Stranger than paradise film analysis

Lounge lizard musician john lurie stars as willie, a disenchanted new yorker who, along with his best friend eddie richard edson and cousin eva. To get the film to 90 minutes from its original 30, jarmusch added two additional halfhour segments, allowing the film to play as three different episodes, each marked by a title card on screen. It first begins as a 10 minute silent film to be made with forty minutes of raw footage from wim wenders the state of things 1982 but eventually grows to a 30 minute short film. And while stranger than paradise may be a comedy, an experiment in cinematic storytelling, and a deeply ironic fable, its also a film about america and the people who live there. Jim jarmuschs stranger than paradise is an odd, lowkey comedy about trio of misfitsan everyday guy, his hungarian female cousin, and his geeky best friendwho decide to take a road trip. I first sawstranger than paradise 1984 on a vhs cassette around 1994 as a university studentnot an officially released videotape but a blank cassette that had recorded the film from a television airing. Secondly, jarmuschs initial effort with stranger than paradise catches the attention of the german tv producer, otto. If you come in expecting plot twists, action sequences or crazy revelations, youll be left feeling much like the characters in the film. For all his cinephilia, theyre inspired notlike so much recent american cinemaby other movies, but by life. And beyond origin, stranger than paradise may still very well be his most important work. A bit of film analysis what does the film discuss and how. It is also a persistently funny film that owes as much to the. Stranger than paradise, a story of selfdiscovery for the slacker generation, is one of the most original, wonderfully oddball, independent american films and extremely entertaining to watch.

Jim jarmusch talks about broken flowers film the guardian. It somehow simultaneously radiates warmth, and makes me feel cold. Jim jarmuschs second movie stranger than paradise 1984 is often seen as a deadpan comedy or wry humor mainly because all the characters do not talk much. Cranky new york loner willie john lurie finds himself having. In jarmuschs 1984 breakthrough stranger than paradise, the color has drained away, the action rarely breaks from a. Taking inspiration from 1960s underground filmmaking, international art cinema, genre cinema, and punk culture, jarmuschs film provides a bridge between. Jim jarmuschs breakthrough film stranger than paradise famously described by its director as. Stranger than paradise is by definition a listless film. Stranger than paradise is a film that originates from two different financial situations. Willie john lurie is a smalltime gambler whose distant cousin eva eszter balint is moving to america from eastern europe and informs him that shell need to. Stranger than paradise is a 1984 american blackandwhite absurdistdeadpan comedy film. A striking debut for director jim jarmusch, stranger than paradise is an effortlessly cool exploration of finding meaning in the mundane.

Its about those peoples relationships to one another, and their relationships to the rooms they inhabit, the city streets, the suburbs, diners and highways. He also happens to be an immigrant from hungary whose real first name is bela. Stranger than paradise 1984 directed by jim jarmusch. The producer, jarmusch maneuvers from comedy to tragedy in. Would movie goers recommend stranger than paradise to friends. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by movie quotes. This is not a gimmick, but a visual equivalent of the film s deadpan characters, who take a lot to get excited. One of the most deadpan comedies ever committed to film, stranger than paradise suggests a buster keaton film written by samuel beckett and jack kerouac and directed by andy warhol. The producer, jarmusch maneuvers from comedy to tragedy in single shots that make up 70 scenes. Stranger than paradise will be shown at the new york film festival at alice tully hall tonight at 9 oclock and tomorrow at 4.

Stranger than paradise is filmed in a series of uninterrupted shots. Plot development, point of viewnarrative, mood,tone, setting significant lines and theme in the film, stranger than fiction, the plot develops from the introduction of harolds life and mannerisms, to the struggle harold has will his life being narrated by an author, to finally. I need to think about this more to figure out what exactly that is, but im pretty sure this is a masterpiece. Jim jarmuschs landmark 1984 film, stranger than paradise, arrives in a new edition from criterion collection. Rent stranger than paradise 1984 starring eszter balint and john lurie on dvd and bluray. Dramacool will always be the first to have the episode so please bookmark and add us on facebook for update enjoy. Stranger than paradise letterboxd your life in film. Stranger than paradise also presents us with the subtle evolution of eva and willies relationship, and this evolution is complimented with the spaces that surround them. Stranger than paradise, the delightful deadbeat breakout film by writerdirector jim jarmusch with its whackcharacter studies, unactorly acting, absurdist deadpan humor, and minimalist style brilliantly captured the mood of its time. Willie john lurie is a smalltime gambler whose distant cousin eva eszter balint is moving to america from eastern europe and informs him that shell need to stay with him for ten days. This is a study of the outsider directors who have come to dominate. From initial hostility and indifference a small degree of affection. Among the movies that count as significant milestones in the progress of the american cinema within the last quarters of the twentieth century is stranger than paradise. Stranger than paradise is a film that juxtaposes itself.

In 2002, stranger than paradise was selected for inclusion in the library of congress national film. Stranger than paradise quotes, movie quotes movie quotes. Jarmuschs goal was to make a simple but innovative film. Every now and then on the criticwire network an older film gets singled out for attention. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Movie posters 1984 s stranger than paradise stranger than paradise 1984 willie john lurie isnt exactly thrilled when eva eszter balint, his cousin from hungary, comes to stay with. Performed by screamin jay hawkins courtesy of cbs records see more. Stranger than fiction analysis by lauren hebert on prezi. The following stranger than paradise episode 1 english sub has been released. With this breakout film, jim jarmusch established himself as one of the most exciting voices in the burgeoning independentfilm scene, a roadmovie poet with an affinity for americana at its most offbeat.

Tom waits and john lurie helped jim jarmusch perfect his cool. Stranger than paradise, which put filmmaker jim jarmusch on the map in the small but superlative crop of independent filmmakers of the eighties he was the first, then came the coen brothers, then spike lee, and then culminating in the 90s with the new wave of independent filmmakers. The film school did not like the film, nor did they like the fact that i hadnt paid tuition and used the money for the film and i didnt get a degree, but later they started using my name in ads. The wistful poetry of jim jarmuschs stranger than paradise richard edson, eszter balint, and john lurie in the 1984 movie stranger than paradise. A lowbudget breakout film that wowed critics and audiences on its initial release, stranger than paradise would prove to be a seminal film in the new american independent cinema movement and establish its director, jim jarmusch, as a hip, cult auteur. In 1984 jim jarmusch tried to create the essential road movie and although he didnt manage that. A selfstyled new york hipster is paid a surprise visit by his younger cousin from budapest. The following stranger than paradise episode 3 english sub has been released. Sample movie analysis on stranger than paradise essay. Stranger than paradise the following article was written as an assignment for the introduction to film and video analysis class. The film s settings include willies apartment a very small, personal space, their aunts home a larger space, but one that is less personal to the characters and later a motel room one that is foreign and temporary for both characters.

Stranger than paradise is a 1984 film directed by jim jarmusch. This is a project for a university course on conceptual studies and film criticism. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing stranger than paradise near you. Willie john lurie is an aimless young man living in a dingy new york apartment. Stranger than paradise is a 1984 american blackandwhite absurdistdeadpan comedy film, written, directed, and coedited by jim jarmusch and starring jazz musician john lurie, former sonic youth drummerturnedactor richard edson, and hungarianborn actress and violinist eszter balint. This video is not intended, nor will it be used for commercial purposes. The transmission of feature films on television and the recordable vhs cassette are two ways of accessing films that are important within studies of cult film. Stranger than paradise 1984 the criterion collection.

Stranger than paradise, a trio on the road the new. Rent stranger than paradise 1984 on dvd and bluray. And while stranger than paradise may be a comedy, an experiment in. The film features a minimalist plot in which the main character, willie, has a cousin from hungary named eva. Stranger than paradise began as a 5minute short, which was then expanded into a 30minute film.