Jim Jarmusch Collector's Box Set 2 (1980) |
BUY IT |
“Jim is one of my favourite filmmakers of all time. He’s pure. That’s a rare beast in this town. He’s practically Christ like.”
Johnny Depp on Jarmusch in Rolling Stone Magazine (US) (June 2006)
This is the second of the excellent box sets dedicated to Jim Jarmusch. The box is elegantly presented and while the DVDs are limited in terms of extras the films are presented very well. A few titles are missing, so these box sets are not the complete works of Jarmusch, but they are excellent as they feature new editions of previously released R4 titles and are all linked by the Director’s Suite theme. This particular box set includes Permanent Vacation, Mystery Train and Dead Man.
A German R2 release includes all the works of Jarmusch excluding Broken Flowers (2005) but please be aware that some of the titles do not contain English subtitles:
Jim Jarmusch Collection (Arthaus) 9 DVD Set - PAL (Europe)
A Korean Release is also available:
Jim Jarmusch Collection - 7 DVD Set (Korean Version)
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Permanent Vacation (1980) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Drama | Main Menu Audio | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1980 | ||
Running Time | 71:56 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Jim Jarmusch |
Studio
Distributor |
Madman Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Jim Jarmusch Richard Boes Ruth Bolton Sara Driver María Duval Frankie Faison Jane Fire Suzanne Fletcher Leila Gastil Chris Hameon John Lurie Eric Mitchell Chris Parker |
Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music |
Jim Jarmusch John Lurie |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English Dolby Digital 1.0 (224Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | Unknown | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Jim Jarmusch's first feature film Permanent Vacation (1980) features all the hallmarks which the director would be renowned for later in his directorial and writing career. The film is the culmination of Jarmusch dropping out of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and using his tuition scholarship funds to finance a feature film which he wrote, produced and would direct featuring friends with no acting experience in lead roles. While at the prominent department of film studies at NYU Jarmusch met auteur Nicholas Ray (Jarmusch later became his teaching assistant), Wim Wenders and Tom DiCillio and honed his production skills as a production assistant and observer on Lightning Over Water (1980), Wenders' tribute to Ray. Combined with Jarmusch's extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for film history which was developed at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris and his brief stint as a musician in a post-punk new wave band called Del-Bzyanteens, Permanent Vacation exists somewhere between American and European sensibilities and is further incidental of the Jarmusch protagonist who is a foreigner in their own environment.
"It's a film I made based on the main actor, or partly on his life - this friend of mine, Chris Parker. We just abstracted - we took a lot of things that happened to me and happened to accumulate the scenes and made a story out of them. It's a very loose narrative about a kid who just sort of wanders around. He doesn't go to school. He's sixteen. He doesn't live at home. He doesn't have a job. He just drifts around the city and encounters other sort of marginal people." (Jim Jarmusch in The Underground Film Bulletin Number: 4 September 1985 pp 21-22)
Knowing the background of Jarmusch one can't help but see Permanent Vacation as displaying Jarmusch's sense of isolation in the wide land of America. Jarmusch grew up in the industrialised city of Akron in Ohio and found an escape through avant-garde poetry, American literature, Japanese Horror films, James Bond and the films of actor Robert Mitchum. Subsequently Permanent Vacation is centred on Allie (Chris Parker), an insomniac sixteen year-old who dreams while awake. Allie is a character who drifts through life, but despite his youth he has some avid passions - from jazz music to cinema and literature. Through Jarmusch's signature stationary camera we experience moments with Allie; reading a passage out of a book aloud to his girlfriend, listening to a saxophone player in the midst of the night on a street corner, visiting his mother in a psychiatric institution, returning to his childhood home which lies in ruins and stealing a car in broad daylight. For Jarmusch life has no plot and neither should fiction and through Allie we see a character who needs to escape his bleak and grim environment to find some sense of reality.
This is an interesting art film which is best suited to fans of Jarmusch. Permanent Vacation is best described as a series of moments with a character who lives within us all; Allie is the dreamer within us all who refuses to be confined to the superficiality of the mainstream and wants to be passionate about everything and everyone who surrounds them. Allie does make that journey in the hope of a better existence and like all of Jarmusch's later protagonists he will make his inner consciousness an external reality, enabling oneself to find truth and hope.
Permanent Vacation was shot on 16mm film and the 1.33:1 transfer is unfortunately riddled with defects. Objects on the film and heavy grain are existent throughout the feature and the colour is overly bright. The picture quality is relatively average in regards to sharpness but in respects to the low budget, independent picture which is over twenty years old, the transfer is adequate. It is also unfortunate that aliasing and comet trails occur in some scenes due to being filmed with analogue equipment. The transfer has been encoded at an average high bit rate of 7.69Mbps. There are no subtitles available.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The soundtrack is a major accompaniment to the visuals. It was originally recorded in mono and reproduced on this DVD as an English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono soundtrack. Many scenes are still and composer John Lurie and Jarmusch, who is also credited as helping with the music, create a tense atmosphere with sounds of war and repetitive music built on the sounds and rhythms of church bells which further demonstrates the character's mundane existence. Lurie also makes an improvisational cameo in the film as a saxophone player on a darkened street corner.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
Less is more on a Jarmusch DVD and the still menu is accompanied by Lurie's saxophone soundtrack. Both the menu and the cover art are well themed to the concerns of the feature film. There are 12 chapter selections.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Germany (R2): This title is only available as part of the "Jim Jarmusch Collection" consisting of 9 DVDs packed in slimcases in a cardboard slipcase. Besides "Permanent Vacation", the collection includes: "Stranger Than Paradise", "Down By Law", "Mystery Train", "Night on Earth", "Dead Man", "Year of the Horse", "Ghost Dog", and "Coffee and Cigarettes"
This is an interesting art film which is best suited to fans of Jarmusch. The picture and sound quality are relatively average and unfortunately the disc is bare-bones.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Denon DVD-1910, using DVI output |
Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |
Mystery Train (1989) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy |
Main Menu Introduction Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Happy Together Trailer- Duel at Ichijoji Temple |
|
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1989 | ||
Running Time | 105:41 (Case: 113) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Jim Jarmusch |
Studio
Distributor |
Madman Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Masatoshi Nagase Youki Kudoh Screamin' Jay Hawkins Cinqué Lee Rufus Thomas Jodie Markell William Hoch Pat Hoch Joshua Elvis Hoch Reginald Freeman Beverly Prye Nicoletta Braschi Elizabeth Bracco |
Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music | John Lurie |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
|
||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Mystery Train (1989) presents America through the eyes of three foreign characters and what they initially remark as a paradise turns into a place of ordinariness. Each character finds themselves in the run down Arcade hotel, with an unamused Night Clerk (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) and bored bellboy brilliantly played by Cinque Lee. The portmanteau film is made of three different narratives which all take place on the same night, in the same town, in the same hotel, are related by the Elvis Presley song "Blue Moon" and a gunshot.
"A Long Way From Yokohama",
The film opens with a train on its way to Memphis, Tennessee and two Japanese teenagers named Mitzuko (Youki Kudoh) and Jun (Masatoshi Nagaseare) who are infatuated with American retro culture. They wait impatiently to start their holy pilgrimage to the great land of America in search of Elvis, Graceland and the Sun recording studios. Mitzuko is fanatical about Elvis while Jun wants to immerse himself in Carl Perkins, an artist who he believes to be the true father of rock & roll. The couple have a romanticised vision of America but are faced with awkwardness and commerciality rather than the artistry they crave - to their surprise, they find their image of America is founded only on popular culture. As they spend the night in the Arcade Hotel, Jun is disheartened by the experience.
"The Ghost"
A young Italian widow named Luisa (Nicoletta Braschi) is escorting her husband's coffin back to Italy. She is forced to spend the night in Memphis after her plane is delayed. Tired and wanting to be left alone she is confronted by a seedy man in a diner (Tom Noonan) who tells her that the 'ghost' of Elvis haunts the people of Memphis. Luisa disregards the man and the story and finds herself at the run down Arcade hotel. She bumps into Dee Dee (Elizabeth Bracco), a chatty young woman who is unable to pay for a room. Luisa offers to share as she does not want to be alone and Dee Dee accepts. Dee Dee tells Luisa she has left her British husband named Elvis (the late Joe Strummer) and is unsure what she is going to do. Dee Dee eventually falls asleep and in the middle of the night Luisa sees and speaks to the ghost of Elvis Presley.
"Lost In Space"
Johnny aka Elvis (Strummer) has lost his job and his wife Dee Dee has left him. Intoxicated and feeling sorry for himself he begins to become a concern at the local bar. Johnny's friend Will Robinson (Rick Aviles) and brother-in-law Charlie (Steve Buscemi) try to take Johnny home but Johnny insists on going to a liquor store. In a moment of madness Johnny shoots the owner of the store with Charlie and Will looking on in horror. As the three are now wanted for murder they hide out at the motel and drink and talk about Elvis and the Lost in Space television show.
Mystery Train is the last in a loose trilogy by Jarmusch centred on America. The first was Stranger than Paradise (1984) and the second is Down by Law (1986). Mystery Train is a well made film. It is well paced and the script is very funny, but the beauty of the film is the duality between the actors and their onscreen characters. Jarmusch is a director noted for writing parts for specific actors and everyone is splendid and effortless in this film, particularly Strummer.
Mystery Train is an excellent film which is amusing, elegant and creates a sense of realism in what is a very strange environment.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
Less is more on a Jarmusch DVD and the still menu is accompanied by a soundtrack underscore.
Happy Together and Duel at Ichijoji Temple
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
An excellent film which is amusing, elegant and creates a sense of realism in what is a very strange environment. An excellent transfer, excellent colour detail and only minimal grain.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Denon DVD-1910, using DVI output |
Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |
Dead Man (Directors Suite) (1995) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Western |
Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Outtakes-And Deleted Scenes Music Video-Neil Young - 'Dead Man Theme' Theatrical Trailer Trailer-The Stroll, The Eel |
|
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1995 | ||
Running Time | 116:34 (Case: 115) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Jim Jarmusch |
Studio
Distributor |
Pandora Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Johnny Depp Gary Farmer Robert Mitchum Lance Henriksen Michael Wincott Iggy Pop Billy Bob Thornton Jared Harris Crispin Glover Gabriel Byrne John Hurt Alfred Molina Mili Avital |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music | Neil Young |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
|
||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
"It is preferable not to travel with a dead man" - Henri Michaux
The films of Jim Jarmusch are generally multi-layered reflections of differing aspects of humanity. His films have a subtle and gentle humour that seem to ride well with his philosophical tales and poetic visions. The deliberate pacing and ambiguity of his films are generally not embraced by mainstream audiences, but are devoured by lovers of arthouse cinema.
The fact that Jarmusch had ventured into the western genre surprised many in 1995, with the release of Dead Man, although upon viewing the film, you realise quickly that Dead Man is much more than a simple stereotypical western. This tragic tale of a young man's decent into personal oblivion is rich in black humour, visually stunning and is highly intelligent filmmaking.
Renowned cinematographer Robby Müller again uses black and white to perfection. The surreal and haunting atmosphere he creates with the camera in Dead Man is every bit as alluring as his black and white cinematography in a previous Jarmusch film, Down By Law.
William Blake (Johnny Depp) is the prominent figure on a train bound for the end of the line, the town of Machine. Dressed impeccably in a smart suit and carrying a stylish briefcase, he is definitely the odd man out on this train. In a series of clever fade outs, Jarmusch introduces a myriad of bizarre and contrasting characters to the audience, while the landscape outside the train becomes increasingly barren. This important scene is played out without any dialogue, until the train's fireman (Crispin Glover) offers William a cryptic prophecy.
William arrives in Machine to take up an accounting position with Dickinson's Metal Works. However, he is informed by manager John Scholfield (John Hurt) that he is one month late and the position has been taken by one Mr Olafsen (John North). William demands to see Mr Dickinson (Robert Mitchum), the owner of the company, in an effort to sort out the misunderstanding. To the great amusement of the office staff, William is forced from the office at gun point by Mr Dickinson.
Down on his luck, William hits the saloon and subsequently meets Thel (Mili Avital) who makes and sells paper roses. William is invited to Thel's room, where her ex-lover Charlie Dickinson (Gabriel Byrne ) interrupts their romantic interlude. A violent exchange of gunfire ends with Charlie and Thel dead and William badly wounded. The mild mannered accountant from Cleveland is now a wanted man.
Furious at the death of his son, John Dickinson hires three notorious killers, Cole Wilson (Lance Henriksen), Conway Twill (Michael Wincott) and Johnny "The Kid" Pickett (Eugene Byrd) to track down William Blake and present him to Dickinson, dead or alive.
William wakes from his unconscious state to find a large Indian sitting over him, trying to remove the bullet lodged in William's chest. The Indian introduces himself as Nobody (Gary Farmer) and the two quickly establish a trusting relationship. Nobody is convinced that William is actually the spirit of the dead poet William Blake, and believes he must help deliver him back to the spirit world.
Wanted posters begin appearing across the countryside and bounty hunters join the hunt for William. Apart from this, he also faces danger from three deranged possum hunters, played with great vitality by Iggy Pop, Billy Bob Thornton and Jared Harris.
The transformation from meek accountant to hunted outlaw is emphasized by the weight of the wounds William carries, both physically and spiritually. His world becomes increasingly distant and he becomes ever more reliant on his Indian companion. The obscure prophecy of the train's fireman becomes clear as William's fate is realized.
Appreciatively, the video transfer of Dead Man does the film great justice.
The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and features 16x9 enhancement.
Thankfully, the transfer exhibits excellent levels of sharpness and clarity and should please fans of the film. The film occasionally displays some minor film grain, which is inherent in the source material. This grain is in no way problematic and actually complements the mood of Müller's black and white cinematography. Blacks were clean and displayed no low level noise. Shadows were also generally excellent and displayed considerable detail.
As previously mentioned, Dead Man was filmed in glorious black and white, so there is no colour to comment on.
There were no MPEG artefacts in this transfer. I noticed some very minor aliasing in a couple of scenes and some insignificant edge enhancement. Other than these very minor instances, film-to-video artefacts were very well controlled. Film artefacts were not an issue with this transfer.
Unfortunately, there are no subtitles on this DVD.
This is a single sided, dual layered disc. The layer change occurs at 87:56 during a fade to black, between scenes. While the change is not particularly disruptive, there was a noticeable pause in the music score.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The audio transfer is surprisingly good.
There is only one audio track on this DVD: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) surround encoded.
I found that I needed to increase the volume above my normal listening level to hear the audio at a comfortable level. However, once this level was established, dialogue quality was excellent. I had no problems with clarity or comprehension throughout the film. Audio sync presented no problems and appeared to be spot on.
The music score by rock legend Neil Young is a superb accompaniment to the film. Gentle acoustic and electric guitar melodies are combined with aggressive distortion to create a truly unique and interesting music score. Although it may not appeal to all tastes, I believe Young's score is a huge asset to the surreal nature of Dead Man. Many people who initially find the score too bold and aggressive find that they have warmed to it by the film's conclusion.
The use of Pro-Logic surprises the viewer with some wonderfully subtle ambient sound through the rear speakers. This, combined with the spread of the music score over all channels, produced a pleasant listening experience.
The subwoofer kicked in to highlight bass elements of the score and the occasional rare effect. The low industrial hum of the Steelworks early in the film and a lightning crash brought the subwoofer to life, but generally its usage was quite minimal.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The selection of extras on this DVD is quite disappointing, offering no more than previous versions of the film.
The menu design is brilliant. In keeping with the mood of the film, all menus are in black and white and feature subtle animation. Each menu also features 16x9 enhancement and a generous looped sample of Neil Young's score. Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) surround encoded audio.
This is a collection of seven scenes that didn't make the final cut of the film. Presented in a letterboxed 1.85:1 ratio, these non-descript scenes play consecutively for a overall running time of 14:40. Some explanation as to why this footage was not included in the final edit would have been interesting. Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) audio.
Presented in the same aspect ratio as the deleted scenes. This music video features Neil Young playing guitar (mostly with his back to camera) with a selection of grabs from the film, which have been integrated into the video. If you're a first time viewer of Dead Man, it's worth seeing the film before you view this music video. The incorporated footage from the film could certainly be classed as spoilers. Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) audio.
Dead Man (2:29) Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) audio.
The Stroll (2:27) The Eel (1:11)
There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
I will compare this all region version with an R1 version released by Miramax Home Entertainment in December 2000. That R1 version is quite close to this Australian all region version, with a couple of differences.
The R1 version features the same extras as the all region version, except of course for the Madman propaganda. It is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, which is anamorphic widescreen. The R1 version also benefits from the inclusion of English and French subtitles, which are missing from this all region version. The audio tracks are the same, Dolby Digital 2.0, which are surround encoded.
Unless the inclusion of subtitles is an issue, I'd stick with this local all region version.
Dead Man is one of the standout films in the increasing filmography of Jim Jarmusch. The surreal atmosphere is greatly enhanced by the superb black and white cinematography of Robby Müller and the music of Neil Young. The performances from the entire cast, including those in smaller cameo roles, are outstanding.
The video transfer is excellent and appears to be considerably better than the previous local DVD release.
The audio transfer is also excellent in general terms.
Unfortunately, the selection of extras on this DVD is quite basic.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | JVC XV-N412, using Component output |
Display | Hitachi 106cm Plasma Display 42PD5000MA (1024x1024). This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080i. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
Amplification | Panasonic SA-HE70 80W Dolby Digital and DTS |
Speakers | Fronts: Jensen SPX7 Rears: Jensen SPX4 Centre: Jensen SPX13 Subwoofer: Jensen SPX17 |