Night on Earth (The Criterion Collection)
by Jim Jarmusch
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alan Randolph Scott, Anthony Portillo, Gena Rowlands, Lisanne Falk, Winona RyderDirector: Jim Jarmusch
Brand: Image Entertainment
Producer: Jim Jarmusch
Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Producer: Demetra J. MacBride
Producer: Jim Stark
Producer: Masahiro Inbe
Producer: Noboru Takayama
Producer: Rudd Simmons
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); Finnish (Original Language); French (Original Language); German (Original Language); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Criterion Collection
Movie Reviews of Night on Earth (The Criterion Collection)
Movie Review: Strangers in the night -- a Jim Jarmusch classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Jim Jarmusch's affinity for the humanity in those who might otherwise seem abrasive or distant is fully evident in this touching and lovely film, finally out in a version that does it justice. The film looks very good and sounds great in its new Criterion edition, that includes some nice extras on a single disc: Jim Jarmusch is always fascinating -- just to watch and even better to hear what he is saying -- and answers questions about the film and about his filmmaking in a few of the extras here, there is also a nice booklet of essays and reminiscences. Jim Jarmusch has often been said to have a more European than American sensibility as a filmmaker -- and this film shows how he could win that reputation -- but at the same time, I think of this film and all of his films as distinctively American, but as having an eye for some of the diversity of American culture. His approach to making films seems to be akin to that of a musician who accumulates a wide range of influences from around the world and distills them into something fresh and spontaneous and mellow. One of the things I like most about his films is that whatever happens the mood stays mellow, like Jazz, like the Blues, like the Tom Waits crooning that tends to accompany his films -- the characters can get upset, things can get out of control but you can watch patiently with a half smile because the camera is in control, everything is cool, relax man and just watch the picture.
If you've never seen a Jarmusch film this wouldn't be a bad place to start -- I know some people find the austerity of Stranger than Paradise (one of my favorite films of all time) and Down by Law a bit offputting. It would be hard not to be charmed and intrigued by the five stories in this film: five encounters in a taxicab, all taking place at the same time, but in different parts of the world (LA, NYC, Paris, Rome, Helsinki). The films are all fairly closely connected in general theme: a cab driver and passenger who on the surface couldn't be more different but turn out to be very similar in ways that aren't always apparent to themselves but are to the audience (the exception is the Roberto Benigni film set in Rome, which is funny to the point of pain, but seems a bit out of place here). Still, the approach of each film is fairly distinct and suggestive of the different sensibilities of each place. Jarmusch has a keen eye for details in each location, and is able to capture each city in ways that are a bit askew from how they tend to be represented in film (except perhaps for Helsinki, where the sensibility and style of the film seems to have a great deal of affinity for Finland's most famous director, Aki Kaurismaki, who I know Jarmusch admires and who also admires Jarmusch). The performances are excellent and distinctive -- Beatrice Dalle stands out in her stunning performance as a blind woman, and the film features one of my favorite performances by Winona Ryder as a young but tough cabbie. Each of the segments would work well on its own, and stand with the very best short films, but it adds up to something more. This is definitely not one to miss for anyone who loves film.
Summary of Night on Earth (The Criterion Collection)
Five cities. Five taxicabs. A multitude of strangers in the night. Jim Jarmusch assembled an extraordinary international cast of actors (including Gena Rowlands, Winona Ryder, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Béatrice Dalle, and Roberto Benigni) for this hilarious quintet of tales of urban displacement and existential angst, spanning time zones, continents, and languages. Jarmusch?s lovingly askew view of humanity from the passenger seat makes for one his most charming and beloved films.Jim Jarmusch's 1991 ensemble comedy turns a gimmick into a revelation. The story begins in Los Angeles one evening at 7:07 p.m. A talent agent (Gena Rowlands) gets into the back of a taxi driven by a sullen, chain-smoking young woman (Winona Ryder), and over the course of their bumpy conversation, Rowlands's character becomes convinced that the cabby would be perfect for a particular part in a movie. Meanwhile, at that very moment, taxi drivers in New York, Paris, Rome, and Helsinki are all having unique encounters with a variety of fares, breaking through that invisible social barrier between the front and back seats of their cars, often to absurd or touching effect. Among them are cabby Roberto Benigni's ranting confessions to a priest, Armin Mueller-Stahl's relinquishing of the wheel to a stunned Giancarlo Esposito, and Isaach De Bankolé's relentless discussion of sight and sex with an angry, blind woman (Beatrice Dalle). What emerges is a chain of brief intimacies (not always welcomed by the characters), like a number of matches lit simultaneously across the globe, flickering brightly for a few short moments. This popular work by Jarmusch helped confirm his reputation as a fiercely independent filmmaker of rare perception, rigor, and classical sensibility matched with original thinking. --Tom Keogh
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