Down By Law [2 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Jim Jarmusch follows his groundbreaking Stranger Than Paradise with another rambling, character-driven film with a twisted sense of humor. Set in a seedy New Orleans summer, Down By Law details the meeting of three unlikely convicts and their just as unlikely escape. Zack (Tom Waits) is an out-of-work DJ who is accused of murder when a body is found in the trunk of a stolen car he was hired to drive across town. Jack (John Lurie) is a pimp set up for a fall by a competitor. These two sullen souls are locked in a cell with Roberto (Roberto Benigni), a cheerful Italian immigrant who happens to have killed a man. The chemistry between the members of this loosely bound "team" is fascinating: Zack and Jack are forever laughing at Roberto, yet they rely on his energy and good will to escape their dire situation. The three mismatched miscreants eventually bust out of jail and head into the Louisiana bayous. Tired and hungry, they separate to search for food: Waits goes one way, Lurie another, and the frightened Benigni decides to risk stepping into a ramshackle diner. Somehow or other, he winds up in the arms of gorgeous Italian girl Nicoletta Braschi -- and is even able to provide new clothes and escape routes for his astonished comrades! ~ John Voorhees, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 2
• Subtitle: Fra
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • cc
  • New high-definition digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions
  • Thoughts & reflections by Jim Jarmusch
  • 2002 video interview with director of photography Robby Muller
  • 1986 Cannes Film Festival press conference with Jarmusch & stars John Lurie, Roberto Benigni & Nicoletta Braschi
  • 1986 John Lurie interview with commentary
  • Outtakes
  • Music video of Tom Waits singing Cole Porter's "It's All Right With Me," directed by Jarmusch
  • Q&A with Jarmusch
  • Jarmusch's phone calls with Waits, Benigni & Lurie
  • Isolated music track
  • Production Polaroids
  • Location stills
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • Optional French dub track, featuring Roberto Benigni
  • Optional French subtitles
  • English subtitles for the deaf & hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

AWARDS

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1986 (Roberto Benigni)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1986 (Robby Müller)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1986 (Jim Jarmusch)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1986

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Tom Waits - Zack
       John Lurie - Jack
       Roberto Benigni - Roberto
       Nicoletta Braschi - Nicoletta
       Ellen Barkin - Laurette
       Adam Cohen - Uniformed Cop

• Director:

  Jim Jarmusch

• Producer:

  Alan Kleinberg

• Screenwriter:

  Jim Jarmusch

• Cinematographer:

  Robby Müller

• Composer (Music Score):

  John Lurie

• Songwriter:

  Naomi Neville, Tom Waits

• Editor:

  Melody London

• Co-producer:

  Jim Stark

• Executive Producer:

  Cary Brokaw, Russell Schwartz

• Costume Designer:

  Carol Wood

• Makeup:

  Donita Miller

• First Assistant Director:

  Claire Denis

• Production Manager:

  Rudd Simmons

REVIEW:

• Though not as critically successful as his debut, Stranger Than Paradise, director Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law is a worthy follow-up in a similar vein. It features the same deliberate rhythm, off-beat characters, deadpan humor, and emphasis on photography (by the famed German cinematographer Robby Muller). Willfully original and intensely independent, the typical Jarmusch film isn't a product that mainstream audiences are likely to enjoy. He combines his enigmatic characters with the esoteric pacing and sensibility of his peer, Wim Wenders. Down By Law is slightly more accessible than Wenders' films, however, due to the slapstick presence of Roberto Benigni. Benigni's staccato voice and mincing of English cliches are very funny, though Jarmusch occassionally lets him run on too long. Luckily, the director keeps the rest of the film generally obtuse, uncertain and interesting. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi