Geo Saizescu (14 November 1932 – 23 September 2013) was a

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

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, screenwriter, and actor. He appeared in 22 films between 1963 and 2009 and directed 16 films between 1956 and 2012. He was born in Prisăceaua,

Mehedinți County Mehedinți County () is a county () of Romania on the border with Serbia and Bulgaria. It is mostly located in the historical province of Oltenia, with one municipality (Orșova) and three communes (Dubova, Mehedinți, Dubova, Eșelnița, and Svi ...

in 1932, the twelfth child of his parents; his father was a notary in the village. After his secondary studies at the Traian High School in

Turnu Severin Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seats lying on the river Danube. "Drobeta" is the name ...

, he studied at the I.L. Caragiale Institute of Theatre and Film Arts (IATC) in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, film directing department, graduating in 1957. He made his directorial debut in 1956 with the film ''Aventurile bravului soldat Svejk''; in 1958 he wrote the script and directed the film '. In 2002 he was awarded the

National Order of Faithful Service The National Order of Faithful Service () is the second highest national order of Romania after the Order of the Star of Romania, and the third highest State decoration, with the Order of Michael the Brave being the first. Originally it was establ ...

, Knight rank. He died at the age of 80 in

and was buried in the cemetery at

Cernica Monastery Cernica Monastery (Romanian: ''Mănăstirea Cernica'') is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located on the shore of . Situated in Ilfov County, just outside Bucharest, it is part of Pantelimon town. It is listed as a historic monument. History Cern ...

, in nearby Pantelimon. Saizescu was the founder of the Faculty of Arts at the in Bucharest; the faculty now bears his name. His son, (born in 1976) is an actor, film director, and producer.

Selected filmography

* ' (1959) * ' (1964) * ' (1966) * ' (1968) * ''

Tonight We'll Dance at Home ''Tonight We'll Dance at Home'' () is a 1972 Romanian comedy film directed by Geo Saizescu. The film portrays the travels around the country of two sentimental swindlers, Temistocle T. Temistocle (Dem Rădulescu) and Alecu A. Alecu (Sebastian Papa ...

'' (1972) * ' (1974) * ' (1978) * '' Șantaj'' (1981) * ' (1982) * ''

The Secret of Bacchus ''The Secret of Bacchus'' () is a 1984 Romanian comedy film directed by Geo Saizescu.''The Secret of Bacc ...

'' (1984) * ' (1985) * ' (1987) * ' (1991) * ' (2006) * ' (2012)

Acting

* ''

A Bomb Was Stolen ''A Bomb Was Stolen'' () is a 1962 Romanian dialogue-free spy film directed by Ion Popescu-Gopo. It was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. Plot The film begins with a nuclear bomb test. One of the bombs is stolen by gangsters, who hide ...

'' (1961) * ''

The Pale Light of Sorrow ''The Pale Light of Sorrow'' () is a 1981 Romanian drama film directed by Iulian Mihu. It was entered into the 12th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a Special Diploma. The story is set in a village near Buzău, before and during ...

'' (1981)

References

External links

* * 1932 births 2013 deaths People from Mehedinți County Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film alumni Romanian film directors Romanian screenwriters Romanian male screenwriters Romanian male film actors Recipients of the National Order of Faithful Service {{Romania-film-director-stub