Time of the Gypsies (1988)
"Dom za vesanje" (original title)

In this luminous tale set in the area around Sarajevo and in Italy, Perhan, an engaging young Romany (gypsy) with telekinetic powers, is seduced by the quick-cash world of petty crime, which threatens to destroy him and those he loves.

Director:

Emir Kusturica

Writers:

Emir Kusturica, Gordan Mihic

Stars:

Davor Dujmovic, Bora Todorovic, Ljubica Adzovic

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Davor Dujmovic	...	Perhan
Bora Todorovic	...	Ahmed
Ljubica Adzovic	...	Khaditza (Grandmother)
Husnija Hasimovic	...	Merdzan (Uncle)
Sinolicka Trpkova	...	Azra (girlfriend)
Zabit Memedov	...	Zabit (neighbor)
Elvira Sali	...	Danira (sister)
Suada Karisik	...	Dzamila
Predrag Lakovic
Mirsad Zulic
Ajnur Redzepi	...	Perhan's son
Sedrije Halim	...	Ruza, Azra's mother
Saban Rojan
Branko Djuric
Edin Rizvanovic

Storyline

In this luminous tale set in the former Yugoslavia, Perhan, an engaging young Romany with telekinetic powers, is seduced by the quick-cash world of petty crime that threatens to destroy him and those he loves.

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Plot Keywords:

yugoslavia | gypsy | child abuse | crime lord | pregnancy | 

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Taglines:

"When God came down to earth he could not deal with the gypsies . . . and he took the next flight back"

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK Italy Yugoslavia

Language:

Romany Serbo-Croatian Italian English

Release Date:

9 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Time of the Gypsies

Filming Locations:

Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Box Office

Gross:

$280,015 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Forum Sarajevo, Ljubavny Film, Lowndes Productions Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

270 min 270 min (extended) 136 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features In Search of... (1976)

User Reviews

Powerful and moving

This movie shines as an example of pure art in cinema. So powerful with symbolism and story telling, "Time of Gypsies" delivers amazing performances on acting, settings, musical scores, and overall directing.

In year 1988, this movie was one of the most awaited films in the Istanbul International Film Festival. I was one of the lucky ones who had a ticket for the film. When the show time arrived, it was obvious that there was a problem since the film did not started. A lady from the festival committee came to the stage announcing their appology and explaining what the problem was; they were expecting the copy of the film from the its distributor in USA. Unfortunately there was a logistics problem, so they had to get it directly from Yugoslavia. When the festival organisation put their Yugoslavian translators at work they did not understand which language it was! And a cleaning lady, who was an actual gypsy figured out that the movie was in Gypsy language. So it was not possible to translate it for the festival.

So they offered an apology and refund in case anybody did not want to watch it without subtitles.

Nobody left the theatre. We watched the movie without understanding a word. But, at the end there was a standing ovation at the theatre went on for a couple of minutes.