Jim Jarmusch Overview

Jim Jarmusch could be called the father of American Independent Film -- if it didn't seem uncouth to bestow such a grandiose title on a man still so relatively young, and to declare the paternity of such a squirming and bastard... [more]

Jim Jarmusch could be called the father of American Independent Film -- if it didn't seem uncouth to bestow such a grandiose title on a man still so relatively young, and to declare the paternity of such a squirming and bastard art form. Jarmusch moved to New York from his hometown of Akron, Ohio, to attend Columbia University and later the NYU Film School. His second film effort, "Stranger Than Paradise" (1984), marked a turning point in American independent cinema. It won Jarmusch the Camera d'Or prize for best new director at the Cannes Film Festival and broke through the glass ceiling that had come to exist over nonstudio American film, which at the time received little recognition or funding. (The only notable independent movies being made were those of bankable directors like Woody Allen). An offbeat comedy that plays with American motifs like the immigrant and the "On the Road" automobile trip, the film presents the American landscape from a new perspective. Jarmusch continued his exploration of America's byways and backwaters with "Down By Law," set in Louisiana, and "Mystery Train," filmed in Memphis, Tennessee. His films are noted for their dry, absurd wit and amazing soundtracks. Their success opened up new opportunities for a whole generation of indie filmmakers: small-scale productions like "Clerks," "Slacker," and "El Mariachi" have followed Jarmusch's lead. His film, "Dead Man," revisits the Western, the classic locus of American identity, innovatively rewriting the story of boom and bust with Johnny Depp as the innocent stranger who comes to town. [show less]