MovieChat Forums > Transylvania (2006) Discussion > Disappointing 'Remake'

Disappointing 'Remake'

posted 16 years ago by awtroxell
2 replies | jump to latest

I love "Latcho Drom" and "Swing." "Gadjo Dilo," not so much.

I think "Transylvania" is little more than a recast of "Gadjo Dilo" with a female lead. (Should we call it 'Gadji Dili'??) The similarities are too numerous to ignore:

1. A single person traveling alone on muddy roads through bleak countryside.
2. Searching for a musician named "Milan." (Remember "Milan Paun" in "Gadjo Dilo"?)
3. The ever-present Gypsy music (OK, that's a Gatlif trademark; I'll let it slide, especially since I play la musique manouches)
4. The musicians in the bar scene.
5. The belly dancer in the bar scene.
6. The breaking-dishes-while-dancing in the bar scene.
7. The al fresco sex scene.
8. Running through a leafless forest.
9. Brief view of breast-feeding an infant.
10. The unseen family-member benefactor in the "outside" world (Stéphane's mother in "Gadjo Dilo"; Marie's brother in "Transylvania")

What am I forgetting? Hey, I understand that the "Great Filmmakers" will have recurring themes, but these are more than just "themes;" these are basically re-shoots of the same scenes.

I still plan to see "Vengo" and "Exils", but I hope Mr. Gatlif hasn't run out of ideas.

[–] dan-2288 16 years ago

When I was watching I was struck by the similarities to Scarlet Diva.

Both films can be summed up as :-
"Asia is rejected by musician boyfriend and then goes a bit mad"

[–] bsj2312 14 years ago

You are out of your mind. The similarities are present because both films are about similar cultures. Each scene in Transylvania is completely independent and has nothing to do with Gadjo Dilo.

Almost every scene you mention can be seen in hundreds of other films as they are all common occurrences in real life.

1. A single person travelling alone is inferred to have taken place before the start of the film, but during the film, if anyone is travelling alone it is very brief.

2. I don't really remember. It must have been a very minor part. I remember a search for the musician Nora Luca.

3. Many movies have gypsy music, especially when they are set in locations with high concentrations of gypsies living there.

4. Musicians in a bar? I've never seen that before. LOL There were musicians in the bar in Star Wars, yet that doesn't nearly make it Transylvania a remake of that.

5. Belly dancers are a common form of entertainment in the region.

6. The plate-breaking scenes were completely different from each other. Another common ethnic practice.

7. The outdoor sex scenes were in very different places. One was a forest, the other was an alley. How is this a reshoot?

The rest aren't even worth mentioning.

TWO TOTALLY SEPARATE MOVIES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER!