Jim Jarmusch: Music, Words and Noise is the first book to examine the films of Jim Jarmusch from a sound-oriented perspective. Exploring the director’s extensive back catalogue, including Stranger than Paradise (1984), Down by Law (1986), Dead Man (1995) and Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), Sara Piazza identifies three acoustic elements that structure the films: music, words and noise. This unique reading reveals how Jarmusch created a form of ‘sound democracy’ in film, in which sound is not subordinate to the visual. In his melting-pot method, sound and word – high and low culture – can coexist: from Schubert and Japanese noise bands to Marlowe and Betty Boop.
Using examples from music, cinema and literature, and identifying techniques from pre-sound-era film in the director’s work, this study investigates how Jarmusch’s distinctive reputation, consolidated over the course of a 30-year career, is deeply connected to his treatment of sound. Based in New York, Jarmusch was able to develop a fiercely personal vision far from the commercial pressures of Hollywood. This fascinating book also features illuminating interviews with many prominent figures from the film world including Ennio Morricone, Luc Sante, Roberto Benigni, John Lurie and Jarmusch himself.
An innovative account of a unique and much-admired body of work, Jim Jarmusch will appeal not only to the many fans of the director, but also all those interested in film techniques and film-making in general.