King of the Gypsies

...not as good as "Time of the Gypsies" (1988) Dom za vesanje (original title) or "Black Cat, White Cat"(1998) Crna Macka, Beli Macor (original title), both directed by Emir Kusturica or "I Even Met Happy Gypsies" (1967) Skupljaci Perja (original title) of Aleksandar Petrovic. Despite the fact that we have an entire orchestra of good and very good actors, such as Sterling Hayden, Shelley Winters, Susan Sarandon, Judd Hirsch, Eric Roberts, Brooke Shields, Annette O'Toole, Annie Potts, the film does not have consistency, it's only a mediocre attempt to show how gypsies really are. Eric Roberts is honest in his role debut. Susan Sarandon is more beautiful than ever and very talented as always. Best of all is Judd Hirsch he's the most natural and believable gypsy. Beautiful music with Stéphane Grappelli, accompanied by other talented musicians.

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.

I saw this movie in the theater in 1978. It is one of my favorite films. Then I met someone who is Gypsy, who became one of my closest friends. She told me alot of what is shown in the movie is quite accurate. The part about stealing does go on but, (at least in her branch of the family) it is looked down upon. Most of them are proud of their American heritage AND their Romany heritage.

Peter Maas's book is a non-fiction look at the Gypsy culture, particularly how it has translated into 20th century America. This movie is mostly fiction, although it draws on some of the material in the book.

It's basically a family drama, with a rebellious youth (Eric Roberts) squaring off against his abusive father (Judd Hirsch). I'm not sure if a case can be made for Eric Roberts as a terrific actor, but he doesn't embarrass himself here, and the rest of the cast, Hirsch, Shelley Winters, Susan Sarandon, and Sterling Hayden, is superb. A fascinating look at a culture that may be dissolving into modern life, and a well-paced and acted film that is consistently entertaining.

There's a special treat for jazz fans, as violin giant Stephane Grappelli appears in the movie, along with mandolin player David Grisman, performing a medley composed by Grisman and performed with Grappelli on a live album that has always been one of my favorites. This is the only footage I've seen of Grappelli performing, and while it's limited to a few shots, it's still worth the price of admission.

A DVD release has finally been announced for June 3, 2008.

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.