Ghost Dog is, to me, his masterwork.
“I scream, you scream, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM”
Best new American director.
“ghost dog” is probably very underrated in his body of work. there’s so much under the surface in it.
i still havent fully gotten into “down by law”. i dont have it ranked very high in his catalogue.
I like Jim Jarmusch. My friend and I first saw Ghost Dog and we were mesmerized for months. I checked out his back catalouge and was never dissapointed. His odd tone, pacing, and speech work with his bleak mise-en-scene creating a mystical experience. I find influences from existentalism and Samuel Beckett. Am I the only one that thinks Down by Law was a take on Renoir’s Grand Illusion- The second part.
Jarmusch said Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.”
I thought this was appropriate in response to the statement that Tarantino borrows.
brilliant. i forgot about that jarmusch quote. its so true. what’s left thats original in a postmodern world anyway?
Jarmusch is one of my favorite directors. I think he is arguably the most international of all working American directors.
Jarmusch lost me a bit with Ghost Dog and Broken Flowers.
Dead Man is not one bit less great a film than There Will Be Blood, I think.
“dead man” is a flat-out masterpiece. my favorite jarmusch.
look again at “ghost dog”. i also think its a masterwork. its a very subtle film masquerading as an in-your-face film. but like the best of jarmusch’s films, it will sneak up on you and start revealing its layers of meaning with time. but its a very, very, strong film.
Bobby Wise
the “borrowing” argument against tarantino is getting old. borrowing has nothing to do with whether his films are good or not. godard or fuller or depalma aren’t making his films for him. his works stand on their own feet, or hang by their own tail. besides, since when was tarantino the only filmmaker to make extensive use of quotations in his films.
there’s a quote i love, and i think cocteau said it, if i’m not mistaken. something to the effect of, there’s no such thing as a complete remake. there will always be new, original elements added, from the director’s own point of view. and it is through these elements that we can judge the artists work on.