Director Jim Jarmusch's episodic slice-of-life drama follows the adventures of five different cabdrivers in five different cities all over the world. In Los Angeles, a young female driver (Winona Ryder) charms her snooty passenger--an agent (Gena Rowlands) who believes she's found her latest star in the tomboyish cabbie. In New .. Read more
| Starring | Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Rosie Perez, Roberto Benigni |
|---|---|
| Director | Jim Jarmusch |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Director Jim Jarmusch's episodic slice-of-life drama follows the adventures of five different cabdrivers in five different cities all over the world. In Los Angeles, a young female driver (Winona Ryder) charms her snooty passenger--an agent (Gena Rowlands) who believes she's found her latest star in the tomboyish cabbie. In New York, a man (Giancarlo Esposito) gets into a taxi only to find that his immigrant driver (Armin Mueller-Stahl) has no idea how to drive. The Paris segment features an angry sightless woman (Beatrice Dalle) who provokes her African driver (Isaach de Bankole). In Rome, Roberto Benigni stars as a hyperactive taxi driver who confesses his odd sexual practices to a clergyman (Paolo Bonacelli) and is shocked when the priest has a heart attack. The film's climactic scene in Helsinki follows a cabdriver who listens to a tragic and poignant tale from one of his three inebriated passengers only to top him with his own, sadder story. Colorfully photographed by Frederick Elmes, NIGHT ON EARTH features an original score by the masterful Tom Waits. Jarmusch handles his various stories--as well as actors--with his traditional lighthearted sincerity, resulting in another original tale from one of independent film's most distinct directors.
| Starring | Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Rosie Perez, Roberto Benigni, Beatrice Dalle, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Matti Pellonpaa, Giancarlo Esposito |
|---|---|
| Director | Jim Jarmusch |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 3 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English, Finnish, French, Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 17 Sep 2001 Production year: 1991 |
| Format | DVD |
Five taxi rides take place on the same night in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome and Helsinki. In each cab, a moving, scatty or weird story about life's little ironies unfolds. While the two American-based tales in Jim Jarmusch's highly accessible compendium fall flat, the European segments — Roberto Benigni confessing all to his priest-passenger, blind Béatrice Dalle teaching her cabbie a thing or two — hit the right note of quirkiness that has become the art house director's trademark. Well worth watching.
"...Jarmusch may be the first great American director to specialize in downtime....Jarmusch is a classical filmmaker..."
Somehow it seems that Jim Jarmush tried to make life difficult for himself when he created this unusual film. Five Taxis in five different cities during a single night are the background for five very different short films. Yet despite having to draw the viewer in each time I was literally glued to screen from the very first minute in every single episode. Each of these could have been a prize winner in the short film category of any film festival in the world but it is the combination that makes this film so special. I will not tell you any of the storylines as it would spoil the viewing experience but the line-up of great actors from around the world is already impressive: Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Beatrice Dalle, Roberto Benigni etc. Add to this a cool Tom Waits soundtrack that captures the essence of the movie and you will understand why this is a winner.
My only criticism is the actual DVD as it contains no extras whatsoever. The film is so outstanding that I would have liked a little more background information but apart from 'Play Movie' and 'Scene Selection' there is nothing else on this DVD. What a pity!
Summary: Great film, great acting, excellent storylines and a cool soundtrack - You won't regret watching this one!
This film contains 5 vignettes, each about a conversation between a taxi driver and his/her passenger(s). Each cabbie hails from a different world city: Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Rome and Helsinki.
Known for quirkiness, director Jim Jarmuch delivers just that. A young Winona Ryder, for instance, plays a gum-snapping, chain-smoking driver who picks up a casting agent. The casting agent, who sees in Ryder all that she's been looking for in a genuine star, pleads with Ryder to drop everything and audition for an important new role. But the agent is rebuffed; Ryder is wedded to her long-term dream of becoming a mechanic.
But the quirkiness seems too tame for our time--dated and almost predictable. An additional weakness is the limited range of cities represented: two in America, three in Europe. Jarmusch could have drawn starker and more unexpected contrasts had he investigated the cabbie-passenger relationship on other continents too.
There's a great score by Tom Waits, though.
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