Customer Reviews

Mondo [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As long as I live I will never forget seeing MONDO in 1997. It moved me as no other movie has ever done. Images from the movie are still with me - a lush garden, the doves, the sea. MONDO isn't about 'issues.' It doesn't seek to model real-life solutions or answer tough social issues. It is an image, a poem, a thought.
I thought the long review by the guy who was upset because he had 'supported' this movie was WAY off the wall (and hello, why didn't he just walk out and ask for a refund at the theater?) He was looking at MONDO as though it were an instructional video that came with a VCR, or a Bill Nye show. MONDO doesn't claim to tell you what to do. In fact, MONDO doesn't claim to be about you or your problems or here and now or here and now's problems. MONDO is art....also, despite the childlike innocence of the film, it is not a children's movie. I find it very difficult to imagine any kid running away after seeing this - especially after seeing the end.
MONDO is a dream. I can't adequately explain how beautiful this movie is. It has always reminded me of the Portugeuse word 'saudade,' which doesn't translate literally but expresses a longing of the soul, a deep yearning, a nostalgia for right now.
I also highly recommend Latcho Drom.

This film is an amazing metaphor for the idea of the "restless and free" gypsy, and is a wonderful counterbalance to the notion of settlement proposed for sinti and roma populations in the EU. This is not about a run away child a la Salaam Bombay, but a mythical spirit who touches the lives of outcast people in a society riven with prejudice against the gypsies. watch it for its incredible cinematography, brilliant performances, and spectacular moral.

I experienced Mondo as an incredibly beautiful and moving portrait, not only of a (child) character, but also symbolically of the "True Self" in each of us. There is a delicate balance between how the vagaries of life and society impact personal connection and how human uniqueness and fundamental goodness transcend loss. There is above all poetry, playfulness, deepness and humanness in abundunce. Unforgettable.

This is the best in Tony Gatlif's gipsy trilogy -- which also includes "Latcho Drom" and "Gadjo Dilo" (Crazy Stranger). The tale of Mondo follows an orphan boy surviving in Nice through the kindness of strangers and his own ingenuity. Beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted and written -- with metaphoric allusion to the heartwrenching plight of stray dogs in the same city -- "Mondo" is the pinnacle of filmmaking.

Absolutely beautiful. My second favorite film of all time. A little bittersweet at the end. The film has a lot of symbolism in it. The colors and filming around Nice, France are beautiful. Remember, if we don't stop and love others and help others and make a difference, then in the end, all we are left with is a stone in our heart. One could also say, that if we really don't have a family (a loving one) we can create a family in the friends and people close to us all around us.

This wonderful film tells the story of a young boy who mysteriously arrives in Nice, in the south of France. He touches the lives of many of the people of the city. We never know where he is from, nor does it matter. The photography is rich and natural. While Mondo enriches the stodgy French community he is in, the community as a whole does nothing for him and falls apart when he leaves. It demonstrates the caution and care one must take when dealing with outsiders.

This film was moving.

It touches on all on those special places in our heart that ALL of us have, with the unique element of something that is almost indescribable; the "free spirit".

It has many admirable aspects, and I would recommend this movie to anyone - especially to anyone who 'appreciates' a really good movie.

The plot is very weak: good guys against bad guys. But what I am really mad at is the "message" stuff.

I would not normally care about the message that much. But look what is happening: The movie is about a homeless kid. His life is just wonderful. The moment he gets hungry, a kind old lady gives him bread. The moment he gets sick, another kind old lady takes care of him. Everybody is so nice and kind, and his life is so wonderful, until the police arrive. He is taken away and put into school. What a crime.

The thing would be laughable, if I did not know that seeing this movie (and it is beautifully shot) would make some real kids run away from home in search of such life. And then they would experience real homelessness. It is not so pretty for homeless kids in Hollywood. They often go hungry. They get beaten by older kids and other homeless people. They often get hooked on drugs, or sniff glue. They are often raped. Many go into prostitution real early. They get veneric diseases. They get killed. I am sure it is not that different in France. And deceiving real kids with these beautiful lies about beautiful homelessness is just a terribly irresponsible act. The producer must be a terribly irresponsible person.

It is all the more surprising, since I love Tony Gatlif's previous movie "Lacho Drom". This one does not come anywhere near it.

I can name three movies about homeless kids right off the bat: "Salaam, Bombay", "Pixote" and "Shoeshine". All three are honest: they show homeless life just as it is.

"Gabbeh" is a fantasy, but "Mondo" is a lie. There is a major difference. "Mondo" is similar to Bertolucci's recent movie "Stealing Beauty". How many girls will go into sex looking for such light beautiful relationship, only to end up in empty spiritless screwing. Again, because the producer chose to be irresponsible and to tell lies.

I wish I could send an e-mail to Tony Gatlif. I feel really bad about one thing: by paying for the ticket, I supported the movie. And that means I support the lie the movie stands for. And when some kids do run away from home, I am partly responsible for this.