Banned for a decade by Ceausescu, this Romanian screwball chaos is political satire in clown makeup.
Based on a theatrical text by Romanian writer Ion Luca Caragiale (1852-1912), who was a bitter and funny witness of the turn-of-the-20th-century Romanian bourgeois mores, Carnival Scenes manages to preserve and further enhance the slightly hysteric atmosphere of his plays. Pintilie creates a strange combination of carnival scenes which is brought to the screen as a burlesque, fast-paced, screwball comedy with a meditative undertone. This film was banned in Romania for a decade until the death of Ceausescu in 1989 and was only released after the 1989 revolution.
Direction
Pintilie turns theatrical farce into cinematic fever dream.
Acting
Rebengiuc's Pampon is pure nervous energy incarnate.
Writing
Caragiale's 1898 dialogue, still surgically sharp.
Director
Lucian Pintilie
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Caragiale's plays are Romania's national scripture of self-mockery; quoting him is practically patriotic duty.
Pintilie didn't direct another Romanian film until 1992's 'The Oak'—eleven years of exile for this carnival.
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