Prima Melodie is a 33 minute-long black and white Romanian film starring Gabriela Marinescu and directed by Andrei Blaier in 1958. Gabriela Marinescu (b. 1942) starred in this film at age 17; she would go on to work with many of the greats in Romanian theatre and movies both in Timisoara and Bucuresti, until her defection from the country in 1972. At the premiere showing of Prima Melodie (a double feature along with Doi Vecini), Marinescu met the famous director Ion Luciani, who would later offer her a spot at the Teatru Ion Creanga, in Bucuresti. Prima Melodie was produced by Studio Cinematografic Bucuresti.

BIO

Gabriela Marinescu graduated from IATC (Theater) in Bucharest, Romania in 1963. All theater directors came to graduation from all the major cities across the country to offer placement in their groups. She chose Timișoara over Bucharest and many other offers and she committed to Timișoara her first three years of acting. She played alongside many who later became household names such as Ovidiu Moldovan (Winterset) Gilda Marinescu (Ivgenia in Taurida), and later Stella Popescu, Mircea Mușatescu, Dem Rădulescu, among others. In 1966, her last year in Timișoara, she shared the stage with Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan in “Winterset” by American playwright Maxwell Anderson. On the fifth night, during the tragic ending, she had an accident on stage as her character was shot. She fell and struck a sharp edge, breaking her kneecap. She was unable to walk. To her enormous disappointment, she was forced to take the first train home to Bucharest. After recovering, her career in Bucharest began to flourish at Teatru Ion Creanga until her defection to USA (via Rome) in 1971. In September 1971, Teatru Ion Creangă was invited to the International Children's Theater Festival in Venice. The play was Ion Creangă's version of Pinocchio, with Şerban Cantacuzino, Mircea Mușatescu and Marius Rolea. After the show in Venice the troupe played in Rome. After the final performance in Rome, Gabriela's groom-to-be, Alexandru, smuggled her into hiding. The Ion Creangă group was scheduled to return to Venice for one more day before heading back to Bucharest. Gabriela and Alex had a room on the fourth floor overlooking the Rome terminal. It was night, and looking out the big window straight at the terminal, they could see her colleagues frantically uneasy and waiting for her to return.  She runs away from Nicolae Ceausescu regime and arrived to New York, USA that same year.

Gabriela Marinescu conversation Premier coming up soon!

Premiere: 23st May 2024