Time of the Gypsies
Encyclopedia
Time of the Gypsies is a 1988 Yugoslav film by Serbian
director Emir Kusturica
. Filmed in Romani
and Serbian
, Time of the Gypsies tells the story of a young Romani man with magical powers who is tricked into engaging in petty crime. It is widely considered to be one of Kusturica's best films.
The film revolves around Perhan, a Gypsy teenager with telekinetic
powers and his passage from boy to man that starts in a little village in Yugoslavia
and that ends in the criminal underworld of Milan
.
The movie's soundtrack
was composed by Goran Bregović
.
After being double-crossed by his brother Sadam, Ahmed appoints Perhan boss of the operation. Now relatively rich, Perhan goes home, where he is enraged to find Azra is carrying another man's child. She claims the child is his, but Perhan refuses to believe her. They marry with the condition that he will not raise the child. Perhan is also disappointed to find that the house Ahmed promised to build him is not being built at all, and that Danira was not operated on, but forced to be a beggar. Azra dies after giving birth to a boy, who joins Ahmed's crew.
After four years of searching, Perhan reunites with Danira in Rome, who leads him to Perhan Jr., whom Perhan now accepts as his child. Perhan drops the children off at the train station, promising to meet up with them after settling the score with Ahmed, who is about to be married. Perhan arrives at the wedding and kills Ahmed, using his telekinetic powers on a fork, and Ahmed's brothers, but he is in turn killed by Ahmed's new wife. Perhan Jr. steals the coins put on his father's eyes at the funeral.
, Emir Kusturica won the Best Director Award
and the film was also nominated for a Palme d'Or
(Golden Palm). At the 1991 Guldbagge awards in Sweden
, the movie won the award for Best Foreign Film. In addition, Time of the Gypsies was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1990 César Awards in France
.
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
director Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
. Filmed in Romani
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
and Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, Time of the Gypsies tells the story of a young Romani man with magical powers who is tricked into engaging in petty crime. It is widely considered to be one of Kusturica's best films.
The film revolves around Perhan, a Gypsy teenager with telekinetic
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
powers and his passage from boy to man that starts in a little village in Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and that ends in the criminal underworld of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
The movie's soundtrack
Time of the Gypsies / Kuduz - Soundtrack
A soundtrack by Goran Bregović for Emir Kusturica's 1988 film Time of the Gypsies .-Track listing:# Ederlezi# Scena pojavljivanja majke# Scena Perhanove pogibije# Kustino oro# Borino oro# Glavna tema# Tango# Pjesma# Talijanska...
was composed by Goran Bregović
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
.
Plot summary
Perhan lives with his devoted grandmother Khaditza, his lame sister Danira and his dissolute uncle Merdzan. He wants to marry Azra, but her mother won't allow it, as Perhan is the illegitimate son of a Slovenian soldier who had an affair with Perhan's late mother. Ahmed, the "money king," comes to the village with his brothers. Merdzan loses his clothes playing cards with Ahmed's brothers, and comes home desperate for money so that he can repay. After he lifts the house up during a rainstorm, Khaditza proposes a deal with Ahmed. Perhan's sister Danira needs an operation on her leg, so Perhan goes away with Ahmed to drop Danira off at a hospital in Ljubljana, from there they go to Milan. At first Perhan wants to make money honestly, but after being dragged through the mud, Perhan begins stealing and squirreling money away in a shack.After being double-crossed by his brother Sadam, Ahmed appoints Perhan boss of the operation. Now relatively rich, Perhan goes home, where he is enraged to find Azra is carrying another man's child. She claims the child is his, but Perhan refuses to believe her. They marry with the condition that he will not raise the child. Perhan is also disappointed to find that the house Ahmed promised to build him is not being built at all, and that Danira was not operated on, but forced to be a beggar. Azra dies after giving birth to a boy, who joins Ahmed's crew.
After four years of searching, Perhan reunites with Danira in Rome, who leads him to Perhan Jr., whom Perhan now accepts as his child. Perhan drops the children off at the train station, promising to meet up with them after settling the score with Ahmed, who is about to be married. Perhan arrives at the wedding and kills Ahmed, using his telekinetic powers on a fork, and Ahmed's brothers, but he is in turn killed by Ahmed's new wife. Perhan Jr. steals the coins put on his father's eyes at the funeral.
Awards
At the 1989 Cannes Film Festival1989 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Wim Wenders *Christine Gouze-Renal*Claude Beylie*Georges Delerue*Hector Babenco*Krzysztof Kieślowski*Peter Handke*Renée Blanchar*Sally Field*Silvio Clementelli-Feature film competition:* Chimère by Claire Devers...
, Emir Kusturica won the Best Director Award
Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Director Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946....
and the film was also nominated for a Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
(Golden Palm). At the 1991 Guldbagge awards in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the movie won the award for Best Foreign Film. In addition, Time of the Gypsies was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1990 César Awards in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.