Bram Stoker’s Dracula transformed a piece of Romanian history into an icon famous throughout the world, but there are other, less known, references about Romania and Romanians in various manifestations of universal culture.

Let’s continue with literature, for instance. In Breaking Dawn, the fourth novel of the best selling Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer, there are two secondary characters, Stefan and Vladimir, originating from Romania, ancient vampires, former rulers of these creatures’ world and one more proof that Stoker’s novel was a cornerstone in the development of the fictional universe of these blood sucking entities.

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling also mentions Romania, but somehow differently – one of the places presented in the novels as where mighty dragons were bred is, as you may guess, Romania. This detail may not have been chosen accidentally, because the father of Vlad Tepes, the historical figure that inspired Dracula, belonged to the Order of the Dragon, a medieval congregation, similar to that of the Knights Templar.

Cinematography is also a field in which Romanian references appear now and then. In Carol Reed’s excellent thriller The Third Man, starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, there is a Romanian character, Popescu, involved in the conspiracies that take place in the post-war Vienna.

If you haven’t seen the excellent mystery movie Charade (1963), starring Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Walter Matthau, don’t read this paragraph, because it will spoil the excitement. But those of you who have seen it must remember that the plot reveals that all the action and crimes are related to some precious stamps on an envelope. Among them, the most valuable, is the one with the head of an aurochs. This stamp really exists and it is part of a short series emitted in 1858 in Moldavia, the first to appear in a Romanian country. The symbol on the stamp is related to the legend of the foundation of Moldavia and it was the country’s official emblem. Several years ago, at an auction in Geneva, a Romanian magazine bearing eight such stamps was sold at the value of approximately one million Euros.

A specific Romanian musical instrument is called “nai” (Pan Pipe) and the Romanian that has mastered it is Gheorghe Zamfir. The equally sad and beautiful sounds of this instrument can be heard on the soundtracks of The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, The Return of the Tall Man with One Black Shoe, Once Upon a Time in America, Karate Kid and Kill Bill, vol. 1.

In his quest to revolutionize creation, Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) was inspired by various sources, be it Renaissance or African Art. At a party both Matisse and Constantin Brancusi took part, the sculptor came dressed with a specific Romanian shirt, called “ie” and the French painter developed an interest for its decorations and, in 1940, he executed the painting called “Romanian Blouse”.

The early advertising campaigns are also related to Romanians. In 1924, the wife of King Ferdinand I, Queen Maria of Romania, who became famous throughout Europe because of her energetic activity during the First World War, accepted to appear in a printed commercial in which she praised the properties of a cosmetic product called Pond’s Cold. It was the first testimonial of a public figure, used in commercial purposes, and it has remained one of the most efficient marketing techniques ever since.

Author: Iulian Fira

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