Latcho Drom (1993)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio & Animation Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Early Summer; Play Time
Rating
Year Of Production	1993
Running Time	98:39 (Case: 97)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (52:12)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Tony Gatlif
Studio Distributor	Madman Madman Entertainment	Starring	Tony Gatlif
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes, probably herbal.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Latcho Drom, translated from the Romani language, means "have a safe journey". It is with this film Director Tony Gatlif successfully exposed Gypsy culture to the world. Something of a gypsy himself, Gatlif has made a career of musically-themed films that romanticise and elevate the nomadic culture, exposing the negative treatment such a lifestyle brings. Production of this film began in 1992, with a skeleton crew and an even smaller budget, as Gatlif set out on a journey from India to Romania, and through Hungary, Turkey, Egypt and Spain.

    From barren expanses of desert to busy marketplaces and restaurants, and even private homes, we're shown that people can dance to anything, even the beat of a hammer. Many of the musical pieces start simply and build to a great crescendo of rhythm. Visually, the film is as stunning as it is musically. Gatlif has captured the landscapes and beautiful traditional costumes with an eye for detail that adds to the richness of this experience.

    In addition to offering an insight into an intriguing nomadic lifestyle, Latcho Drom is a film that transcends religious barriers, though it is true that many are represented. Gatlif is celebrating music as a commonality between all humanity, not just as a means of worship. There are themes present in these pieces of music that can easily be found in the catalogue of any western rock band. Songs crying freedom, songs lamenting the loss of a loved one, and lyrics that call for political reform are all here.

    With such a broad range of cultures and characters at play, the array of instruments shown in the film is amazing. Beginning in India, we see a sitar accompanied by the dulcimer, sarangi, violin and oud. The piano accordion becomes common as the film leans toward Europe and a myriad of percussion instruments can be seen at any given time. My favourite scene includes a group of five guitars and an upright bass, playing to a statue in a small chapel.

    In my mind, Tony Gatlif's homage to gypsy life and music sits alongside Calle 54 and Buena Vista Social Club as not only a fascinating documentary, but an immensely entertaining musical experience.

Video

    Latcho Drom has been transferred in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, complete with 16x9 enhancement.

    The overall image is sharp and clear, with no major issues of concern. There is a great deal of visible detail present, such as in the intricate jewellery and finely woven costumes. There is no low level noise evident in the transfer.

    The film is awash with rich colouring and deep, earthy tones. I didn't note any inconsistencies or faults in terms of colour rendering in this transfer.

    The transfer has been encoded with an impressive MPEG bitrate, held at a constant 8.4Mb/s. Film artefacts creep in here and there, but never extend beyond small specks of dust and dirt. I did notice some mild telecine wobble during the film's introduction, but that was brief and not too disruptive.

    An English subtitle stream is activated by default. The translation of the dialogue and song lyrics in the soundtrack is sporadic at best, in fact many lines of dialogue pass by without any translation at all. Admittedly, this is the kind of film that could be viewed easily without any translation, which is why it is nice that the stream is removable.

    This disc is dual layered (DVD9 formatted). The transition is placed during the feature, between chapters 7 and 8, at 52:12. The placement of the pause is not disruptive at all.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There is only one soundtrack, presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (224Kb/s). This is the film's original audio, although an error in the disc authoring process has labelled it as English. The cover slick proudly lists a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (several times, in fact) but it is nowhere to be found.

    As far as stereo soundtracks go, this is a pretty good presentation. There is an adequate amount of depth and brightness to the audio, but I can't help feeling that a broader bitrate could have served the music better. Although much of the audio was recorded on location, some post production effects have been applied, such as echoes, reverb and other tools. The manipulation of the audio is tasteful and never out of place with the tone of the film in my opinion. I also attempted to process the audio with Pro Logic, but was not content with the result.

    I noted several moments during the film where the audio sync wavered a little, such as the hand claps at 82:00. Having said that, the audio sync is perfectly fine in other parts of the film, so I would be inclined to point the finger at a lapse in the editing room rather than the film's transfer to DVD.

    The subwoofer and surround channels are not utilised.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Theatrical Trailer (2:01)

    This trailer, for the film's US release, is in very poor condition and presented without 16x9 enhancement.

Madman Trailers (2)

    Preceded by anti-piracy propaganda, the additional trailers include Early Summer (4:25) and Play Time (3:03). Both are subtitled in English.

    The Region 2 European release (NTSC format) includes the following additional extras:

• PCM 2.0 Audio
• English, German & Italian Subtitles
• Commentary
• Story Boards
• Interviews

    Being in NTSC format, we can be fairly certain that the Region 2 disc is pitch correct. This is vital for a music title in my opinion.

    The video transfer is great.

    The audio transfer is stereo only, and could have been given a broader bitrate. The cover slick lists a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, but it is not included.

    The extras amount to a couple of trailers.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall