THE UPRISING

Rascoala

Director Mircea Muresan / 1966 / Romania

This film is about the tragic lives of the Rumanian peasants, and their revolt against the landowners at the beginning of this century. Two themes of the film are blended: the story of Petre whose sweetheart was raped in the manor, and the breakup of a marriage in the high society of the gentry. Underlying these themes is the peasants' ever-pressing need for land, and the aimlessness of the feudal upper classes. The mass revenge culminates in the burning of the manor house.

The Uprising was adapted from a novel by Rebreanu, on whose book was based the 1966 Melbourne Film Festival entry, The Forest of the Hanged. Dignified and sincere, the film carries a forceful message, yet overt propaganda is absent. Strong in authentic characterisation, the director Mircea Muresan's only concern is with the telling of a story.

Opera Prima Prize, Cannes Festival.

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