Mondo (film)
Encyclopedia
Mondo is a 1995
French
drama film
written and directed by Tony Gatlif
based upon the novel by Jean-Marie G. Le Clezio. The film debuted at the Unifrance French Film Festival
in Japan
1995, and premiered in France April 17, 1996.
Gatlif created the film as a work on the themes of the "restless and free" gypsy, in contrast to the notion of settlements proposed for Sinti
and Roma populations in the EU. Unlike similar films about street children
, such as Salaam Bombay or Pixote
, this film was intended as a fairy tale of sorts of a mythical spirit who touches the lives of outcast people in a society filled with prejudice against the gypsies.
presented a romantic portrait of Gypsy music and culture. He brings the same sensibility to this lyrical Mondo, a sad-eyed image of the universal outsider, France's most unwanted. Mondo is described to be visually reminding one of those rare days when the world used to sparkle as though it were brand new, set in the streets and docks of the French port city of Nice.
1995 in film
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French
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Tony Gatlif
Tony Gatlif
Tony Gatlif is a French film director of Romani ethnicity who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer.- Biography :...
based upon the novel by Jean-Marie G. Le Clezio. The film debuted at the Unifrance French Film Festival
Unifrance
Unifrance is an organisation for promoting French films outside France. It is managed by the Centre National de la Cinématographie. It has several hundred members who include film makers, directors, screenwriters and agents....
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
1995, and premiered in France April 17, 1996.
Background
The film's star, Ovidiu Balan, was 11 when the film was shot. He is a Romanian Gypsy who was taken under the director's wing with help of the French governmentGatlif created the film as a work on the themes of the "restless and free" gypsy, in contrast to the notion of settlements proposed for Sinti
Sinti
Sinti or Sinta or Sinte is the name of a Romani or Gypsy population in Europe. Traditionally nomadic, today only a small percentage of the group remains unsettled...
and Roma populations in the EU. Unlike similar films about street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
, such as Salaam Bombay or Pixote
Pixote
Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco , is a Brazilian drama film directed by Hector Babenco. The screenplay was written by Babenco and Jorge Durán, based on the book A infância dos mortos by José Louzeiro....
, this film was intended as a fairy tale of sorts of a mythical spirit who touches the lives of outcast people in a society filled with prejudice against the gypsies.
Synopsis
The movie follows an orphan boy surviving in Nice through the kindness of strangers and his own ingenuity. One day Mondo (Ovidiu Balan) appears on the streets of Nice. He has no family, no possessions, no schooling, but shares a brilliant smile and good spirit. Being more at home in the city's gardens, fields, and seashore, the bustle of the city seems to overwhelm him. He has good survival instincts, avoiding police and threatening adults in his search for a family.Cast
- Ovidiu Balan as Mondo
- Philippe Petit as The Magician
- Pierrette Fesch as Thi Chin
- Jerry Smith as Dadi
- Schahla Aalam as The Magician's Friend
- Maurice Maurin as Giordan the fisherman
- Catherine Brun as Church Soloist
- Ange Gobbi as The Postman
- Jean Ferrier as The Chief of Police
- Marcel Lemuet as The Birdman
- Nadia Cutaia as The Baker Woman
- Pierre Klouman as The Popcorn Man
Awards and nominations
- 1998, Adult's Jury Award Certificate of Merit for 'Feature Film and Video' at Chicago International Children's Film FestivalChicago International Children's Film FestivalFounded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
Reception
Gatlif's earlier film Latcho DromLatcho Drom
Latcho Drom is a 1993 French documentary film directed and written by Tony Gatlif . The movie is about the Romani people's journey from north-west India to Spain, consisting primarily of music...
presented a romantic portrait of Gypsy music and culture. He brings the same sensibility to this lyrical Mondo, a sad-eyed image of the universal outsider, France's most unwanted. Mondo is described to be visually reminding one of those rare days when the world used to sparkle as though it were brand new, set in the streets and docks of the French port city of Nice.