A beloved Romanian actor, known as his country's Robert De Niro, has died, aged 75.
Gheorghe Dinica died from pneumonia at a Bucharest hospital on Tuesday.
Dinica's movie career began in the early 1960s and he went on to star in top soaps and TV dramas in his native Romania.
He often played gypsies on TV and in films, and was a castmember in Francis Ford Coppola's 2007 movie Youth Without Youth.
In a tribute to Dinica, Romania's President Traian Basescu, who awarded the actor with the nation's Faithful Service Order in 2008, called him "a model of humanity, modesty and generosity".
Gheorghe Dinica died from pneumonia at a Bucharest hospital on Tuesday.
Dinica's movie career began in the early 1960s and he went on to star in top soaps and TV dramas in his native Romania.
He often played gypsies on TV and in films, and was a castmember in Francis Ford Coppola's 2007 movie Youth Without Youth.
In a tribute to Dinica, Romania's President Traian Basescu, who awarded the actor with the nation's Faithful Service Order in 2008, called him "a model of humanity, modesty and generosity".
- 11/11/2009
- WENN
Strand Releasing
NEW YORK -- A sports drama possessing uncommon emotional depth and visual richness, Szabolcs Hajdu's White Palms is just stilted and pretentious enough to prove frustrating. This tale of the relationship between a Hungarian gymnastics coach still haunted by memories of his own repressive childhood training and his talented young protege was recently showcased in an exclusive weeklong run at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Director-screenwriter Hajdu employs a complicated narrative structure to tell his tale, shifting back and forth in time between young Dongo's (Orion Radies, Silas Radies) training as a gymnast in Hungary during the communist era and his current situation training Canadian Olympic hopefuls in Calgary. The adult Dongo (Zoltan Miklos Hajdu, the director's brother) still is in prime physical shape, but his youthful experiences have emotionally scarred him to the point where he repeats history by striking one of his athletes.
Removed from his position, he is enlisted to privately coach Kyle (Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt), a talented but highly arrogant young gymnast. The two emotionally distant figures eventually overcome their differences and become friends, unified by their talent and sheer love of the sport.
The most powerful sequences in the film depict Dongo's brutal childhood training at the hand of his abusive coach (Gheorghe Dinica) and the indifferent attention paid to him by his insensitive parents.
Although the narrative doesn't always prove compelling, the film exerts a powerful visual hold, thanks to the beautifully filmed gymnastics sequences featuring the physically impressive lead performers. An element of irony is added at the conclusion, when we witness Dongo's eventual fate: performing for Cirque du Soleil.
NEW YORK -- A sports drama possessing uncommon emotional depth and visual richness, Szabolcs Hajdu's White Palms is just stilted and pretentious enough to prove frustrating. This tale of the relationship between a Hungarian gymnastics coach still haunted by memories of his own repressive childhood training and his talented young protege was recently showcased in an exclusive weeklong run at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Director-screenwriter Hajdu employs a complicated narrative structure to tell his tale, shifting back and forth in time between young Dongo's (Orion Radies, Silas Radies) training as a gymnast in Hungary during the communist era and his current situation training Canadian Olympic hopefuls in Calgary. The adult Dongo (Zoltan Miklos Hajdu, the director's brother) still is in prime physical shape, but his youthful experiences have emotionally scarred him to the point where he repeats history by striking one of his athletes.
Removed from his position, he is enlisted to privately coach Kyle (Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt), a talented but highly arrogant young gymnast. The two emotionally distant figures eventually overcome their differences and become friends, unified by their talent and sheer love of the sport.
The most powerful sequences in the film depict Dongo's brutal childhood training at the hand of his abusive coach (Gheorghe Dinica) and the indifferent attention paid to him by his insensitive parents.
Although the narrative doesn't always prove compelling, the film exerts a powerful visual hold, thanks to the beautifully filmed gymnastics sequences featuring the physically impressive lead performers. An element of irony is added at the conclusion, when we witness Dongo's eventual fate: performing for Cirque du Soleil.
- 7/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Katapult Film/Filmpartners
The title "White Palms" refers to the chalked hands of gymnasts -- but as this striking, deeply felt drama illustrates, sometimes those hands are blistered and bloody. Beyond its look at the hard work of extraordinary athleticism, the film is a fascinating portrait of Communist-era Hungary. Writer-director Szabolcs Hajdu based the story on his own experiences and, more so, those of his brother, Miklos Zoltan Hajdu, who makes an impressive feature debut. AFI Fest hosted the U.S. premiere of the film, Hungary's submission for the foreign-language Oscar.
In an unpromising opening sequence that overdoes the shaky handheld camera, introspective Dongo (Cirque du Soleil member Zoltan Miklos Hajdu) arrives in Calgary to coach Olympic hopefuls. The film then moves back 21 years to 1980 Debrecen, Hungary, where the 10-year-old Dongo withstands a merciless schedule of gymnastics practice. When his parents see a welt on his leg, courtesy of the sadistic coach (Gheorghe Dinica) who brandishes a fencing foil, they insist that he must have deserved it. Their response to such rough handling is a stark contrast to the clamor that erupts among Canadian parents after the adult Dongo slaps a boy who's practicing a dangerous routine. Rather than fire him, the head coach puts him in charge of the gifted but recalcitrant Kyle (Olympic medalist Kyle Shewfelt).
The film makes its points through intimate detail rather than sweeping statements. In the way Dongo's folks latch onto his talent, forcing him to perform for company like a trained seal, we see a troubling reflection of a culture of diminished expectations. But most of the film's strongest sequences are wordless, director of photography Andras Nagy capturing the precision and beauty of gymnastic performance as well as the protagonist's intensity. Orion Radies and Silas Radies, the brothers who play Dongo at 10 and 13, respectively, are strong presences, conveying the character's intelligence and inner resources.
"White Palms" climaxes in a thrilling, masterfully edited sequence that intercuts the 2003 World Championship, in which both Dongo and Kyle compete, and the teenage Dongo's suspenseful debut as a trapeze artist, the boy having literally run away to join the circus. Like this eloquent film as a whole, the scene is at once contemplative and physically charged.
The title "White Palms" refers to the chalked hands of gymnasts -- but as this striking, deeply felt drama illustrates, sometimes those hands are blistered and bloody. Beyond its look at the hard work of extraordinary athleticism, the film is a fascinating portrait of Communist-era Hungary. Writer-director Szabolcs Hajdu based the story on his own experiences and, more so, those of his brother, Miklos Zoltan Hajdu, who makes an impressive feature debut. AFI Fest hosted the U.S. premiere of the film, Hungary's submission for the foreign-language Oscar.
In an unpromising opening sequence that overdoes the shaky handheld camera, introspective Dongo (Cirque du Soleil member Zoltan Miklos Hajdu) arrives in Calgary to coach Olympic hopefuls. The film then moves back 21 years to 1980 Debrecen, Hungary, where the 10-year-old Dongo withstands a merciless schedule of gymnastics practice. When his parents see a welt on his leg, courtesy of the sadistic coach (Gheorghe Dinica) who brandishes a fencing foil, they insist that he must have deserved it. Their response to such rough handling is a stark contrast to the clamor that erupts among Canadian parents after the adult Dongo slaps a boy who's practicing a dangerous routine. Rather than fire him, the head coach puts him in charge of the gifted but recalcitrant Kyle (Olympic medalist Kyle Shewfelt).
The film makes its points through intimate detail rather than sweeping statements. In the way Dongo's folks latch onto his talent, forcing him to perform for company like a trained seal, we see a troubling reflection of a culture of diminished expectations. But most of the film's strongest sequences are wordless, director of photography Andras Nagy capturing the precision and beauty of gymnastic performance as well as the protagonist's intensity. Orion Radies and Silas Radies, the brothers who play Dongo at 10 and 13, respectively, are strong presences, conveying the character's intelligence and inner resources.
"White Palms" climaxes in a thrilling, masterfully edited sequence that intercuts the 2003 World Championship, in which both Dongo and Kyle compete, and the teenage Dongo's suspenseful debut as a trapeze artist, the boy having literally run away to join the circus. Like this eloquent film as a whole, the scene is at once contemplative and physically charged.
- 11/9/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.