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As part a growing new wave of Romanian cinema gaining international acclaim and a plethora of awards, Enescu, Skinned Alive, directed by Toma Enache, is now showing across Europe, with a recent screening at Lyon’s historic arthouse Comoedia cinema.
The biopic explores the complex personal life and creative genius of the revered Romanian composer George Enescu, whose legacy looms large in Romania but has rarely been portrayed on the silver screen. Central to the film is his love affair with Princess Maruca Cantacuzino – a relationship often misunderstood or sidelined in historical accounts.
Director Toma Enache said he was inspired to make the film after visiting the George Enescu Memorial House: “When I got to the museum with his name, and I saw a photo of him, with his dog by his side, in the hotel room where he died alone, I told myself I must do a movie dedicated to George Enescu.”
“This wonder kid, same as Mozart, would compose at the age of 5, then go study at the Vienna Conservatory at the age of 8. Just 2 children under 8 have ever been admitted in the history of the conservatory and Enescu is one of them,” he added.
“Although his violin playing was the stuff of legend, he saw himself mainly as a composer. During the course of his extraordinary life he played to Brahms, studied with Fauré and Massenet, and knew Bartok, Strauss, Ravel, Debussy and Shostakovich. Pablo Casals, whom he accompanied on the piano, called him “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart”.
George Enescu was the man described by the acclaimed violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin as “the Absolute by which I judge all others… the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician and the most formative influence I have ever experienced.”
The film also aims to reframe the legacy of Princess Maruca, often depicted in negative terms. Actress Theodora Sandu, who plays the role, said she felt a responsibility to offer a more empathetic portrayal: “It was sort of my task to paint her an image that the public didn’t really know because history books have not written very kindly of her, so I tried in a way to protect her image and give a different perspective on her life and the love story between her and George Enescu.”
The soundtrack includes works by George Enescu but also original music, composed by Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi, winner of the 2022 Composer of the Year title of the International Classic Music Awards.
Video editor • Theo Farrant