''Felix şi Otilia'' (''Felix and Otilia'') is a 1972 Romanian drama film based on the

George Călinescu George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899, Bucharest – 12 March 1965, Otopeni) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the mos ...

's 1938 novel '' Enigma Otiliei''. The film was directed by

Iulian Mihu Iulian Mihu (3 November 1926 – 20 June 1999) was a Romanian film director. He directed nineteen films between 1953 and 1998. His 1981 film '' The Pale Light of Sorrow'' was entered into the 12th Moscow International Film Festival, where i ...

and scripted by Ioan Grigorescu. The titular roles are played by Radu Boruzescu and

Julieta Szönyi Julieta Szönyi Ghiga ( née Julieta Szönyi, born 13 May 1949) is a Romanian theatre and film actress. She is best known for her roles as Otilia in '' Felix și Otilia'' (1972) and as Adnana in the '' Toate pînzele sus'' film series (1976). Fil ...

Production

Screenwriter Ioan Grigorescu and director

held "long and resultful discussions" with

about an adaptation of the novel '' Enigma Otiliei''. The writer said that he wanted the film to be made in the style of ''

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (french: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) is a 1964 musical romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy, with music and lyrics by Michel Legrand. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as two young ...

'', a musical film. He allegedly hummed a song that the screenwriter allegedly reproduced to composer

Anatol Vieru Anatol Vieru (; 8 June 1926 – 8 October 1998) was a Romanian-Jewish music theoretician, pedagogue, and composer. A pupil of Aram Khachaturian, he composed seven symphonies, eight string quartets, concertos, and chamber music. He also wrote t ...

.Ioana Popescu - ''„De vorbă cu Ioan Grigorescu”'' (Ed. Artprint, București, 2010), p. 43-44. But in fact, what Vieru uses in this song is a mode he has widely used in his earlier works from the sixties (Cello concerto n°1, Chamber Symphony, The Struggle against Inertia).The song was played by Aurelian Andreescu and was used before the credit titles in the beginning of the film.

References

Romanian drama films 1972 films 1970s Romanian-language films {{Romania-film-stub