Goes back to black and white photography after two consecutive color films- he’s 3/3 even through 6 films at the time of Dead Man
This is his first narrative structure since Permanent Vacation that isn’t broken into distinct sections by region—in Stranger Than Paradise it’s NJ/Cleveland/Florida, then Down by Law it’s New Orleans/prison/escape and of course the 5 separate cities in Night on Earth
Easily his most beautiful film visually from a photographic standpoint
The final film performance by Robert Mitchum (couple of great funny scenes)
Name “William Blake”- and the poetry is referenced throughout – again Ebert called Jarmusch a poet—Paterson would be about an everyman poet
Robby Muller is the DP again- stunning work- this is at the level Kings of the Road which is Wenders most beautiful film
Neil Young’s achievement here with the music is incalculable—again we have a nod at Wim Wenders (clearly an influence on Jarmusch) with the Ry Cooder score for Paris, Texas– minimal, haunting work by Young
journey film— but literal, existential, spiritually—Apocalypse Now, Pierrot le Fou from Godard
Again with Jarmusch the editing is crucial—he fades to black between each scene like he does with Stranger Than Paradise. It lulls you in—you pair it with the evocative photography and the repetitious and radiant score—you feel the dream state Jarmusch is going for in tone. Depp is constantly fading in and out of consciousness (whether he’s sleeping or passes out, etc). We’ve taken off by the end of the film
Definitely feeds like a nod to Buster Keaton with Depp’s deadpan— Depp’s performance here is pivotal as well- he underplays it perfectly- he lets all the loud noises come from around him – whether it’s “Nobody”, Mitchum, bickering headhunters-
one of Depp’s greatest achievements here- underplaying deadpan comedic brilliance
the deadpan humor from Jarmusch—but not winking disparagement
A fish out of water comedy- Depp’s Blake is an easterner who is in the west- – the fantastic short film train opening. Very elliptical- he sleeps and wakes up seeing the passengers and window landscape scenery get more and more wild/western. Jarmusch cuts back and forth to the train itself (exterior) – this editing is Ozu- the trains- Ozu—the first word is 6 minutes in by Crispin Glover
begins by intertwining the exterior of the trains (hello Ozu) with shot below and fading to black each time
I think Jarmusch shows the run-down street (Jarmusch is a modern day urban filmmaker up until now) with art on the wall (equivalent to his beloved graffiti), trash, oral in the alley, to make a statement on the universality (or timelessness) of it all
the historical equivalent of Jarmusch’s graffiti? trash art as high art
The tobacco repetition in the text—feels like the Coen brothers
There are many indications (both text and subtext) that he’s dead—shot in the heart, Nobody sees him as a skeleton
Again that elliptic editing huge
Sea of white trees photography—immaculate — another section later of the forest
jaw-dropper art on the wall shot
A simple narrative propulsion and a series of unfortunate events
Guys chasing him at one point named “Lee” and “Marvin”—gorgeous shot of one of them dead surrounded by the campfire
another one to put in an art museum here
The fawn photograph— the Native Americans are the heroes, their spiritual village at the end (with graffiti) and they send him on his journey. His friend “Nobody”—the white people are shown shooting at buffalos
Depp’s Blake becomes a western legend like Shane—shot and rides off—badass ending with the light coming though and the dissolve edit
I tried to love this movie, but I can’t,although i like it and i think is a very good movie with great direction, amazing score and hypnotic atmospheric photography, BUT I do not agree with the editing, I can’t get behind that every 3 minutes the screen fades to black. Also, this movie is about the experience and the trip of Depp that leads to his death in the finale, but when i get to that finale i can’t feel the weight of the movie, i feel i haven’t experienced the trip ( unlike Apocalypse Now and Stalker which are movies that are similar and i mean that because the characters seek something and they embark on a odyssey to find it, like Dead Man, but those two are some of my favorite movies of all time). Also, the film has an episodic type, but I don’t find a connection between them, it’s odd. The theme of the movie concerns death but I think Jarmusch needed more powerful scenes to spread the message better. Another thing that bothers me is that the movie spends so much time with the 3 bounty hunters and I think that we needed more time with the journey of Depp, because either way I don’t feel threat by those three, they are presented in a strange way. Lastly, the film uses a lot of humor, for me the humor affects the dramaturgy, seriousness and finally the death message that the film tries to get across. Your site is great and you are a true cinephile that’s why I seek some arguments, because I want to push the movie to my best movies list ( when a movie gets 8/10 and up then goes to the list) but right now i have it a 7/10 or 6,5/10 which is very good or good respectively. Its technically perfect but I have those problems that push it down.
@cinephile — Thanks for sharing your notes here even if we ultimately disagree about how good Dead Man is. You don’t like the elliptical editing huh? I think it’s an absolutely perfect aesthetic choice to match Jarmusch’s tone. Have you seen Stranger Than Paradise? The editing and deadpan humor is just a part of Jarmusch’s style so my guess would be you wouldn’t love it or Paterson or his other films. Maybe I’m wrong.
Yep, I’ve seen Stranger in Paradise but it’s been like 7 years so i don’t fully remember it, i’m sure j liked it but i don’t remember how good it was and i think i didn’t have a problem with the editing or humor. I really love Paterson, one of my favorites of 2016. Look I love the first half hour of Dead Man( until Nobody finds him) and the last half hour ( from the canoe until the breathtaking finale) but that full hour in the middle stops me from loving the entire film, maybe it needs repeat viewings, as I said I like the humor but not so much. I believe my main problem is that I didn’t feel the weight of the movie, the odyssey and journey that Apocalypse Now and Stalker take me. So I’ll see it again because now I know what to expect from the movie, let’s hope I’ll like it more.
@cinephile– Gotcha. Really happy to hear that about Paterson! I know it’s tough because they’re all odysseys as you say– but its going to be tough for for you to come around on Dead Man if you keep comparing it to Apocalypse Now and Stalker– as much as I admire Dead Man– it isn’t on that level– those other two are two of the best films ever made. Just my two cents.
I will disagree with what @Cinephile indicates here, i saw her for the first time today and indeed hypnotic masterpiece, i mean, at first the edit if it breaks your rhythm, after 30 minutes you get used to it, it’s what the movie does best, it reminds me Cries and whispers with the fading in red, the music and editing create a hypnotic rhythm as noted, added to the beautiful photography, i don’t see what problems there are.
I don’t know if this should have been the first movie i should have seen, what should i see next of Jarmusch
Roger Ebert’s opening paragraph for his 1.5 Star Rating
“I once traveled for two days from Windhoek to Swakopmund through the Kalahari Desert, on a train without air conditioning, sleeping at night on a hard leather bench that swung down from the ceiling. That journey seemed a little shorter than the one that opens “Dead Man,” the new film by Jim Jarmusch.”
lol, even when I disagree with Ebert I find humor in many of his reviews
I tried to love this movie, but I can’t,although i like it and i think is a very good movie with great direction, amazing score and hypnotic atmospheric photography, BUT I do not agree with the editing, I can’t get behind that every 3 minutes the screen fades to black. Also, this movie is about the experience and the trip of Depp that leads to his death in the finale, but when i get to that finale i can’t feel the weight of the movie, i feel i haven’t experienced the trip ( unlike Apocalypse Now and Stalker which are movies that are similar and i mean that because the characters seek something and they embark on a odyssey to find it, like Dead Man, but those two are some of my favorite movies of all time). Also, the film has an episodic type, but I don’t find a connection between them, it’s odd. The theme of the movie concerns death but I think Jarmusch needed more powerful scenes to spread the message better. Another thing that bothers me is that the movie spends so much time with the 3 bounty hunters and I think that we needed more time with the journey of Depp, because either way I don’t feel threat by those three, they are presented in a strange way. Lastly, the film uses a lot of humor, for me the humor affects the dramaturgy, seriousness and finally the death message that the film tries to get across. Your site is great and you are a true cinephile that’s why I seek some arguments, because I want to push the movie to my best movies list ( when a movie gets 8/10 and up then goes to the list) but right now i have it a 7/10 or 6,5/10 which is very good or good respectively. Its technically perfect but I have those problems that push it down.
@cinephile — Thanks for sharing your notes here even if we ultimately disagree about how good Dead Man is. You don’t like the elliptical editing huh? I think it’s an absolutely perfect aesthetic choice to match Jarmusch’s tone. Have you seen Stranger Than Paradise? The editing and deadpan humor is just a part of Jarmusch’s style so my guess would be you wouldn’t love it or Paterson or his other films. Maybe I’m wrong.
Yep, I’ve seen Stranger in Paradise but it’s been like 7 years so i don’t fully remember it, i’m sure j liked it but i don’t remember how good it was and i think i didn’t have a problem with the editing or humor. I really love Paterson, one of my favorites of 2016. Look I love the first half hour of Dead Man( until Nobody finds him) and the last half hour ( from the canoe until the breathtaking finale) but that full hour in the middle stops me from loving the entire film, maybe it needs repeat viewings, as I said I like the humor but not so much. I believe my main problem is that I didn’t feel the weight of the movie, the odyssey and journey that Apocalypse Now and Stalker take me. So I’ll see it again because now I know what to expect from the movie, let’s hope I’ll like it more.
@cinephile– Gotcha. Really happy to hear that about Paterson! I know it’s tough because they’re all odysseys as you say– but its going to be tough for for you to come around on Dead Man if you keep comparing it to Apocalypse Now and Stalker– as much as I admire Dead Man– it isn’t on that level– those other two are two of the best films ever made. Just my two cents.
I will disagree with what @Cinephile indicates here, i saw her for the first time today and indeed hypnotic masterpiece, i mean, at first the edit if it breaks your rhythm, after 30 minutes you get used to it, it’s what the movie does best, it reminds me Cries and whispers with the fading in red, the music and editing create a hypnotic rhythm as noted, added to the beautiful photography, i don’t see what problems there are.
I don’t know if this should have been the first movie i should have seen, what should i see next of Jarmusch
@Aldo– I want to add that I’ve changed my opinion and consider it also a masterpiece.
@Aldo— this is great. Thanks for sharing- well said. I’d go with Stranger Than Paradise next if it were me.
[…] Dead Man – Jarmusch […]
Roger Ebert’s opening paragraph for his 1.5 Star Rating
“I once traveled for two days from Windhoek to Swakopmund through the Kalahari Desert, on a train without air conditioning, sleeping at night on a hard leather bench that swung down from the ceiling. That journey seemed a little shorter than the one that opens “Dead Man,” the new film by Jim Jarmusch.”
lol, even when I disagree with Ebert I find humor in many of his reviews
@James Trapp hahaha- a swing and a miss from Rog here with the elliptically edited opening from Dead Man.