Why Are the Bells Ringing, Mitica? (1981)

De ce trag clopotele, Mitică? (1981)

140 min. - Comedy Drama - PG - 29.10.1990

Synopsis: Inspired by the play „D'ale Carnavalului” („Carnival Scenes”) and by other writings of I.L. Caragiale. A small world of bourgeois intrigues and frivolities lived with intensity by its own protagonists: Pampon's lover, Didina is in love with the barber Nae, who is Mitza's lover, while she is Cracanel's lover. One letter starts the ball rolling and ugly characters start revealing themselves in a burlesque-like fashion.

Director: Lucian Pintilie

Writer: Lucian Pintilie

Stars: Victor Rebengiuc, Mariana Mihuţ, Gheorghe Dinică, Tora Vasilescu

Photo Gallery:

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Video Gallery:

Omagiu Lucian Pintilie @Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest: „De ce trag clopotele, Mitică?”

Casting:

	Victor Rebengiuc	Iancu Pampon
	Mariana Mihuţ	Miţa Baston
	Gheorghe Dinică	Nae Girimea

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Produced By

Filmmaking Studios One and 5

Production info

Normal screen, colour, 14 acts, 3421 m.
The film started production in September 27th, 1979. Shooting was planned to be completed in February 1981. After a 2-band viewing (image and dialogue), the management of CCES (The Council of Socialist Culture and Education) decides to discontinue production and put the entire filmed material under lock and key. Memorable date of this happening: June 19th, 1981. (New Cinema no. 10/ 1990)

Distributors

Româniafilm

Festivals, Awards

1990 - ACIN - Grand Prize, Best Cinematography (Florin Mihăilescu), Best Actress (Mariana Mihuț), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mircea Diaconu)

Storyline

Banned for ten years and released after the Romanian Revolution, the film is based on Caragiale’s play “Carnival’s Scenes” and explores the universe of peripheral petty bourgeoisie. A world of concreteness and color, stirred by petty problems, be sentimental affairs, a world of dubious morals which assumes noisily yet sincerely its passions. A mean world, with a mean language and a narrow mind where Didina, the kept Woman of Pampon, is in love with Nae Girimea, the barber and the Don Juan of his district. But Nae is also the lover of Mița Baston, in turn the mistress of Crăcănel. A letter of Mița’s will raise scandal…

Lines

Final line ― „Let them die stupid...”

Trivia

The film was forbidden in 1981 — its production year „There were witnesses stating that Ceaușescu put the ban on it. ˂This movie won't be screen as long as I live, do you hearme!?˃ He himself forbade it, and I'll tell you why: it was a movie forbidding him, forbidding Ceaușescu! No one had done it with such violence, expressing it through an work of art, art of the ugly, but free and unrestrained.” (Radu Cosașu „România literară”)

Articles

Alt Caragiale - Tia Șerbănescu
„Dramatis personae”, persoanele actoricești și cine−personajele - Valentin Silvestru
Cui i-e frică de Lucian Pintilie? - Tia Șerbănescu
De ce trag clopotele, Mitică? - Spicuiri din presă
De la Lucian Pintilie, cu dragoste - Eugenia Vodă
Eseu despre lumea lui Pintilie - Mircea Alexandrescu
Euforia dezastrului - Andrei Pleșu
Faţă în faţă cu lumea lui Caragiale - Dan Stoica
Lucian Pintilie și ingratitudinea colegială - Valerian Sava
Mahalaua eternă - Nicolae Manolescu
Măreție și mizerie - Octavian Paler
Lucian Pintilie and ”Why Are the Bells Ringing, Mitică?” in the 2015 National Theatre Festival (FNT) - Dana Medar
„De ce trag clopotele, Mitică ?” și „Un etaj mai jos”, la Festivalul Național de Teatru
Teodor Corban – „Why Do the Bells Toll, Mitică?”
Alexandru Papadopol despre ”De ce trag clopotele, Mitică?” - Dana Medar
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest: Integrala filmelor lui Lucian Pintilie - Dana Medar
The 2019 UNATC Day - about Caragiale, Pintilie and the Romanian Theatre and Film School
Cinemateca online, 15-17 mai
Program Cinemateca Eforie, 2 – 14 februarie

Why Are the Bells Ringing, Mitica? (1981) - Photo