''Uncle Marin, the Billionaire'' ( ro, Nea Mărin miliardar) is a 1979 Romanian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu after a script written by , , and

Amza Pellea Amza Pellea (; 7 April 1931 – 12 December 1983) was a Romanian actor noted for playing Romanian national heroes on film. He was born in Băilești, Oltenia, and attended the Carol I High School in Craiova. He later played at the Craiova T ...

. The main roles are interpreted by

(in dual role),

Draga Olteanu Matei Draga Olteanu Matei (née Olteanu) (; 24 October 1933 – 18 November 2020) was a Romanian actress. She performed in more than thirty films from 1967 to 2006. Born in Bucharest, she studied at the Iulia Hasdeu High School in Lugoj. After mov ...

Jean Constantin Jean Constantin (; born Constantin Cornel Jean; 21 August 1927 – 26 May 2010) was a well-known Romanian comedian of Greek ethnicity. Constantin was born in Techirghiol, and died in Constanța. Filmography *' (2010) .... Agârbiceanu *''Vin ...

Ștefan Mihăilescu-Brăila Ștefan Mihăilescu-Brăila (; 3 February 1925 – 19 September 1996) was a Romanian actor. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1959 to 1984. Selected filmography References External links * 1925 births 1996 deaths Romanian m ...

, Sebastian Papaiani, ,

Stela Popescu Stela Popescu (21 December 1935 – 23 November 2017) was a Romanian actress and TV personality considered the greatest comedy actress and one of best female actress of all time in Romania. With Ștefan Bănică and Alexandru Arșinel she was ...

, and Colea Răutu. ''Nea Mărin miliardar'' is ranked 1 in the top most viewed Romanian films of all time.

Plot

In a pre-credit sequence two criminals hijack a plane and kidnap a young woman. After parachuting out of the plane with the woman, they pass her over to gangsters. The gangsters then murder the kidnappers. At a swanky hotel in a

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

resort, Gogu, one of the hotel employees, meets his uncle Marin, an

Oltenia Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...

n peasant who has come to visit. Gogu says he can sneak Marin into the hotel, as one of the rooms is empty awaiting the arrival of an American billionaire, Mr. Juvett. Marin is amazed by the revealing clothing worn by women at the resort, while the hotel guests are fascinated by his quaint peasant costume. In the hotel room, Marin is perplexed by the various gadgets. Meanwhile, the gangsters learn that Juvett has arrived at the hotel. Juvett is the father of the kidnapped girl, and is coming to pass over a million dollar ransom. A rival gang, who know about the kidnapping, plan to take the ransom for themselves. They follow Marin, believing him to be Juvett. When the real Juvett arrives, he is carrying a suitcase containing the ransom, which is identical to the one in which Marin carries his supply of leeks and cheese. He is also identical in appearance to Marin. The gangsters repeatedly mistake Marin for Juvett, while Juvett and Marin constantly exchange suitcases by mistake, leading to numerous farcical situations. Meanwhile, Juvett's daughter, Samantha, escapes from the kidnappers and tries to find her father. The two rival criminal gangs agree to team up, but in reality both plan to double-cross the other and take all the money. At the hotel, a mysterious American guest with a remarkable resemblance to Lt. Columbo keeps an eye on things. Eventually Veta, Marin's battleaxe wife, arrives and helps her husband by belabouring the kidnappers, while Columbo takes control of the suitcase containing the ransom money. Veta and Marin are captured by the gangsters, but succeed in incapacitating them by drinking them under the table. Columbo arrests the two rival gangs, and Juvett and Samantha decide to stay in Romania a little longer and to visit Marin's home village of

Băilești Băilești () is a city in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania, with a population of 17,537. One village, Balasan, is administered by the city. The Romanian actor and comedian Amza Pellea and Romanian actor and theatre actor Marcel Iureș were born he ...

Cast

as Nea Mărin Juvete / Mr. Juvett *

as Veta *

as Mob Boss #1 *

as Mob Boss #2 * Sebastian Papaiani as Gogu * Brândușa Marioțeanu as Samantha Juvett * Ștefan Bănică as Poe * as Detective Columbo * as Moe *

Petre Lupu Petre is a surname and given name derived from Peter. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Petre * Charles Petre Eyre (1817–1902), English Roman Catholic prelate * Ion Petre Stoican (circa 1930–1990), Romanian vio ...

as Mitch * as Sache *

Adina Popescu ADINA is a commercial engineering simulation software program that is developed and distributed worldwide by ADINA R & D, Inc. The company was founded in 1986 by Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Bathe, and is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, United S ...

as hotel maid *

as the spy * as Peach * as the shop assistant *

Mircea Albulescu Iorgu Constantin Albulescu (4 October 1934 – 8 April 2016), known professionally as Mircea Albulescu (), was a Romanian actor, university professor, journalist, poet, writer, and member of the Writers' Union of Romania (''Uniunea Scriitorilor'' ...

as bandit #1 * as bandit #2 *

Gil Dobrică Gil Dobrică (; February 14, 1946 – April 17, 2007) was a Romanian singer. He is most famous for his 1979 cover version of John Denver's song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" or simply "Country Roads" (adapted as "Hai acasă" - "Come on Home") ...

as the singer at the bar

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uncle Marin The Billionaire 1979 films 1979 comedy films 1970s crime comedy films Romanian crime comedy films 1970s Romanian-language films Films set in hotels Films directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu