ENESCU - Flayed Alive
a film by Toma Enache
January 25, 2025, 6:00 PM
Romanian Athenaeum Bucharest
𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝟕𝟎
From January 2025, we begin a series of special screenings to commemorate 70 years since the passing of our genius composer, George Enescu. The series of special screenings with the first art film dedicated to him starts on January 25th at the Romanian Athenaeum and will continue across the country and around the world throughout 2025!
"Enescu – Flayed Alive" tells the extraordinary and tumultuous journey of one of the greatest Romanian composers and violinists, George Enescu. The film explores his inner world, revealing not only his immense talent but also the intense personal battles he fought throughout his life. At the heart of the story is his passionate and often heartbreaking love with Princess Maruca Cantacuzino, a relationship that shaped his destiny and the course of his music. Through sensitive and deep direction, Toma Enache presents an emotional exploration of a genius's soul, in a film that combines music, history, and personal drama.
Director Toma Enache highlights in an interview for the London Director Awards: "Few musicians in history have been as unanimously acclaimed as George Enescu. The great cellist Pablo Casals described him as 'the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart,' and for Yehudi Menuhin, his student, he was 'one of the wonders of the world.' "
Our film is for all those who love music, love stories, for all those who love people who dedicate themselves to their talent and sacrifice themselves to leave something great behind. In fact, that's what the opera Oedipus, George Enescu's magnum opus, is about."
"Nineteenth-century literature brought us various examples of 'Romantic Love from the Female Perspective,' but the history of daily life also tells us the other side of the coin. In the simplest cases, the presence of the 'masculine' was inevitable, at least for the narratives of the time (today, we would also talk about other relational dimensions). In some cases back then, the bilateral 'woman-man' suffering of love was clear. Think of the love between Heinrich Von Kleist and Henriette Vogel (a married woman who couldn't leave her husband), which pushed the two secret lovers to suicide, to the extreme act, to live eternally the love that was forbidden to them on this earth. In the story of the Romanian musician, despite knowing the princess loved him, George Enescu is the emblem of a 'Romantic Love from the Male Perspective' that is not afraid to show itself in all its sweetness, in all its romanticism.
Toma Enache makes us experience its sweetness and romanticism in every moment of the film, directing a perfect cast of actors in every role. Above all, the protagonists are outstanding!" — Master Nino Graziano Luca, director of the National Historical Dance Company
The film was scheduled in the official selection and won awards at several profile festivals, including: International Sound & Film Music Festival – ISFMF Croatia; Cyprus International Film Festival – Golden Aphrodyte CYIFF; Five Continents International Film Festival; Rome Prisma Film Awards; Florence Film Awards; Athens International Art Film Festival; Salerno International Film Festival, and others.
Toma Enache, the director of the film "ENESCU, Flayed Alive," was recently awarded the "Premio Cultura" at the cultural event "Leoni, Gattopardi di Sicilia," organized at Palazzo Donà dalle Rose in Venice. This project was created and directed by Nino Graziano Luca, in collaboration with Countess Chiara Modica Donà dalle Rose, under the patronage of the Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy and UNESCO's International Council of Dance.
The film features a remarkable cast, with Mircea Dragoman in the role of George Enescu and Theodora Sandu as Princess Maruca, alongside well-known actors such as Cezara Dafinescu, Manuela Hărăbor, Adrian Titieni, Cristian Sofron, Kira Hagi, Pavel Ulici, Filip Ristovski, Erica Moldovan, Codrin Dănilă, and the late Constantin Codrescu. Costumes are designed by Italian Stefano Nicolao, celebrated for his work in Oscar-winning productions, and the music includes works by George Enescu and original compositions by Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi, named "Composer of the Year 2022" at the International Classical Music Awards.
The soundtrack is performed by the French National Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, artistic director of the George Enescu Festival, and the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, led by Maestro Horia Andreescu. Additionally, violinist Alexandru Tomescu adds a distinct touch to this sound production. The soundtrack also includes an original musical fragment, performed by George Enescu on violin and Dinu Lipatti on piano.
The film's Facebook and Instagram pages post a complete list of the date and location of each premiere. Check the list and don't miss the only chance to see the film "Enescu – Flayed Alive" in your city!
About the film:
George Enescu, a brilliant composer and violinist, is at the peak of his career and dreams of composing an opera. He falls in love with Princess Maruca, who inspires and challenges him. Although she loves him passionately, Maruca is tied to her husband and children. Fate frees her from marriage, but will it be enough for the two to be happy together? And the opera? Will Enescu ever be able to compose it?
Title: "Enescu – Flayed Alive"
Duration: 120 minutes
Rating 12+
Soundtrack: French National Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Cristian Măcelaru and National Radio Orchestra of Romania, led by Maestro Horia Andreescu
Director: Toma Enache
Producers: Marta Maria Mocanu, Elena Enache
Release Date: November 2, 2024
FILM REVIEW/ Review film
ENESCU, Flayed Alive
Critic Gustavo Coletti for Times of Cinema:
"When I finished watching 'ENESCU, Flayed Alive,' I immediately searched for the biography, not of Enescu, but of the director Toma Enache because I was surprised by the film's quality. I think I finally understood George Enescu after watching the two-hour film. Toma Enache has directed four feature films since 2013 and has staged numerous plays in Bucharest. He has always been appreciated for the quality of his projects.
The film's opening is visually fascinating. Statues decomposing as representations of an impending tragedy. I accessed Enescu through the director: a brilliant violinist and composer planning to compose an opera, in love with a married princess, who is also a mother. A true story, very close to fiction."
I greatly enjoyed the reconstruction of a fascinating period, as we are talking about the early 20th century, especially in Romania. Attention to detail in costumes and set design does not go unnoticed, and the most intense moments generate an eclectic vibe between cinema and theater, with the brilliance of explosions, sometimes appearing supernatural.
It is difficult to find in modern cinema so much respect for the spirit of classical narratives. The style and atmosphere of the film remind us of the great masters of Italian or German cinema. Toma Enache does not compromise in search of excellence."
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL ART FILM FESTIVAL
"ENESCU, Flayed Alive" is a triumph not only as a period piece or biographical film, but also as a philosophical exploration of the human condition. It addresses eternal questions about love, creativity, and meaning with grace and depth, inviting the audience to reflect on the issues of genius and the sacrifices required in the pursuit of perfection.
As George Enescu himself said, "The artist shows humanity the path to harmony, which is happiness and peace." Toma Enache's film does exactly that - through its beauty, depth, and emotional tribute to an artist who lived and loved passionately, we are all reminded of the power of art to light the path to harmony in life as well as in love."
ROME INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL — PRISMA
"Like the notes of a symphony, each moment in Enescu's life intertwines with shades, pauses, and tones that transcend mere melody. Between one note and another, in the silent and profound space between them - the interval, the unspoken chord - lies a vast range of hidden emotions and meanings that shape and give substance to his soul. Just as a symphony is made not only of notes but also the distance separating them, Enescu's existence is crafted between the shadows of his loves, his losses, and his endless quest for beauty and truth."
"Enescu, Flayed Alive" is more than a film or a concert: it is an EXPERIENCE that you must live. (Emil Călinescu, CINEMIL)
"Between Enescu's life and art, there was no boundary. And Toma Enache captures precisely this invisible (non)boundary!
Since "The Man of God," I have not seen the people in an entire room remain silent at the end, quietly reading the credits for minutes on end, without anyone daring to disturb even with the applause due to a gala...
It was as if we too died with Enescu, this man flayed alive in life, alive among us in death!" (Floriana Jucan - Q Magazine)
#EnescuFlayedAlive #TomaEnache #RomanianFilm #Cinema #GeorgeEnescu
#ClassicMusic #IndependentFilm
We look forward to meeting you with ENESCU!
For additional details regarding the above event, please contact the organizing entity: ,Association C.L.A. La Steaua,, CIF,12708800 BUCHAREST
