceausescu death. The paradox that existed in this time was that Romania had the money to produce film, had the skill to produce film, but lacked the freedom to produce film worthy of a lot of international attention.