King of the Gypsies

Director - Frank Pierson (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
Starring - Sterling Hayden (The Godfather, The Outsider), Susan Sarandon (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). and Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, Halloween Hell)
Release Date - 1978
Genre - Drama/Crime
Format - BluRay (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The world of film is a tricky business with very few people able to actually pull a career out in acting.  Then it is even rare to have actors who are able to act for decades due to the demand of the business and politics of the game.  If your film you are in cans or if the audience does not like you then you will not last long.  In 1978, almost 40 years ago, actor Eric Roberts appeared in his first feature film titled King of the Gypsies.   From then on the man has been busy working on films from all genres from horror, to sci-fi, and even romance.  A few weeks back my friends over at Olive Films announced that they would be releasing the 1978 film King of the Gypsies on blu.  I am a fan of Eric Roberts and the acting legacy he has built so I reached out and they were kind enough to send one my way. Thanks guys for letting me check this one out!

      The film begins with the self-appointed king of the gypsies as he kidnaps a young woman from a rival clan and takes her with him to marry his son because he had purchased her from the father.  We jump forward a few years and the prince of the gypsies and his wife have a few kids.  The prince is a drunk who beats his family and force his oldest son to commit crimes of various degrees in order to provide for their family.  As he gets older he starts to resent his father and when he is finally old enough he leaves the traveling gypsy caravan for a more normal life.  He meets a woman and the two save up to move out to California when he receives word that his grandfather, the king, is in the hospital and only has a short time before he passes.  He visits him in the hospital where he gives him his amulet and the title king of the gypsies.  His father, thinking he is to become king, finds his son carrying the amulet and becomes irate.  He then hires a pair of goons to kills his son but he is able to escape and makes it back to their home where he takes his sister away from him but his father follows.  A car chase ensues resulting in the death of his sister an a vengeful plan is soon put in place.

     I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I requested to view this film.  I knew it was not horror but the artwork and synopsis made me think that I was getting into a crime flick in the same line as the classic flick, The Godfather.  The film was similar in a since that it dives deep into familiar dynamics of a culture that many did not know about at the time like The Godfather does with the Italian families of the time period.  With that being said, that is about as close to that film as it gets.  The acting in this one is fucking fantastic.  The film's first glimpse at an amazing performance is when we first meet the king himself, Sterling Hayden.  As soon as he enters the screen he immediately pulls the viewer in and captivate them.  This man could command an audience.  We then get a role that we have never seen Susan Sarandon in and she really gives it her all.  This is Susan in a way you have never seen her before.  The film's main star, Eric Roberts, fucking shines.  Every scene he is in is so intense that the viewer has no option other than to watch him intently.  There is a reason he has been around for almost 40 years and this film is a prime example of just what this man is capable of.  The story for this one is very in depth and told in a narrative form.  The film reminds me a lot of The Godfather but is still very unique in it's own rights.  The film begins by going in depth into the gypsy culture before introducing us to a  barrage of complex characters before giving us an even more complex stories full of great detail and interesting dialogue.  Finally, this release from Olive Films features a crisp remastered transfer but it is not in full 1080p and not the best clarity I have seen on a blu.  Also, this release lacks any special features which is, once again, a big let down considering how amazing this film actually is.  I would love to see some interviews with the cast and hear what Eric had to say about filming this cinematic classic.  Overall, the Olive Films release of the King of the Gypsies is a must have.  The film looks great and it an amazing film that I never hear mention of.  It truly is a crime.  The film does lack special features but with this being the only blu release of the film makes it a must have!  Do yourself a favor and check it out.