Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10229 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-23
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: Romanian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 153 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is a sadly funny film that tells the story of an old man whom no one really knows or cares about. When he falls ill and needs medical treatment, he faces a team of busy doctors who are concerned because they have to be, not because they really care. Running just over 2-1/2 hours, this Romanian film allows the viewer to visualize how suffocatingly slow time must seem for Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu), who isn't expecting the best treatment--just any treatment would be nice. With the exception of a conscientious paramedic, there doesn't seem to be much concern whether he lives or dies. TV viewers have been weaned on medical dramas such as ER, Chicago Hope, and House--all of which depict physicians who will go to all lengths to cure their patients. While noble and entertaining, these series probably offer less realism than The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, in which lack of funds and staff don't allow time for suitable bedside manner. No one is vilified, not even some of the hospital staff that is disgusted by the side effects of their patients' illnesses. The story is well told in a humane and mesmerizing manner that yanks at the heartstrings while still eliciting a laugh or two. --Jae-Ha Kim

Synopsis
Shot in Romania, THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU follows the title character as he waits for attention in a rundown hospital emergency ward. Fans of Lars Von Trier's THE KINGDOM should find much to love here, as Lazarescu's trip to the medical unit descends into a nightmare-ish journey of horrendous mistreatment at the hands of the hospital staff.

Customer Reviews

the most important film of the year
The Death of Mr Lazarescu is the most important film of the year. It is also the most important Romanian film ever made. And yet, most people won't see it because it's Romanian and because it's about the death of a man in reality. Well, friends, you're missing out big time.

Although being billed as a black comedy, what you have is closer to tragedy. You're watching the dehumanisation of the man next door. You're watching as this apparently normal ageing man is mocked, disrespected and disregarded from hospital to hospital, by doctors, nurses...they don't care that this man may be dying or that he may be in pain, they really don't care. What's that tell you? The importance of this film lies in the way it makes us more human. You swallow back disgust for yourself and others, you die side by side with Lazarescu, and you're reborn the better for it.

The Death of Mr Lazarescu is, to use a well-deserved cliché, a labour of love. The script, the acting, the ideas, the timing, the lighting, the angles - it all works. And no amount of art-house awards or Oscar ignorance can take away the impact that this masterful composition has. Is Puiu the next Kieslowski? Will the rest of the films in the series be as great? Can an intelligent filmmaker reach out to the general public? We'll see.

Bogdan Tiganov - author of The Wooden Tongue Speaks- Romanians: Contradictions & Realities

Getting the Run Around in Emergency Rooms
Mr. Lazarescu is an elderly man living in a rather messy apartment with several cats in Bucharest, Romania. He has some health problems and seeks the help of neighbors whose suggestions do not improve his condition. His only daughter emigrated to Canada, so she is too far away to help. It takes some convincing on his part via the phone to get the ambulance to come but they eventually understand his needs. The female ambulance worker shows some compassion, examines him and takes him to the nearest hospital.

Unfortunately, there was a multi-car crash involving a bus on the freeway and many accident victims are taken to the emergency rooms (ERs) of nearby hospitals. The ER was packed and very busy. Mr. Lazaescu gets a quick exam but what he really ends up with is a lecture to stop drinking and he would get better. The ambulance personnel realize he is in pain and needs help ... so they take him to the next hospital. At the next facility, the personnell, both MDs, nurses, and technicians are rather indifferent and treat the female ambulance worker rather shabbily. Eventually, they do a somewhat better exam and agree on a diagnosis. They recommend a CT scan which can not be done in their facility because they do not have the equipment. They are given the necessary paperwork and move on to a third hospital. At this better equipped hospital, Mr. Lazarescu gets his tests not becasue he *should* nor because it is the right thing to do but *only* because the female ambulance worker has some "pull". She knows one of the healthcare workers who arranges for the test to be done immediatly.

A CT scan of the head is done showing he has a serious problem ... the matter is urgent. The physician tries to talk Mr. Lazarescu into having surgery. With much difficulty, they end up convincing him to sign the surgical permit/operating consent. There is no effort made to notify the next of kin or get their permission. It does not seem to matter that Mr. Lazarescu has no understanding of his condition nor is he aware of what he agreed to. Some OR technicians indifferently prepare him for surgery ...

The film reveals the failures of a socialized healthcare system via dark humor. It shows how inhumane, cold and uncaring people can be who have no sense of responsibility or accountability to the patient. Mr. Lazarescu is not given respect or shown compassion. The indifference to his plight is appalling. No one seems sensitive to his healthcare problems except the female ambulance worker. It seemed like a camera crew was filming the the true and actual events in the life of this man. The acting was superb by the main characters as well as by all the healthcare workers. The film is a huge success because one can see the insensitivity, the lack of guilt, the self-absorption of the healthcare workers and unfortunately these attitudes *can* develop in any healthcare system, not just in the socialized type. While the shuttling of Mr. Lazarescu from one hospital ER to the next would *not* occur in the U.S.A. due to EMTALA laws, the fact is under *any* healthcare system the care of the elderly patients can suffer and erode into indifference. While I hope the film is exaggerating the truth, sadly one can see how something similar *can* happen to the elderly and helpless, who have no one looking out for their interests. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Wins 2007 BBC4 World Cinema Best Film
Just thought you might like to know it's just won Best Film at the 2007 BBC4 World Cinema awards, beating Volver, Hidden, etc etc.