ALEXANDRA AND THE INFERNO (1975) – war film online

Directed by: Iulian Mihu
Script by: Iulian Mihu, Laurențiu Fulga (novel)
Cast: Ioan Sabău, Florin Tănase, Romeo Partenie, Cornel Patrichi, Ion Niciu, Aurel Popescu, Gheorghe Novac, Hans Pomarius, Nicolae Radu, Violeta Andrei, Emanoil Petruț, Aristide Teică, Nicolae Praida, Jean Lorin Florescu
Producer: Corneliu Leu
Cinematography by: Alexandru Întorsureanu, Gheorghe Fischer
Edited by: Mioara Jana Ionescu
Sound: Ghoerghe Mărăi
Music: Anatol Vieru
Year: 1975
Category: Feature film
Genre: War, Love
Duration: 97 minutes

PLOT SUMMARY

In a complex social context, the film explores the dilemmas and inner struggles of Alexandra (Violeta Andrei), the wife of a second lieutenant who has gone to the front, highlighting social and personal issues that test her courage and resilience.

CRITICAL REVIEWS:

“Iulian Mihu felt drawn to Fulga’s novel, which is built on two pillars: the psychosis of death and the psychosis of love, both elevated to the level of metaphysical mutation, of a change in mentality, where the moment and the infinite, chance and the sublime, insignificance and destiny merge in Hegelian syntheses.” – D.I.Suchianu, “România literară” magazine, 1975

“The source of inspiration, Laurențiu Fulga’s book ‘Alexandra and the Inferno’, undoubtedly contained that material with bewilderingly free valences, so necessary for a director like Iulian Mihu. The fantastic and unreal image of a symbolic Alexandra, traversing all the stages of femininity through the hell of war. But also the raw and brutal reality of the front of war. But also the permanent overlap of the real and the imaginary in one and the same fascinating image. Yes, the book ‘Alexandra and Hell’ had everything Iulian Mihu needed to construct that ‘something else’ that is his film. Just as he did with ‘Otilia’s Riddle’, ‘Felix and Otilia’.” – Eva Sîrbu in “Cinema” magazine, no. 12, December 1975

“The nightmarish, hallucinatory landscape created in graphis-color elevated the film far above its dramaturgy. And how many Romanian screenplays could not, and could not, lean on this generous shoulder.” – Alice Mănoiu in Cinema magazine, no. 1, January 1979

“The film stands out from other productions of its kind from the 1970s due to its emphasis on Romanian-Soviet military brotherhood. With the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the summer of 1958 and the adoption of a national-communist course by the political leadership in Bucharest, the role of the Red Army in liberating the country from fascism began to fade in public discourse and, implicitly, in cinematic representation.” – Bogdan Jitea, cinepub.ro

“Just as he had done with Manole Marcus in their debut film ‘Life Does Not Forgive’, director Mihu sought to annihilate all the propaganda underpinning the film’s script by shifting the focus to the love story between the two protagonists and through an excessive fondness for cinematic tableaux featuring actress Violeta Andrei in the foreground.” – Bogdan Jitea, cinepub.ro

TRIVIA:

• Iulian Mihu considers the film “Alexandra and the Inferno” a return to the themes of “Life Does Not Forgive“: war and love, this time in the context of the anti-fascist war, with greater emotional intensity.
• In an interview with film critic Valerian Sava, the director states that he feels closer to these characters than in his previous films, considering Laurențiu Fulga‘s novel to be closer to his own sensibility. Unlike the passive heroes of his previous films, the characters in this film are determined, active, and conscious of their choices until death, he says.
• Mihu defines the film as a contrast between the “inferno” of war and the serenity of an assumed moral order, a contrast that should give the story its fascination.
• The director confesses, in the same interview with Valerian Sava, that the central idea of the film is “understanding”, traversing the characters’ destinies in the context of the changes after August 1944.
• Visually, the film uses the graphic-color (graphis) technique, created by cinematographers Gheorghe Fischer and Alexandru Întorsureanu and premiered in Malaga. The technique was patented internationally and opened up new artistic directions in color film. Graphis applies a fine blur to colors, reducing harsh contrasts and creating refined chromatic harmonies, with references to impressionist painting. The technique was essential for the visual unity of the films “Felix and Otilia” and “Fleeting Loves“, directed by Malvina Urșianu.
• Filming took place between October 19 and November 8, 1974.
• Production costs amounted to 3,333,000 lei.
• In 2009, Laurenţiu Damian made the documentary “About Iulian Mihu as he was. About us as we are” based on a screenplay by Ana Marina Constantinescu.

LINES:

 • “War is a hell that we men must go through to make a cause triumph.” – General (Jean Lorin Florescu)
• “If all the wives of the soldiers in the world came to the front after their husbands, there would probably be no more wars. Which would be good for humanity.” – General (Jean Lorin Florescu)
• “Some of us die. And yet we must go on.” – General (Jean Lorin Florescu)
• “War belongs to men.” – Filip (Romeo Partenie)
• “Don’t forget anything… who put shoes on your feet, who dressed you.” – Alexandra (Violeta Andrei)
• “We must build a life without war and against war.” – Filip (Romeo Partenie)
• “People must live with dignity. They must be free and happy.” – Filip (Romeo Partenie)
• “I don’t know how many women followed their men to the front. But here I am.” – Alexandra (Violeta Andrei)
• “It’s hard for us now, but the war will end.” – Alexandra (Violeta Andrei)

ARTICLES:

• Review: “Alexandra and the Inferno” by Eva Sîrbu – aarc.ro
• Review: “Graphis-color or the Third Author by Alice Mănoiu – aarc.ro
• Review: “Alexandra and the…Brightened Inferno” by Valerian Sava – aarc.ro
• Interview: “Iulian Mihu – A Style of His Own” by Al. Deleanu – aarc.ro
• “Another Long-Distance Dialogue, Manole Marcus” – Iulian Mihu, by Călin Căliman – istoriafilmuluiromanesc.ro

This premiere is part of a national archive project supported by the Romanian National Film Centre.
Special thanks goes to the Romanian Filmmakers Union and to the Romanian Film Archive.

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