May 10th

Tony Gatlif's brilliant film, Latcho Drom, invites us to journey with a group of "gypsies" from South Asia into the Middle East and parts of Europe. During this trip, we encounter many musical instruments used by various cultures and groups of diverse people. From what I remember, various membranophones, idiophones, and chordophones were presented in the movie. Furthermore, these instruments were played at a very fast pace. We encounter instruments that very much resembled a sitar, yet this specific instrument was played with a bow. In other words, it looked like a erhu (Chinese) but was played like a violin. Another seen actually presented an instrument that looked just like a Westernized violin. In another scene, a young boy played an instrument that resembled the tabla a lot. This membranophone seemed to be a bit smaller, however. A beautiful woman danced along with the young beat the young boy was creating. Also, at the beginning of the film, what seemed like clap sticks or wooden clappers were being maneuvered by the participating individuals. I also recall hearing and seeing a certain instrument that consisted of a string with rings attached to it. I'm not too sure what exactly the instrument resembles but I know it was involved in the musical performances. It is also important to note that dance was very key to the musicians in the film.

I thought Tony Gatlif did a great job in depicting how these "gypsies" tried to absorb the various music cultures they encountered into their own music. He showed how they absorbed these different ethnic practices by using children to trace down what they experienced. In other words, through the eyes of the children, we witness the absorption they undergo with the musics they listen to. They begin to catch on and take part in the mini performances. Also, by allowing the viewers to witness the "gypsies" migrate throughout all these areas, we are able to see how these individuals begin to adapt and enjoy music cultures in different regions.

For some peculiar reason, I found the scene with the little boy playing the tabla-look-alike instrument (with the pretty girl dancing to the melody) very entertaining and interesting. In my opinion, the little boy had a very unique voice. His basic skills with the tabla were impressive as well. Nevertheless, the entire film (at least what we saw) was different in the sense that it steered very far from Westernized musicals and allowed us to experience the adaption of other people's music cultures in another part of the world.