LIKE IN THE MOVIES (1984) – drama film online

Directed by: Manole Marcus
Script by: Liviu Timbus
Cast: Ion Caramitru, Alexandru Arșinel, Catrinel Dumitrescu, Violeta Andrei, Tudorel Filimon, Gheorghe Tomescu, Cristina Deleanu, Nicolae Praida, Mircea Anghelescu, Constantin Rășchitor, Maria Rotaru, Gheorghe Șimonca
Producer: Lucian Dante Gologan
Cinematography by: Alexandru Întorsureanu
Edited by: Adriana Ionescu
Sound: Bujor Suru
Music: George Grigoriu
Year: 1984
Category: Feature film
Genre: Drama
Duration: 74 minutes

PLOT SUMMARY

An untalented writer’s attempts to craft a “lifelike” screenplay result in a run-of-the-mill policier.

CRITICAL REVIEWS:

“Manole Marcus did not limit himself to a single cinematic genre; throughout his career, he explored various fields and directions, approaching each with dedication and professionalism (as attested by those who have worked with him).” – Mihai Fulger, cinepub.ro

“Narratively, ‘Like in the Movies’ — with a screenplay by Liviu Timbus — is based on the trope of unlikely partners from completely different backgrounds and/or with vastly different personalities, one of whom is usually far less cooperative and accommodating than the other. This trope is effectively exploited in all kinds of Hollywood productions, such as the ‘48 Hrs.’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’ series. In Romanian cinema, Marian Crișan used it in “Morgen” (2010), “Berliner” (2020), and “Warboy” (2023).” – Mihai Fulger, cinepub.ro

“As for Manole Marcus, one of his interesting choices is to insert sequences from the ‘film-within-the-film-about-the-film’, thereby parodying formulaic Hollywood crime and spy films. To put it another way, these are sequences that could have been part of the debut feature film based on Arcadie’s new screenplay, had it ever been made. In other words, had a healthy socialist cinema accepted such productions that were detached from local realities. We can laugh and joke all we want at the decadent West, with its local imitators, but, at the end of the day, we remain within the confines of our own space, where we are warm and comfortable, for the party-state takes care to keep us under control, but also protected…” – Mihai Fulger, cinepub.ro

TRIVIA:

• Romanian film director Manole Marcus was born on January 8, 1928, in Bucharest and graduated from the Academy of Theater and Cinematographic Arts in Bucharest in 1955.
• He graduated from the Academy of Theater and Cinematographic Arts in Bucharest in 1955 and began his career in film with the movies “The Apple Trees” and “Life Doesn’t Forgive” (1959), in collaboration with Iulian Mihu. Among his early works is “One Morning” (1959). In 1969, he directed “The Canary and the Blizzard”, a film about the price of freedom for an illegalist pursued by the bourgeois-landowner authorities, which was banned in the early 1970s due to a scene in which the band Phoenix sang “Canarul” (Tje Canary).
• This was followed by a long directing career spanning over 30 years, from 1960 to 1990, during which he made highly successful Romanian feature films.
• Over the years, Manole Marcus has received numerous national and international awards for his work as a director, and has participated in a number of prestigious film festivals held in Barcelona, Venice, Mar del Plata, and elsewhere.
• As a director, Manole Marcus was recognized as a renowned and unconventional professional, blending elements of comedy and subtle humor with scenes from real life and history, including those with political undertones and pro-communist propaganda. In fact, working closely with Titus Popovici, the screenwriter of most of his films, they applied the concept that the character (hero) of a work (a film script in this case) cannot be entirely positive or negative; there are both light and shadow in their behavior, which the director must highlight objectively. (Horațiu Măndășescu, independentaromana.ro)
• Over the years, Manole Marcus gave numerous interviews to specialized publications, offering insightful commentary on the state of Romanian cinema at the time. In one of his interviews given in 1988 to the magazine “Cinema”, he spoke admiringly of the fair-play attitude of actor Mircea Diaconu, who, following the premiere of the cinematic masterpiece “The Actor and the Savages”, was honored at an internal event, but he refused the award, stating that it did not belong to him, but to the renowned Toma Caragiu. (Horațiu Măndășescu, independentaromana.ro)
• Manole Marcus a avut un fiu, Martin (1955-2008) care a emigrat în Israel, fără a urma o carieră artistică.
• La data de 12 octombrie 1994, Manole Marcus a încetat din viață, lăsând în urmă o colecție întreagă de filme artistice românești ce se vizionează și azi cu plăcere de cinefili din toate generațiile.
• Filmul a fost vizionat de 1.726.512 spectatori de spectatori în cinematografele din România, după cum atestă o situație a numărului de spectatori înregistrat de filmele românești de la data premierei și până la data de 31 decembrie 2014 alcătuită de Centrul Național al Cinematografiei.

LINES:

 • “As my wife says: ‘In a house with three daughters, the cats die of thirst.’” — Screenwriter Arcadie Popescu (Alexandru Arșinel)
• “Could you please put that poison away?” – Dr. Adam (Ion Caramitru)
• “Do you have a moment? Then please shut up.” – Dr. Adam (Ion Caramitru)
• “As the late… Shakespeare said.” – Dr. Adam (Ion Caramitru)
• “A movie without action and femme fatales is like a hot dog without mustard.” – Screenwriter Arcadie Popescu (Alexandru Arșinel)
• “I’ve always been so sick of hypocritical men!” – Sidonia (Catrinel Dumitrescu)
• “Where there is love, there is also strife.” – Screenwriter Arcadie Popescu (Alexandru Arșinel)
• “In every sheep hides a wolf.” – Screenwriter Arcadie Popescu (Alexandru Arșinel)
• “We need a truth that is less true, but one that seems true. That’s the movie.” — Screenwriter Arcadie Popescu (Alexandru Arșinel)
• “A man with two degrees, valedictorian… and you’re playing the bureaucrat.” — Dr. Vasiliu (Gheorghe Șimonca)
• “You’re playing a lottery where every ticket is a winner.” — Dr. Adam (Ion Caramitru)
• “The better is the enemy of the good.” — Dr. Adam (Ion Caramitru)

ARTICLES:

• Manole Marcus – An Unconventional Director – independentaromana.ro
• Manole Marcus, Romanian Director and Screenwriter – jurnalfm.ro
• Another “Long-Distance Dialogue”: Manole Marcus and Iulian Mihu – istoriafilmuluiromanesc.ro
• Do you remember… Manole Marcus – adevarul.ro
• Manole Marcus was a Romanian film director of Jewish descent – jurnalfm.ro
• Interview: Manole Marcus, an atypical director. From “Life Does not Forgive” to “Operation The Monster” – dosaresecrete.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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