Stranger Than Paradise *** (1984, John Lurie, Eszter Balint, Richard Edson) – Classic Movie Review 8250

Writer-director Jim Jarmusch’s 1984 black and white road-movie comedy drama Stranger than Paradise is aimless yet charming. It turns a lazily hipster eye on two New York deadbeats Willie and Eddie (played by John Lurie and Richard Edson) and Hungarian visitor Eva (Eszter Balint) as they drift west in search of the American dream.

The film is slimly plotted, and perhaps too self-consciously eccentric, and might even be irritating were it not for the attractive warmth, humour and genuine originality it contains.

Stranger than Paradise is an unusual early work from one of America’s most imaginative and offbeat directors. It seems more valuable and essential as time goes by, and has become a cult film.

It was originally shot in 1982 as a 30-minute short but later expanded into this three-part feature: (Part 1.) The New World takes place in New York, (Part 2.) One Year Later takes place in Cleveland, and (Part 3.) Paradise takes place in Florida.

Also in the cast are Cecilia Stark, Danny Rosen, Rammellzee, Tom DiCillo, Richard Boes and Sara Driver.

Stranger than Paradise is directed by Jim Jarmusch, runs 89 minutes, is made by  Cinesthesia Productions, Grokenberger Film Produktion and Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, is released by The Samuel Goldwyn Company (1984) (US) and Artificial Eye (1984) (UK) , is written by Jim Jarmusch, is shot in black and white by Tom DiCillo, is produced by Sara Driver and is scored by John Laurie.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8250

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