Jim Jarmusch

[Johann]

Jim Jarmusch is the same age as my father.
Born in 1953 in Akron, Ohio.
I want to acknowledge him as a film poet.

Take his first feature, Stranger Than Paradise. It is a film lovers dream, a black and white poem dedicated to the beatniks of New York,who to me, are some of the most genuine souls you could ever meet. John Lurie pulls off the "street guy with style" attitude with skill. He's a great talent- as a musician AND as an actor. Hell, as a filmmaker as well- watch the hilarious Fishing With John series (put out by Criterion) and you'll see.

Jarmusch followed up his award winning first film with Down By Law, another Criterion release on DVD, with the amazing Roberto Benigni and Tom Waits (yes, the street poet). Some people have said that Down By Law is Jim's best film. I won't disagree, but I prefer Dead Man.

Coffee and Cigarettes is a film I won't talk about (unless anybody has heard of it). It has rarely been seen, and it holds the same fascination as Tarantino's "birthday party" movie.

The next two Jarmusch films in his filmography are Mystery Train and Night on Earth, 2 incredible beat/poet/art films. I'll discuss them with anyone who's interested.

Now, let's be clear on the poetry major's true masterpiece: Dead Man. There has been some discussion about this black and white chunk of genius, but not enough for my mind.
Dead Man is the textbook definition of film poetry to me. (I know many people will disagree. I can hear them now: "What about Children Of Paradise? or Blood of a Poet"?)
Yeah, I know, Jarmusch is no Cocteau. But if I may, the guy is one hell of an artist, and as such he should be pointed out as not "better" than anyone else, but gloriously different. Jim has got an intellect, an instinct, a talent that is desperately appreciated by people like me. He is in that class of directors who keep my interest in movies at a very high level. A class that includes (but is not limited to): Herzog, Wenders, Greenaway, Lynch, Kaurismaki, The Bros. Quay, Gallo, Solondz, Zwigoff and Tarantino.
Rock and rollers, guys who marry music and images to astounding effect. These guys are doing the work that I wish I was doing.
Year of the Horse. Speaking of rock and roll, this "doc" is the epitome of "rock and roll road movie". I saw it on the big screen in 1999 and it was awesome. It's the super 8 adventures of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. If you love Neil (the greatest Canadian rocker ever), then you must see Year of the Horse. Shot almost completely by hand-held super 8 tape, it is just another example of how Jarmusch is a filmmakers' filmmaker.

Until I get the kamakaze nerve to get off my ass and make an independent film, I'm content to watch the films of Jarmusch & co. with serious admiration.

[Johann]

Speak of the devil!

I trumpet Jarmusch in a post, mention "Coffee and Cigarettes" and what happens?

News of the release of said film interspersed with newly shot scenes! Info?
It's got Roberto Benigni, Alfred Molina, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Spike Lee's bro Cinque, Isaak De Bankole (Ghost Dog's best friend), and Steve Buscemi sharing screen time. Hallelujah...

[oscar jubis]

LIFE HAS NO PLOT, WHY MUST FILMS OR FICTION?
Jim Jarmusch

For accuracy's sake, Jarmusch was born on 1/22/53 and directed Permanent Vacation before Stranger than Paradise, a Camera d'Or winner at Cannes. In all fairness, Permanent Vacation showed promise but it's a minor work, a stepping stone to better things. I read that Jim Jarmusch, who studied literature for years, decided to make films after watching foreign classics at the Paris Cinematheque (he was there studying French Lit for a year).

I think the key to understanding Jarmusch is the predominance of character over plot. Action springs directly from a given protagonist's nature. There's nothing imposed on the character. Often the character is a creation of the actor as much as Jarmusch. This is particularly true of Ghost Dog, which reflects several concerns and predilections of actor Forrest Whitaker.

I often recommend his films only to hear complaints regarding the lack of action or slow pace of them. Content wise, I find his slackers and oddballs interesting enough to sustain my attention. Visually he shows a preference towards long takes with minimal camera movement. Fade-to-black is his favorite punctuation tool. The contribution of his cinematographer Robby Muller can not be overemphasized. The aussie Muller has lensed all of his features since Down By Law, and most of Wim Wenders' classics.

I share Johann's enthusiasm for Dead Man. This is perhaps Jarmusch's most categorizable film in that it follows the conventions of the western, up to a point, of course. It revises genre conventions, giving them a contemporary sensibility. William Blake and Nobody are two unforgettable characters, entirely believable yet totally original in conception. Neil Young's minimalist score perfectly complements its black and white images.

Stranger Than Paradise and Mystery Train are also personal favorites.

[Johann]

I always aim for the utmost in accuracy with my comments.
Slip of the keys?

Jarmusch. Yes, he loves that fade to black trick. (So do I)

Robby Muller is a gigantic reason why Jarmusch's films are so powerful. He shot "Mad Dog and Glory","To Live and Die in L.A.", "Barfly", "Breaking The Waves"and "Dancer in the Dark" to name but 5. His photography is always engaging and beautiful. He's got skills to pay the bills, if you know what I mean.

I saw Ghost Dog twice when it came out. Blew me away. Jim's use of music was incredible. "Armagideon Time" by Willie Williams.
He uses that song in a scene where Ghost Dog prowls around in his stolen mercedes, scoping for a costume to steal. I've rewound that scene countless times. "A lotta people won't get no justice tonight...." Awesome. And don't forget the RZA, who handed Jarmusch some incredible music. (especially the opening credit music).

I left Permanent Vacation out of consideration because Jarmusch has all but disowned it. He never looks back, he has said, and when he had to watch Stranger Than Paradise again for the DVD release he hated the experience.

I recommend Tigrero, a documentary of Samuel Fuller. Jarmusch and Mika Kaurismaki follow Sam to the amazon jungle, where he expounds on the trials he had making a studio film in the amazon way back when. (The studio forbid shooting there, because the insurance co. would not insure the stars in the amazon). Some of the jungle footage Fuller shot back then found it's way into the film Shock Corridor- during the hallucination scene. Great film, and released by Criterion.

[oscar jubis]

Thanks for the tip. I rented Tigrero and enjoyed it very much. I became a fan 20 years ago, when I watched Fuller's last American movie White Dog, an allegory about a black man's attempt to deprogram a dog trained to attack blacks. Since then I've watched several of his films and found out that many others are a chore to track down (Park Row, Verboten!, I Shot Jesse James and many others). I hope someday to have a more complete take on his career. Casavettes and Tourneur also produced major works under very limiting conditions. I decided to buy Shock Corridor although I've seen it before.

[Johann]

Great to hear you saw Tigrero. I love those kinds of doc's. My Best Fiend, for example.

Cassavetes is a little like Godard to me, making little earthquake movies. Raw and immediate films. I've seen Faces about 5 times. I can see why Scorsese loves the guy. Shadows is a must see.

If anyone hasn't seen Shock Corridor, then I recommend seeing it with I am Curious: Yellow. That was a double rental I made one night and it was divine. These are the kind of films you should turn to if Hollywood is boring you.

Tourneur is a director I'm aware of but I haven't seen anything by him. What should I rent oscar?


LATE EDIT: Sorry! I have seen Cat People which I enjoyed.

[oscar jubis]

Scorsese sounds extremist when he says "Cat People was as important as Citizen Kane in the development of a more mature American cinema", but there's no doubt that the born-in-France Tourneur brought poetry and subtlety to several genres of the Hollywood B movie. The use of shadow and sound in Cat's pool scene is "textbook".

It's a major oversight in home video production that The Leopard Man and I Walked With a Zombie are not available. The made-in-England Night of the Demon, recut and released here as "Curse of the Demon" is Tourneur's sole film available in dvd and my recommendation in the horror genre.

Available on vhs, and a must-see for any noir fans is Out of The Past with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas.

His best drama/family picture is Stars on my Crown(vhs)

Canyon Passage is his best western available on vhs.

The Tourneur touch

*Showing realistic light sources in interior scenes while exteriors are filmed to appear somewhat surreal.
*Emphasis on physical thresholds (doors, windows,etc)
*Encouraging actors to underplay.
*Preoccupation with death.
*General sense the world is ruled by irrational forces.

[Johann]

Jim Jarmusch's favorite director is Buster Keaton, and here are some films that influenced him:


The Mother and the Whore
Thunder Road (Robert Mitchum classic)
In the Land of the War Canoes (big Dead Man influence)
Shock Corridor (actually Jim loves all of Fuller's films)
The films of Yasujiro Ozu
The films of Robert Bresson
Branded to Kill
The films of Jean Vigo
The films of Dziga Vertov
The films of Max Ophuls


and here's a quote I really like from him:

"I'd rather make a film about a guy walking his dog than the Emperor of China"

[Chris Knipp]

I would agree that Dead Man is a masterpiece. To say it's a western is misleading to anybody who hasn't seen it. The photography in many places looks like authentic nineteenth-century photography. The compositions suggest a nineteenth-century landscape sensibility. The atmosphere is far more authentic in feeling than any other western I've ever seen. Did you ever see a horse take a piss in a conventional western? To anyone who doesn't "get" what's good about Johnny Depp I would suggest viewing this movie. In his Buster Keatonesque performance he creates classic images and illustrates the essential recessiveness characteristic of some of the great film actors. Scarlett Johansson has it especially in Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Dead Man takes you to a completely fresh world. Jarmusch's imagination in this sublimely kooky, haunting, beautiful, hilarious tale just doesn't seem to owe much to anybody; though I'm sure people will rush in to point out the influences.

Roberto Benigni seems to me funnier in Jarmusch than in his own movies. He is strange and hilarious in Down by Law, and completely sidesplitting in Night on Earth I would say his scene with the priest in that movie is what makes it worth remembering. Otherwise some of Jarmusch's movies between his first two known ones (STP and DBL) and Dead Man, though good, don't have the same power to stick in your mind. However, in Mystery Train, Howlin' Jack Hawkins is an inspired choice both as actor and singer, and who can forget the two young Japanese arguing who's the best, "ELVISA!" "CARL PERKINSA!" "ELVISA!" "CARL PERKINSA!"

[Johann]

Jarmusch said he couldn't control Benigni's performance in Night on Earth. He tried to direct him, but "he just went off" says Jim. The scene was almost completely improvised and despite his hate of improv, Jarmusch said he had to leave it in. For obvious reasons.

I agree totally about the priest scene- if you aren't laughing your head off, you need to check your pulse. It's one of the funniest scenes in movie history- thanks for reminding me about it.
I also like the Helsinki segment- very intriging to me.

The weakest segment was the first with Wynnona Ryder. She just doesn't pull off the "tough cabbie" role she's attempting.

[Johann]

www.bacfilms.com/site/coffee/video/facoffee.mov


espresso, anyone?

[Chris Knipp]

I agree on the relative strength of the Night on Earth segments; it's best that the LA one gets out of the way first when the taxi frame is still novel. Benigni is certainly one of the great improvisionnal talents on film--that segment isn't the kind of thing you could do with a script. Wow!

[Johann]

I saw this last night at an art-house screening and it was outstanding.

Thank god Jarmusch is still making films-this was a divine series of vignettes.

Cate Blanchett proves once again how staggeringly good she is as an actress. Her dual-role vignette COUSINS is both an insight into press junkets and the uncomfortable relationships that only family can produce.

My favorite vignette is the one with the stunning woman and the waiter (RENEE). Tommy James' Crimson & Clover is playing in the background (one of my all-time favorite songs) and it shows in interesting detail how people can make themselves look like jackasses and how subtle human communication can be.

Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan give us a tremendous segment- tremendous acting by both guys. If you love movies, then this one will no doubt put a smile on your face: Alfred (or Albert, as Steve mistakenly calls him) is just sheer exuberance and intelligence as the "cousin" of Steve. His post-Spike Jonze cell phone call one-ups Steve in a hilarious, quirky pure-Jarmusch way.
Steve: I once didn't give out my phone number to Sam Mendes- you're in good company.
Alfred: If it's good enough for Sam Mendes, It's good enough for me.

Every single vignette is either good or great. I'm prone to say they're all great, because I'm a big Jarmusch fan.
It's stark black and white photography (shot by 4 different people, including Robby Muller) is very pleasing visually.
The soundtrack is all beatnik, all cool.
The scene between Iggy Pop and Tom Waits is also a mini-masterpiece. Iggy asks Tom why none of his records are on the jukebox. Tom fidgets and looks for an excuse, and in poetic fashion, after Iggy leaves the bar, he checks the jukebox and indignantly proclaims "None of his are on there either!"

Coffee and Cigarettes gets under your skin in no time at all- it's exquisite, well-paced, and further proof of Jarmusch's considerable talents. He's one of my favorite directors, and he'll remain one forever. Nobody makes films like this: funny, razor-sharp, self-assured and completely original.

[JustaFied]

I'll tell you, I really appreciate the level of discourse on these threads. Jarmusch is someone I know much less than you guys do, but I learn a tremendous amount from reading your posts. I watched "Stranger than Paradise" several weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. And I think I developed a crush on that actress, what's her name, just like the two guys in the film did.

"Dead Man" is a film I definately need to see again. I saw it on cable several years ago, and my preconceived notion was that it was pretty damn pretenious (William Blake?). The way you guys describe it, it's one of the most important films of the last 25 years, so I need to re-examine it for sure.

Will try to check out "Coffee and Cigarettes". I actually own "Year of the Horse" because Neil Young is a bad ass. He put out a movie this year, anyone see it?

[Johann]

I haven't seen Greendale, Neil's experimental, 90-minute, avant-garde opus. I'm open to it, though.

You can never go wrong with Dead Man. It's in my top ten for a reason. Jarmusch created something other-worldly there. Crispin Glover, Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, John Hurt, Robert Mitchum, Billy-Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Michael Wincott, and the rapscallion known as Gibby Haynes.
Throw those guys in front of Robby Muller's lenses, with music by Neil Young and you have a masterpiece.

It's funny, serious, mysterious, beatnik, and pure cinema.


i can't recommend Coffee and Cigarettes enough. I'm still thinking about it. Seriously dude, I haven't given away anything- there is a "complex simplicity" to Jarmusch's work- lots to see and absorb. The White Stripes (Meg and Jack) have a great scene where they discuss Nikola Tesla's philosophies and watch a Tesla coil blow-up. Genius and highly entertaining.

[Chris Knipp]

DEAD MAN rates very high with me too; in fact "very high" is an understatement. I consider it his masteriece and one of the great ones of the decade in any language. I will make an effort to see COFFEE AND CIGARETTES now with your recommendation. I suppose there are some who don't "get" Jarmusch; I'm not sure I completely "get" him, but I love the sheer mystery of his style. I'd thought C AND C sounded slight, but since you say see it, I'll make an effort when Im back in New York before the end of this month.

Written in the country in Massachusetts far from any movie house.

[Johann]

If you love Jarmusch's "mystery" then absolutely, positively without-a-doubt check it out.

Coffee and Cigarettes is a film for film people (us).

Remember Jarmusch's influences: Ozu, Fuller, Suzuki. C&C has all of that "cinema" in it. I still can't believe Kevin Smith said he'd rather absorb cinema history through Jarmusch. That's gotta be one of the stupidest things ever uttered by a director. Smith is a good director- he's keen, but man, that quote is baffling beyond belief.

It just goes to show that there are *VASTLY* different types of filmmakers out there....

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I would agree that Dead Man is a masterpiece. The atmosphere is far more authentic in feeling than any other western I've ever seen. Did you ever see a horse take a piss in a conventional western?

Did you ever see a whore blowing a john right in the alley? Or the way old men actually looked after a week without bathing or changing clothes in that environment? Yet, for all its hyperrealism, forays into the purely bizarre are taken by Jarmusch. One such moment caused me to cringe, the sight of a man crushing a skull with his boots until the gray matter spurts out. I wanted the moment excised from an otherwise flawless masterpiece. Seemed unnecessary, gratuitous. Then last night, watching THE SEARCHERS for the umpteenth time, I remembered that John Wayne gouges the eyes of Comanche corpses so that, as per Comanche belief, they cannot find heaven. Later, there was talk of mutilation in the news. The scene belongs in the movie. It's just that some truths are hard to face.

[Johann]

The john in the alley is Gibby Haynes, lead singer for The Butthole Surfers, a good friend of Johnny Depp's.

[JustaFied]

Recently rented Stranger Than Paradise and Down By Law, loved 'em both. It's nice to see films occasionally that don't take themselves or the world too seriously. Like Johann says, there's a beatnik / hipster aura to these films that's refreshing.

Still haven't seen Coffee and Cigarettes but hope to soon. Mystery Train is on its way, hope I'm not too disappointed. I think I read somewhere (was it Rosenbaum?) that Jarmusch's three b&w films (the two mentioned above, plus Dead Man) were his best.

[Chris Knipp]

Dead Man is a shame not to see on a big screen because it is visually glorious, really in a class apart from the others with a hilarious tragicomic view of life whereas Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law relatively speaking are just playing around, however fresh and inspired.

[arsaib4]

Has anyone been lucky enough to see this first feature from Jarmusch? I've tried to hunt this down on numerous occasions but no luck so far. The film was released in Germany (West) back in 1980 since a German company was behind it. I see a vhs on amazon.de but i'm pretty sure it's dubbed in German.

[Chris Knipp]

Doing a search on this I queried a movie logger in my area http://www.erratamag.com/archives/2004/04/movie_log_2.html whether the VHS he mentions seeing in April was in English and if so where he got it, and also asked an Amazon UK reviewer whether the TV version he saw on Channel 4 there was in English -- Jason Parkes from Peopleton, Worcs United Kingdom, on Amazon UK, he's reviewed 800 films, so he may know something. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008OP6P/202-5448304-8653407 Otherwise maybe we should ask Jarmusch himself about this or Jonathan Rosenbaum, who has interviewed Jarmisch http://www.sfgoth.com/~kali/onsite10.html, But that may not be easy, especially in the case of Jarmusch.

[arsaib4]

Thanks for looking into this, Chris. I am certainly interested in the response from the 'movie logger' you linked since he mentions the vhs. I'm not sure how helpful the amazon person will be. The film shown on Channel 4 was probably in English, the original language of the film but i'm certain that it doesn't exist on home video in the U.K. The master print of the film travelles around in Europe from time to time to appear at various festivals. Just the other day Dutch company 'Fortissimo Films' bought the rights to his films.

Here's the full article from Screen Int:

Fortissimo Films is to act as the international theatrical, video, and television distributor for the entire Jim Jarmusch film library. The catalogue had previously been represented by diverse entities. Fortissimo’s relationship with Jarmusch began last year with Coffee And Cigarettes.

Included in the deal are Permanent Vacation (1980), Stranger Than Paradise (1983), Down By Law (1986), Mystery Train (1989), Night On Earth (1991) and Dead Man (1995).

The deal was negotiated by Fortissimo co-chairmen Michael J Werner and Wouter Barendrecht and Bart Walker (ICM) and Stacey Smith on behalf of Jarmusch.

Fortissimo co-chairs Barendrecht and Werner said, "We are honoured to have been selected to handle the continuing sales and distribution of Jim Jarmusch’s titles around the world. His films are some of the most sought after titles by filmgoers worldwide and we see a tremendous and continuing ‘post-theatrical’ life for Jim’s movies through DVD, video and television outlets."

[Chris Knipp]

So does this news from Fortissimo mean we will have a dvd of Permanent Vacation in the US? It's not clear to me since this is a Dutch company. Help me to understand this; I know you know about distribution.


I'm not sure how helpful the amazon person will be. The film shown on Channel 4 was probably in English, the original language of the film but i'm certain that it doesn't exist on home video in the U.K. The master print of the film travelles around in Europe from time to time to appear at various festivals.
I know. We'll see if the other guy answers.

In the "Gun Up Your Ass" Rosenbaum interview at the time of "Dead Man's" first release http://www.sfgoth.com/~kali/onsite10.html, Jarmusch mentions recently (1996) having had to review "Stranger Than Paradise" in preparing a laser disc of it, and I realized I want to get a dvd (or laser disc!) of "Dead Man," and perhaps all the others.

Some essential points emerge from the Rosenbaum-Jarmusch discussion, though it doesn't go into the depth I might have liked. This excerpt from the Rosenbaum intro to his interview is worth noting for those who haven't seen "Dead Man":


Prior to "Dead Man", when Jarmusch's three features since "Stranger Than Paradise"—"Down By Law" (1986), "Mystery Train" (1989), and "Night on Earth" (1992)--could be partially taken as light, comic entertainments with serious undertones, it was possible to assume that Jarmusch might have continued in such a vein. But "Dead Man"—which might be described as a serious art film with comic elements—flings down the gauntlet of proposing a much more ambitious direction for Jarmusch's work, daring an audience to follow it. . . [b]Beautiful and haunting, crazy, silly and profound, exhilerating to watch because of its fresh and unique approach to character; to 19th-century America; to the Western --that's some of the hype I made up for myself about "Dead Man" after reading this 1996 interview. "Dead Man" is a surpassingly strange, trippy, dazzling movie, yet it's clear from the first time you stagger out of the theater after seeing it that it's about America and the "Wild West" and more accurately so than almost any other movie. For my money it's likely to remain Jarmusch's masterpiece.

[arsaib4]

'Fortissimo' is one of the leading film sales companies in Europe. They've also taken part in production and distribution but they primarily act as an agent for films from all over the world. Basically, now if a distributor wants to buy rights to a Jarmusch film for a territory they'll have to contact the company. So it might be a couple of years till we see Permanent Vacation officially released on video.

Dead Man I saw for the first time last year and perhaps found it more "silly and profound" rather than "beautiful and haunting" as you said, but I've appreciated it more and more on subsequent viewings. I've read a few things about it's release back in '95 (i was a bit too young then) regarding how Miramax even in it's prime treated this film. However, in it's defense one can say that the film initially upon it's limited release was a critical and financial disaster. I may not be ready to use the over-used term 'masterpiece' yet but there are sequences in this film where image and sound come together to create an intoxicating atmosphere, something I've rarely seen on film.

Jim Jarmusch, more than anyone else in American indie cinema defines the word 'Independent.' Even Linklater has found his niche where he is ready to do a studio-film if that mean what he wants to do later on is properly funded. This is something Eastwood has been doing for the last two decades. Jarmusch has stated on numerous occasions that he'd rather go with foreign money because it means he's free to do whatever he wants.

[Johann]

Been extremely busy lately. I don't even know what day it is.
Making a movie is a 24-7, all-consuming, trying and exhausting thing. I've sacrificed going to the film fest for it. But it's all worth it.

Jarmusch. A modern rebel I hold in high regard.

I've seen Permanent Vacation on vhs but I don't know if it's available to buy in any format. Probably not.
Jarmusch owns his negatives (a rare thing for any filmmaker) and he's made it known that he doesn't really want it to be seen.

Dead Man is an odd epic. It conjures up feelings of alienation, lonliness, mystery (all things Jarmusch paints well).

[Chris Knipp]

Welcome back, Johann. Now we are three. How did you see that VHS Permanent Vacation? What movie are you making?

Just missed Coffee and Cigarettes in Paris, but I see the dvd is out.

[Johann]

The movie I'm making is a short (black and white) that I hope to
finish in 8 weeks. Brice and I were making a black comedy, but due to unforseen circumstances he cannot commit to the shoot.
So I'm flying solo on another project I wrote.

Casablanca Video in Calgary has a vhs copy for rent of Permanent Vacation- the only copy of it I've EVER seen.

[Chris Knipp]

Interesting about your film. Best of luck with it.

Is that video in English? How did they get it? That's what we're trying to figure out.

[arsaib4]

Yeah, it's good to hear from you Johann. I know you mentioned your short before you left but I thought you were also out campaigning for our future president......

[Johann]

Ha!

I can't even vote in your country. The election is gonna be pure drama.

I'll try to find out how Casablanca got a copy of Permanent Vacation- if memory serves it was an actual vhs copy, not a duplication- the video box had a scene from the movie on it.
That store has every Jarmusch film- even the doc Tigrero.

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks. But we kind of doubt that there is a commercial VHS copy in English, from what arsaib4 and I've been able to learn.

[arsaib4]

Johann might be correct as it seems like there was a vhs available in Canada which is now OOP.

www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004RNG5/qid%3D1097972446/702-4513126-0053668

[Chris Knipp]

Did not know that. Is Canada's format the same? Anyway, maybe we can find copies?

[arsaib4]

Yeah, their video format is also NTSC. Atleast a couple of stores in the U.S carry it. TLA video based in Philly has it but they aren't selling it on their site. CineFile Video in LA also show it on their site but it's a store rental only although on top of the page they state that items might be available for sale. Also found a french vhs but it's most likely dubbed. I feel like I'm searching for a foreign film from an unknown director, it's ridiculous.


http://www.tlavideo.com/details/product_details.cfm?c=1&v=1&sn=1705&id=114324

http://www.cinefilevideo.com/index.php?selected_page=P_movies&page=7 (about halfway down the page)

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks for this. I just want to see it, and "Tigero," which I never heard of till now.

[Johann]

Jarmusch's new film is in post-production.
Broken Flowers stars Bill Murray and Julie Delpy.
Also can't wait for this one...

[arsaib4]

Yup, it's in post-production all right but Jarmusch only has a month left if you know what I mean. Bill Murray now is certainly the choice actor for our indie filmmakers.

[Johann]

This is the kind of film I live for: subtle, evocative, powerful.

Jarmusch has so much cinema history and intelligence in his films that whenever I watch one I feel blessed.

The soundtrack is particularly grabbing- the song for the opening and closing credits is off the hook, YO.

Peep this:
Don Johnston is living his vida, going about his daily business, when he gets an anonymous pink letter in the mail from the mother of his long-lost 19 year-old son.

His RastafarI neighbor Winston takes it upon himself to take the lead in this life-altering revelation by drafting up all of Don's former flings' addresses and personal info and printing out maps to their locations. Don must hunt down the mysterious "pink lady".
Don reluctantly goes on the odyssey to locate his supposed offspring.

Jarmusch has lost no skill as a director.
This is the first role Bill Murray's played in ages that had me riveted. But he's not the best thing about the movie.
Jeffrey Wright is. He's an accomplished stage and screen actor (Basquiat), and I love his performance. It's full of life, intensity and humour.

Julie Delpy is seen briefly and it's too bad- I love her.

The scenes that make this film worth every penny of the ticket price are the scenes with Sharon Stone's daughter, "Lolita".

She's a lolita alright! Starkers!
The shock of the nudity didn't wear off very quick.
For the rest of the film I'm having flashbacks to Lolita's butocks and breasts. I can't stop thinking like a pervert about this brunette's visage.

What subliminal torture Jim!
How dare you warp my psyche with such filth!
It's like you took Ozon's tricks with Emmanuel Seigner in
Water Drops on Burning Rocks and toned them down just a hair.

The fuzzy, vaseline-on-the-lens shots where Don was psychologically piecing things together were very hypnotic.

Fred Elmes, the genius cinematographer on Ang Lee's Hulk
shot this baby and it looks sweet. 360 degree camera shots, great p.o.v. dashboard shots, tons 'o fade to black, we cannot complain about the visuals.


What can I say?
It's poetry to me.

[Chris Knipp]

Thank you for all that. There is nothing you've said I don't agree with. Though I'm not as naked girl obsessed as you Lolita's starkers scene is a stunner. The whole Sharon Stone section is a highlight. Jeffrey Wright is by some considered one of the best actors working. I'm proud to say he went to my school, Amherst. The Fairest College is known for academic excellence but doesn't have many real artistic talents to boast of. David Foster Wallace the writer is another one of roughly the same vintage. The Da Vinci Code guy Dan Brown and a couple of other pop writers too, but that's not quite the same kind of accomplishment.

I'm going to put a link to this to the Broken Flowers thread I started. arsaib has a good review there which is more critical than mine or yours.

http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1458

[arsaib4]

It wouldn't be your review J if it wasn't impassioned.

The OST is great -- first thing I bought after watching the film.

Bill Murray is wonderful; Jeffrey Wright is good; you're right about Julie Delpy. And if you were paying attention you probably noticed how she quickly re-organized the mail. ;) But that could be one of those quirks from the great filmmaker.

As for the "Lolita" segment: it's funny, no doubt about it -- but it's played too straight. Jarmusch's films are known to transcend clichés, not create them, so it didn't quite work for me and ultimately it felt as empty as the window lolita was waving from.

The shock of the nudity didn't wear off very quick.
For the rest of the film I'm having flashbacks to Lolita's butocks and breasts. I can't stop thinking like a pervert about this brunette's visage.

:)

____________________________

Good thing this thread was updated because I had forgotten about our search for Permanent Vacation. It looks like the film is finally available on DVD... in Australia (http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/780979)!

[Johann]

Eye weekly is a free local "indie" rag that you can grab from most street corners in Toronto and this week's issue has a tribute cover to Jim Jarmusch, complete with Broken Flowers' pink text and a clay bust of Jarmusch, painted to look exactly like him. It's awesome. Whoever sculpted it knows Jarmusch's bullet cool style and the inside photos of the bust in stages of completion even have his shades! That's a real tip of the hat to the man...

All of it is in honor of his new film The Limits of Control, which from the stills in Eye, is the kind of film I live for.
Looks like a masterpiece.
Music by Boris!

If I may be so bold, I think I understand Jarmusch.
I understand his Vision, his perspective of what the cinema can and should do in terms of FORM, how everything you have to say about your film should be onscreen. It's a sentiment Kubrick had.
Why do an interview, EXPLAINING everything?
I said everything in the film. Everything I chose to communicate, I communicated, with the camera, with the actors, with the music, with the final cut.

He's always been labelled "indie" but it only really applies to his mindset, the way he approaches the film business and how he protects his artistic integrity.

Man, some of the stills in Eye..
Issach de Bankole intensely strolling down a stone walkway, Tilda Swinton in wig and bright red lipstick...it screams ART!

Can't wait.
It opens next week in T.O. and I'll Be There.
Even the poster looks cool..

http://www.filminfocus.com/film/the_limits_of_control

[Chris Knipp]

Dead Man is a masterpiece. It has wonderful dialogue, a great plot arc, and superb atmosphere and acting. I am not convinced that in Jarmusch "character" takes precedence over "plot." Dialogue may take precedence over either.

Coffee and Cigarettes left me relatively cold. Jarmusch is not always equally successful. The Limits of Control has been taking a big hit with the reviewers, but I will withhold judgment till I see it. Some critics even condemn Dead Man.

[Johann]

Dead Man is indeed a masterpiece.
Robert Mitchum. John Hurt (who's now in Limits of Control).
Man...Jarmusch is Legendary man.

I read a review of Limits of Control yesterday and the reviewer said something to the effect of:
If this film is a dream, it's not a dream I've ever had. This film is a whole lotta nuthin'

Someone who clearly does not understand the working methods of a Pantheon Director...

Here's an excerpt from the Eye interview:

Rule #1: There are no rules.
Rule #2: Don't let the fuckers get ya.
Rule #3: The production is not there to serve the film.
The film is not there to serve the production.
Rule #4: Filmmaking is a collaborative process.
Rule #5: Nothing is original.

Chris Bilton (interviewer):
It's not surprising that negative reviews sometimes simply admit that they don't understand what Jim Jarmusch is trying to do.

Jim: I think it's just conditioning. People are very easily led to the mainstream because they are practically force-fed the mainstream. And it affects a lot of things: it affects how long you can concentrate on something or how easily you can give up your expectations. And for some people those things are hard.

[Chris Knipp]

I always run out to see any new Jarmusch film. I'll never forget the fun of his first two the continued success of Mystery Train and Night on Earth and the awe of Dead Man at the fleabag Paris Theater in NYC when I was just back from a trip to Europe. But Broken Flowers after all was a bit thin, a bit dull and mournful. I also didn't see what was so great about Ghost Dog. I can't say yet though, about Limits of Control. It is being opened slowly and there aren't even trailers of it showing in the Bay Area yet. Or has it come and gone? This release schedule is given on a blog http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2009/04/limits-of-control-expansion-release.html
MAY 8
Boston, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC

MAY 15
Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, OR, San Diego

May 22
Atlanta, Austin, Detroit, Houston, Sacramento, St. Louis

May 29
Baltimore, Cleveland, OH, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Monterey (Santa Cruz), Santa Barbara, Tucson

JUNE 5
Albany, Albuquerque, Columbus, OH, Hartford, Kansas City, Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Richmond, Salt Lake City, '

June 7,
Buffalo, Madison, Memphis, Norfolk, Raleigh, Rochester, San Antonio, Tulsa, West Palm Beach

[Johann]

Yes, Jarmusch is one of those directors who inspire good movie-going memories.

I was deeply impressed with Year of the Horse, Ghost Dog and Coffee and Cigarettes all of which I saw on the big screen.

Broken Flowers was great, but I agree it's not earth shaking. The individual elements are better than the whole.
But what a killer soundtrack and what ambiance!
That man can set a mood brother.
And that's what the game is all about...

My anticipation for this one is pretty high.
I've seen the trailer dozens of times now.
Love John Hurt's voiceover!

[Chris Knipp]

Yes, I thought of mentioning Year of the Horse. I liked it for the fact that Neil Young's music in Dead Man contributed suich a hypnotic element. I'm not quite with you on Ghost Dog and Coffee and Cigarettes, but I didn't see the latter on the big screen, which may have made it better as it usually does with any movie.