A film about the fate of the Transylvanian Saxons

Radu Gabrea's film "The Headless Chicken", a German-Austrian-Romanian-Hungarian co-production based on the novel of the same name by Romanian-German author Eginald Schlattner, is currently making its way round Romania with part of the film crew. Mihai Fulger writes: "The film centres on the evening of the 23 August 1944, when the Transylvanian Saxons, many of whom had been drafted into the German army, were suddenly declared enemies of Romania overnight after having lived in peaceful coexistence with Romanians for 800 years. This was the beginning of the end for the national minority, which has searched without success for the head of the headless chicken - considered a lucky charm - since 1944. ... The film is well made from a technical point of view, and it's the first full-length feature about the tragic fate of the Transylvanian Saxons, so it deserves respect. The problem is it won't satisfy film fans seeking more than a bit of educational entertainment."

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