Forecasts for 1972

Newsreel production around the world began before World War I, and as such their perspective was traditionally less focused on socio-political news and more on sensational stories, on personalities of the time, and generally on the spectacular – as per the expectations of the cinema audience of the period. Later on, as the content of newsreels evolved over the following decades, there nevertheless remained a hearty dose of soft news that serves as a reminder of their origins.

Whether active in Romania or elsewhere in the world, filmmakers were always aware that the newsreels were replaying news rather than engaging in actual reporting. As a result, they had a particular preference for footage with a long shelf life: that is, short, entertaining topics like this festive edition (the final newsreel issue of 1971) that could be easily inserted into the newsreel regardless of when it had been originally filmed, much to the chagrin of the journalist critics who had a habit of reminding the filmmakers that humour and reporting should not be mixed.

1971 was a difficult year at the national level, especially in the wake of the so-called “July Theses” (a piece of legislation passed by Romania’s government that year, following a speech by N. Ceausescu, with major consequences on cultural production). Number 52 of The Week in Pictures juxtaposes a conventionally political first half – a reception ceremony in the pioneers’ headquarters at the former Museum of the Communist Party (now the National Museum to the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest) and a piece about the Iron Gates hydropower plant – followed by a more lively second half made up of several festive subjects: the children of the Sahia staff reciting poems, a performance by singer Olimpia Panciu, followed by the studio’s cameramen indulging in a trip to a wine cellar. Finally, the story that we have included here, which foregrounds a type of politically acceptable humour on tried and tested themes (bad traffic, gender roles, bureaucracy), featuring famous actors of the time (ex. Dem Rădulescu, Vasilica Tastaman). Gen X parents will be delighted to see them again.