It's been over 20 years since I first watched this film and there were just a few things I remember:
1) I watched on basic cable... with commercial breaks.
2) Jim Jarmusch used blackouts between scenes, which I'm guessing make it easier to edit for television.
3) Screamin' Jay Hawkins "I Put A Spell On You" appears throughout the film.
4) The plot involves a young girl from a foreign country visiting her cousin.
I also remember it being very minimalistic, but not as vividly as I noticed with a second viewing. Not much really happens in the film, with Jarmusch relying on the characters and his style/shot composition. It's a suite in three movements; girl visits cousin in New York, cousin and friend visit girl in Cleveland, the trio travel to Florida with a taste of irony to finish. One of the main features that struck me with "Stranger Than Paradise" was how Jarmusch manages to take the vibrancy out of the three locations. If snow didn't factor into the Cleveland scenes, you could almost interchange all three locations and not know it (Florida is not glamorous here). It's a fascinating piece of work from a guy who's filmography I know, yet haven't had the pleasure of watching. Hoping this project will rectify that situation.
Rating: 8/10
Movies I've previously seen: 2
First time viewings: 6
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