good intentions. and bizarre result. that is all. a too serious and not really inspired adaptation of one of the most Romanian historical novels . saved by acting - and that is a rule for the films under Communist regime - it is reflection of the ambition of Mircea Drăgan to realize a kind of blockbuster. nothing bad if you ignore the kitsch, the chaotic events, the desire to create the atmosphere using dialogues in different languages, exotic dances and costumes and mixture of influences from different periods. a film who has a good start and few nice scenes. and a small sin - the lost of direction. the performance of Ștefan Ciubotărașu as the boyar Orheianu represents one of the good points of film. and, in same measure, Ștefan Tomșa in the interpretation of Ion Besoiu. but it is not really enough for define the film more than an eccentric cocktail of different influences.