Der Zigeuner

I could tell when I was watching this film that THE GYPSY would probably not appeal to many people for two main reasons. First, the film is a rather amoral affair--taking a very neutral view of crime and the police. If you are looking for a pro-police sort of film, this certainly isn't it. Second, the ending will simply infuriate those who need a sense of closure. Neither of these things particularly bothered me, but I am sure many will find these serious shortcomings to overlook.

The film centers around two career criminals whose stories never intersect until near the end. Le Gitan ("The Gypsy") is played by Alain Delon and he is a man who feels that because society has no respect or place for Gypsies (which he is one), then he has no obligations towards society. He is not a rampant murderer, but more of a man who feels no guilt about stealing and robbing from what he sees as a corrupt system. Paul Meurisse plays Yan Kuq. He's more of a professional criminal--one who could care less about society one way or another--he simply is out to take what he wants and live the life of a gentleman criminal.

As far as the film goes, it never goes in great depth about the criminals or police. Instead, it shows them "doing their thing" with no commentary or apparent position on who is right or wrong. This amoral approach, though unusual, actually works well because it adds to the film's realism. This is a world where crime MIGHT pay and the evil-doers MIGHT live happily ever after! In many ways, it is a bit like Film Noir updated to the 1970s and without the same conventions and clichés. It is unflinching and unromantic from start to finish, but never dull.

This Jose Giovanni effort gives you the strange feeling you are watching two different movies in one:

-The first one is a very conventional gangsters- on- the- lam movie ,with one of the weakest plots Giovanni ever wrote.

-The second one is by far the most interesting,when it shows the gypsy condition,forced to live on the garbage dumps,perpetual outcasts of a society that will never accept them.Delon's looks are eloquent and could have been successful,had he been given adequate support:only the scenes when he meets his people are worthwhile.

The cast is heterogeneous to a fault gathering actors from the forties/fifties (Paul "diaboliques" Meurisse who is here like a ghost from the past),trendy current ones (Delon,and Annie Girardot in an inept part which comes at the most awkward moment) and future glories of the eighties/the present like Bernard Giraudeau (stupidly cast as a young cop and the former lover of a gangster's wife).

The seventies were not a good time for Giovanni,with the exception of "deux hommes dans la ville":his best works remain his early efforts "la loi du survivant" (1967) ,"le rapace" (1968) and "dernier domicile connu" (1969)

I found this movie to be low-key and subtle. There are three parallel story streams led by Delon as the gypsy Hugo Sennart, Meurisse as Yan Kuq the fence and safe cracker, and Bozzuffi as the cop whose task it is to bring them in. The film is character driven, but interest in the characters grows while watching the film as opposed to movies in which the characters demand attention from the beginning. It is a story primarily about men. These are hard people whether Gypsy, cop, or thief, and any sentimentality is tempered with cold reality. Several scenes with Alain Delon and young boys support the growing understanding that Sennart (Delon)is running out of time and add to the sense of underlying melancholy. The scene with Delon watching the flight of flamingos is something I will never forget or grow tired of watching. I would describe this movie as beautiful - subdued - with strong emotional undercurrents.

Deloin plays a gypsy and looks slightly ridiculous. The plot is overcomplicated because of the addition of master burglar Yan. The main police officer is a colorless character. But still it is a reasonable entertaining film. Perhaps a bit too slow here and there. If you're looking for Eurocrime, there is definitely better material out there.

Alain Delon. With longer hair and a hat, Delon looks like the forerunner of Johnny Depp in this 1975 film, also known as Le Gitan.

He plays French gypsy, Hugh Sennart, a robber wanted by the police. He steals from the state because he has nothing but contempt for the system because of the way his people are forced to live. These conditions are shown realistically and are sad indeed.

Hugo's story intersects with that a jewel thief, Yan Kuq (Paul Meurisse], who robs from the rich. Kuq's wife fell from their balcony. The police suspect murder, though that is not the case. However, it happened right after a burglary, which is very suspicious.

The Gypsy is doing one more heist when he runs into Yan. Here's where we learn what both men are made of, and whether or not there is honor among thieves.

Good noirish film with an excellent performance by Delon and also by Paul Maurisse and Annie Girardot. It is almost two films in one. I felt the stronger story is the one that shows the gypsy conditions. Someone described Delon's expressions as "eloquent" - yes, they were. He doesn't have a huge amount of dialogue, which he doesn't in many films, so he is a master of expression.

Not the best work from the director Jose Giovanni, but it's still good.