Dead Man (1995)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

10 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Western

Tagline:

No one can survive becoming a legend.

Plot:

On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Indian named "Nobody" who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.

Plot Keywords:

Accountant | Factory | Train | Letter | Wilderness

Awards:

4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	William Blake
Gary Farmer	...	Nobody
Crispin Glover	...	Train Fireman
Lance Henriksen	...	Cole Wilson
Michael Wincott	...	Conway Twill
Eugene Byrd	...	Johnny 'The Kid' Pickett
John Hurt	...	John Scholfield
Robert Mitchum	...	John Dickinson
Iggy Pop	...	Salvatore 'Sally' Jenko
Gabriel Byrne	...	Charlie Dickinson
Jared Harris	...	Benmont Tench
Mili Avital	...	Thel Russell
Jimmie Ray Weeks	...	Marvin, Older Marshal
Mark Bringelson	...	Lee, Younger Marshal
John North	...	Mr. Olafsen
Peter Schrum	...	Drunk
Mike Dawson	...	Old Man with 'Wanted' Posters
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Big George Drakoulious
Michelle Thrush	...	Nobody's Girlfriend
Gibby Haynes	...	Man with Gun in Alley (as Gibby Haines)
Richard Boes	...	Man with Wrench
George Duckworth	...	Man at End of Street
Thomas Bettles	...	Young Nobody #1
Alfred Molina	...	Trading Post Missionary
Daniel Chas Stacy	...	Young Nobody #2
Todd Pfeiffer	...	Man #2 at Trading Post
Leonard Bowechop	...	Makah Villager #1
Cecil Cheeka	...	Makah Villager #2
Michael McCarty	...	Makah Villager #3

Directed by
Jim Jarmusch

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jim Jarmusch		written by

Produced by
Karen Koch	....	co-producer
Demetra J. MacBride	....	producer

Original Music by
Neil Young

Cinematography by
Robby Müller

Film Editing by
Jay Rabinowitz

Casting by
Ellen Lewis
Laura Rosenthal

Production Design by
Bob Ziembicki		(as Robert Ziembicki)

Art Direction by
Ted Berner

Set Decoration by
Dayna Lee

Costume Design by
Marit Allen

Makeup Department
Richard Alonzo	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Clare M. Corsick	....	hair stylist: Mr. Depp (as Claire Corsick)
Scott W. Farley	....	key hair stylist
Tom Irvin	....	special makeup effects
Todd Kleitsch	....	assistant makeup artist
Neal Martz	....	key makeup artist
Patty York	....	makeup artist: Mr. Depp
Joel Harlow	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Beth DePatie	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jude Gorjanc	....	second assistant director
Constance L. Hoy	....	second second assistant director (as Connie Maverick)
Todd Pfeiffer	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Cheyenne Ali	....	scenic artist
Arthur Allyn	....	construction foreman
Mark Balda	....	carpenter
Elizabeth A. Beckman	....	art department coordinator
Michael Bennett	....	greensman
Michael Blair	....	carpenter
Mark Borg	....	carpenter
Karen M. Clark	....	swing gang
Edie Douglass	....	third assistant props
George A. Fleming	....	scenic artist (as George 'Alex' Fleming)
John A. Foote	....	swing gang
Tony Gibson	....	swing gang
Bill Holmquist	....	construction coordinator
Kevin Hughes	....	on-set dresser
Terry Kempf	....	carpenter foreman
Richard Lambert	....	lead man (as Rick Lambert)
Suzanne Lapick	....	second assistant property master
Walt Mikolwski	....	carpenter (as Walter Milkowski)
Craig Anthony Muzio	....	lead scenic artist (as Craig A. Muzio)
Jack Orlando	....	carpenter
John Pattison	....	property master (as John C. Pattison)
Kenneth Stellar	....	greensman
James Stephenson	....	carpenter (as Jim Stephenson)
Kenneth Sylvester	....	scenic artist
Meg Aeby	....	carver designer (uncredited)
Karen Agresti	....	buyer (uncredited)
Mae Brunken	....	set designer (uncredited)
Brick Mason	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Coll Anderson	....	additional sound recordist
Kam Chan	....	foley editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Keith Culbertson	....	sound mix re-recordist
Dan Evans Farkas	....	assistant sound editor
Eugene Gearty	....	sound effects editor
Mark Goodermote	....	boom operator
Robert Hein	....	supervising sound editor
Hextro	....	sound mix re-recordist
Frank Kern	....	foley editor
Drew Kunin	....	sound mixer
Julie Lindner	....	assistant sound editor
Kimberly R. McCord-Wilson	....	apprentice sound editor (as Kimberly R. McCord)
Sylvia Menno	....	dialogue editor
Bruce Pross	....	foley supervisor
Stacey Tanner	....	additional sound recordist
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording engineer
Magdaline Volaitis	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Brent Baker	....	mold maker
John C. Carlucci	....	special effects assistant
Lou Carlucci	....	special effects coordinator
Joe Fordham	....	effects production coordinator
Mark Habegger	....	effects project manager
Tom Irvin	....	foam technician
Steve Johnson	....	prosthetic effects

Visual Effects by
Randall Balsmeyer	....	visual effects supervisor
Jon Farhat	....	visual effects supervisor
Joe Garert	....	additional compositor
Daniel Leung	....	digital compositor
Don Nolan	....	special effects animation
Steven T Puri	....	visual effects producer
Anne Putnam	....	visual effects production coordinator
Ken Smith	....	additional compositor
Marc Rubone	....	rotoscope and animation (uncredited)

Stunts
Tori Bridges	....	stunt performer
Al Jones	....	stunt coordinator
Erik Stabenau	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Bernstein	....	Steadicam assistant
James Brisbin	....	electrician
Eric Budlong	....	grip
Katherine M. Butler	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Kenny Davis	....	dolly grip (as Ken Davis)
Robert K. Feldmann	....	key grip
Lisa K. Ferguson	....	second assistant camera
Kirk R. Gardner	....	Steadicam operator (as Kirk Gardener)
Bob Gorelick	....	Steadicam operator (as Robert Gorlick)
Emil Hampton	....	Steadicam assistant
Todd Heater	....	electrician
Jon Hokanson	....	electrician
Chris Lombardi	....	director of photography: second unit
David Luckenbach	....	Steadicam operator
Jeff Mart	....	Steadicam operator
Byron McCulloch	....	best boy grip
Michael Palmer	....	best boy electric
Christine Parry	....	still photographer
Tony J. Pirri	....	grip
Christopher Porter	....	gaffer
Bobby L. Smith	....	grip
Charles Smith	....	key grip: second unit
Joseph E. Thibo	....	Steadicam assistant
Pim Tjujerman	....	first assistant camera
Julian Whatley	....	Steadicam assistant

Casting Department
Ali Farrell	....	casting assistant
Linda Lee	....	extras casting: Oregon
Sunny Seibel	....	extras casting: Arizona
Donna Wilkie	....	extras casting: Makah tribe

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Suzanne Bantit	....	seamstress
Birgitta Bjerke	....	costumer
Susie Money	....	costume supervisor
David S. Powell	....	costume maker: native american costumes
Paul Simmons	....	on-set costumer
Abram Waterhouse	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Carol Abady	....	post-production coordinator
Jennifer Apel	....	assistant editor
Tony Grocki	....	first assistant editor
Anne O'Brien	....	assistant editor
Tom Salvatore	....	color timer
Birgit Staudt	....	post-production coordinator
John Dowdell	....	hd colorist (uncredited)
Joshua Schwarz	....	editor: music video (uncredited)

Music Department
Charlie Bouis	....	music score recording service
Guy Carbonneau	....	music score recording service
Tim Foster	....	music score production service
Louis Grappi	....	music score production service
John Hanlon	....	music score recording engineer
L.A. Johnson	....	music producer
Eric Johnston	....	music score recording service
Elliot Rabinowitz	....	music executive
Arthur Rosato	....	music score production service
Sal Trentin	....	music score production service
Neil Young	....	musician

Transportation Department
Dale I. Dodds	....	swing driver
John Ray Floyd	....	driver
Jolene Floyd	....	driver
Felipe Gallego	....	driver: construction department
Bill Getzwiller	....	driver
Buck Holland	....	driver: Mr. Depp
Jeffrey Landis	....	driver
Jeff Lira	....	driver
Jan Lyons	....	driver
Donald B. Martin	....	driver: honeywagon
Mary Martin	....	driver
Harry McCorey	....	driver
Antonio Molina	....	transportation coordinator
Laree Scrignolli	....	driver
Brian Steagall	....	driver
Jack Swauger	....	driver
Chandler Vinar	....	driver
Craig Williams	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Carol Abady	....	office coordinator: New York
Steve Blakely	....	dailies supervisor
Hildegard Bongarts	....	set production assistant
Christian Bongers	....	stills intern
Alan Burke	....	dailies projectionist
Robin Bursey	....	production office assistant
Michael Böhme	....	production executive: Germany (as Michael Boehme)
Diane Carlucci	....	medic
Steve Carroll	....	production insurance
Ernie Cheeka	....	carver: totem pole
Greg Colfax	....	carver: totem pole
Kevin S. Colley	....	canoe technical advisor
P.J. Connelly	....	location liaison: Arizona
Bruce Corkham	....	stand-in: Mr. Depp
Randy Court	....	boat captain
Robert W. Davis	....	assistant production coordinator
Sioux Dean	....	craft service
Christi Dembrowski	....	assistant: Mr. Depp
Jean-Michel Dissard	....	production office assistant
Don Donigi	....	dailies supervisor
Rick Eggers	....	caterer
Betsy Everman	....	production office assistant
Gwen Everman	....	production accountant (as Gwendolyn Everman)
Jordan Faeth	....	caterer
Patrick Fuchs	....	key set production assistant
Mike Gibson	....	boat captain
David Graham	....	projectionist
John Hausmann	....	Redwood Digital
Richard Heller	....	legal advisor
Sam Hyde	....	set production assistant
Jeffrey King	....	elk wrangler
Danielle LaClare	....	craft service
Gilbert Manygoats	....	stand-in: Mr. Farmer
David Matson	....	production office assistant
Harry McCarty	....	Makah canoe skipper
Mike McNally	....	medic
Martha Pilcher	....	location manager (as Martha C. Pilcher)
Exile Ramirez	....	assistant production coordinator
Tricia Ronten	....	script supervisor
Jennifer Roth	....	production coordinator
Jeffrey B. Seymann	....	set production assistant
Danielle Sotet	....	post-production accountant
Birgit Staudt	....	assistant location manager
Raquel Stewart	....	stitcher
George Walden	....	production insurance
Ken Weintraub	....	caterer
Kathy Whitman	....	cultural consultant
Whitney J. Willard	....	assistant production accountant
Ivan Red Wolverton	....	animal wrangler
Kip Wolverton	....	animal wrangler
Margery Wolverton	....	animal wrangler
Holly Edwards	....	animal wrangler (uncredited)
Robert Workman	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Pandora Filmproduktion
• JVC Entertainment Networks
• Newmarket Capital Group
• 12 Gauge Productions

Distributors

• Pandora Filmproduktion (1995) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pandora Filmproduktion (1996) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Laurenfilm (1996) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (1997) (Germany) (VHS)
• RKV (1999) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Prooptiki (1996) (Greece) (theatrical)
• CiBy Sales (1995) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Obshchestvennoye Rossijskoye Televideniye (ORT) Video (Russia) (VHS)
• Prooptiki Video (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• Solopan (1995) (Poland) (all media)
• Top Tape (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Balsmeyer and Everett
• Pacific Titles & Optical
• R/Greenberg Associates (West)

Other Companies

• Balsmeyer and Everett  titles
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment  packaging
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies provided by
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• J.L. Fisher  dolly rentals
• Phoenix Film Office  special thanks
• Virginia & Truckee Railroad, The  transportation services (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man" - USA (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for moments of strong violence, a graphic sex scene and some language

Runtime:

121 min | Australia:115 min | Argentina:120 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Japan

Language:

English | Cree

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Denmark:15 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Chile:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:Refused Classification (original rating) | Australia:R (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Applegate River, Oregon, USA

Company:

Pandora Filmproduktion

Trivia:

The lines "Every night and every morn / Some to misery are born / Every morn and every night / Some are born to sweet delight" are from William Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence".

Goofs:

Continuity: When William and Nobody are riding horses, William's jacket is hanging off his shoulders, in the next shot, his arms are in the sleeves, and a few shots later, his jacket is once again on his shoulders.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Train Fireman:Look out the window. And doesn't this remind you of when you were in the boat, and then later than night, you were lying, looking up at the ceiling, and the water in your head was not dissimilar from the landscape, and you think to yourself, "Why is it that the landscape is moving, but the boat is still?"

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Magic of 'Finding Neverland' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Billy Boy

A wonderful journey through life and death...

The Western genre has always been misunderstood as a simplistic, racist (and misogynistic) traditional genre due to the many mediocre Westerns of the 40s and 50s. However, real good Westerns have delighted us with complex stories that take advantage of the setting themes: the conflict between honor & law, wilderness & civilization, and life & death. Director Jim Jarmusch, who has achieved fame and recognition in the independent film community, uses the elements of the Western genre to create his very own poetical meditation on these themes, giving the genre his personal touch crafting a powerful and original gem.

Young accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) seems to have lost everything as his parents have died and his fianceé left him without a reason; so he decides to take a job in Machine, a town located at the end of "civilization" in the Wild Wild West. To his misfortune, the job he applied to has already been taken and now he finds himself really without nothing. However, his life will change forever after by a series of circumstances he ends up murdering a man, becoming an outlaw, although getting badly wounded in the process. Now, traveling along an outcast native who calls himself "Nobody" (Gary Farmer), he'll begin a strange and surreal trip that'll prepare him for the next stage.

Written by Jarmusch himself, the film's story details Blake's trip guided by Nobody in a similar way to Dante's journey in "The Divine Comedy", where a series of "episodes" are used to explore different ideas and themes across the trip. Jarmusch subtlety mixes drama and comedy to deliver his philosophical meditation making the film an entertaining experience, never becoming boring or tiresome. The Western setting is used effectively to tell this story and "Dead Man" toys with the Western elements in a subtle, respectful and quite entertaining way that neither parodies it nor makes fun of it in any way.

Shot entirely in black and white, the cinematography (by Jarmusch regular, Robby Müller) captures that feeling of loneliness and emptiness that William Blake's life has, as well as his collision with the wilderness of the wild west. Jarmusch camera-work together with Neil Young's excellent soundtrack give the film a beautiful surreal look that echoes Blake's equally surreal journey across the darkness searching for light. Finally, another interesting point is Jarmusch extensive care for detail in his portrayal of the American west, as well as his respect for the Native American cultures that play an important role in his film; making "Dead Man" one of the most realist Westerns ever made.

Johnny Depp's performance is remarkable, and probably one of the best in his career. Blake's complete transformation across the film is a real challenge and Depp makes the most of it. Gary Farmer is equally excellent and he is as effective in the comedy scenes as he is in the drama scenes, showing his flexibility and talent. The supporting roles present an assortment of cameos where actors such as Crispin Glover, Lance Henriksen, John Hurt and Robert Mitchum (in his last role) appear giving outstanding performances despite the limited screen time they receive. Henriksen certainly delivers his best performance in years.

Jarmusch's film is a brilliant poetical meditation of life and death, but its episodic nature make it feel even more slow than it is, as every vignette is separated by fade outs that break the mood created. This really damages the film's atmosphere, as it feels as a forced wake up after a pleasant dream. Another problem, is that fans expecting an action-filled Western may end up disappointed, so bear in mind that this film is more about feelings rather than actions. Despite his minor problems, the film is still a very enjoyable experience and a whole new way to experience Westerns, so even non-fans of the genre will appreciate it.

To summarize, "Dead Man" is an atypical look at Westerns that presents Jarmusch's interesting views on life and death in an entertaining, attractive way. Among the revisionist westerns, "Dead Man" is a valuable gem that is worth a watch. Even non-fans of the genre will find something interesting in it. 9/10