This late 19th century tale is set in a Romanian village ruled by the ancient but impoverished aristocratic Comanesteanu family. The crops are bad, and when hungry peasants demand their rights, the lease-holders cheat them.

The aristocrats are displaced by the former lease-holders, who now become their rich successors. The strongest member of this new rich class is a brutal, ruthless man named Tanase Scatiu, whose ambition is to become master of the village. He schemes to marry young Tincuta, one of the deposed Comanesteanu family.

Because her family is greatly in debt to him, Tincuta, who loves her cousin Mihai, is forced to marry Tanase, and he now becomes the legal owner of the village.

His violence and avidity drive the peasants again to revolt, this time against their new oppressor, Tanase.

Dan Pita

Born: 1938. Studied at the institute of Art and Cinematography, Bucarest.

Features: Philip the Kind (1975), A Summer Tale (1976), A Prophet; Gold and the Transylvanians (1977), This Above All (1978).