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List Price: $14.95 | | Label: Legend Films
Salesrank: 24982
Released: June 3, 2008 |
| Our Price: $7.69 |
| Used Price: $8.64 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Susan Sarandon and Brooke Shields head up an all-star ensemble that explores the real world of gypsies in America. Eric Roberts plays David, a typical New Yorker with a not so typical family history. When his grandfather dies, he bequeaths to him the title King of their gypsy tribe, outraging his passed over father (Judd Hirsch). The intriguing web of song, dance, treachery and superstition that makes up Gypsy culture proves too alluring for David to resist, and the audience is along for the ride.
King Of The Gypsies Reviews:
Great flick. 
2008-08-18 - Judd Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Shelley Winters, Annie Potts, Brooke Shields. Lots of action, lots of drama, excellent acting, suspense.
Should have been more epic-like. 
2008-07-16 - I first saw this movie in my late teens when it was on tv. Only managed to catch the last half of it and thought it was good. Been trying to get a copy to watch the beginning for a while. For some reason I can relate to the Eric Roberts character.
After finally getting the dvd recently and watching the whole movie, I realise that it could have been a much better movie. It should have been made more epic and Godfather-like. The Gypsy culture is fascinating but you only get a glimpse of it. You never really relate to it like how the Godfather made you relate to Italian gangsters and their families. Nevertheless I think it is worth a watch if only see how much Eric Roberts and Brooke Shields have changed since the late 70's.
Long Live the King!
2008-07-01 - Peter Maas wrote a book in 1974 called King of the Gypsies. It was the basis for Frank Pierson's film of the same name in 1978. Maas and Pierson are both excellent writers in their own right. Maas also wrote the book that was the basis for the 1975 Sidney Lumet film Serpico starring Al Pacino. Pierson won an Academy Award for Original Screenplay in 1975 for his work on Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon also starring Pacino. There's no doubt that King of the Gypsies is a well written film. It's also a well acted film. This was Eric Roberts' first major starring role (before he became King of the B-Movies) and he delivers the goods. Judd Hirsch plays the bad guy (a nice change of pace) and next to his Academy Award nominated performance in 1980's Ordinary People, this was his finest work on film. Susan Sarandon has never looked better than she does in this film and the great Sterling Hayden (The Asphalt Jungle, Dr. Strangelove, The Godfather) is perfectly cast as the aging patriarch "King Zharko Stepanowicz". The film also boasts a tremendous musical score (courtesy of David Grisman and Stéphane Grappelli among others). So the writing, acting and music are all excellent; what went wrong?
To be honest, King of the Gypsies is not a bad film at all. It's actually quite entertaining. The problem is it's just not epic enough to suit the material. Google the term "King of the Gypsies" or look it up on wikipedia and you will begin to see just how interesting the subject material truly is. Pierson mainly became a television/cable film director. Gypsies has that unmistakable "TV film" feel to it (despite cinematography by the late, great Sven Nykvist) when it should have felt more cinematic like The Godfather. That is the conflict that went on in my mind the entire time I was watching this film. The first time I saw it was years ago on (you guessed it) Television, and I thought it was a made-for-TV movie. The fact is, King of the Gypsies deserves a wider audience. It has mainly become a cult film over the years (primarily due to it's lack of exposure on home video and DVD). The film has been all but forgotten. A lot of film and TV shows have portrayed the East Coast American gypsy community over the past several decades (Bill Paxton's Traveller and Eddie Izzard's The Riches both come to mind) but none have ever gotten it exactly right; King of the Gypsies does get it right; even if it doesn't quite have the gravitas of The Godfather. I recommend this movie to anyone with a love of American films from the Seventies. Brooke Shields also made the underrated (and problematic) Pretty Baby for director Louis Malle that same year. Coincidentally, both Baby and Gypsies were photographed by Sven Nykvist. It is interesting to compare his camera work with different directors; while nothing compares to his collaborations with master Ingmar Bergman, his style is nevertheless interesting and never less than intimate.
Regardless of how you feel about the film, and for whatever the reasons, King of the Gypsies has become one of those "lost classics" of American cinema. Fortunately it is finally available now in the proper aspect ratio and deserves to be seen. I don't know if it is a great or important film, but I do know it fully deserves it's reputation. Enjoy!
