Stranger Than Paradise

This is just the sort of funky pick-me-up libraries can use to expand their collections beyond standard Hollywood fare. Shot in black-and-white for $120,000, Stranger Than Paradise is an ingratiatingly quirky comedy about three lost and stagnant souls in America, where no matter where you go, "everything looks just the same." Virtually indescribable, this is what "The Honeymooners" might have been like if written by Samuel Beckett. The new wave Kramden and Norton are Willie (John Lurie) and his slow-witted friend Eddie (Richard Edson), whose squalid existence on New York's Lower East Side seems limited to hanging out and gambling on cards or the horses. Into their lives comes the sullen and deadpan Eva (Eszter Balint), Willie's teenage cousin, recently arrived from Budapest and Cleveland-bound. There are some hilarious scenes and haunting images of desolation, including Eva's introduction to the TV dinner and Willie and Eddie, as tourists, gazing for the first time at a frozen Lake Erie. Director Jim Jarmusch shoots each scene in one, unbroken take, separated by blackouts. Nothing much happens, really, but in the words of the Screaming Jay Hawkins song that Eva carries with her on tape, this offbeat gem will "put a spell on you". Not for all tastes, this winner of the Camera d' Or at Cannes and Best Picture award from the National Society of Film Critics is highly recommended for the adventurous. (D. Liebenson) [DVD Review—Sept. 18, 2007—Criterion, 2 discs, 89 min., R, $39.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1984's Stranger Than Paradise boasts an excellent transfer and Dolby Digital mono sound. DVD extras on this two-disc set include 1980's Permanent Vacation (75 min.), which was writer-director Jim Jarmusch's first full-length feature; a 'Kino '84: Jim Jarmusch' German television program featuring interviews with Jarmusch, as well as various cast and crew from Stranger Than Paradise and Permanent Vacation (42 min.); the behind-the-scenes Super 8 film 'Some Days in January 1984' by the filmmaker's brother Tom Jarmusch; location scouting photos; and a booklet featuring Jarmusch's 1984 'Some Notes on Stranger than Paradise,' Geoff Andrew and J. Hoberman writing about Stranger than Paradise, and Luc Sante on Permanent Vacation. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for an indie classic.] [Blu-ray Review—Apr. 9, 2019—Criterion, 89 min., R, Blu-ray: $39.99—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1984’s Stranger Than Paradise sports a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Extras new to this release include audio commentary from 1996 featuring writer-director Jim Jarmusch and star Richard Edson. Extras from the previous release include Jarmusch’s 1980 feature debut Permanent Vacation (75 min.), a Kino ‘84: Jim Jarmusch German TV program featuring interviews with Jarmusch and cast and crew (42 min.), the behind-the-scenes Super 8 film 'Some Days in January 1984' by the filmmaker’s brother Tom Jarmusch (14 min.), location scouting photos, and a booklet featuring Jarmusch’s 1984 'Some Notes on Stranger than Paradise,' critics Geoff Andrew and J. Hoberman on Stranger Than Paradise, and author and critic Luc Sante on Permanent Vacation. Bottom line: an excellent edition of a landmark indie film.]