The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians

The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians (Artista, dolarii şi ardelenii in Romanian) is a 1979 Romanian film directed by Mircea Veroiu[2][3][4] and scripted by Titus Popovici. It is the second in a Red Western trilogy that also comprises The Prophet, the Gold and the Transylvanians and The Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians. American characters speak in English and the Romanian ones in Romanian.

The Actress, the Dollars and the Transylvanians
Directed byMircea Veroiu
Written byTitus Popovici
StarringIlarion Ciobanu,[1] Mircea Diaconu, Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan
CinematographyCălin Ghibu
Edited byYolanda Mîntulescu, Mircea Ciociltei
Music byAdrian Enescu
Production
companies
Casa de Filme Trei, Centrul de Producţie Cinematografica București
Distributed byRomana Film
Running time
72 minutes
CountryRomania
LanguagesRomanian, English

Plot

A train carrying passengers and money is ambushed by Indians. The passengers realize that the "Indians" are disguised bandits and the bandits murder them all. The bandit boss was travelling in the train and steals the uniform off the corpse of a Colonel Wilkinson to impersonate him. Meanwhile, the scene is observed by real Indians. The Indians are also found by the Brad family, Transylvanian immigrants attempting to make a living in the Wild West. As seen in the first film of the series they are:

They are accompanied by Bob (Ahmed Gabbany), a former black slave who by now speaks some Romanian, and June (Tania Filip[6][7]), an orphan girl rescued by Johnny and engaged to Romi.

The Brads arrive in a town and get a room in the Grand Hotel de Paris. Johnny gets into a bar brawl at the saloon with Mr Green (Előd Kiss) and Traian confiscates his gun. In the town, a circus troupe has a show including a sharpshooter and Anabelle Lee (Rodica Tapalaga) "from Paris", an actress and singer. Traian and Bob watch the show and Traian falls in love with her. The show is interrupted by the news that the Indians have attacked the train. A posse is formed and finds the passengers massacred and scalped.

Traian changes his clothes of Transylvanian shepherd for an elegant suit and courts Anabelle with Bob as a translator. However Anabelle and the troupe are part of the bandits and she is the lover of the false colonel. Realizing that the Indians were not involved in the train assault, a scout goes to their camp. He convinces chief Black Falcon and his son Fast Arrow (Constantin Brinzea) to go to town to clear the accusation. Upon arrival the three are shot by the bandits and the misled townsfolk. Fast Arrow escapes and ends in the Brads's room, who offer him refuge. Romi, who is working as a blacksmith apprentice, goes to the circus camp and tells Anabelle in broken English to stop seeing Traian, but June is abused by Green while Romi cannot defend her.

Before the troupe leaves to assault another train, Anabelle charms Traian and the bank manager (Ion Henter) into opening for her the bank safe. She and his lover then rob the bank. Encouraged by Fast Arrow, Johnny takes his gun and convince the sheriff (Mihai Oroveanu) that the troupe are the bandits. A gunfight ensues and ends with the defeat of the artists, the capture of Anabelle and the death of the Colonel. The Brads leave among the congratulations of the townsfolk.

Soundtrack

Unusually for a Western, the soundtrack by Adrian Enescu features synthesizers.

References
  1. "Ilarion Ciobanu moartea unei legende (Ilarion Ciobanu dies a legend)". Ziua. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  2. International Directory of Cinematographers, Set- And Costume Designers in Film: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Rumania, Yugoslavia, pages 105 and 137, Alfred Krautz, Saur, 1983, ISBN 3-598-21433-2
  3. Istoria filmului românesc: 1897–2000, pages 228 and 251, Călin Căliman, Editura Fundației Culturale Române, 2000, ISBN 9735772698
  4. Românii din jurul româniei, page 415, Colecția Fapte, idei, documente, Ion Gherman, Editura Vremea, 2003
  5. Ilarion Ciobanu, un personaj unic intr-o generatie extrem de eficace, 9AM, 8 September 2008
  6. Tania Filip:"Am jucat în 'Ardelenii' datorită pistruilor mei", Maria Bercea, 21 November 2009, Adevarul
  7. Tania Filip a jucat în seria "Ardelenii" datorită pistruilor Archived 2009-11-30 at the Wayback Machine, Maria-Clara Brumariu, 20 November 2009, Adevarul
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