Latcho Drom - Gute Reise

This is not "direct cinéma", as a matter of fact it is its opposite. Second installment of filmmaker Gatlif's gypsy trilogy, this French work produced by Michèle Ray-Gavras, is a film masterpiece, not pure documentary, no fiction by any means. Instead, Gatlif has chosen different locations of the route from India to Spain, wherever the Rom people have a strong presence, and with the help of art directors he has staged several musical numbers that tell us how the gypsies live, sing, dance, struggle and have survived. The movie may have strong opposition from those who question the hypothesis that the Rom tribe is of Indian origin, mostly challenged by those who see a direct link with the Hebrews (so, in a way, it comes as no surprise that they were also persecuted by the Nazis.) But above any anthropological argument, this is a work of great beauty, strong colors and wonderful singing and dancing.

I stumbled across this on Thanksgiving Day. I was at my mates and his aunty put it on as some Quality Eye Candy from the MTV/BET video s***e that annoys us with talentless himbos and bimbos. Since then every Thanksgiving I watch this (alone, lonely immigrant that I am), beautiful beautiful piece of Music Video Edutainment. I am not going to blag about the narrative of tracing the gypsy roots from India to Spain etc (actually the Kali followers before India were moving from the Indus Valley, and before that, this 'dravidian', 'dalit' folk were leaving old Khemet). But here's my observation, which none of the pseudo liberals who watch it with me see. Watch this movie please for this ONE point. The Gypsy LOOK changes throughout the entire movie. From black/brown 'krishna varna' in India, through Egypt etc to almost white Spain. Now these people are the OUTKASTS where ever they be. Hitler put over a million in camps, Franco, etc hated them as well. In England, I remember how the anglos despised them. So they are hated and moved on everywhere, so how come their skin lightens, and hair textures etc changes as they move from host culture/country to host culture/country? Because there must be some race mixing going on all the time during their 2000 year journey. As J.A. Rogers say's in his book of the same name 'Nature Knows No Color Line' , there is one race the human race and we will always mix/integrate on some level no matter what ever the taboos. A good movie to hire for any 'racial' or 'cultural purists' who need to be challenged.

Peace Zeech

The journey of the Romany people told through musicians and dancers of India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France, and Spain.

I am somewhat skeptical of this being a pure "documentary". Much of it looks too clean, too scripted. It has no narrative, but still has something about it that feels overly cinematic. Or maybe that is just how good the director is? However, even if this was staged, it is a document of real Roma people, their dances and their music. And that in itself has a great deal of value. I am not aware of any other culture that expresses itself in song quite so much. I suppose one could say Native Americans, but even there, it tends to be more at a ceremony and not really part of the daily life.

What makes this documentary special from a film-making perspective is its passiveness; which engages the audience to bask in the delight of gypsy music. It innovates the form of documentary while showcasing a tapestry of sound and movement that invites us to celebrate the primal similarity found within the traveling music of (historically) traveling peoples.

Indeed the film itself is a single "take" of sweeping movement that travels the globe and transitions effortlessly from one rhythmic culture to the next.

Watching this film, one's breath is taken away by the simple beauty in our common connection to music, rhythm and dance. If there is a more deeply spiritual, flowing homage to the sound and movement of gypsy cultures, it has yet to be filmed.

Latcho Drom, or Safe Journey, is the second film in Tony Gatlif's trilogy of the Romany people. The film is a visual depiction and historical record of Romany life in European and Middle Eastern countries. Even though the scenes are mostly planned, rehearsed, and staged there is not a conventional story line and the dialog does not explain activities from scene to scene. Instead, the film allows the viewer to have sometimes a glimpse, sometimes a more in-depth view of these people during different eras and in different countries, ranging from India, Egypt, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France, and Spain.

The importance of music in Romany culture is clearly expressed throughout the film. It is a vital part of every event and an important means of communication. Everything they do is expressed with music. Dance is another important activity. Like Romany music, it is specialized and deeply personal, something they alone know how to do correctly. We are provided glimpses into their everyday activities, but the film is not a detailed study of their lives. Rather, it is a testament to their culture, focusing on the music and dance they have created and which have made them unique.

Mr. Gatlif portrays the nomadic groups in a positive way. However, we also witness the rejection, distrust, and alienation they receive from the non-Romany population. It seems that the culture they have developed over countless generations, and inspired from diverse countries, will fade into oblivion because conventional society has no place for nomadic ways.

The other films in the trilogy are Les Princes (1983) and Gadjo Dilo (1998).