Gadjo Dilo

created by stylee

(thing) by stylee (1.3 y) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Tue May 30 2000 at 22:50:23

An obscure little film by Armenian filmmaker Tony Gatlif that is hard to come across at your average video joint but well worth a little extra effort to see. The dialog in the film is entirely in French, Romanian and Romanes (the Rom Gypsy language) with English subtitles.

I believe it to be about all of the following, in no particular order: travel, courage, respect, community, being lost, being found, love bridging a vast array of gaps, art and music, understanding, revelations about human nature and tendencies, gypsy culture, loving life, living life.
The first time I happened to see this amazing movie, it was showing at Chicago's Music Box Theater. I was going through a brief phase at the time during which it was commonplace for me to take a bit of acid for no particular reason when going out practically anywhere, and that night was no exception. Throughout this beautiful, touching, erotic and crazy story I was so completely enthralled I was beside myself.

The following morning I was filled with some indescribable crazed urgent feelings about the world and life in general, spawned by the movie. I had to know if it was just the acid that had made it so powerful so I drove right back to that theater and saw the first matinee I could (much to the complete amazement and scoffing of my then boyfriend who thought I was nuts, one of several indicators that he was not the one.)

Once again I was blown away, it wasn't the acid after all that had made this movie affect me so. No, the story, the imagery and concepts in Gadjo Dilo had acted as a kind of catalyst, touching the very depths of my brewing wanderlust and speaking to it directly, reassuring me that it wasn't a phase, it was important, beautiful, shared by others, the lucky ones who know. It was as if all of my restless feelings of curiosity and desire to experience humanity in all its forms, the knowledge that there was something important and necessary to be gained from getting out there and witnessing first hand the truths and wisdom that the rest of my fellow people have to offer..was suddenly validated somehow by this portrayal of another man doing just that. This was years ago, before I danced with the drummers in Parque Retiro, before I gazed at the stars with Chemchdha, before I even so much as guessed I would be galavanting around Klung Klung on the back of Hari's motorbike...

Even now, when I see this movie again it still awakens these feelings inside me and I can't rest for days because my thoughts are so occupied with all that is out there and which direction I will go next.

(thing) by Senso (12 s) (print) ? I like it! Mon Dec 18 2000 at 6:59:50

This movie is featuring Rona Hartner and Romain Duris.
Gadjo Dilo means something like "crazy stranger" in Romany, the Rom language.

It's about a man, who travels to Romania in order to find a misterious woman with a beatiful voice. The man, who speaks only French and one or two words of Roman�s, is completely lost in this country of gypsies.
He meets an old man who's living in a small and poor gypsy village. After some weeks there, he begins to learn the Roman�s language. Soon, love appears, surrounded by loud music.

If you ever find this movie, rent it only for the music. I did a search on Napster and found lot of songs from the movie. Oh yeah, and Rona Hartner is the most beautiful woman in the world.

printable version
chaos

Belly Dancing	cluster overhang	gadjo	Romania
Gypsy	Roma	strung out	Vengo
gorgio	Napster	Music	siguiriyas
flamenco	Latcho Drom	Simba	puts
Romany	Spider-Man	Theo Van Gogh	Love
Bali	Spawn	understanding	community

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