100 (1973) Poster

(1973)

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10/10
Love, indifference and resentment
Two brothers meet after many years, one is a young drifter and the older a successful actor. We come to understand that they love one another, but when together are also sat in a broth of resentment and pettiness. The actor was the preferred son, the drifter is looking for permission to live, which his brother is unlikely to give him. I think the only reason for good people to live is for others, and Petre will become an architect if his brother simply wants him to.

What brings me back to the three extant features of Saucan? It's the restless camera, the overflowing characters, and a sense of eternalism. What I mean by this last piece is the sense of the world, as Einstein notably saw it, as being already in existence, past and future all one. I feel as if I'm God, watching these movies, like I'm admiring my handiwork, without any sense of suspense whatsoever.

This eternalism is emphasised by transcendental moments such as when Andrei wraps his lover in stars, by the echoing dialogue, and by music that would more usually be found in a science fiction movie. "Listen carefully stars", is a line from Petru, whose end we discover is literally tattooed on his arm from the start. A television documentary of young eaglets in an eyrie fighting over a scrap of flesh is a sort of parallel to a certain psychic vampirism that characterizes the relationship between the two.

The infamous Romanian dictator of the time, who does not deserve to be named, ordered the negative of the film destroyed, which it was. Vast butchery of the film followed prior to a release, although the director's cut has survived to this day through love and willpower. Saucan should have made many more films, what is left, glitters.
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5/10
Over-ambitious film with some great acting
Ana_Banana14 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The tone of this film is dreamy and almost surreal, betraying the literary background of its screenwriter (Horia Lovinescu). This style and its erratic subject may have been the cause for its interdiction by the Communist regime back then, which contributed to its cult aura. But the discrepancy between its goals and means makes it rather tiresome to watch.

It's a story of failure: lack of communication, disillusions, and finally death. Two estranged brothers, one a dissolute and the other a successful actor and rational man, try to get together and later in the film are rivaling for a charming and mysterious girl, who was a fan of the actor. The story unfolds slowly, many lines are contrived (and most characters talk and behave the same), some almost unbelievable situations and the many sudden mood swings don't explain much of their motivations, and the overall dreamlike treatment is enhanced by the nightmarish soundtrack (most of the time overpowering the actors voices - was this another pretentious 'symbol' or just plain bad sound recording or editing?).

All three main actors are very good and they have tried their best for this film, which admittedly is not for the average viewer (or is it just a flop, in short?). The hidden gem here is Ileana Popovici, an undeservedly neglected great actress who was not only absolutely gorgeous in her prime (albeit in a subdued and not self-conscious way), but especially one of the most natural actors ever, full of innocence, charm and feminine mystery. She thinks rather high of this film, which is why I watched it, but all in all it looks at best raw and unpolished, despite its ambitious intentions.
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