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Editorial Reviews
Review
The link between gypsy folk music and the punkish sounds of Gogol Bordello (heard on The Late Show with David Letterman and at Live Earth) might not be obvious at first glance, but Eugene Hütz is not kidding. In The Pied Piper of Hützovina, Gogol lead singer Hütz tours Eastern Europe, visiting gypsy camps and sharing their sounds with them. The tour begins in Budapest in 2005, as he meets young filmmaker Pavla Fleischer and hits the road, mostly by train.
The title is certainly appropriate. Hütz looks "like an urchin a peasant from the village," as Fleischer says in the "making of" featurette that accompanies the movie, but he manages to hold people's attention. Whether Hütz is playing his guitar and singing for children in a gypsy camp or for young adults on a stoop at the Kiev apartment block where he once lived, Hütz draws a crowd of fans who clap and dance along. "I was amazed by how quickly he again managed to acquire a following," Fleischer says in the narration at one point. She uses this to advantage with lots of footage of the crowds as Hütz plays.
The music is a big part of Pied Piper, which at times seems more like a moveable concert film than a documentary. That makes a final montage that splices together scenes of Hütz in Eastern Europe with Hütz in a Gogol Bordello concert dramatic and effective. A package of music clips, around half an hour's worth, included in the bonus features gives viewers even more of Hütz; its simple settings on a train, in an apartment, on a sidewalk, or in a driveway emphasize the personal nature of his tour.
The concert film feel is a double-edged sword, though, since we mostly see Hütz through his music. There's a nice moment late in the film in which he visits his grandmother in Kiev, eating borscht in her cramped apartment and playing with an ancient sewing machine, but there's less of Hütz just being Hütz than you'd expect. I was also disappointed to see Eastern Europe mostly through train windows. While I understand that Pied Piper isn't a travelogue, train sequences as the musician and the filmmaker travel get repetitive and make the movie feel more distant than it should have been. Part of that may be Hütz's choice, since he asked Fleischer not to film him with his girlfriend. However, it looks like the director missed opportunities to get behind Hütz's exterior or to add context.
At times, I found comments from the director in narration, as when she explains that she forgot to film Hütz saying goodbye to his grandparents or discusses her irritation with Hütz, distracting. When it came to her narrative asides, less definitely would have been more. If you disagree, Fleischer elaborates more in the "making of" featurette.
Shot in high-def video, the picture is about what you'd expect from a documentary, with grain in night scenes and an occasional faded quality during sunny day scenes. There's also the occasional camera jostling. The sound's natural, but it's handled well.
While I didn't like all of Fleischer's choices, what she does with Hütz's performances drew me in. While I'd expect the movie to draw its audience from those already familiar with Hütz or with gypsy music, I wouldn't be surprised if Pied Piper piqued a few brave viewers' interest in gypsy sounds.
Not guilty. --DVD Verdict
The title is certainly appropriate. Hütz looks "like an urchin a peasant from the village," as Fleischer says in the "making of" featurette that accompanies the movie, but he manages to hold people's attention. Whether Hütz is playing his guitar and singing for children in a gypsy camp or for young adults on a stoop at the Kiev apartment block where he once lived, Hütz draws a crowd of fans who clap and dance along. "I was amazed by how quickly he again managed to acquire a following," Fleischer says in the narration at one point. She uses this to advantage with lots of footage of the crowds as Hütz plays.
The music is a big part of Pied Piper, which at times seems more like a moveable concert film than a documentary. That makes a final montage that splices together scenes of Hütz in Eastern Europe with Hütz in a Gogol Bordello concert dramatic and effective. A package of music clips, around half an hour's worth, included in the bonus features gives viewers even more of Hütz; its simple settings on a train, in an apartment, on a sidewalk, or in a driveway emphasize the personal nature of his tour.
The concert film feel is a double-edged sword, though, since we mostly see Hütz through his music. There's a nice moment late in the film in which he visits his grandmother in Kiev, eating borscht in her cramped apartment and playing with an ancient sewing machine, but there's less of Hütz just being Hütz than you'd expect. I was also disappointed to see Eastern Europe mostly through train windows. While I understand that Pied Piper isn't a travelogue, train sequences as the musician and the filmmaker travel get repetitive and make the movie feel more distant than it should have been. Part of that may be Hütz's choice, since he asked Fleischer not to film him with his girlfriend. However, it looks like the director missed opportunities to get behind Hütz's exterior or to add context.
At times, I found comments from the director in narration, as when she explains that she forgot to film Hütz saying goodbye to his grandparents or discusses her irritation with Hütz, distracting. When it came to her narrative asides, less definitely would have been more. If you disagree, Fleischer elaborates more in the "making of" featurette.
Shot in high-def video, the picture is about what you'd expect from a documentary, with grain in night scenes and an occasional faded quality during sunny day scenes. There's also the occasional camera jostling. The sound's natural, but it's handled well.
While I didn't like all of Fleischer's choices, what she does with Hütz's performances drew me in. While I'd expect the movie to draw its audience from those already familiar with Hütz or with gypsy music, I wouldn't be surprised if Pied Piper piqued a few brave viewers' interest in gypsy sounds.
Not guilty. --DVD Verdict
Product Description
In the summer of 2004, on a car journey in Eastern Europe, Pavla Fleischer met and fell in love with Eugene Hutz, lead singer of New York's Gypsy Punk band Gogol Bordello. Captivated by his energy and his musical verve, and desperate to get to know him better, she decided to make a film about him. The Pied Piper of Hutzovina follows Eugene and Pavla on their subsequent road trip through Eugene's home country, Ukraine. It is the story of two people traveling together on two very different courses. Her aim is to rediscover a romance; his is to rediscover his roots. She hopes to find love on the road; he hopes to find musical inspiration from the gypsy culture he is determined to preserve. This is an intimate portrait of a filmaker with a passion for her subject, and a punk musician with a longing to revisit his past.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
who doesn't love a gypsy with a mustache?,
By kpow! (texas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pied Piper of Hutzovina (DVD)
This review is long overdue. The seller was timely and accurate. I would totally buy from them again. The film was great. If you love hutz, gypsies or gogol bordello i highly reccomend it!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inside the mind of Alcoholic Genius?,
By C.J. O'Kelly (Eastern U.S.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Pied Piper of Hutzovina (DVD)
When my fiancee and I first rented this film, we weren't expecting such a personal account and observation of the life of Eugene Hütz. But it is one, as told, apparently, by someone who is just as infatuated with him as most of us fans are.
Either because he is drunk most of the time, or simply because he does not care, he is perfectly open throughout most of the film, as if a camera doesn't exist around him at all, and he is merely carrying on with business as usual. His affinity for Roma people is observable in this film as well, and you can see that it is genuine. Throughout the documentary, he travels around Eastern Europe and listens to some of the most unique versions of many Roma songs, and joins in as one of their own. Then we also see his personal life, where he grew up, some distant family he has that remain in Ukraine, and so on. Altogether, it is not uninteresting. My fiancee and I were so pleased with the movie that I bought it for her for Christmas last year, and we'll watch it when both of us are in the mood for some Hützian commentary on life, as well as the accompanied vodka to enhance the enjoyability of it. Total recommendation: very high, for someone appreciates the music of Gogol Bordello and other related acts. If you were merely interested in Eugene Hütz as an actor, then this film may not be for you. But everyone who else who loves him for his wit, charm, and alcoholic genius, it will be a favourite on everyone's list
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Must For Gogol Bordello Fans,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Pied Piper of Hutzovina (DVD)
We definitely enjoyed this video as it features Eugene Hutz, the lead person of Gogol Bordello, however it is a bit disjointed. The obvious attraction that the filmmaker, Pavla, had for her subject rather got in the way of a man searching for his roots.
Eugene is bigger than life and for Pavla to expect any different outcome was a bit naive, although I'm certainly glad she went ahead with the project. The DVD has quite a few extra features which is nice as many DVD's do not. If you're not familiar with Gogol Bordello, take a listen to one of their CDs or better yet, see them in concert, they are AMAZING. And then you will appreciate this DVD.
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