In 2018, Criterion Collection reissued the film "Dead Man" (1995) in Blu-ray format with a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Jim Jarmusch.
"Johnny Depp’s only collaboration with the brilliant Jim Jarmusch, Dead Man is one of the most striking modern westerns ever made, a stylised, fatalistic fable following the timid Bill Blake (Depp) as he arrives in the town of Machine to start a new life, only to be implicated in a murder and pursued across country by various bounty hunters and law enforcers, while suffering from a mortal bullet wound. Accompanying him is Nobody (Gary Farmer) a Native American who believes that Blake is the reincarnation of the poet William Blake, and decides to help him on his journey to the afterlife.
Neil Young‘s hypnotic, foreboding score gives the film the momentum of a train, constantly moving, and as the characters move further from civilization, the melody slowly fades, giving the impression of a slowing pulse, or a death rattle. "
DIRECTOR-APPROVED DVD SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
-New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Jim Jarmusch
-New Q&A in which Jarmusch responds to questions sent in by fans
-Rarely seen footage of Neil Young composing and performing the film's score
-New interview with actor Gary Farmer
-New readings of William Blake poems by members of the cast, including Mili Avital, Alfred Molina, and Iggy Pop
New selected-scene audio commentary by production designer Bob Ziembicki and sound mixer Drew Kunin
-Deleted scenes
-Jarmusch's location scouting photos
-PLUS: Essays by film critic Amy Taubin and music journalist Ben Ratliff
Neil Young writes the following on recording the soundtrack:
While I watched the movie and played along live.
Jim Jarmusch filmed me. He cut this together. That’s how we did the soundtrack for DEAD MAN too . . . I think that movie is a masterpiece.
The soundtrack is available on Vapor records.
This is also a good time to look a little closer at the creative relationship between filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and Neil Young.
Jim Jarmusch discussed his masterpiece DEAD MAN starring Johnny
Depp in a Q&A during Film Society of Lincoln Center's complete
retrospective "Permanent Vacation: The Films of Jim Jarmusch" in 2014.
(Thanks Hounds That Howell!)
Be sure to check first ~10:00 minutes of session where Jarmusch discusses recording the film soundtrack with Neil Young.
Jim Jarmusch: "You can not trick Neil Young! Don't even try, trust me. He is way ahead of all of us!"
(More on Jim Jarmusch on Recording Neil Young for 'Dead Man' Film Soundtrack.)
Director Jim Jarmusch's film Dead Man -- with a Neil Young soundtrack -- was considered by critic Greil Marcus in Salon Magazine to be "the best movie of the end of the 20th century."
Among reasons that Marcus cites are: "For a film set more than a
century ago, an electric guitar, playing a modal melody, surrounded by
nothing, sounds older than anything you see on the screen."
In an interview, Jim Jarmusch said of Neil's efforts:
- "What he brought to the film lifts
it to another level, intertwining the soul of the story with Neil's
musically emotional reaction to it - the guy reached down to some deep place inside himself to create such strong music for our film."
- Dead Man Film Reviews
- Dead Man on YouTube: More on Neil's Tone
- Year of The Horse Film
- trailer for the film "Year of The Horse"
- Jim Jarmusch interview on directing Neil Young and Crazy Horse in a concert film
- Jim Jarmusch & Neil Young
- Jim Jarmusch: "I thought Neil (Young) might burn psychic rays through my skull..."
- Bible Study with Neil Young & Jim Jarmusch
- Neil Young Films
Great film, saw it in the theater and bought the CD. Haven’t seen it since but did enjoy the unreleased tracks that made it onto the Archives site. Honestly anything Jarmusch, I am there for. Time for a rewatch soon.
ReplyDeletePicked up a copy of Dorothy Chandler this weekend at my friendly neighborhood record store. Standing by my claim that it’s the one to buy of the new bootlegs. It doesn’t look like the other two are gatefold editions, but this one is. The further excellent art/photography inside is not currently featured in the online album file card. Stellar sound as well!
right Tomatron, Jarmusch definitely has a unique style which we find intriguing as well.
ReplyDeletegreat you're enjoying Dorothy Chandler. didn't realize boot art not on NYA?
kind of bizarre how NYA has full show but not all the boot details. And the boot has all the details but not the full recording? oh well. keeps us fans busy trying to get the full picture.
Thanks for readin' & Keep on rockin'!
thrasher