Rent Transylvania (2006)

Not Dun Roamin yet - Transylvania review by PM

One thing I love about Tony Gatlif's films is being able to watch them over and over again and finding new levels and subtle significances that I missed the first time around. In my opinion this isn't his best film, but it stands head and shoulders above most of the synthetic garbage that has been produced since computers and production took over from acting and direction. But don't listen to me! It could be that as I am such a fan of Gatlif and I have seen quite a few of his other films already, that this one is "another of the same kind". So if you've not seen any of his films, you may well be in for a treat.

If you look it up on IMDB you'll see that this film is pretty controversial, people either seem to love it or hate it, and in my view that's usually a good sign. Another great thing about this rental is that there's an interview in the special features with the great man himself, translated into english. I've not come across another like it. If you get the time to watch it you will find out that his approach to film making is quite unique, and in some respects is a journey from the unconscious to the conscious for the whole production team, cast and crew, much like the journey of the Roma themselves. Gatlif has an extraordinary back catalogue, and if you are interested in what it is that actually constitutes culture, and it's relationship to commerce and the artificial world of law that the human race has devised, and how that is reflected in attitudes to child rearing, generosity, forgiveness, rythm and harmony as they affect the individual, then don't hesitate...he's your man....On the other hand it could all be in my imagination....