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May 02, 2024, 02:46:31 AM
| Dom za vesanje (Yugoslavia 1988, AKA Time of the Gypsies) Written by: Gordan Mihic & Emir Kusturica Directed by: Emir Kusturica Starring: Davor Dujmovic, Bora Todorovic, Ljubica Adzovic, Husnija Hasimovic, Sinolicka Trpkova, Elvira Sali DVD: R2-FR Carlotta (2007) My rating:  |
I decided to re-watch (and review) this before getting into the opera adaptation I recently bought.
Time of the Gypsies is a film entirely in Romani, the Gypsy language. The literal translation of the original title is "house for hanging".
The film tells the story of Perhan, a Gypsy orphan who lives with his grandmother, his crippled younger sister and his womanizing uncle in a Gypsy village on the outskirts of Skopje (Macedonia). Perhans days are filled with caring for his sister, working a small lime oven, practicing his telekinetic skills and adopting a turkey. A blossoming first love between him and Azra, a neighbor's girl, is strongly opposed by Azra's mother due to Perhan's lack of wealth. As the grandmother heals the son of the Gypsy king Ahmed, she wants him to take Perhan's sister to a hospital in Ljubljana. Perhan insists on accompanying her.
In Ljubljana, Ahmed persuades Perhan to follow him to Italy and slowly draws him into his shady business, which consists of child trafficking and running a small gang of burglars, beggars and prostitutes from a camp outside of Milan. The promise of making a fortune to provide for his sister and grandmother, to build a house and to put up the dowry for Azra causes him to departure more and more from values and beliefs he was raised upon by his grandmother.
When Ahmed has a heart attack, he sets up Perhan as the new boss. That however results in a fallout between Ahmed and his brothers and he sends Perhan back to Yugoslavia to acquire new members for the gang. But upon return to his home village Perhan finds that nothing is as he has hoped.
Kusturica weaves his tale of love, family, lost innocence and revenge in wondrous and magical images, with a rich symbolism deeply rooted in Gypsy mythology, while at the same time maintaining a gritty and unjudging realism in depicting the Gypsy life. Humor and comedy, sometimes venturing into the grotesque, are balanced seemingly effortless with touching tragedy and moments of uninhibited joy.
As in Kusturica's mesmerizing images, deep sadness and extreme exaltation, melancholia and euphoria, not as opposites, but synthesized are also the key elements of Goran Bregovic's magnificent score. To a large part it is based on a few Gypsy traditionals, but developed with great variety.
More superlatives are needed to describe the actors. Almost all of them are not only amateurs, but also actual Gypsies. Wonderful fresh and captivating performances throughout, even in minor roles.
Time of the Gypsies is such a poetic and beautiful film; it is a film not to be watched, but to be experienced, to be completely immersed in its images, music and sound. To me it is, ever since I've first seen it and without the shadow of a doubt, the greatest film ever made.
DVD Notes
The French release of 2007 is the first DVD release of the film in the western hemisphere. The film has been remastered and both a single and a 2-disc special edition are available, but sadly with French subtitles only.
The only English friendly version I know of is the VHS released in the US in 1995, although I've also heard of (but never seen) a Laserdisc. While searching for the trailer and a clip from the film on YouTube, I also found out that the entire film seems to be available there in 10min pieces. Hardly the proper way to watch it, but still...
Aside from the theatrical version I talked about here and which runs about 02:20h, there is also a 5h TV version. I've seen it once in the mid-90s, and a few years ago it became available on a Russian DVD (with Russian subtitles).
Trailer and Clip from the Film
Below is the international theatrical trailer and a clip from the film, showing the famous sequence of the St. George's Day celebration (Ederlezi).
(From goodguy's Watch Log on December 29th, 2009)
Member's TV Reviews
Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom
 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Season One (1990/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia
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Plot:
For most teenagers, high school is filled with obstacles nearly impossible to traverse. But then there's Parker Lewis (Corin Nemec, Stargate SG-1), the one teenager able to overcome any barrier with the use of his wits and the help of his best buds, rock 'n' roller Mikey (William Jayne) and their quintessential nerd assistant Jerry (Troy Slaten). Of course, that doesn't mean Principal Grace Musso (Melanie Chartoff) will give up her attempts to foil the Buds' plans to maintain total coolness!
With smart writing, a unique style, an amazing supporting cast including Abraham Benrubi (ERParker Lewis Can't Lose
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Lon Diamond (Writer), Clyde Phillips (Created By), Clyde Phillips (Writer)
Director: Thom Eberhardt
Cast
(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 24th, 2012)