Romani Talk

Group Photo 3

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:44:00 +0000

From left to right standing on left side of headstone - Millie Mae, Vashtie Wells, Ganey Wells, Betty Wells, Theodore Wells.

From left to right in front row in front of headstone - ???, Gungie Wells, Naylor Joles.

From left to right in back row in front of headstone - ???, Doc Wells, Bubby Wells, Leonard (Nine) Wells, Leonard (Tub) Wells.

Left to right starting just right of Uncle Tub - Annie, ???, ???, ???, Hazel Wells, ???.

Left to right starting directly behind Aunt Betty behind headstone - ???, ???, Winky Wells, ???, Patsy Noblitt, ???, J.C. Wells, ??? (below J.C.), ???, ???, ???.

Sorry about all the unknowns. I will be getting more info when I talk to a few people. If anyone can help me out that would be appreciated.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Uncle Joe Wells

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:23:00 +0000

This is Uncle Joe Wells. It is his nephews and nieces who are standing by his gravesite in the post below. He died unmarried at the age of 32 in an automobile accident.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

At Uncle Joe's Grave

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:12:00 +0000

From left to right - Millie Mae, Ganey Wells, Patsy Noblitt, J.C. Wells, Leonard (Nine) Wells, Naylor Joles

These are all nieces and nephews of Joe Wells, who's grave they are standing behind. Naylor Joles on the far right is my Grandfather.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Group Photo 2

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Standing in back from left to right - Mark (BlackJack) Wells, Ganey Wells, Sophie Jeffrey, Violet Wells (holding Georgie Swartz), Ganey Wells, Ganey Wells, Annie Jeffrey, City Wells, Mary Pearce, Inez Wells.

Sitting in middle row left to right - Reno Bill Wells, Johnny Wells, Sam Wells, Bugsy, Jeff Wells, Vashtie Wells, Bugsy's Daughter, Mark Wells.

Sitting in front on floor left to right - Doc Wells, Dane Jeffrey (holding Charles Ray), Issair Jeffrey, Jimmy Wells, Fred Wells (holding Irene Wells), Patsy Noblitt, Myrtle Wells.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Group Photo 1

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:32:00 +0000

Standing from left to right - Inez Wells, Lenny Wells, Isair Jeffrey,???, Nookie, Tom Smith, Mark Wells, Louie Davis, Leonard Wells, Sam Wells, John Pearce.

Sitting in middle row left to right - Millie, Sophie, ???, Mary Wells, Vashtie, Charlie Wells, Reno Bill Wells.

Sitting on floor in front left to right - Millie Mae, L.T. Jeffrey, City, Phoebe, ???, Ganey Wells, Patsy.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

The Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:27:00 +0000

From left to right - John Wells, Richard, Stub Jeffrey, L.T. Jeffrey, Budjo Jeffrey, Billy Boy Wells, Sam Wells, Joe Jeffrey, Nookie

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Stuttering Joe and Sons

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:02:00 +0000

Standing from left to right - Jimmy Wells, Earl Wells, Johnny Wells, Jeff Wells, Tom Wells, Reno Bill Wells.

Seated - Stuttering Joe Wells

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Wells Brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Seated - Jim Wells

Standing - Joe Wells

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Brothers and Sisters

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:15:00 +0000

This group photo may be a bit hard to see on here. I am going to try and get close-ups of each individual and post on here. Also I may post them on the Memorial site. Below the picture I will list the identifications of each person.

From left to right standing in back - Doc Wells, Joe Wells, Mark Wells, Sam Wells, Leonard Wells, Bill Wells.

From left to right sitting in front - Ganey Wells, Tee (Wells) Pearce.

For those looking at this picture who don't know, these are all brothers and sisters. Their mother and father was Jim and Patty Wells. I will be trying to post up close ups and a little info on each individual in this picture. There will be more pictures to come, so be watching.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Gypsy Trailers

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Romany Gypsy Trailers Website

You guys will love this website. Just click on the pictures when you get there and it will take you to all kinds of interesting stuff. The trailers are amazing. Just click the words below the picture above to go to the website.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

From Romani to English

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:49:00 +0000

We know the Romani language has been infiltrated, over the centuries, by the language of every country we migrated through. What many of us may not know is how much of our language has seeped into the English language.

I had absolutely no clue there were many English language words which have their origins in the Romani language. When you think about it, though, it would be very normal for a sub-culture, such as the English Romanichal, to have their words picked up on by outsiders.

With some inter-marriage and inter-mingling with the inhabitants of England, it should come as no shock that a number of our words became Anglicized. So much so, we accept them as totally English words now.

After a bit of research I've come up with a short list of some very common words we use or hear everyday, which either have survived intact or has been somewhat altered from their original Romani words.

English - Pal = Very close, intimate friend; comrade, chum

Romani - Pral, plal, phral = Brother; comrade

English - Shiv = Knife; switchblade

Romani - Chin = Cut

English - Jockey = Person who rides horses professionally in a race

Romani - Chuckni = A whip or to whip

This one needs a little explaining. The word Jockey was first used to describe a certain kind of whip the Gypsies used. They called it a jockey-whip. So called, because the Romani referred to their whips as Chuckni's. So then, naturally the term evolved from there to include the person using the whip. The Jockey.

English - Hoax, Hocus = To decieve, cheat or play a trick on

Romani -Hocben, Huckaben = A lie or To lie

There are actually a few English words or terms that all derive from this. Hoax, Hocus, Hocus Pocus which is where we get Hanky Panky. Also, Hooky, our word for skipping school may have derived from Hocben or Huckaben.

English - Trash = Anything worthless, useless or discarded

Romani - Trash, Trash'd = Fear, mental weakness and worthlessness

English - Cushy = Involving little effort for ample rewards; A cushy job for example

Romani - Kushti = Good, pleasant, fine, nice, all right

English -Gibberish = Meaningless or unintelligible talk or writing

Romani - Jib = Signifies language

Also, may have been derived from Gyp (nickname for Gypsies) with -ish added to the end as in Engl-ish and Span-ish.

English - Loot = Spoils or plunder taken by pillaging, as in war

Romani - Lut, Lutna = Spoils, ravage, raid, plunder

English - Dad = Father

Romani - Dad, Dadus, Dadrus = Father

English - Nark = To act as a police informer

Romani - Naak = Nose

This slang word Nark originated in England to signify someone who was going to nose around and be an informer for the police. Thus, it took it's name from the Romani, Naak, meaning Nose.

English - Bamboozle = To deceive by trickery

Romani - Bamboo-bakshish = To deceive by paying with a whipping

English - Lush = Drunkard or alcoholic

Romani - Losh, Loshano = Jolly

I believe you can see the connection between being jolly and being drunk.

English - Slang = Language used in place of standard terms to add raciness, humor, irreverence or other effect

Romani - Swang = Signifying mimicking, acting, disguise and sham, be it in words or in deeds

English - Posh = Luxurious, lavish

Romani - Pash or Parsh = Half or part

Doesn't look like they go together at all do they? Well, the Romani in England called a half-penny a pashero. This eventually got into the slang talk of the English as Posh, meaning money. All you have to do now is make the jump from money to luxurious and lavish.

While we're at it on the Pash or Parsh Romani word meaning Part or Fraction, let me give you a list of words that branch off of this. Part, partial, impartial, portion, proportion, apportion, etc.

English - Tiny = Very small

Romani - Tano = Little

And now my favorite for last...

English - Lollipop = A piece of hard candy attached to the end of a small stick

Romani - Lolo and Pobo = Red and Apple

This was derived from the English Romanichal tradition of selling candied apples on a stick.

Well, I hope you enjoyed and possibly learned a thing or two.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Romani Remembered

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:05:00 +0000

I'm sorry it has taken so long to get the memorial site up and running, but I launched it late last night. I have put my Dad in as the 1st entry.

I basically want to keep the site clean looking and simple, so I decided not to write memorials. I believe a good picture, born and died dates and locations, and a nickname (if applicable) will be sufficient.

I would hope, then, people would go to the comments and say whatever they feel. Might just be a simple "I miss you" or maybe a good memory or story about the person. Just something to respect and honor our loved ones who have gone on to be with the Lord.

Click on the RED link to the website below, or simply look for the link in the sidebar under MY BLOGS.

Romani Remembered

Romanian Gypsies

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Our folki in other countries have got it bad. We, Romani's in the United States, sometimes, take for granted the privelages we were born in, as American citizens.

Let's not forget about these Romanian Gypsies in Europe and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. Send them up a little prayer and petition a merciful God on their behalf.

Romanian Gypsies attacked in N. Ireland <<<<---------------CLICK HERE FOR STORY

Punjabi and Romani Similarities

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:43:00 +0000

Here are the similarities, I was speaking of in the Romani Origins post, between the Punjabi words I seen on the website and our Romani words.

I'm sure there are a great deal more. I know some of the spellings aren't going to be completely accurate, but then again who really knows how they should be spelled. It's not like we have documented history. Here goes...

Thief or to steal in Punjabi is Chor, which is identical to our Chor.

I, referring to one's self in Punjabi is Mai'n, which could easily be turned into our Mandi.

You in Punjabi is Tusi, which is very similar to our Tudi.

Trousers in Punjabi is Pajamas. To get our word of Trammers all you have to do is combine the Punjabi word with the English word and you can easily see where we got the word.

Face in Punjabi is Moo'nh, so you can easily see where we got our Moo'eh.

Eye in Punjabi is Aakh. All we done was add a Y to the front to get Yaakh.

Ear in Punjabi is Kaan, which is pretty much exactly the word we use, Kan.

Nose in Punjabi is Naak. We have the exact match with Naak.

Punjabi use the words Pair and Pauree' for Foot and Stairs. We use the very similar word of Pare' for our feet and the way we might get up those Stairs.

Agay and Aithay are Punjabi for In Front Of and Here. We use the very similar Akai.

Puraa'naa is Punjabi for Old. We simply dropped the ending and came up with Pu'ri.

Nashaa was Punjabi for Poisoning, which to them was being Sick. We, of course, use Naphla.

Aa'u is Come in Punjabi. We use Au'v.

Jaa is Punjabi for Go. We use Jaal.

Eat in Punjabi is Khaa. All we done was drop the the K to get Haa.

Listen in Punjabi is Sun. We added an H and came up with Shun.

One in Punjabi is Ikk. We use Yek.

Two in Punjabi is Dooja. We use Doo'eh.

Three in Punjabi is Tinn. We use Trin or Tren.

Navaa'n is New in Punjabi. We use the very similar Nivee.

Heavy in Punjabi is Bhaaree, which you can easily be turned into our Bori or Bor.

Yes in Punjabi is Haa'n, which is pretty close to our Haa'vh.

Vekh is Punjabi for Look. We use Dikh or Dekh.

Khed is Punjabi for Play. We use Khel.

Cheer is Punjabi for Cut. We use Cheuri for Knife.

Day in Punjabi is Din, which is similar to our Div or Divvus.

Changa and Kush is Good and Happy in Punjabi. We use Kush, Kushti or Kushta.

Utay is There in Punjabi. We use Ado'eh, which sound very similar.

Sutta is Sleep in Punjabi. We use Sutti.

Danda is Punjabi for Teeth. We use Danders.

Pani is Punjabi for Water. We use the exact word, Pani.

Mutarna is Punjabi for Urinate. We use Mutar.

Bal is Hair in Punjabi, just as Bal is the word we use.

Bhaqwan is Lucky in Punjabi. We use use Bok for Luck.

Bhukha is Hungry in Punjabi. We use Bhukla.

Larki is the Punjabi word for Girl. I found it interesting that if you unscramble the letters you can come up with the word we use for Girl, Rakli.

Chooma is Punjabi for Kiss. We use Choomer.

Loki is Punjabi for People or Folk. We use Folki or Foki. Kind of interesting we probably blended the English and the Punjabi over time.

Bhojan is a word Punjabi sometimes use for Food. We use Hovan, Haavan or Haaban. Pretty similar if the B is silent in the Punjabi word.

Jun is Punjabi for Louse. We use Juv or Joov.

Kar is Punjabi for Do. We use Kur or Cur.

Kala is Punjabi for Black. We use the same word, Kala or Colla.

Name in Punjabi is Nan. We use Nav.

Matawala in Punjabi is Drunk. Mawda or Mawta is our word.

Yalghar is a Weapon in Punjabi. We use Yager or Yoger for Gun.

I like how this one works out. Punjabi for Body is Tan. We use Tan for House. Our Body is essentially our House isn't it? So, it seems to figure over a thousand years this very easily could have made the transformation from Tan being used for Body to Tan being used for House.

Well, believe it or not this is a short list. There are many, many more I'm sure. There are probably many of our words that have no root whatsoever in the Punjabi language, like Gadji for example. But, when you think about it, some words wouldn't, would they? Many of our words were either invented or picked up through our travels and stays in other countries over our 1,000 year journey. And a great deal more was blended with those countries other words to form new ones.

Anyhow, as I stated before, I know all the words aren't spelled exactly right. Then again, I really don't think any of us really know how they are spelled. We really haven't been a literate culture in the past. I did the best I could, but I think you get the gist of the idea. It would be pretty hard to deny our Punjabi roots. Thanks for reading and take care.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Romani Origins

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:47:00 +0000

A few years back I logged onto my computer and decided I was gonna make a concerted effort to figure out just where we came from. To my surprise there were a large number of opinions out there. I, kind of, thought there would be some sort of consensus, and maybe there is and I just don't know about it. But, after taking a couple of days going over all the opinions and doing a little tracking of my own, I felt, as though, I could say with some degree of confidence we came from a region of Northern India called Punjab.

Punjab (highlighted in red) is in Northern India. To it's north and west is Pakistan (highlighted in blue).. To the north and west of Pakistan is Afghanistan (hightlighted in green). Bordering both Pakistan and Afghanistan to the west is Iran (not shown).

After tracing the Romani tracks back to Punjab, I figured I'd find as much out about the Punjabi culture as I could over the computer and was startled. I found this Punjabi website called Punjab Online, which had a lot of interesting information on it. But, it was their page on Punjabi words that captured my most curious attention. I found a whole bevy of words that were either identical or very similar to the words we English Romanichal use everyday. I'm going to save the actual comparisons for another post, which I will get out as soon as possible, but if you're interested, go check that site out.

I found out that in the year 1001 a sultan by the name of Mahmud of Ghazni, or simply Mahmud Ghazni, invaded and conquered the Punjab region. He actually annexed a portion, which is still part of Pakistan to this day. For a quarter century, Ghazni continued to lead raids into Northern India, plundering their wealthy temples along the way.

Ghazni, throughout the period of his invasions, enslaved enormous numbers of Punjabi. In my research I came across numbers no lower than 50,000 and as high as 5,000,000 Punjabi enslaved. Enslaving this great number of people was a three-fold strategy on Ghazni's part.

First, Ghazni was building an empire in the region now known as Afghanistan and he needed slaves for manual labor. Secondly, slaves were another form of wealth at this time and could be sold to fill the coffers and pay for his prime target of invasion to the west, which is now Iran. Thirdly, slaves could be made to fight with Ghazni's army against the lands to the west.

So, Ghazni's excursions into India were paying off in a big way. He was gaining enormous amounts of wealth from the treasure-filled temples and enslaving a vast number of people later to be sold, used for labor or to fight in his army. Also, he had captured the Hindu ruler of the area, at the time, named Jaipal. He used the capture of Jaipal to demean and gain more wealth by ransoming him back to his family.

With this great number of enslaved Punjabi carried off back into the region which is now Afghanistan, it was said there were more Hindu in the area than even Ghazni's own people.

At some point, in the history of these captured slaves, there either had to be a mass escape or a revolt. Either way, these, now, liberated slaves, made up of every caste of Punjabi society, including artisans, warriors, farmers and temple priests among other occupations, social groups and religions began migrating west into Central and Eastern Europe.

These people never forgot the man who enslaved them, though. The name Ghazni lives on in their everyday language to this day. We'll get to that later.

Along their journey, you can be sure, some would put down their tent pegs and call it home. Some even migrated down into Iran, Iraq and Palestine.

Another thing you can be sure of is, over the centuries to come, their language was interspersed with local language in order to try and fit in as best as possible. Being unwanted most everywhere they went was the most likely reason for such a wide disbursement of these liberated slaves, now known as Gypsies or Rom or Romany or Roma or Romani or whatever else you'd like to call us.

Speaking of the word Gypsy, I'd like to address the origins of that term. I came across a very likely explanation for how we ended up being called Gypsies. I know pretty much everyone thinks that the word was given to us, as a moniker, because people thought we were from Egypt. Thus, the three middle letters in Egypt were used to form Gypsy. But, the explanation I came across seems just as, if not more, likely.

When locals would ask, along the Romani's migration, where they came from, these wandering groups would say "Punjab-say". Now, what you first must understand is that wherever they would go there was always a language barrier that had to, somehow, be conquered. So, I'm sure when these locals were asking these people their place of origin a lot of hand and arm gesturing was taking place. Room for misinterpretation was undeniable.

Back to Punjab-say. "Say" what? The theory is "-say" was like a geographical suffix. Much like the rest of the world has with terms such as -burg, -ton. -town, -shire, -ham, etc... Thus, the suffix "-say" was completely appropriate for them to add on when trying to explain where they came from.

The other theory is the suffix "-say" was given when asked "What race of people?" they were. In other words, just like the suffixes of -ans, -ese, -ians, -ish, -ites, etc...

So, "What race of people are you?" or "Where do you come from?" was answered with the word "Punjab-say". In time, Punjab-say became just Jabsay, which sounded an awful lot like Gypsy. And being that GYPsy has similarities to EGYPtian, a connection was made and some people, still to this day, think Gypsies come from Egypt.

Anyhow, I've made this post entirely too long and can only hope someone would actually read all the way down here to see what I'm typing right now. If you have weathered the confusing and jumbled writing and thoughts, CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have the patience of Job.

Oh yeah, wait! I almost forgot. About Ghazni living on in our language to this day? Well Mahmud Ghazni was, of course, hated among the Gypsies. So they turned his name into a derogatory term. Ghazni became Ghadji and Ghadji became Gadji (plural) or Gadja (singular).

Today the term Gadji is almost exclusively used to identify a person who is a non-Gypsy. But, I can recall plenty of times the word was used with disdain and disgust to demean someone. Not that we have been harboring any bad feelings for over a thousand years or anything........Ha ha.

Thanks for having an interest and reading. I will be getting out that Punjab word list of similarities to our words as soon as possible. It's really pretty fascinating and I believe is proof positive of our Punjabi origins.

Below are a list of websites I found relevant to the subject discussed. Thanks again and take care.

Map of the Middle East

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Comments

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:38:00 +0000

I was informed the comments were not working on the site. I sincerely apologize. When I changed the look of the site somehow the comments were disabled. I have fixed the problem and now the comments should be working properly.

Again, I apologize to those who have tried to comment to no avail. I look forward to reading your feedback in the, now working, comments section below the posts.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Memorial Page

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:11:00 +0000

I'm going to be starting an offshoot of this blog called Romani Remembered. It is going to be a memorial page for our loved ones who have passed on before us. Each post will contain a photo and a short memorial to the person.

If you would like for your loved one to be on the page, contact me at bob327699@aol.com. I would need a photo sent via email and if you would like a short biography/memorial. I will be making the first memorials within the next couple of days.

I hope you'll join me in honoring the memory of the people who meant so much to us. Thanks and take care.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Famous Romanichal

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

There are some pretty big celebrity Romanichal in other countries around the world. I found this website that has a pretty extensive list of famous Romanichal. It's pretty interesting, if you haven't seen it, take a look.

http://www.imninalu.net/famousGypsies.htm

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Wiki article on the Romani language

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:40:00 +0000

I'm sure most of you have seen this already, but I figured I'd post it for those who haven't. It's the Wikipedia article on the Romani Language. Enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_language

I'll be typing at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Mission Statement

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:33:00 +0000

I would like for this blog to serve a dual purpose within the Romanichal community.

First, I would like it to be used in the manner a bulletin board would be used. I see this blog becoming a place where our people can come to get relevant news on happening events, such as upcoming birthday parties, wedding receptions, baby showers, etc... In other words, the who's, what's, when's and where's.

I also see this blog being used as a place for notification of sickness, births, deaths, etc... I especially see it serving as a way to get word out on the status of someone dealing with an illness or, God forbid, an injury of some kind that would land them in the hospital. This would be a way for people around the country to get the latest without having to bother the family going through the situation.

Because we, as Romanichals, rely sometimes on second, third and even fourth hand accounts of news, we tend to get things wrong at times. I absolutely DO NOT want that to be the case here. If it doesn't come from the horses mouth, or at least the cow standing next to the horse, then I WILL NOT post it. I would hate to hand out any bad information when it comes to such matters as will pertain to this blog.

My real goal is to have reliable "contributors" in all our Romanichal communities, who will be close to the news in their respective areas. By "contributors" I mean someone I can, at least, rely on to call with relevant news, and/or possibly even being a posting teammate.

This blog site allows me, as administrator, to add people to the blog as contributing members. They will have the same abilities to post news as I do. So, if anyone would be interested in that, please let me know.

The second purpose I see for this blog would be for the occasional entertaining or fun article that will be written with a Romanichal theme. For an example of this, see below. I wrote that post and added those movie clips and trailers with entertainment in mind. Hopefully things such as this will interest and entertain you and not bore you to death. Either way, positive or negative, I would like to know how you feel about our posts.

Ok, I'm going to end this now, because you know as well as I do, Romanichals have the attention span of a flea. I'll be lucky if your even reading this right now....LOL. You probably quit somewhere in the 3rd paragraph. Yep, I'm probably looking pretty divya right now typing into thin air....LOL

Just kidding. I know you guys were captivated by my superior writing skills and couldn't turn away from the computer screen. LOL. Everyone out there take care and don't forget to click the "FOLLOW" button in the sidebar. Favorite this site and come back again. Pass it on to your friends and family.

I'll be typing at ya later,

Bob the Blogger

Gypsies in Hollywood

noreply@blogger.com (Bob the Blogger) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:12:00 +0000

, Ok, so have you seen the previews for the horror film that came out Friday called Drag Me To Hell? Scary looking isn’t it? It stars Alison Lohman, who, by the way, played in a movie called Matchstick Men with Nicholas Cage, which was fantastic. She plays a loan officer at a bank that refuses an old woman, who just happens to be a Gypsy, a loan that will keep her in her house. Get ready for the cliché. The old Gypsy woman puts a curse on her. Didn’t see that one coming did ya? I guess after that all hell breaks loose and it must be pretty good because it’s getting rave reviews.

My real point, though, is that it got me to thinking about Gypsies in movies. For the most part they are portrayed as the antagonist, just as in the movie above. There are a few movies, however, that portray the much maligned Gypsies with a bit more civility and fairness. These are far and few in between, though.

The following are a selection of some of those rare, non-villainous Gypsy movies mixed in with some of the tried and true “evil Gypsy” portrayals.

Snatch (2000)

Starring Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro

That’s right ladies, Brad Pitt as a Gypsy. I’ll give you girls a minute while you try to stop your little hearts from pitter-pattering. Pitt plays an Irish Traveler or Pikey, as they are sometimes called. It is a crime thriller with a bit of comedy mixed in about bare knuckle fight fixing, diamond heists and various other nefarious goings on. Good luck trying to understand a single word Pitt says the entire movie, because he has the Pikey accent nailed down. Bonus for the ladies: Pitt with no shirt on fighting a lot, much like in Fight Club.

King of the Gypsies (1978)

Starring Eric Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Judd Hirsch

It’s been quite awhile since I seen this movie, but I’ve always thought this was the best fictional portrayals of everyday Gypsy life. Considering there isn’t very much to compare it with, that may not be saying much. This is Eric Robert's motion picture debut and he is great in it. The supporting cast is outstanding as well. The movie is about an abusive relationship between a father (Hirsch) and son (Roberts) and a power struggle within a clan of Gypsies. I can’t remember if they ever say what kind of Gypsies are portrayed here, but I do remember there being some English Gypsy and Romanian dialect spoken by some of the actors.

Traveller (1997)

Starring Bill Paxton, Mark Wahlberg and Julianna Margulies

Another film, like Snatch, portraying Irish Travelers. This movie had me hooked from the opening scene as Bill Paxton’s character is knocking doors looking for a driveway to seal. Finally, a movie about Gypsies I could really relate to. I was really feeling Paxton’s pain as he was hurriedly trying to beat the rain while spraying the driveway. Has many other true aspects of Gypsy life peppered throughout. Of course, it’s not entirely accurate, but you gotta take the bad with the good, I guess. Well worth viewing.

Chocolat (2000)

Starring Juliet Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judy Dench and Carrie Ann Moss

Guess who the Gypsy is in this one ladies. That’s right, good old Captain Jack himself, Johnny Depp. This is a drama romance with a bit of comedy mixed in. Binoche plays a mother who moves into a very proper town with her young daughter. Her arrival shakes things up in the town when she decides to keep her chocolate shop opened on Sundays. Eventually she begins to win them over with her personality and deliciously, mystical chocolates. Her chocolates seem to have an amorous affect on it’s consumers. Binoche, herself, finds romance with a drifting Gypsy played by Depp. Once again it’s eye candy for the ladies as Depp saunters around in loosely fitting, chest baring shirts. Enjoy girls.

Wuthering Heights (1939)

Starring Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon and David Niven

This is, by far, my favorite movie on this list. In my opinion, the greatest romance of all-time. Laurence Olivier, at his best, plays Heathcliff a ragged Gypsy boy saved from the streets by the owner of Wuthering Heights. The owner has a daughter named Cathy, played by Oberon, who becomes Heathcliff’s soul mate. They are inseparable. That is, until Cathy’s father dies and Wuthering Heights is left to her overbearing, evil brother, who can’t stand Heathcliff.

Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights only to come back to, a spoken for, Cathy. The heart-wrenching, spiraling descent into darkness, depression and revenge by Olivier as Heathcliff is one of the greatest acting jobs in film history. Another must-see for you ladies as Olivier is at his peak as the broodingly handsome Heathcliff.

A bit of trivia for you. Who remembers a song called No Myth by Michael Penn (Sean Penn’s brother) from the late 80’s’? Well if you do you may remember the following line: “What if I was Romeo in black jeans. What if I was HEATHCLIFF it’s no myth.” Olivier’s Heathcliff is who Penn was referring to.

Final note: If you watch this movie, make sure it is the 1939 version with Olivier. The others are good too, but not nearly.

Borat (2006)

Starring Sasha Baron Cohen

I couldn’t end this without mentioning this movie. There are no portrayals of Gypsies in this movie, but there are several references made. Borat hates Gypsies and some of the ways he likes to express that hatred is absolutely hilarious. For the love of God, the man bases his decision on what kind of vehicle to purchase on it’s ability to do damage as he plows over Gypsies. There are several other, just as funny, moments peppered throughout that will have tears running down your face.

You might say “How can you laugh at this? Aren’t you a Gypsy?” Yes I am and that’s precisely why I find it so funny. If you can’t laugh at yourself and you get offended that easily, then you’re probably better off to just go live in a closet somewhere. It’s comedic genius and I can appreciate a good joke whether it’s on me or anyone else.

By the way, don’t let the kiddies see this one. It’s a bit too risqué.

Here are some other movies that either are about Gypsies or they feature Gypsies within the plot:

Thinner - Horror movie about a Gypsy curse

Drag Me To Hell - Horror movie about a Gypsy curse

Lacho Drom - Documentary about Gypsies

The Raggedy Rawney - with Bob Hoskins (who happens to be a Gypsy)

Angelo, My Love - directed by Robert Duvall

Time of the Gypsies - Foreign film about Gypsies

Into the West - with Gabriel Byrne about Irish Travelers

Gadjo Dilo - Foreign film about Gypsies

Rom - Documentary about Greek Gypsies

The Bicycle Thief - Foreign film with scenes of Gypsy fortune teller essential to plot

When the Road Bends - Documentary about Gypsies with Johnny Depp

Golden Earrings - with Ray Milland and Marlene Dietrich

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Esmerelda is a Gypsy

The Man Who Cried - Once again Depp plays a Gypsy

What are some other movies with Gypsy themes? What is your favorite? Leave answers in the comment section below this post.

I’ll be typing at ya later,

Bob the Blogger