König der Zigeuner

A great small movie, with a not unusual plot, some nice and some OK acting, very nice direction and photography and most of all, a fantastic soundtrack -- Stephane Grappelli (a gypsy jazz violinist who played with Django Rinehardt) does incredibly fine gypsy style music - worth it for this alone! Also fun to see a young, dishy Susan Sarandon and a very young Eric Roberts in this movie. Judd Hirsh is great playing a counter to his usual sweet image (or gruff old guy a la "I'm not Rappaport"). In this movie, Hirsh is positively evil. A great peek into a unique culture of traveling people who have been vilified and chased all over the world.

You will get a wide and varying reaction as to the veracity of what Peter Maas wrote about the Romany culture in his non-fiction book, King Of The Gypsies. The information from that source yielded a screenplay with both Hamlet and Oedipal like qualities in it about the succession in leadership to a gypsy clan.

The title role in King Of The Gypsies is played by Sterling Hayden and he and his Queen Shelley Winters have as much responsibility to their clan as the Corleones do. But they've got a son in Judd Hirsch who has the worst qualities of Fredo and Sonny Corleone in one package. This is not a guy you want running the clan.

Hayden pins his hopes on his grandson Eric Roberts. But Roberts has walked away from gypsy life and now is even courting a nice all American girl in Annette O'Toole. He's a singing waiter at Mama Leone's which is no more.

Hirsch of course has no desire to be John of Gaunt in his family, son of one king and father of another. This sets up the conflict within the clan that goes active when Hayden dies.

Eric Roberts made his screen debut here and does fine, but the guy to really watch in this film is Judd Hirsch. You can hardly believe that the amiable Alex Reiger from Taxi is played by the same actor. Hirsch's part of Grozzo should be his career role. Had it been played by someone like Al Pacino and would have had King Of The Gypsies come to the screen some 15 to 20 years later it might have gotten an Oscar nomination. At this point Pacino would have been cast in the Roberts part. How Hirsch was overlooked is a mystery that only the gypsies know.

For an insight into a part of human society overlooked, King Of The Gypsies is highly recommended.

I first saw this film at a theatre in 1978 and have only seen it on television once. I can't remember what attracted me to seeing it, but it was a surprisingly good movie. Eric Roberts showed the industry that he can act and be very convincing. The central actors must have studied gypsy life because they pulled it off very well. The film is mostly about the tension of the next successor to the throne (Judd Hirsch) and his son (Eric Roberts) whom the present King (Sterling Hayden) favors as his actual successor. Hirsch plays a cold, scheming character who finally does one of the most despicable acts a person can do, and shows no remorse for it. This, in turn, sparks retaliation from his son. If I ever find it on DVD, it will become part of my collection. I give this film an 8 out of 10.

Strong performances by a stellar cast highlight this unforgettable film about a largely misunderstood population known as the Gypsies. They sing, dance, wear jewelry, and party together. On the other hand, they steal, deceive and con non-Gypsies out of their money with fortune telling. For most viewers, this film shows complex depiction of them. Eric Roberts give a top notch first rate powerful performance as the Gypsy son who sees the error of his people's ways like no schooling. The other cast members are legendary such as a young Brooke Shields playing his baby sister. Susan Sarandon and Judd Hirsch as his parents. Shelley Winters is great as Queen Rachel and Sterling Hayden as the King. This film is a must see.

This movie was panned by critics, but it seems to have gained cult status among those who like 70s films.

I liked it simply for its fascinating subject--Gypsies in modern day urban America.

This is certainly not a definitive study of the culture, but it is exciting and most of the acting is solid. Roberts and Shields are incredibly beautiful, and the cinematography has that ripe, but overcast look you see in so many films released during the era. Stephane Grapelli's violin in the background adds weight to the glorious score.

The biggest downside is Sterling Hayden's performance. His voice tends to rupture and bark in its heaviness; it lacks nuance. Also, I sometimes felt embarrassed for Sarandon. Though she was perfectly cast, she seems embarrassed herself at times; there is a brief scene where she has to dance, and her body language suggests she's thinking "Do I still have time to reconsider?" Another problem is the continuity. Where was the script supervisor? Shield's character was supposedly born in the 1940s, but when we see her again as a young teenager, it is clearly the late 1970s. You hear Disco in the background, see the long leather coats, and wait for John Travolta to make a grand entrance.

But enough of my nit-picking. Maybe this is not the finest film, but it is indeed a *fun* film. The subject is intriguing, and the plot itself is good. What it lacks in directorial perfection, it makes up for in soul.