Movie Description
In bringing his distinct vision to the Western genre, writer-director Jim Jarmusch has created a quasi-mystical avant-garde drama that remains a deeply spiritual viewing experience. After losing his parents and fiancée, a Cleveland accountant named William Blake (a remarkable Johnny Depp) spends all his money and takes a train to the frontier town of Machine in order to work at a factory. Upon arriving in Machine, he is denied his expected job and finds himself a fugitive after murdering a man in self-defense. Wounded and helpless, Blake is befriended by Nobody (Gary Farmer), a wandering Native American who considers him to be a ghostly manifestation of the famous poet. Nobody aids Blake in his flight from three bumbling bounty hunters, preparing him for his final journey--a return to the world of the spirits.
Jarmusch once again employs the beautifully contrasted black-and-white photography of Robby Müller, which sets a poetic, dreamy mood. He also fades in and out of scenes in order to better reflect Blake's dazed, weak mental state. Adding an even greater depth to the film is Neil Young's haunting score, which completes the overall effect. DEAD MAN stands firmly as a timeless work of art whose impact only increases upon subsequent viewings.
| Credits | | Producer: | Demetra J. MacBride, Karen Koch | | Cast: | Gabriel Byrne, Jared Harris, Mili Avital, Robert Mitchum |
| Details | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound, Surround Sound |
Notes
Theatrical release: May 10, 1996.
DEAD MAN premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1995.
Segments of the film were shot on location in a national forest in Sedona as well as the Peaks Ranger Districts, Arizona.
DEAD MAN is dedicated to the memory of Dick Pfeiffer and Paul D. O'Brien.
The two marshals that appear in the film are named Lee and Marvin, in tribute to Lee Marvin, the great Western actor.
This film was one of Robert Mitchum's final screen appearances before his death in 1997.
Steve Buscemi makes an uncredited appearance as a bartender.
Editorial Reviews
"...A piquant humor and eccentric mood that brand it with the mark of one of America's most distinctive indie filmmakers..."
Variety - Todd McCarthy (06/05/1995)
"...Sensational....The movie beautifully sustains a vision of the West as wild in the most primal and scary sense of the word..."
New York Times - Stephen Holden (05/10/1996)
"...Hilarious, silly, facetious, violent, mystical....DEAD MAN is finally a poignant lament for the cursed coming of the white man to the West..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (04/15/1996)
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