''Dacii (The Dacians)'' is a 1967

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and sw ...

about the run up to

Domitian's Dacian War Domitian's Dacian War was a conflict between the Roman Empire and the Dacian Kingdom, which had invaded the province of Moesia. The war occurred during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, in the years 86–88 AD. Dacian attack and def ...

, which was fought between the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

and the Dacians in AD 87-88. The film shows historical events about Romania. The film was directed by

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

n director

Sergiu Nicolaescu Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (; 13 April 1930 – 3 January 2013) was a Romanian film director, actor and politician. He was best known for his historical films, such as '' Mihai Viteazul'' (1970, released in English both under the equivalent tit ...

. It was released on 31 May 1967 in France. It was entered into the

5th Moscow International Film Festival The 5th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 5 to 20 July 1967. The Grand Prix was shared between the Soviet film '' The Journalist'', directed by Sergei Gerasimov and the Hungarian film ''Father'', directed by István Szabó. The fe ...

. In Romania the film was immensely successful, and it remains one of the most watched films of all time in the country.

Plot

In a pre-credit sequence, a massive Roman army arrives at the gates of a Dacian town. The Roman envoy asks them to open the gates, promising them life and liberty. The guard on watch asks who is making this demand, and gets the reply "the masters of the world". He responds "You will be when we will die". After the credits we see a Roman army commanded by General Fuscus (Georges Marchal) arrayed at the Danube waiting for the right moment to attack Dacia. Fuscus and Roman senator Attius plot to kill the decadent emperor

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

, who has just arrived to take command. Attius's son Severus (Pierre Brice) is a subordinate commander under Fuscus. News arrives that the

Marcomanni The Marcomanni were a Germanic people * * * that established a powerful kingdom north of the Danube, somewhere near modern Bohemia, during the peak of power of the nearby Roman Empire. According to Tacitus and Strabo, they were Suebian. Or ...

have risen in rebellion. Domitian decides to make a deal with the Dacians so he can use the army to suppress the rebellion. Attius is sent across the Danube with Severus and a small contingent of legionaries to negotiate. But as soon as he enters Dacian territory Attius is killed by a Dacian sentry. Severus returns to camp with his father's body, and Domitian orders an attack. In Dacia Cotyso (Alexander Herescu) and Meda (Marie-José Nat), children of King

Decebalus Decebalus (), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south across the Danube, he defeated a Roman invas ...

(Amza Pellea), are hunting in the Carpathian Mountains. When news arrives that Attius has been killed Decebalus makes the mysterious remark that he was "the only Roman who was not supposed to die". Decebalus reveals that Attius was really a Dacian called Zoltes, sent to Rome 40 years ago as part of a plan to promote Dacian interests. He had been supplied liberally with gold annually so that he could become influential in Roman politics and keep Decebalus informed of events in the capital. When he died he had been carrying a letter to Decebalus informing him of Roman plans and dispositions. Decebalus orders an evacuation of the border province accompanied by delaying operations against the Romans. He sends a symbolic message to Domitian: a caged mouse, frog, bird, a knife and a quiver of arrows. The message is misinterpreted by the Romans as a sign of Dacian submission to Rome (the animals signifying the land, waters and air, all being handed over with the weapons). Severus is deputed to travel to the Dacian capital to receive Decebalus' surrender. When he gets there, Decebalus reveals to him the truth about his father Attius. He also tells him that the true meaning of the message was that the Dacians would fight to the end against invaders. The Dacians prepare for war. According to ancestral custom, the bravest young warrior must be sacrificed to the Dacian god

Zalmoxis Zalmoxis ( grc-gre, Ζάλμοξις) also known as Salmoxis (Σάλμοξις), Zalmoxes (Ζάλμοξες), Zamolxis (Ζάμολξις), Samolxis (Σάμολξις), Zamolxes (Ζάμολξες), or Zamolxe (Ζάμολξε) is a divinity of the ...

to win his favour. Since the king's son Cotyso won a contest of athletic and martial skill, he has been given the honour of being sent to Zalmoxis. Cotyso accepts that he must die and is sacrificed by being thrown onto spears. Decebalus says that the god will now be with them in their battles. After Severus reports back, an angry Domitian sends Fuscus to crush the Dacians. Severus is ordered by Fuscus to lead the vanguard into an attack on the Dacians in a valley, but they are drawn into an ambush. Severus is badly injured. Believing him dead, Fuscus blames the disaster on Severus. Meanwhile, a wounded and delirious Severus is wandering through the mountains. He is found by Decebalus' daughter Meda, who takes him to her cabin. They fall in love. When Decebalus finds out, he asks Severus to convince Domitian to negotiate, but Severus says that he must do his duty as a Roman officer. Decebalus lets him go. Back at the camp, Severus argues violently with Fuscus. Fuscus says he intends to overthrow Domitian, offering Severus the position of governor of Dacia, but the latter refuses. The two generals fight each other, and Severus kills Fuscus. Witnessing the fight, Domitian gives Severus command of the army and tells him to attack the Dacians. Decebalus, meanwhile has assembled his own army. The two armies confront each other across the battlefield. Decebalus and Severus meet between the armies and engage in single combat. Severus is killed. As he dies he says "this is all I could do for you". The two armies then march towards each other into battle.

Cast

* Pierre Brice as Severus *

Marie-José Nat Marie-José Benhalassa (22 April 1940 – 10 October 2019), known professionally as Marie-José Nat, was a French actress. Among her notable works in cinema were the sequel films '' Anatomy of a Marriage: My Days with Jean-Marc'' and '' Anatomy ...

as Meda *

Georges Marchal Georges Marchal (10 January 1920 – 28 November 1997) was a French actor. Born Georges Louis Lucot in Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France, the strikingly handsome Marchal was discovered in the early-1940s by director Jean Grémillon. By the ear ...

Cornelius Fuscus Cornelius Fuscus (died 86 AD) was a Roman general who fought campaigns under the Emperors of the Flavian dynasty. He first distinguished himself as one of Vespasian's most ardent supporters during the civil war of 69 AD, known as the Year of the ...

* Amza Pellea as

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 Oluper *

as Marcus * György Kovács as

* Geo Barton as Zoltes/Atius * Alexandru Herescu as Cotyso *

Emil Botta Emil Botta (; 15 September 1911, Adjud – 24 July 1977, Bucharest) was a Romanian actor and writer. Together with Emil Cioran, Eugen Ionescu, and , he was a member of the literary group called ''Corabia cu ratați'' ("The Losers' Ship"). Bo ...

as Grand Priest *

Nicolae Secăreanu Nicolae Secăreanu (; 12 July 1901 - 29 September 1992) was a well-known Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Eur ...

Production

Meda, Severus and Cornelius Fuscus were played by French actors and their dialogues were dubbed into Romanian for the film.

Significance

The film was one of several nationalist epics produced during

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He ...

's regime. According to Mark Stolarik it is about the ethnogenesis of the Romanian people as a "Dacian-Roman synthesis". After ''

Mihai Viteazul Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...

'' (''Michael the Brave''), it is the most watched Romanian historical film, and the fourth most watched movie of all time in Romania. Mira Liehm and Antonín J. Liehm argue that "the pathos of ''The Dacians'' and ''Michael the Brave'' was so moving to the Romanian audience and the films' naivete so sincere that their success became something of a sociological phenomenon."Mira Liehm and Antonín J. Liehm, ''The Most Important Art: Eastern European Film After 1945'', University of California Press, 1977, p.350.

References

External links