Romania. FX Mattes and ministures.

It has not been easy to find the material to make this section. Romanian cinematography is not very well known out of its own borders.  As in other countries, mattes and miniatures FX were in used during the 40s, 50s and 60s. During those sad post-war years Romania was under the influence of  the U.R.S.S, being part of the eastern Europe. The continent was divided in two and that means that most of Romanian films didn’t make it out of countries under the Soviet influence. Anyway I have found several Romanian films on You Tube and I’ve been able to get some titles and names to make this small site and show some samples of traditional FX on Romanian films.

I have found several films with FX people on its credits. Most of it for composition and photografic effects, and some miniature artists like Enache Harabor  or Pavel Daveschiba. I’ve also get some credits for trick painter which I think could be for matte painting.

The white Moor (1965)

Director: Ion Popescu-Gopo
Cinematography: Grigore Ionescu
Production Design: Ion Oroveanu
Composition tricks: (supervisor)Al Popescu / (assistant) Pascu Davidson
Tricks painter: Mihai Simonis

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Dacii (1967)

Director: Sergiu Nicolaescu
Cinematography: Costache Ciubotaru
Production Design: Viorel Ghenea/ Liviu Popa
Tricks composition: Al Popescu (assistant) Pascu Davidson
Sculptor. Enache Arabor
Painting: Mihai Simonis / Aglahia Ciochirca

They certainly had hundred of extras for that epic film, buy I suspect that’s  a trick shot, probably a matte painting.

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Rapirea Fecioarelor (1968)
Director: Dinu Cocea
Cinematography: George Voicu
Production Design: Marcel Bogos
Special composition effects: Al Popescu /Pascu Davidson
Painter: Al Mocanu

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Tinerete Fara Batranete (1968)

Director: Elisabeta Bostan /Nicolae Codrescu
Cinematography: Julius Druckmann
Production Design: Ioana Cantuniari / Liviu Popa
Scenographic painting:Ludmila Alexandrovskaia
Special effects: Iosif Dragan
Miniatures: Pavel Daveschiva

For the filming of two sizes figures, they used photographic tricks with small character matted in , and in camera perspective tricks.

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Mihai Viteazul / Te last crusade (1970)
Directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu
Cinematography :Mircea George Cornea .
Production Design :Zoltán Szabó / Nicolae Teodoru
Visual effects: Alexandru Popescu
Visual effects assistant: Pascu Davidson
Effects painter: Alexandru Mocanu / Aglaia Ciochirca

Again an epic battle with hundred of extras, but also enhanced with a  matte painting of far away armies.

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Veronica (1972)
Director: Elisabeta Bostan
Cinematography; Iulius Druckmann
Production Design: Giulio Tincu
Special makeup effects artist: Barsukov Serghei
Model maker: Pavel Daveschiba
Special photographic effects: Boris Aretki
Scenic effects: Ludmila Alexandrovskaia

A musical fantasy for children, with miniatures, flying kids matted in, foreground miniatures and other perspective tricks.

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MaMa (1976)
Director: Elisabeta Bostan
Cinematography: Ion Marinescu/ Konstantin Petrichenko
Production Design by: Ioana Cantuniari/ Zoltán Szabó/ David Vinitsky
Miniatures: Enache Harabor

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Totul pentru fotbal (1982)

Director: Andrei Blaier
Cinematography: Costache Dumitru-Fony/ Alexandru Groza
Production Design: Gheorghe Balasoiu
Model maker: Enache harabor
Photographic effects: Pascu Davidson
Scenic effects: Stefan Maritan

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Saltimbancii (1983)

Director: Elisabeta Bostan
Cinematography; Nicolae Girardi/ Ion Marinescu
Production Design: Dumitru Georgescu/ David Vinitsky
Model maker: Enache Harabor
Special effects supervisor: George Aisenberg
Visual effects: Pascu Davidson / Oltita Curta

Foreground miniatures for a fire scene.

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Foreground miniatures for a fire scene.