STRANGER THAN PARADISE (Jarmusch, 1984)
Criterion Collection, Blu-ray, Release Date Apr 9, 2019
Review by Christopher S. Long
When I first watched writer/director
Jim Jarmusch’s breakthrough hit, “Stranger Than Paradise”
(1984), many years after its original release, my first thought was
“So that’s all?” I wasn't expressing disappointment. Rather, I
was amazed that such a Great Film (caps intentional) could be made
from so little raw material. Three characters, a handful of no-budget
locations, and only the most tenuous of narrative threads, so diffuse
it could barely be considered the force that propelled the film. No
flashy camera tricks either. The entire movie is built on a
deceptively simple visual rhythm: a series of long unedited takes
interrupted by black leader; no post-production editing (aside from
the black leader inserts between the long takes), and only minimal
camera movement save for a few long tracking shots. The characters
don't do a damned thing except sit around the apartment, watch TV,
bitch, and play cards. Critic Pauline Kael dismissed them as “dead
end kids.”
But “Stranger than Paradise” was
hardly a dead-end film. It rocketed Jarmusch to instant fame (though
not big financial success) and became one of the defining touchstones
of '80s American independent cinema. Arriving on the heels of the
first great wave of Hollywood mega-blockbusters, it proved a rallying
point for audiences and critics desperate for something without
aliens, Nazis, and big explosions. When Geoff Andrew wrote his book
on American independent film in 1998, he titled it quite simply,
“Stranger than Paradise.”
The film is separated into three
sections or episodes - you can’t really call them acts. “The New
World” begins with the arrival of Eva (Eszter Balint) in New York,
fresh from Hungary. She is supposed to spend some time with her
Hungarian cousin Willie (the laconic John Lurie, saxophonist and
co-founder of the Lounge Lizards) before moving to stay with family
in Cleveland. Willie aggressively denies his Hungarian heritage and
therefore has little interest in his cousin from the old world.
That’s OK, Eva doesn’t have much interest in him either. Willie’s
friend Eddie (Richard Edson, the original drummer for Sonic Youth)
plays the third wheel, dropping in from time to time like an '80s Ed
Norton just to poke around and see what’s happening. Of course,
nothing is ever happening. He’s the most gregarious of the three
slackers, eager to buoy everyone’s spirits. When Eva mentions she
is going to Cleveland, he offers his wisdom, “Cleveland, it’s a
beautiful city. It’s got a big, beautiful lake. You’ll love it
there.” Eva: “Have you been there?” Eddie: “No.”
“One Year Later” sees the two boys,
still just hanging out in New York, steeped in hot water over a poker
game gone wrong, prompting them to flee the big city to visit Eva in
Cleveland. She's getting her taste of the American dream, working at
the world's most desolate hot dog joint. Life in Cleveland isn’t
much different for the mismatched group. They hang around at home,
watch TV, bitch, and play cards. Except this time Eva and Willie’s
very Hungarian Aunt Lotte wins every hand, declaring each time: “I
am de vinner.” (Note: this is the best-delivered line in the
history of cinema, and Aunt Lottie is the greatest supporting
character ever. This is proven fact, you can look it up.) Even the
less-than-philosophical Eddie is moved to comment on the generic
similarity of their new home: “You know it’s funny. You come some
place new and everything looks just the same.”
In “Paradise”, the final episode,
the intrepid trio trundles down to Florida (Eddie: “Florida? It’s
beautiful down there.” Willie: “You ever been there?” Eddie:
“No.”) to see the gleaming white beaches and get rich betting on
the horses. Here the ennui that glues these strangers together begins
to lose its magnetic power, though Jarmusch saves a hell of a punch
line for the end when, by sheer luck, Eva discovers the true American
dream on a deserted beach road. If the film has any message, it’s
this: The Puritan work ethic is a total mug's game.
The performances by the three leads are
all magnificent, a testament not only to their abilities but to
Jarmusch’s fondness for his actors. The long takes, so beautifully
orchestrated by cinematographer Tom DiCillo, grant everyone time and
space they need to let their personalities shine through. Lurie and
Balint get plenty of much deserved credit, but Richard Edson lights
up the screen whenever he's in frame. His range of bemused
expressions is seemingly endless, and one of the film’s most
reliable sources of laughs.
“Stranger Than Paradise” has plenty
of laughs. It's one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, though I
don’t recall laughing out loud on a first viewing. Jarmusch and his
cast create a world that invites you to return again and again, to
discover a previously unseen pleasures or even just to revisit some
of your favorite people and places. Now that I know Eva so well, I
can’t stop from breaking up every time she cranks up Screamin’
Jay Hawkins’s “I Put A Spell On You” and takes a long, slow
walk down the oddly deserted streets of the Big Apple. And Willie and
Eva’s conversation about American TV dinners gets funnier every
time I see it, or even just think about it. Like right now.
Is that all there is? You bet, and
it’s more than enough.
Video:
The film is presented in its original
1.78:1 aspect ratio. The movie (or at least the first part) was
literally shot on leftover film stock, and has always been defined by
its grubby, grainy, low-budget look. This high-def transfer preserves
that quality while providing a sharper image than previous SD
releases, with an uptick in the black-and-white contrast as well. It
looks... like it should look.
Audio:
The LPCM mono track provides clear
dialogue and a solid treatment of the music, including John Lurie's
understated and marvelous score. Optional English subtitles support
the English audio.
Extras:
Criterion has imported all of the
extras from their previous 2-disc DVD release, though now all
included on a single Blu-ray.
Criterion has provided one addition,
however, now including the 1996 commentary track by Jim Jarmusch and
Richard Edson, originally recorded for the laserdisc release. It's
insightful and funny and eccentric, just like you'd expect.
The other features are all from the
previous SD release.
The major extra on the disc is a whole
extra film, Jarmusch's first feature “Permanent Vacation” (1980).
Jarmusch shot “Vacation” while he was a student NYU, but didn't
graduate because his thesis assignment was to make a short, not a
feature. He appears to have done well despite the academic snafu.
“Permanent Vacation” is essentially a character study, or rather
a character observation, of Allie Parker, an aimless dreamer and
drifter who bears a striking resemblance to its lead actor, Chris
Parker, then a friend of Jarmusch’s. Allie has tuned in and dropped
out, with an emphasis on the dropped out part, and spends most of his
time wandering around the city, ever so vaguely searching for some
meaning in life, and also digging on Charlie Parker (no relation).
“Permanent Vacation” is not a masterpiece by any means, and has
all the soft edges and awkward spots of a debut film, but it’s
still mesmerizing in its own monotonous way. Tom DiCillo also filmed
this one.
Kino ’84: Jim Jarmusch” is a 1984
documentary (41 min.) shot by Martina Müller for German TV. The
documentary consists mostly of clips from Jarmusch’s first two
films, and interviews with him and the cast and crew members. I
enjoyed this one quite a bit. Jarmusch has always looked and sounded
the same. It's kind of creepy, actually.
“Some Days in January” (1984) is a
short (14 min.) silent Super-8 film shot by Tom Jarmusch, showing
some on-the-set footage of the cast and crew at work.
The insert booklet reprints the content
from the prior booklet. It features Jarmusch’s “Some Notes on
Stranger than Paradise,” released with the press kit for the film
in 1984. It influenced quite a few of the film’s initial reviews.
The booklet also includes essays on “Stranger” by Geoff Andrew
and J. Hoberman, and one on “Permanent Vacation” by Luc Sante.
Film Value:
Not everyone loved “Stranger than
Paradise” when it came out. One rather hostile French critic
observed that Jarmusch was 33 years old at the time, the same age
when Jesus was crucified, and wished fondly for the safe fate to
befall the filmmaker.
However, the film was a smash hit in
its New York engagement (though hardly anywhere else) and became a
critical darling in short order. Jarmusch’s career was launched,
and he found himself at Cannes with his next film, “Down By Law”
(1986). Jarmusch almost instantly became one of the defining figures
of American independent film, and still holds a similar revered
status 35 years later.
“Stranger Than Paradise” is
achingly funny, incisively bittersweet, and truly one of the great
American films of the past quarter century. This Blu-ray re-release
only adds one extra (the 1996 commentary) to the previous SD release,
but the high-def transfer is certainly a major selling point for
anyone considering a double dip.
