dbellmyer

This is a German made for television movie, so the dialogue is in German with English subtitles, but don't let that put you off; the subtitles are easy to read. This movie tells the story of German immigrants to Texas in the 1840s. The plot uses 3 famous events in Texas history to create the drama and drive the story; they are the Council House Massacre in San Antonio on March 19, 1840, followed by the Comanche Great Raid of 1840, and the Meusebach-Comanche Treaty of May 9, 1847. Although these events are separated by 7 years, in the story, they occur in very close proximity. The main character is Mila, a young weaver woman who travels on an immigrant ship from Prussia (Germany) to Texas with the intention of starting her life anew in a free land. Once she disembarks on the Texas coast, she finds that life in this new frontier is much more than she bargained for when she left Prussia. If you like romance and adventure with a bit of history in the mix, you will enjoy this movie. Emilia Schüle does an admirable job as the passionate and outspoken Mila. Wesley French, a Canadian actor of Chippewa descent, does an excellent job as the intense and determined Comanche chief Buffalo Hump. Benno Fürmann is easy to hate as the twisted Count Arnim von Hohenberg who torments his long suffering wife, Countess von Hohenberg, played by Nadja Uhl. A popular character actor in German films, Gojko Mitic, plays the aged Comanche chief Tahmahkera. Some Amazon reviewers complained that the film does not look like Texas, because there were no mountains in Indianola, the port city on the Gulf of Mexico where German immigrants landed (which no longer exists). Again, it's a minor detail. Many Western films were made in locations that were not geographically correct, so just ignore the minor details, and enjoy the film.

As another reviewer so aptly put it, this is an old fashioned war movie with old fashioned values and heroes; it is definitely a "feel good" movie. If you like dark films with bleak endings, this film is not for you. We saw the first Sunday matinée showing of the film, and the theater was almost full. The audience was composed of all ages: retirees, teens, young boys with parents, etc. At the end of the film, most of the audience was applauding the film. Why? Because the film shows what you can accomplish when you work hard and overcome every obstacle that is thrown at you. This film has a little bit of something for everyone: personal struggles/drama, air battle action scenes, romance, humor, history,etc. As a teacher, I appreciate the fact that the film provides real life inspiring role models for kids. We need more films like this, and kudos to George Lucas for his perseverance in getting this film made.

Very few films have dealt with the persecution and annihilation of the gypsies or gitanos during World War Two by Hitler and his minions. For that reason alone, this film is important. If you are looking for other films, you might check out "The Man Who Cried" with Johnny Depp.

This film was a nice surprise. I expected it to be depressing, but it was not. What Gatlif managed to portray through some very nice cinematography and story development is the gypsy love of nature and the outdoors. It was beautifully done.

Another theme that comes across well in this film is the gypsy love of music. They seem to have an unusual flair for music, and they use it to enrich their own lives, but also to provide an income and support themselves.

As someone with a history degree, I appreciated the fact that Gatlif attempted to shed some light on a subject that few have touched. I also appreciated the cultural insights on gypsies and their lifestyle. Anyone looking for something a little different should enjoy this film.