Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends (2006)

Well Deserved Praise

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

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

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.

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.

Wonderful music. I wish that film makers would get over their fear of music. Time after time these wonderful musicians would begin to meld on stage into a gorgeous multi-ethnic stew of style and spirit, and bang-o, off we'd go to Roumania or Macedonia to see the musicians on their home ground. There's a place for both, of course, but more often than not the latter occurred at the expense of the former. Then there was an astonishingly bad editing choice at the end of the film, when a perfect coda of sadness and longing was stepped on by the film maker in favor of the big bang theory of ending movies. The musicians deserved better and the audience deserved better.

Funny how some comments on this film are only in the discussion section, as solo cries d'esprit. anyway... the one saying "tour de force" was certainly right, on the level of pure film-making this movie is dazzling. I was also really impressed with the way in which the director generally used the music as a springboard to continue the "narrative" in a way that was very consistently magical. A little more time was taken with some of the things that were most extraordinary, musically. I mean, compare this movie with something like buena vista social club... it can't be done this is so vasty superior a piece of work, let alone that its so much more ambitious, that the subject matter is really a lot richer and mined to so much greater um yield.