Then I Sentenced Them All to Death

1972 [ROMANIAN]

Drama / War

4
IMDb Rating 8.0/10 10 1043 1K

gun tank wehrmacht murder

Plot summary

A young boy is adopted by a priest and his wife during the Nazi occupation of Romania during the Second World War. He befriends the village idiot, who's despised by everyone else. When a German is killed in the last days of the war, the village is threatened with total destruction unless the murderer is handed over. The villagers decide to hand over the idiot.

Director

Sergiu Nicolaescu Photo
Sergiu Nicolaescu

Top cast

Stefan Mihailescu-Braila Photo
Stefan Mihailescu-Braila as Plutonierul Gociman
Cristian Sofron Photo
Cristian Sofron as Elev in vacanta
Ioana Bulca Photo
Ioana Bulca as Margareta
Octavian Cotescu Photo
Octavian Cotescu as Doctorul Bunu
480p.DVD
881.69 MB
696*564
Romanian 2.0
NR
Subtitles
24 fps
1 hr 39 min
Seeds 19

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by max4movie 8 / 10

A Well-Made War Drama With Clever Social Commentary

Full review on my blog max4movies: Atunci i-am condamnat pe toti la moarte (international title: Then I Sentenced Them All to Death) is a drama set in the last days of World War II in a small Romanian village. The mysterious death of a German soldier kicks off events that lead to the village leaders trying to convince the local idiot to take the blame for the murder. Apart from the strong and obvious social commentary about the exploitative behavior of people in higher social classes, the movie simply looks stunning with a great sense of framing that makes several moments feel chillingly claustrophobic. In addition, most actors portray their characters authentically, which makes the dramatic elements, as well as the more light-hearted moments believable.
Reviewed by Kirpianuscus

about life

a child. a poor idiot. and their strange, natural friendship. the war. theirs games. and a murder. the broken silence of a village. the fear. and the solution for protect the lives of the elite. a film about childhood and life. profound psychological analysis from a director well known for his historical films. and a great role for Amza Pellea, the role of his life for the young Cristian Șofron. portrait of souls, the film presents the clash between different universes. and the impact of key moments for each character - the lost of his father and the war as model for revenge for the boy, the radical change of social perception for Ipu, the basic fear of people who define the escape from death as trade. in same measure, it is an interesting picture of the universe of village. and one of the most significant films by Sergiu Nicolaescu.
Reviewed by searchanddestroy-1 7 / 10

Some kind of Romanian Mademoiselle Fifi - Boule De Suif

Both stories take place during a war and in a country under German occupation. Both stories also speak of the cowardice of the local population and their disgusting behavior towards one innocent person belonging to their own community. This basic scheme is the same in both Guy De Maupassant's adaptations and this movie from Romania. This is an interesting character study but I guess far far below reality. This is an unavoidable film, which the main problem is that German characters don't like Germans at all, except the uniforms. Acting is also not that convincing and a bit too much talkative. Mostly saved by an unforgettable ending.
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