Film Screening:

Down by Law 

(Jim Jarmusch, 1986, 107 min, USA/West Germany, in English, B&W, Blu-Ray)

-- Introduced by Jim Haverkamp (AMI)!

Director Jim Jarmusch followed up his brilliant breakout film Stranger Than Paradise with another, equally beloved portrait of loners and misfits in the American landscape. When fate brings together three hapless men-an unemployed disc jockey (Tom Waits), a small-time pimp (John Lurie), and a strong-willed Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni)-in a Louisiana prison, a singular adventure ensues. Described by Jarmusch as a "neo-Beat noir comedy," Down By Law is part nightmare and part fairy tale, featuring sterling performances and crisp black-and-white cinematography by the esteemed Robby Müller.

"The excitement of Down by Law comes from the realization that we are seeing a true film maker at work, using film to create a narrative that couldn't exist on the stage or the printed page of a novel. ... It's an unqualified delight, from its elegiacal opening shots to its unexpected last scene." -- Vincent Canby, New York Times 

"The Jim Jarmusch penchant for off-the-wall characters and odd situations is very much in evidence." -- Variety

Cost: Free and open to the public

Sponsors: The Program in Arts of the Moving Image (AMI).