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.

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.

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

Beautifully filmed, mind expanding exploration of Gypsy culture in the context of their music. Travel across a continent, experiencing the amazing musical styles of various groups of Gypsy peoples. It is sort of misleading to say this movie is not narrated. It is masterfully narrated by the music itself, the soaring melodies and subtititled lyrics tell a story much better than a narrator would have. See this film.

From India to Spain, "Latcho Drom" shows the Rom have survived much by keeping much of their culture and yet adapted what could be of use to them. Through their music and dancing, you witness the common thread that binds them all and yet change/adaptation is there to see from the countries they passed through and lived in....as well as influence. Hitler did his best to exterminate them (an old Romany woman bares the tattoo of a Concentration Camp number on her forearm while holding an old photo of a loved one while singing a song about those times.....several thousand died in those camps.) Ceascescue forced many to settle into villages and they are still forced to travel because of centuries old beliefs from others. Still they live much as their ancestors did and this film gives you a peek without preaching and makes you want to learn more.