癲狂院 Vixen Owl Cigar..。o○

Dark Movie, Dark Music, Excelent Experience...


Becoming Dead...
Its a that we have the likes of Johnny Depp, no not for his cheekbones & smouldering good looks (the blighter ), but because he chooses some very interesting films, and in the case of this film, "Dead Man ", it would be difficult to imagine who else would have filled the role so admirably.
Featuring the penmanship & directorial skills of Jim Jarmusch, the man who brought us "Permenant Vacation " and "Stranger Than Paradise ", "Dead Man " is a difficult film to categorise.
In its setting it is obviously a western, but that is really just a superficial outer layer and the film works in so many other thought provoking ways on a myriad of other levels.

The outline of the story is that William "Bill" Blake (Depp) relocates to the frontier town of Machine to take up a position as a book keeper for the local factory.. On arrival he finds that in the time it took him to travel there from Cleveland, the position has been reassigned and he finds himself broke, homeless and without the job and hence the regular income that he was promised.. Neither his would be employer, John Dickinson an eccentric and brutish character played by Robert Mitchum nor his right hand man, played by John Hurt are sympathetic to his plight and he finds himself taken under the wing of a prostitute.. Upon the return of the prostitutes occasional lover a series of events unfold that find Blake wounded and on the run from the local townsfolk. His heartless boss that never was sends out bounty hunters after Blake and a chase across the badlands ensues.. It is here that Blake meets "Nobody" (Gary Farmer) an indian wanderer who helps Blake evade his followers as the two travel towards their yet unknown destination...

The slow pace of this black and white movie, punctuated throughout by lonely riffs on a guitar, create an atmosphere of deep sadness and poignant sweetness.
Nobody's tending of Blake, at first seemingly undeserved, gives him purpose and an opportunity to show his ability as a guide, nurse, protector and negotiator.
Nobody and Blake wander through a forest of surreal and threatening encounters, each one bringing them closer to the culmination of their own fates and binding them tighter & tighter to each other.
For both Nobody and Blake, each are born to "Endless Night..."

【Gary Farmer】 Dead Man 【Johnny Depp】
Depp & Farmer, Slyly Questions Existence, Moments of Violence..
I would like to say that placing this film in the western genre was a mistake.
It more closely represents classic art films and is a dark, symbolic, and heart touching film.
Unlike many of the classic western films in existance, this film does not glorify or falsify the west.
This film criticizes the west and points out the dismal and difficult times that were faced by all.
It is not a bang bang shoot'em up film and has no equivilant of Dodge city as it were. It is merely placed in the time and place of those films.
I first saw this film in a small theater in a small college town.
I was walking by the theater and I saw the poster.
Though advertising rarely catches my attention, I saw this poster and new that I needed to see this film.

Shot in black and white, this film is wonderful not just for the heart but for the eyes.
The cinematography and the scenery is excellent.
The use of contrasting images and symbolism is present all the way through this film, not to mention the ever present light and dark play.
To some this film may seem a bore , it is a thinking film, not an action film.
You need to pay attention to understand what is going on, although it is meant that you never fully understand..

"Dead Man " often unfolds at a glacial pace which can be confounding to most viewers accustomed to a much quicker paced movie, yet patience will ultimately be rewarded.
But for cineastes the use of symbolism and metaphors in the movie will have leave them spellbound.

Johnny Depp, who is wrongly associated with the pretty boy image, plays the character of William Blake flawlessly.
Teamed with Gary Farmer (nobody)is not only and odd copeling, but a winning one.
Farmer, who always does good work, bring this film alive with his play on culture and astute observation.
The film carries with it a quiet dignity and leaves the viewer questioning their views and life journey.
The symbolic death is ever present but never obvious.!!
It is a gr8 film, a lot of fun and a lot of work.
Overall a Gr8 film.
I saw it twice in the theater and then searched for it on DVD to buy until it came out.
This movie spoke to me on a very profound level, but it is not for all.
It is a long film with little action and little dialogue.
It fits in with few films.

This is one of those movies, like Stranger Than Paradise , which makes me want to thank the director.
So, to Mr. Jarmusch, thank you so very much.
You've made my life richer with this movie.
I could go on and on about it, but if the film tought me one thing, it is that you need not say much to mean much.
So its an Existential Western and that's a category that you wont find in Blockbuster, but its a worthwhile watch..
.. But what you get out of it depends on how much you think the film through, it should come with the label, WARNING : This film may make you think ?