For the large battle scenes actual Romanian soldiers were used as extras, for both the Romanian and Ottoman (Turkish) armies. During some scenes they took the fight a bit too serious. This augmented the realistic look of those scenes, but as the weapons were made of wood, not rubber, some of the extras got a few bruises from the experience.
The famous one-on-one meeting and dialogue between Sultan Baiazid (the Lightning) and King Mircea (the Old) is not documented in any historical sources, so it probably never happened. This scene is directly inspired from a famous epic poem called "The 3rd Letter" by Mihai Eminescu (a famous Romanian poet) in the 19th century. In the movie, part of the dialogue is taken directly from this poem, with only minor changes. Though not historically accurate, the scene is highly symbolic and emphasizes some significant concepts that fueled the continued (and often successful) resistance of the small Romanian army in the face of the mighty Ottoman (Turkish) empire.
The premiere was initially scheduled for June 5, 1989, but Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu requested last-minute modifications to the screenplay. Writer Titus Popovici modified about 17 pages. Director Sergiu Nicolaescu was furious at this and refused to make any changes to the film. It finally premiered on November 17,1989, at the Patria Theatre in Bucharest. Director Nicolaescu did not attend.
King Mircea of Wallachia's grandson is Prince Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Dracula. In the Romanian language Dracula or Dracul means Devil or Dragon. Vlad the Impaler's father, also known as Vlad Dracul, got his nickname "Dracul" after he received The Order of the Dragon from the Pope for his acts of bravery in battle against the invading Ottoman Turks. When common folk in medieval Romania translated the name of the Papal Order of the Dragon, the name "Dragon: became "Dracul", meaning Dragon or Devil. Afterwards Vlad the father became known as Vlad Dracul and his son became known as Vlad the Impaler or Dracula.
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