Night on Earth [Criterion Collection]

Director: Jim Jarmusch Jim Jarmusch

Overview

"Jim Jarmusch's globe-trotting study of five cab rides taking place at the same time in five different cities gets a fresh presentation on DVD in this excellent release from the Criterion Collection, created with the participation and approval of the filmmaker. Night On Earth has been given a widescreen transfer to disc in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, which is letterboxed on conventional televisions and enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16x9 monitors. The subtly distinct look for each segment (created by cinematographer Frederick Elmes) is preserved in this transfer, and shows how masterfully Jarmusch can manipulate the color palate, despite his fondness for working in black and white. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo, and the lively sound mix is crisp and well-detailed on this DVD, with Tom Waits' musical score benefiting from the careful treatment. The dialogue for the various segments is in English, French, Italian and Finnish, and no multiple language options appear, though the disc contains two sets of subtitles -- one translating non-English dialogue, the other presenting the full dialogue track for the hard of hearing. The disc includes an optional audio commentary from cinematographer Elmes and location sound mixer Drew Kunin, who talk about the many logistical challenges presenting by the shooting of each segment; among the other bonus features are a profile of Jarmusch created for Belgian television in 1991, an audio-only feature in which Jarmusch answers questions submitted to him by film fans from around the world, and a booklet which includes a separate essay on each of Night On Earth's five stories. Night On Earth has never looked or sounded as good as it does on Criterion's DVD release, and fans of Jim Jarmusch will find it a worthy addition to their collections."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/03/2007
UPC:	0715515025423
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	2:08:00
Sales rank:	19,487

Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Jim Jarmusch; Selected-scene commentary by director of photography Frederick Elmes and location sound mixer Drew Kunin; Q&A with Jarmusch, in which he responds to questions sent by fans; 1992 Belgian television interview with Jarmusch; New and improved English subtitle translation; Plus: A booklet featuring new essays by Thom Andersen, Paul Auster, Bernard Eisenschitz, Goffredo Fofi, and Peter Von Bagh, and the lyrics to Tom Wait's original songs from the film

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Winona Ryder	Corky
Gena Rowlands	Victoria
Giancarlo Esposito	YoYo
Armin Mueller-Stahl	Helmut
Rosie Perez	Angela
Isaach De Bankole	Driver
Beatrice Dalle	Blind Woman
Paolo Bonacelli	Priest
Roberto Benigni	Gino
Matti Pellonpaa	Mika
Lisanne Falk	Rock Manager
Alan Randolph Scott	1st Rock Musician
Anthony Portillo	2nd Rock Musician
Richard Boes	1st Cab Driver
Emile Abossolo-M'Bo	2nd Passenger
Stephane Boucher	Man in Accident
Noel Kaufmann	Man on Motorcycle
Gianni Schettino	1st Transvestite
Antonino Ragusa	2nd Transvestite
Nicola Facondo	Lover
Camilla Begnoni	Lover
Romolo DiBiasi	Angry Driver
Kari Vaananen	1st Man
Sakari Kuosmanen	2nd Man
Tomi Salmela	3rd Man
Jaakko Talaskivi	1st Factory Worker
Klaus Heydemann	2nd Factory Worker
Pascal N'Zonzi	1st Passenger
Donatella Servadio	Voice of Dispatcher (Rome)
Eija Vilpas	Voice of Dispatcher (Helsinki)
Tom Waits	Composer

Technical Credits

Jim Jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Jim Stark	Executive Producer
Rudd Simmons	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Possibly the most mainstream film to date by the laconic, impressionistic filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, this agreeable (if overlong) project works in fits and starts, which is to be expected in a film that is so episodic in nature. However, Jarmusch's acute eye for detail and his offbeat casting choices (including a pre-fame Roberto Benigni) pay off. The tone of the film is more lighthearted and playful than Jarmusch's previous efforts, but still retains his trademark minimalist style. One of the main contributors to the film's unerring sense of time and place is ace cinematographer Frederick Elmes, whose previous work with David Lynch and John Cassavetes proves notable here, where even the inside of a cab has an strange and inviting veneer.