|
| Stranger Than Paradise - Criterion Collection | 
 enlarge | Director: Jim Jarmusch
Actors: John Lurie, Eszter Balint, Richard Edson
Studio: Criterion Collection
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $24.99
You Save: $14.96 (37%)
New (40) Used (9) from $24.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 19120
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Digital Sound, Mono, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Hungarian (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 89
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: CC1695DDVD
UPC: 715515024020
EAN: 0715515024020
ASIN: B000SFJ4HW
Theatrical Release Date: 1984
Release Date: September 4, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Is Cleveland like Budapest? January 5, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Probably one of the oddest films that I have screened in my Eastern Religions class is Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers (2005). While most of my students enjoyed it, quite a few found it boring and pointless because nothing was truly resolved at the end of the film. At the time I thought, "well, I'm glad I didn't show them Stranger than Paradise.
Stranger Than Paradise began as a five minute short film, then a thirty minute film, and finally a nearly ninety minute long film in 1985. Filmed with a budget of only 110, 000 dollars and on Wim Wenders' leftover film stock, Stranger Than Paradise is a stark black and white absurdist comedy that dives headfirst into mundane ennui. If there was a film truly about nothing, in my opinion, it would be Stranger Than Paradise.
Stranger Than Paradise centers on Willie, lounge musician and longtime Jarmusch collaborator John Lurie, a Hungarian immigrant from Budapest who has long ago cut his native roots to embrace an American lifestyle: hustling, eating T.V. dinners, chain smoking, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Although he distances himself from his family, his aunt asks him to look after his cousin Eva who will be arriving that very day. However, instead of staying one night, Eva stays for ten days and during that time meets Eddie, former Sonic Youth drummer turned actor Richard Edson, who is almost a picture perfect, though kinder and shorter, image of Willie. During their time together Willie and Eva talk, smoke, and watch television. After this enchanting holiday, Eva goes to Cleveland. A year later, Willie and Eddie go to Cleveland and then take Eva to Florida. Little else happens in the film with most of the action taking place at the kitchen table or in front of the television.
Stranger Than Paradise is full of deadpan humor and witty dialogue, but the overall experience is quite boring. However, the film is a good example of a new type of film directing by an American film director who took aspects of foreign new wave films and made them his own instead of just copying. An important film and an imaginative film albeit a boring one, Stranger Than Paradise does not make for an enjoyable film experience, but it can be a thought provoking one, however, be sure to have a stimulating drink handy to keep from falling asleep.
 Narrative structure is for wussies September 27, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's hard to believe that over 20 years have passed since "Stranger Than Paradise" firmly established Jim Jarmusch's unique, patented blend of long, static camera takes with his inscrutably deadpan observances on the inherent silliness of homo sapiens.
Jarmusch regular John Lurie is Willie, a brooding, too-cool-for-school New York City slacker who spends most of his time hanging out with his endearingly goofy buddy Eddie (Richard Edson). Both men suffer from terminal boredom, which is somewhat alleviated by their bemused, low-key bickering (leave it to Jarmusch to create characters who manage to be remain bored and uninspired while living in the world's most exciting city! But then again, wasn't that the very premise behind "Seinfeld"?)
Enter Eva (Eszter Balint), Willie's long-lost teenaged cousin from Hungary, who unexpectedly shows up one day (much to his chagrin). Eddie is intrigued, but the misanthropic Willie has no desire for a new roommate, blood relative or not, and Eva decides after a few days that she would probably find more welcoming accommodations with the pair's Aunt Lotte (delightfully played by Cecillia Stark), who lives in Cleveland.
Flash forward one year, and we find Willie and Eddie still sitting around the apartment, still bored silly, still engaged in the same petty bickering. Eddie convinces Willie that a road trip to Cleveland (in the middle of winter?!) might be just the ticket to break them out of their rut. Willie grumpily agrees, and off they go to visit Aunt Lotte and cousin Eva. In order to avoid spoilers for those who have not seen the film, suffice it to say that the interpersonal relationships take some unexpected turns, and more road trips ensue. Oh-and I guarantee you will have Screamin' Jay Hawkins tunes in your head for days!
It's worth noting that future director Tom DiCillo ("The Real Blonde", "Living in Oblivion") did the fine black and white DP work on the film, demonstrating an eye for gleaning the strange beauty in the stark, wintry, industrial flatness of Cleveland and its Lake Erie environs.
"Stranger Than Paradise" is generally held up along with a select handful of early 1980's releases (like Spike Lee's "She's Gotta Have It" and Wayne Wang's "Chan Is Missing") as one of the low-budget wonders that helped spark the post-Cassavetes indie film movement that continues to thrive today. Kudos to Criterion for thier reissue.
A minimalist masterpiece. September 26, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot; Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable) were a filmmaker, I imagine him making this small gem of a film. Like many of my favorite things in life, Jim Jarmusch's films are an acquired taste, which is another way of saying they're not for everyone. Viewers either love his films or hate them, and this one is no exception. Shot entirely in black and white, with long camera shots and little editing between scenes (other than fading to black), Stranger than Paradise tells the story of Willie (John Lurie), a Hungarian emigre who lives in a small New York apartment. His sixteen-year-old cousin Eva (Eszter Balint) arrives from Budapest for a ten-day visit. Her visit (and talent for shoplifting and taste in music) is the most interesting thing to happen to Willie in awhile. After she leaves, Willie and his friend Eddie (Richard Edson) decide to visit Eva in Cleveland "ONE YEAR LATER." The three pathetic eccentrics then take a trip Florida which, from a postcard, they perceive to be paradise. Along the way, they realize their less-than-interesting lives (mostly spent sleeping and watching TV, when not just spent staring at the walls) are better lived in the company of others. Arguably, this is Jarmusch's best film, though Night on Earth, Broken Flowers, and Fishing With John are among my other favorites.
The new Criterion double-disc edition of this film includes a new, digital transfer (supervised and approved by Jarmusch), Jarmusch's debut 1980 feature, Permanent Vacation ("a time capsule of late-seventies Manhattan"), interviews with the cast and crew from both films, a behind-the-scenes Super-8 film by Tom Jarmusch, trailers, and a booklet featuring Jarmusch's 1984 "Some Notes on Stranger Than Paradise," Geoff Andrew and J. Hoberman on Stranger Than Paradise, and Luc Sante on Permanent Vacation.
G. Merritt
Two early Jim Jarmusch films September 19, 2007
0 out of 7 found this review helpful
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD of the film.
This double disc set in addition to Stranger Than Paradise also includes a bonus release "Permanant Vacation" which is Jarmusch's first film
"Stranger Than Paradise" is about a man living in New York City whose cousin moves to the US from Hungary. His aunt who lives in Ohio is ill so his cousin spends a week and a half with him. He gets to know her and a year later he visits her.
"Permanant Vacation" is about a man and his girlfriend who live together in New York City. The man wanders around the city visiting the ruins of the hospital he was born at, a movie theater and other places.
Disc one contains the film "Stranger Than Paradise"
Disc two contains "Permanent Vacation" and the supplements for the main feature. They are:
"Kino '84: Jim Jarmusch" German TV documentary that has interviews with the cast of both films. "Some Days in January, 1984" a silent Super-8 film by Jim Jarmusch's brother, Tom, Location scouting photos, and trailers for the US and Japanese releases of the film.
Both films are interesting and well made.
The Honeymooners by way of Ozu September 7, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Stranger Than Paradise not only announced the arrival of an original filmmaker with Jim Jarmusch, but also signaled the arrival of a new wave of American independent cinema along with the Coen brothers' Blood Simple and Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It. Jarmusch's film came as a response to the impersonal commercial filmmaking of the Hollywood studios. His film was originally nothing more than a 30-minute short film shot from 40 minutes of extraneous film stock donated by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Eventually, Jarmusch came into a small sum of money -- $120,000 worth -- and was able to complete the film.
Described by Jarmusch as The Honeymooners by way of Ozu, Stranger introduced his trademark style: minimal sets and long, uninterrupted takes with very little camera movement that are punctuated by the occasional fade to black. It is a funky mix of deadpanned American humour and a European visual sensibility. Stranger was made during the dawn of MTV and its success seems rather odd considering that it was the antithesis of most films being made in America at the time. The rather slow, meandering pace of Stranger did not conform to the quick cut, music video style that was fashionable at the time. His characters also lacked any sort of real ambition which was a world apart from most mainstream films. His approach seems downright revolutionary now as people's collective attention spans have gotten considerably shorter.
Stranger Than Paradise won the Camera d'or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival and was soon heralded by many critics as a watershed film in American independent cinema. Much has been written about the film's outsider view of America and to be fair, the sparse visuals and down-on-their-luck hipsters that populate this film certainly flies in the face of the materialism of the 1980s, making it just as unique and significant today as it was back then.
Fans of this film can finally toss the crappy, bare bones MGM DVD as Criterion has given Jarmusch's film their deluxe treatment.
Perhaps the most substantial extra is the inclusion of Jarmusch's feature film debut, Permanent Vacation (1980). It's about the story of Ally Parker (Chris Parker), the prototypical Jarmusch protagonist - an alienated outsider. Jarmusch's stylistic approach is intact but with an even more non-sensical narrative that seems avant garde in nature.
"Kino '84: Jim Jarmusch" was produced for German television in 1984 and features interviews with some of the cast and crew from Permanent Vacation and Stranger Than Paradise. They all look so young and were just starting out. It's a nice snapshot of the times with the normally media-shy Sara Driver (Jarmusch's significant other) recounting filming anecdotes.
"Some Days in January 1984" is a 14-minute, Super 8 behind-the-scenes silent film shot by Tom Jarmusch. It looks like home movies as we see cast and crew freezing in Cleveland.
"Location Scouting" is a collection of black and white photographs taken while Jarmusch was checking out locations to use in the film. Sadly, they don't say where in Florida they were but these stills do look excellent.
Finally, there are U.S. and Japanese trailers for the film.
|
|
|
 Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
