Prince Stephen the Great (Stefan-voda cel Mare, in Romanian) is of course the most representative and beloved of all the rulers of the Romanian people. His astonishing achievements in resisting to the Turkish Empire, Hungary and Poland, but also in patronizing culture and economy made him a mythical figure. This is the real story, in a few words. But quite sadly the movie is not so captivating. It makes Prince Stephen a mere living statue, always sure of himself and reciting his moralizing and patriotic speeches (not so far for us Romanians from Ceausescu's obsession with too much claimed independence and patriotism). As a child I was fascinated by this movie, and the battle scenes are still very enjoyable. But first of all, it has some extraordinary music (by the Romanian composer Theodor Grigoriu). The opening scene literally made my hair stand to its end: a quiet traveling on prosaic, modern day Vaslui city (which is nearby the site of one of Stephen's greatest victories), which brings us to the statue of the Prince, and suddenly the formidable music bursts. And on with the action, back into history. But in a word, that great hero deserved a more artistic approach.
Review of Stephen the Great - Vaslui 1475
