Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

9 November 1984 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

This is about a self-styled New York hipster who is paid a surprise and quite unwelcome visit by his pretty sixteen-year-old Hungarian cousin...

Plot Keywords:

Slacker | Hungarian | Florida | New York City | Language Barrier

Awards:

7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

John Lurie	...	Willie
Eszter Balint	...	Eva
Richard Edson	...	Eddie
Cecillia Stark	...	Aunt Lotte
Danny Rosen	...	Billy
Rammellzee	...	Man With Money
Tom DiCillo	...	Airline Agent
Richard Boes	...	Factory Worker
Rockets Redglare	...	Poker player
Harvey Perr	...	Poker player
Brian J. Burchill	...	Poker player
Sara Driver	...	Girl with Hat
Paul Sloane	...	Motel Owner

Directed by
Jim Jarmusch

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jim Jarmusch		written by

Produced by
Sara Driver	....	producer
Otto Grokenberger	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Lurie

Cinematography by
Tom DiCillo

Film Editing by
Jim Jarmusch
Melody London

Production Design by
Matt Buchwald
Guido Chiesa
Sam Edwards
Tom Jarmusch
Una McClure
Louis Tancredi
Stephen Torton

Production Management
Sara Driver	....	production manager

Sound Department
John Auerbach	....	sound editor
Jack Cooley	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ollie Cotton	....	sound recording engineer
Greg Curry	....	sound
Drew Kunin	....	production sound mixer
Melody London	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Gibson	....	assistant camera
James Hayman	....	assistant camera
Frank Prinzi	....	gaffer
Frank Prinzi	....	grip
Li-Shin Yu	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Tim Brennan	....	negative matcher
John Dowdell	....	hd colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Jill Jaffe	....	musician: viola (The Paradise Quartet ) (as Jill B. Jaffe)
Eugene J. Moye	....	musician: cello (The Paradise Quartet ) (as Eugene Moye)
Mary Rowell	....	musician: violin (The Paradise Quartet ) (as Mary L. Rowell)
Kay Stern	....	musician: violin (The Paradise Quartet )

Other crew
Sam Edwards	....	production assistant
Suzanne Fletcher	....	title designer

Thanks
Paul Bartel	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Cinesthesia Productions
• Grokenberger Film Produktion
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Distributors

• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1984) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Forum Distribution (1985) (France) (all media)
• CBS/Fox (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (all media)
• King Record Co. (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Elipse Filmes (1984) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (UK)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cynosure Films  title shoot
• Paradise Quartet  music performed by (as The Paradise Quartet)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English | Hungarian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Company:

Cinesthesia Productions

Trivia:

The whole film is sequence shots with live sound - editing consisted simply of putting them end to end.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the last cut, shot inside the vehicle on the way to Cleveland, camera on Willie, the vehicle they are riding in is no longer the 1965 Dodge Coronet, but a Ford Econoline van.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Willie:Yeah.
Aunt Lotte:[speaks indistinctly in Hungarian]
Willie:Oh, hello, Aunt Lotte.
Aunt Lotte:[replies indistinctly in Hungarian throughout conversation]
Willie:Don't speak to me in Hungarian, please. No, I haven't heard from him, not for ten years. Yeah, I got your letter. Speak English, please! Yeah, my little cousin Eva. Yeah, I know, she's come - coming here and she's gonna stay overnight, when's she coming...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Soundtrack:

I Put a Spell on You

I'm choking the alligator.

Odd and inspiring. This film rings true with rich detail in its depictions of utter loneliness. Smoking many Chesterfields, watching television, playing solitaire, visiting Aunt Lottie, sightseeing at Lake Erie (for God's sake). It alters from tragic to comic from almost moment to moment, and often has a foot in both pools.

Jarmusch is minimalist to the core with this one, and yet manages to pull off a solid story. A small black and white gem that deserves a larger audience.