Radu Dunăreanu
The Principality of Wallachia with the capital Bucharest (today a region of Romania) before the Revolution of the year 1848. A couple of secret societies are working to chase away the Prince Gheorge Bibescu from his throne, arms are transported on secret ways, preparing the first popular revolts in Bucharest, as the first act of the Revolution of 1848, which revolution is the first impulse of the later act of the Union of the Wallachia with Moldova (Romanian United Principalities in 1862, Kingdom of Romania in 1881 and Kingdom of Greater Romania 1918, with Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia).
Being in an unhappy marriage, the wife of an important director complains to the party when she is threatened by divorce, saying that her husband has an antisocial behavior. This is an occasion for the people present at that meeting to evaluate their own personal lives.
In 18th century Hapsburg ruled Transilvania the Romanian shepherds from the village of Vlașini face the oppression and injustice of imperial authorities, being forced to flee from their place of birth or pay tribute to the Germans of Hermannstadt for grazing sheep on their own pastures.
This movie is about a person that was convicted in the 50s by the stalinist policy of the times, then released and re-educated at the workplace in 65, as the policy changed.
In the early 19th century the Romanian Theodor Diamant was inspired by the French utopian socialist Charles Fourier and established one of Fourier's "phalansteries" in Rumania. The film dramatizes the origins and demise of this effort, called the "Scaieni Phalanstery (the term is derived from "phalanx" and "monastery"). Among the socio-political commentary that is conveyed throughout, there is an important collusion between the army and the wealthy landowners of the time, and as the film points out in its own way, neither of these groups has ever been convicted of socialist/utopian tendencies.
Two cooperativists exploit a pond for fish and frogs outside their institutions circuit. Until a youth with socialist expanding ideals comes with the initiative to drain it and use the land for grains. They hatch a plan to make the pond a natural monument, so an expert is summoned, but foolish beliefs betray them.
Petru and Constantin, former faculty mates, have different views concerning their lives and professions; while the former has a bright imagination, is very creative and daring, the latter is looking only for personal comfort and material satisfaction. They contend for the same woman – but even if she loves Petru, she marries Constantin for his material condition. Though he finds in Constantin an adversary who does not hesitate to remove him, Petru will surpass him professionally.
