earthcds - Latcho Drom DVD - Gypsy music

LATCHO DROM

$60

Released by Broadway Inc.

This is a Japanese version, please read information on the bottom of this page before purchasing!

$60

DVD - 103 minutes

Directed by Tony Gatlif A spellbinding sound-and-image symphony depicting the nomadic culture of the Rom people, better known as gypsies. Journeying westward from the deserts of India through the alleyways of Istanbul, past the wintry sites of German concentration camps, and onwards through the summery French countryside to the urban wastelands of Spain, Latcho Drom immerses us in gypsy culture through lyrical widescreen images and intoxicating musical performances.

This majestic, French-made film wishes viewers a "latcho drom"--a safe journey--as it follows the roots of the Rom, traveling people better known as Gypsies. Stunning and evocative, it transcends language and culture, bringing together the best elements of National Geographic-style documentary and music video in a kind of anthropological MTV. Using only music and image, without any steady characters or plot, award-winning director Tony Gatlif (himself of Rom descent) tells a compelling story of Rom migrations from Northern India to Europe and the rest of the world. Beginning with a gathering of lavishly dressed nomads singing across the harsh deserts of Rajasthan, viewers are transported through the lush oases of Egypt into the ghettoes of Turkey, from the muddy lanes of Eastern Europe through lush French fields to the windswept coastal cities of Spain. Every step of the way, there are hypnotic reminders of the harshness and beauty of the Rom lifestyle: the rhythms of labor pounding into vibrant dance, the songs of Turkish flower sellers merging with the plaintive political satires of a gray-haired Romanian violinist. Music is everywhere--children barely able to walk dance alongside great-grandmothers--and covers all styles and subjects--from the wintry strains of an Auschwitz lament to a flamenco devotional in a Spanish shrine to a festive Dixieland number that borrows as much from New Orleans as from northern India. And wordless stories abound, told in the smiles of strangers waiting for a train or in the frowns of rifle-toting farmers come to evict travelers from their land.
--Grant Balfour

This movie has only been released on DVD in Japan. Therefore, this is an imported Japanese version. The subtitles are in Japanese with no English. It is also a region 2 DVD disc that is only playable on multiregion or region 2 DVD players. Please be sure your machine is able to play this disc before purchasing!

$60