Ecce Homo Brâncoveanu

The film was presented as an art film, but it is surprisingly weak for Dan Pita, perhaps his weakest, next to Kira Kiralina. It looks like a cross between a docudrama and a teleplay, with various long patriotic speeches tacked on. I don't know how this script received funding from the CNC, as Romania has produced much better films in recent years. At times, the directing and choreography was so bad that some movie goers chuckled in disbelief (see the moment when Brancoveanu has a vital talk with the sultan while gawking at some belly dancer, for instance). The actors, for the most part, performed well, except for Marius Stanescu, with a cringing performance that seemed to be from the play Richard III he did at Odeon Theater. The cinematography is amateurish, except for a few well-executed moments (a picnic by a lake, a last super indoors, a carriage on the beach and a fine sunset). Everything is filmed in a few interiors at Mogosoaia and two exteriors, by a lake and on a beach. It has a low-budget feel, like a weak teleplay. The sound is not up to par either, as it distorts the voices of some actors, making them sound harsher or hard to follow. Critics may praise the patriotic intent more than the actual execution. It's a shame for the great tragedy of Constantin Brancoveanu; the film is a missed opportunity.