Fantastic!

A Major Disappointment

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

I stumbled upon this on PBS, and I'm enchanted. I've always been fascinated by the Romani culture and history, and there is so much of that here, tucked in between the songs. There is so much good information here about a people who have been horribly misunderstood and persecuted for most of their history. The movie's approach of wrapping the history and culture into the music, and the stories of the musicians, works very well. The artists, from India, Macedonia, Romania, Spain...all very different, but springing from the same place in the heart. Beautiful, soulful music from beautiful, soulful people. I especially enjoyed Esma, and her stories of life with her husband, Stevo. But I also loved Maharajah, and the other bands. The whole thing is beautifully done. I'll be buying this so I can watch it at my leisure. Don't miss it if you have a chance to see it.

This fascinating, insightful and moving film does for the Roma what The Buena Vista Social Club did for the musicians of Cuba.In allowing the leading characters room to tell their own tales the director, Jasmine Dellal, gives us, the viewer, the opportunity to see into a culture which is at one and the same time foreign and similar. Foreign because of the history, traditions and music of the Roma people, similar because of the everyday problems faced by them, be they lack of money, poor housing, ignorance, fear etc - ie all the things that make all of us human.Out of this emerges some unforgettable characters, like Esma. Esma is the Queen of the Gypsies - officially apparently - and has a voice to die for, clear, soulful, and with more talent than a 1,000 X factor winners put together! Maharaja are an Indian ensemble which has fun playing up to the Bollywood imagery, whilst turning out some of the best Raga I've heard since the heydays of Ravi Shanker! Of course there are others, all of whom are allowed their space within the film, but the saddest has to be the violin maestro Nicolae Neacsu, an elderly man I would have been proud to have called uncle. For those who have not as yet seen the film I will not say what happens, but those who have must agree it is very moving.If there are any faults with the film it is these: Firstly, the relationship between the wider American society and the touring Roma could have been better explored - just one note left in an hotel reception guest book gives a chilling reminder of the ignorance still surrounding these people. Secondly, the film could have been 30 minutes longer and given us more of the concert footage. I guess I will just have to hunt out the soundtrack to hear all of the wonderful music from the film.

Chris Knipp has it exactly right in his comment above. "Latcho Drom" is one of the best films I've ever seen, the ultimate presentation of Rom music, and it's a crime that it is still not released on DVD. This clunker is almost embarrassingly bad. The producers of the "Caravan" rounded up a motley assortment of "gypsy" acts, some good, some awful, and made a cheapo roadshow with them. The camera work is amateurish, and the disrespect of beginning any performance only to cut away to jolly tour bus or village scenes is infuriating. The director had no sense of how to film music, taking either a flat view from audience front center, or extreme close-ups full of sweat rivulets and nostril hair (not that there's anything wrong with that!). The Spanish flamenco act is particularly cringe-worthy. When you've seen great film scenes of major flamenco talent, such as in the classic works of Carlos Saura, "Antonio" and his aunt Juana appear grotesquely clownish. Antonio performs like someone out of a "Spinal Tap" sort of parody, and his inarguably ugly aunt is presented as some sort of flamenco earth-mother, though her singing is less authentic than awful. The only redeeming moment comes at the end of the film when the audience is shocked and saddened at the unexpected death of one of the performers, and it really is painful to watch the friends' grief. Even then, on second thought, there's something cheesily exploitative about it all.

If you consider yourself a lover of World Music as I am, you owe yourself a major treat by seeking out 'When The Road Bends:Tales Of A Gypsy Caravan'. This is a glowing document of the Romani culture (or as it is known to most as the rather unfortunate label of Gypsy)in song and dance. It gives the viewer a brief overview of the Romani people, where they originally came from,and where they've ended up (and not without a great deal of prejudice & hatred by small minded people). Most of the film is a document of a tour that was organized by the independent record label, 'World Village',as an overview of Rom music from India,Spain,Romania,Macedonia,etc. Probably the best known personae representing Romani music is Esma Redzepova, who has been out there singing for well over 40 years, and is recognized by the United Nations for her humanitarian work with children,by adopting over 45 Rom children (pretty impressive so far, no?). The film also merits equal attention to Taraf de Haidouks,Fanfare Ciocarlia,to mention a few. The film besides being shot on tour in the U.S. & Canada, also features footage shot in the performers respective countries, and features interview footage with the musicians,as well. To sum it all up,this film is a celebration of a culture that has long been looked down upon with suspicion & prejudice. It reminded me a lot of another film in a similar vein (Tony Gatliff's 'Latcho Drom'--or,Safe Journey', from 1993,which also told the story of the Romani people,but in a wordless,almost cinema verite style that I admired big time). You may have to do a bit of searching for this one, as it is known by a few other titles,depending (it's also called Gypsy Caravan,or just 'When The Road Bends'). At the two screenings I attended, people were really getting their groove on with the music & dance in this film (especially the Flamenco segments). The soundtrack CD is also worth busting your wallet open for.