Product Details

• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Shanachie
• VHS Release Date: July 20, 1998
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630245459X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,124 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History incomplete, November 17, 2004

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Romany Trail, Part 1 - Gypsy Music into Africa [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is quite interesting history, up to a point. The film shows respect and wonderment for the great traditions of Rom music and dance, which evolved from the Hindi customs and culture in northern India. It also offers sympathy for the much-reviled Rom people.

The film follows the Rom culture from India through Iran, Armenia and Iraq into the Maghreb, and features much magnificent belly and other dancing, music and performance feats such as fire eating, puppetry and acrobatics. In total, there are important points here concerning the vibrant roots from which this nomadic people sprang, roots that continue to evolve today.

Most fascinating are the portraits of Rom as dhimmis within the North African Islamic culture in Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, although the narrator does not define them as such. Here, the Rom offer their Islamic neighbors services that are generally regarded within that community as enjoyable but objectionable. They perform exorcisms with music and dance, for example, and perform in the streets throughout North Africa. Yet Islam finds Rom performers, especially the women (who are often belly dancers and singers), particularly revolting; they are generally (and sadly) regarded and treated as whores.

The film does, however, feature one major deficiency. While showing the suffering of the Rom to this day, the narrator says nothing whatever about the evolution of their historical plight: He claims that they traveled from India of their own free will.

But this was most certainly as false in the 8th century as it is now, when Romany people are repeatedly asked to "move on" because they are so much hated by their oppressors. They were initially transported from India as slaves in the 8th century by Islamic jihad, and suffered 500 years of slavery in the heart of Europe.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Color, history, culture, and music!, October 19, 2003

By 

Aisling D'Art "artist and author" (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Romany Trail, Part 1 - Gypsy Music into Africa [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I bought this video to see the bellydancing influences in it. And, it's great for that. However, as an artist and someone who studies Celtic history (especially Irish Celtic history), this video offered even more than I'd expected. (If you're tracing the historical routes--and roots--of the Celtic people, this video provides helpful insights.)

Most people will buy this for the music & dancing. And, that is certainly an important part of this video.

But, "The Romany Trail" is not a slick movie or TV production. In fact, in some ways it's rather amateurish and dated. However, the color and history are well-presented, and the culture and music are inspiring.

If you're an artist, a bellydancer, or anyone inspired (or at least intrigued) by Gypsy music & history, the vivid colors of northern Africa & Morocco, traditions such as the Black Virgin, and so on... This is well worth seeing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bellydance History Lesson, December 12, 2007

By 

Work of Life (Miami, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Romany Trail, Part 1 - Gypsy Music into Africa (DVD)

This video is the first in a series of three enlightening documentary films about the origins and path of the Gypsies from India through Europe and the Middle East. Chock full of hard to find information that connects-the-dots for those wanting to learn more about the illusive Rom (Gypsy) culture, art, dance and history. Though far from complete, this is a facinating look into the closely guarded lives and secrets of the Romany people. I reccomend this series to my students and anyone interested in learning more about Gypsy culture, dance or the Indian/Gypsy influence on Folk Dances (Flamenco) in Spain and Bellydance in the Middle East.