TVR Cultural airs on Thursday evenings, usually reserved for the latest productions of Romanian cinema, Malmkrog, 2020’s multi-award-winning work by director Christy Puiu. In fact, it is an international co-production, financially supported by money not only from Romania, but also from Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Macedonia. A film with a mixed cast. In the main roles you can see actors from Romania (Marina Palii, Istvan Teglas, Sorin Dobrin, Nemes Levente, Vitalie Bishir), others also appear in episodic roles, along with actors from France (Frédéric Schulz-Richard, Hugo Brousseau, Agathe Bosch ) or from Lithuania (Diane Sakalaustraité).

The film is based on the dialogues of the Russian Volodymyr Solovyov about history, war, faith, Christ and the Antichrist. He wrote a book in 1900 in which 4 men and a woman, all from the Russian upper aristocracy, gathered together to celebrate Christmas, addressed all these topics. Solovyov’s book, as it were Decameron, extremely philosophical (probably only because the volume does not have ten parts), became famous throughout the world, especially in its French version (which was also used by Christie Pouillet). It was also translated here (it was under the heading Three Dialogues on War, Progress, and the End of World History, Including a Brief History of the Antichrist) and, at least in part (especially in those passages where it is about the common fate of European countries and the Europeanness of Russia), it still seems relevant to me. Here, in the passages devoted to larger or smaller fires, Solovyov shows signs that he foresaw the inevitability of the Great War. By the way, the first dialogue focuses on the functions of war. Some panelists consider this to be the normal human condition.

In the preface to the edition of Humanitas Ion Janoshi claimed that Solovyov is the founder of the existential-Christian line in Russian thought, that he was influenced by Dostoevsky, with whom he had an undeniable friendship, as well as Tolstoy. Whose ideas he actually did not share at all. Or Spinoza, Kant, Schelling, Schopenhauer. The Trubetskoi brothers, Bulgakov, Berdyaev, Florensky, and others will apply for it.

In the script of the film, which lasts about 20 minutes over the course of three hours, Christie Pouille moved the story to the town of Sibiu Meliankrav. Whose German name Malmkrog. Hence the title of the film. Why he did it, why the director resorted to such a move – remains a mystery. Which is far from the only one.

Russian aristocrats remained Russian, only they became three men and two women. That’s right, the one Christy Pouille named Ingrid is the general’s wife from the book. In the film, he becomes a kind of Andriy Mykolayovych, whom Ingrid often quotes, inspiring her theories about the war. The woman’s name has a Nordic sound, the heroine herself seems to come from a Wagner opera. Five, worthy of admiration speeches, all of them seem to be taken from a book on the theory and practice of argumentation, named by Solovyov in general General, Prince, Lady, Mr. Z, Politician, all get their own names. And if Mykola, Eduard, Ingrid and Olga (in Solovyov’s book she was a prince) argue their opinions in luxurious details. A character named Madeleine seems to be assigned more of a moderator role. Not impartial at all, very often ironic. Complicit in looks and facial expressions with the opponents of the one who just spoke. Whatever you say, presence.

The film is mostly spoken in French, which is known to have been the favorite language of the Russian aristocracy. Regardless of the quality of pronunciation, the French five is grammatically hypercorrect. One of the characters, the same one named Mykola in the film, even uses the imperfect subjunctive. Today it is almost completely out of use. Five address the servants in German, and they speak to each other in Hungarian.

In the first sequence of the film, we see the exterior of the castle. In front of which a flock of sheep passes. Does this indicate the specificity of the area? Only one of the mice is black. Why only one? Another mystery that may still have a solution. A little girl breaks free and is welcomed into the castle. She is invited to enter the Russian language. We hear fragments of Romanian carols, we also hear short quotes in English. What else? A real linguistic Babylon.

Christy Pouille divided the film into six broad sections. Five of them are named after Russian nobles. At the end of the third, named Edward, at a certain moment a series of noises is created. The name of this girl is also mentioned. Her name is Zoya. Five aristocrats, interested and interested, want to know what is going on. We see, the cook is running. Then the smoke intervened, and the five seemed to be mowed down by bullets. If not for the coming of the antichrist. But I’m coming back sains et saufs at the beginning of the fourth chapter. The main character of the sixth will be Madeleine. Only here it is very little present. It’s not quite visible in the picture. Which Tudor Volodymyr Panduru provides impeccable style. The image appreciates the beauty of the castle as well as the costumes created by Oana Peunescu. But, coming back. Madeleine is present rather in the pose of a pianist. This provides an aesthetic side to the discussions.

At the end of this chapter, Mykola recalls a letter he once received from a friend. For added persuasion, he says he’s going to get a text. He is warned not to forget to return. But we will never see him again. Another mystery. Another mystery. There is no mention of servants in Solovyov’s book. However, in the film they represent a presence. They don’t say much, but they rule the roost. They are an expression of devotion. Especially one called Istvan (he is exemplary as Istvan Teglas) who lends his name to the second chapter. He will appear relatively late, but his appearance cannot be missed. Like Valeta (Sorin Dorin). Or maids (Edith Alibek). Or Judith Stait, the role of Vetterita. Interesting. Like the faithful István, the old colonel thinks to ask him about the social grievances of the workers. He talks to him about International. –

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