Viorica Bucur, Romanian film critic, dies at 65

Viorica Bucur, member of the FIPRESCI (The International Federation of Film Critics), died on Monday, August 22. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two months ago.

[googlead tip=”vertical_mic”]Viorica Bucur was a professor with a PhD at the  Bucharest University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Art (UNATC). As a moderator, producer and scriptwriter, Viorica contributed to lots of popular TV shows.

In 1969, she began to work with the Romanian National Television (the only television in Romania at that time). She created (along with Octavian Sava) the title sequence of “Telecinemateca”, a TV series started in 1968. “Telecinemateca” (TV cinemateque), aired weekley, has featured classical films, with  shorts introductions made by film critics. The title sequence’s soundtrack, an excerpt from “This is my song” by Charlie Chaplin (“A Countess from Hong Kong” theme song), has become very popular and even in present days  lots of  Romanians associate “This is my song” with  “Telecinemateca”.

“A TV series cannot be distinguished without title sequence.” Said Viorica Bucur.

Viorica Bucur become famous with “Gala desenului animat” (“Cartoon Gala”).

[googlead tip=”lista_mica” aliniat=”stanga”]She produced “Cartoon Gala” for 15 years. They say this brought her nicknames like “Cartoon mother” or “Donald’s mother”. “Popeye the Sailor”, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “101 Dalmatians”, “Lady and the Tramp”, “The Jungle Book”, “Bambi”, “Tom and Jerry”, “Heckle and Jeckle”, “Bugs Bunny”, and other animated films enchanted the children.

Viorica Bucur also produced a series of shows dedicated to cinema history and news, such as “Istoria filmului mut”(“Silent Film History”) and “Istoria filmului sonor”(“Sound Film History”), “Premiere cinematografice” (“Cinema Premieres”), “Ecranul” (“The Screen”). In the late years she wrote film reviews.

Viorica Bucur was born on February 15, 1946 in Bucharest, Romania. She wished to be an astronomer, but when she learned that studying astronomy involves studying mathematics, she embraced her other love: cinematography.

“In the high-scool years… I was going to nearby “Mihai Eminescu” cinema … to watch famous movies like “Carmen la de Ronda”, with Sarita Montiel,  “Rocco and His Brothers” directed by Luchino Visconti. I had a revelation: I understood what a Film really means!” Viorica Bucur told to Historia magazine.[googlead tip=”patrat_mic” aliniat=”dreapta”]