King of the Gypsies

An arranged marriage between gypsy clans goes awry when Spiro (Michael V. Gazzo, The Godfather Part II) refuses to sell his daughter to the self-proclaimed King of the Gypsies, King Zharko Stephanowicz (Sterling Hayden, The Long Goodbye), ending in a hail of bullets and a kidnapped daughter. In the following decade, Rose (Susan Sarandon, Thelma & Louise), kidnapped daughter, and her husband Groffo (Judd Hirsch, Ordinary People) have a young adult son named Dave (Eric Robers, Star 80) who has rejected the gypsy ways of his family, despite his grandfather, King Zharko, passing his leadership onto the unwilling scion. Dave’s refusal sparks a turbulent war within his own family and the larger gypsy community in 1960s New York City.

Written for the screen and directed by Academy Award Winning screenwriter Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon), King of the Gypsies is adapted from the novel of the same name, written by Peter Maas (biographer of Frank Serpico and author of The Valachi Papers). Featuring stunning, on location, photography by noted Swedish cinematographer and Ingmar Bergman collaborator Sven Nykvist (Persona, The Tenant) as well as in incredible ensemble cast, including the screen debut of Eric Roberts, King of the Gypsies is a long overlooked entry in the cinema of New York City in the 1970s. Cinématographe is proud to present the world 4K UHD debut of Frank Pierson’s somber urban drama in a new restoration from its original camera negative.