An old man's quest for atonement before the "death bird" takes his life, "Gypsy Lore" is a sad, depressing first feature from Bence Gyongyossy, son of acclaimed Hungarian director Imre Gyongyossy ("Palm Sunday", 1983 Oscar nominee "The Revolt of Job"). It's also a well-told tale pitched to adventurous, subtitle-reading domestic audiences who haven't grown tired of Romany culture through the works of Tony Gatlif and Emir Kusturica.
A selection at last year's Hungarian Film Festival in Los Angeles and screening Sunday at the Palm Springs fest, "Gypsy Lore" is Hungary's Oscar entry and a worthy underdog that might steal a nomination. Booked for a run this month at Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills, it should prove a winner with festival audiences.
Inspired somewhat by "King Lear", the screenplay by Gyongyossy and Andras Nagy follows the autumnal odyssey of gruff-voiced storyteller Lover (Dzsoko Rozsics) and his half-wit companion Tamaska (Mihaly Szabados) as the former seeks the daughter he disowned in better times.
Proud of his heritage and reputation for not giving into the government when his village was bulldozed and its occupants relocated, Lover is nonetheless a disruptive presence when visiting the home of his First Daughter (Dilvia Pinku) after a long absence. With Lover's evocative stories and fiddler Tamaska's nocturnal antics with a flock of ganders, the pair are not welcome for long and stoically continue their search.
The freedom of an itinerant lifestyle is presented more as a curse than a blessing as Lover encounters more hostility when visiting another daughter who is married to a volatile black marketeer. Tamaska again is at the center of an ugly scene, while Lover recounts through flashbacks a murderous moment from his past.
Eventually, he finds his "favorite" daughter Sarolta (Violette Koleva), a master horsewoman who still lives the gypsy way and bears no Ill Will. Eternity beckons, however, and Lover has nearly reached the end of his travels.
Well-made in every regard, with poignant performances by Rozsics and Szabados, "Gypsy Lore" has the lonely, elegiacal sadness of an abandoned, overgrown railroad line going nowhere. But the film is emotionally stirring and not soon to be forgotten.
GYPSY LORE
Bunyik Entertainment
Macropus Film, Europa 2000, Gala Film
Director: Bence Gyongyossy
Producer: Bara Kabay
Screenwriters: Andras Nagy, Bence Gyongyossy
Director of photography: Tamas Sas
Production designer: Tibor Egenhoffer
Editor: Maria Nagy
Costume designer: Janos Breki
Music: Ferenc Kiss
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lover: Dzsoko Rozsics
Tamaska: Mihaly Szabados
Sarolta: Violette Koleva
First Daughter: Dilvia Pinku
Kukunda: Diliana Dimitrova
Janos: Janos Derzsi
Running time -- 93 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A selection at last year's Hungarian Film Festival in Los Angeles and screening Sunday at the Palm Springs fest, "Gypsy Lore" is Hungary's Oscar entry and a worthy underdog that might steal a nomination. Booked for a run this month at Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills, it should prove a winner with festival audiences.
Inspired somewhat by "King Lear", the screenplay by Gyongyossy and Andras Nagy follows the autumnal odyssey of gruff-voiced storyteller Lover (Dzsoko Rozsics) and his half-wit companion Tamaska (Mihaly Szabados) as the former seeks the daughter he disowned in better times.
Proud of his heritage and reputation for not giving into the government when his village was bulldozed and its occupants relocated, Lover is nonetheless a disruptive presence when visiting the home of his First Daughter (Dilvia Pinku) after a long absence. With Lover's evocative stories and fiddler Tamaska's nocturnal antics with a flock of ganders, the pair are not welcome for long and stoically continue their search.
The freedom of an itinerant lifestyle is presented more as a curse than a blessing as Lover encounters more hostility when visiting another daughter who is married to a volatile black marketeer. Tamaska again is at the center of an ugly scene, while Lover recounts through flashbacks a murderous moment from his past.
Eventually, he finds his "favorite" daughter Sarolta (Violette Koleva), a master horsewoman who still lives the gypsy way and bears no Ill Will. Eternity beckons, however, and Lover has nearly reached the end of his travels.
Well-made in every regard, with poignant performances by Rozsics and Szabados, "Gypsy Lore" has the lonely, elegiacal sadness of an abandoned, overgrown railroad line going nowhere. But the film is emotionally stirring and not soon to be forgotten.
GYPSY LORE
Bunyik Entertainment
Macropus Film, Europa 2000, Gala Film
Director: Bence Gyongyossy
Producer: Bara Kabay
Screenwriters: Andras Nagy, Bence Gyongyossy
Director of photography: Tamas Sas
Production designer: Tibor Egenhoffer
Editor: Maria Nagy
Costume designer: Janos Breki
Music: Ferenc Kiss
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lover: Dzsoko Rozsics
Tamaska: Mihaly Szabados
Sarolta: Violette Koleva
First Daughter: Dilvia Pinku
Kukunda: Diliana Dimitrova
Janos: Janos Derzsi
Running time -- 93 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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