competes with Macedonian diva Esma Redzepova for the adoration of the audiences, which pack each venue along the way. Taraf de HaA douks, a Romanian band of violin virtuosos (who count Johnny Depp among their devotees) tie everything together with their magic strings. As compelling as the music and concert footage is, it is the vitality of the performers as characters that enables the movie to transcend the music documentary genre.
No dramatist could create a figure as charismatic as Redzepova, known as the 'Queen of the Gypsies,' who along with her husband adopted 47 children and founded a music school. A woman of ample proportions and verve, she commands the stage and was once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in advancing Romani rights. Equally memorable is Nicolae Neacsu, one of the founding members of Taraf.
A seemingly frail old man, his face sheds 20 years when he tucks the violin beneath his weathered chin and begins to play. The charm he emits onstage belies the observations on loneliness and growing old he makes offstage. In addition to capturing precious footage of the musicians and dancers during their down time on tour, Dellal returns to the musicians' and dancers' homelands as she profiles them.
Seeing them with their families leading simple lives in modest surroundings adds a dimension to understanding their perseverance that goes far beyond anything that could have been said in an interview. The film records a vibrant diaspora that exists despite centuries of persecution. The one thing all the members of the tour appear to want to convey is the absurdity of the stereotypes that precede them.
In discovering the commonalities they share with one another, they communicate a powerful search for a group identity that they can continue to pass on to future generations. kevin.crust@latimes.
com 'Gypsy Caravan.' In English, Romani, Spanish, Romanian, Macedonian, Hindi and Marwari, with English subtitles. competes with Macedonian diva Esma Redzepova for the adoration of the audiences, which pack each venue along the way.
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