Arizona Dream (1992)

An Innuit hunter races his sled home with a fresh-caught halibut. This fish pervades the entire film, in real and imaginary form. Meanwhile, Axel tags fish in New York as a naturalist's ... See full summary »

Director:

Emir Kusturica

Writers:

David Atkins (story), Emir Kusturica (story),

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, Faye Dunaway

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Axel Blackmar
Jerry Lewis	...	Leo Sweetie
Faye Dunaway	...	Elaine Stalker
Lili Taylor	...	Grace Stalker
Vincent Gallo	...	Paul Leger
Paulina Porizkova	...	Millie
Michael J. Pollard	...	Fabian
Candyce Mason	...	Blanche
Alexia Rane	...	Angie
Polly Noonan	...	Betty
Ann Schulman	...	Carla
James R. Wilson	...	Lawyer
Erik Polczwartek	...	Man with Door
Kim Keo	...	Mechanical Doll
Patricia O'Grady	...	MC / Announcer

Storyline

An Innuit hunter races his sled home with a fresh-caught halibut. This fish pervades the entire film, in real and imaginary form. Meanwhile, Axel tags fish in New York as a naturalist's gofer. He's happy there, but a messenger arrives to bring him to Arizona for his uncle's wedding. It's a ruse to get Axel into the family business. In Arizona, Axel meets two odd women: vivacious, needy, and plagued by neuroses and familial discord. He gets romantically involved with one, while the other, rich but depressed, plays accordion tunes to a gaggle of pet turtles.

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Plot Keywords:

turtle | halibut | accordion | broom | flying fish | 

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Taglines:

A rebellious young man. With his own vision of the future. And his own fantasy of love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Arrowtooth Waltz

Filming Locations:

Douglas, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$106,658 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Constellation, Hachette Première

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min 119 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby LC-Concept Digital Sound Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first cut of the film was about 4 hours long. Emir Kusturica gave Johnny Depp a copy of the version.

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Quotes

Axel Blackmar: If you believe in your dreams, you could be sure that any force, a tornado, a volcano or a typhoon, wouldn't be able to knock you out of love; because love exists on its own.

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Connections

References The Sheltering Sky (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Atotonilco"
Performed by Juan José Espinoza

User Reviews

All Time Favorite

Saw this almost by accident at the age of 16 (it was the only thing on at the small town movie theater I was at, and hell, it had Johnny Depp in it, so why not?), and fell in love with the story, the acting and the directing.

Opened up a whole new world to me, one where movies weren't just "Hollywood spectaculars" or "romantic comedies", and I promise, if nothing else, it'll give you something to think about, and something to discuss. I'm sure its not for everyone, but what movie is?

If you can't feel for at least one of the characters in this movie, you're dead. Seriously. The characters may seem offbeat, but each presents something to the story, an element which is more true to real life than first appears.