Customer Reviews

Time of the Gypsies

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It was my first Kosturitza movie and since then I have watched most of them. Time of the Gypsies still remains my favorite (Black Cat White Cat is getting close). The story is about a gypsy who has to make a life choice and he chooses wrong, losing his closest people. A sad and very well done film. Coming from a region very close to Yugoslavia and knowing well the lifestyle of Easter European gypsies, I can say that the portrayal of the gypsies is very accurate.

But perhaps the best part of the movie is its music--Goran Bregovich is unbelievable. Even if all of my above comments are ignored, the soundtrack alone is worth watching teh entire movie.

I want to thank my ex-girlfriend for introducing me this film that is simply beyond words.

I usually do not enjoy watching subtitled movies, but this one transcends even my insurmountable laziness.

Be careful: this one will haunt you for the rest of your life.

And ignore Maltin, who appears to have lost in the world of tightly managed Hollywood flicks. Don't get me wrong; I do enjoy Hollywood movies. Usually, I go for silly comedies over supposedly arty films.

But I am not blind.

I decided to make, instead of the review, a comment of the film:
I couldn't believe what I was watching at the first 10 minutes. I didn't know if I had to laught, cry or just stare at the tv.
The history of the characters is amazing. One by one envolves you and introduce you to their owne history.
The music is unbelievable, is perfect.
El film por completo es exelente.
Forgive me for the grammar mistakes.

This movie is for those who are interested in discovering the reason why film making, pictures, stories and storytelling, not to mention other cultures and folk music...and so many other aspects of life...well...this is a movie for those who want to see why all these things are the incredible gifts of life that we all share. This is the film that tells us why life and how life can be such an incredible experience.

You must be very careful reading Matlin's review. It is the review of a man whose perception of the world and film making have not been formed by the authentic experience of life. His reviews serve a larger machine...just as some of the young children and women work for Ahmed (a character in this movie) in the same way as Maitlin does his thing in his reivew. Be careful. He's a man on a time schedule. A man who might be made too uncomfortable by this film because it is so much larger than the kinds of movies we get from Hollywood and the rest of the infotainment telesector disciples.

This is a movie for anyone who is alive. A movie for anyone who, whether they like to watch the Simpsons, or whether they like to read Dante, are very aware of themselves as living breathing organisms in the midst of their involvement in such activities.

It is a gift. The director is a gift. I've seen three of his movies and it's amazing to see a man ascend to heights of achievement. I'm so glad I watched this movie.

I liked this movie because it shows life and people different than me...but with whom I can identify on an emotional and intellectual level. It has great music. It has documentary qualities that root in in reality...so that the director can take me out on the sea of his inspiration. It is colorful. Funny. Joyful. There are weddings, and bar scenes, and car scenes and ordinary imperfect reality scenes that are presented in a extraordinary way.

The first great film from the greatest living European director. Underground may be a more weighty work, but this is a deeply felt and beautiful movie. The acting is great, the music superb and the art direction grotesque and masterful. It is a fairy tale, an ethnography, a comic caper and a work of neorealism. It succeeds at each level.
If one needs more evidence that this is a vapid and vile age, please note that this, one of the great masterworks of recent world cinema, is available only on VHS, while that Silent Bob releases on DVD interviews in which he pontificates away.

There are certain movies that just resonate in your head long after viewing. This is one. It is humorous, chaotic, absurd, dramatic, erotic, violent, poignant, etc. The unique Gypsy cast and music will enthrall you. The film is about as far from a Hollywood flick as you can get. The quality of the VHS is not great and perhaps the original film quality was not that wonderful. But with a film like this, who cares. That is why it was rated 5 stars. Buy it! Let's hope that Amazon.com locates the other Gypsy film by the talented director, "Emir Kusturica" which appeared last year, "Black Cat White Cat", already available on PAL in the UK.

This film blends real-life heartache and squalor with a poetic dream world. In spite of its many surreal touches, Time of the Gypsies seemed an accurate depiction of the social fabric and sense of economic desperation that characterize Rom life in numerous countries. When beauty, magic, and love exist in these circumstances, they are powerful forces indeed. This film gives us a painfully hard look at world of the gypsies we have scorned and romanticized: we know that our fascination is justified. To have entered their world is a rare privilege, and a real trip. (I too was shocked to read Matlin's lukewarm review.)

Pay no attention to Leonard Maltin's review. This is one of my all time favorite flick. I saw this film years ago and it still stands out as a wonderful film. It combines all the flavors of life into one surreal, magical, moving story. Don't miss out.

This film is absolutely brilliant. It is a celebration of all that cinema can and should be.

Emir Kusturica got inmersed with all the imaginable poetry and still more in the gypsy world. And his hallucinating handle camera helps eloquently for the absolute triumph of this artwork.
The dreams, hopes and tragedy will be told with such splendor that you will be surprised with its freshness and rapture.
A formidable statement that consolidated once more to Kusturica as one of the most promiment directors of the world in those ages.