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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.