Transcript Meeting 9

ENGL 4860:
Special Topics in Film Studies
The Gangster Film
Spring 2011
Room: PH 322
Day/Time: Monday, 430-730 pm
Gangster Film
Gangster Film
3/28/11 | Meeting 9
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin
Tarantino, 1992; 99m) or
Bound (The Wachowski
Brothers, 1996; 109m) or
Ghost Dog: The
Way of the
Samurai (Jim
Jarmusch, 1999;
119m)
Permanent Vacation (1980)
Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Down by Law (1986)
Mystery Train (1989)
Night on Earth (1991)
Dead Man (1995)
The Year of the Horse (1997)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the
Samurai (1999)
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
Broken Flowers (2005)
The Limits of Control (2009)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Gangster Film
Stranger Than
Paradise (1984)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Down By Law
(1986)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Mystery Train
(1989)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Night on Earth
(1991)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Dead Man (1995)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
The Year of the
Horse (1997)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Ghost Dog: The
Way of the Samurai
(1999)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Coffee and
Cigarettes (2003)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Broken Flowers
(2005)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
The Limits of
Control (2009)
The Films of Jim Jarmusch
Gangster Film
Rule #1: There are no rules. There are as many
ways to make a film as there are potential
filmmakers. It’s an open form. Anyway, I would
personally never presume to tell anyone else what
to do or how to do anything. To me that’s like
telling someone else what their religious beliefs
should be. F#*k that. That’s against my personal
philosophy—more of a code than a set of “rules.”
Therefore, disregard the “rules” you are presently
reading, and instead consider them to be merely
notes to myself. One should make one’s own
“notes” because there is no one way to do
anything. If anyone tells you there is only one way,
their way, get as far away from them as possible,
both physically and philosophically.
“Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules”
Movie Maker Magazine
Gangster Film
Rule #2: Don’t let the f#@&kers get ya. They can
either help you, or not help you, but they can’t stop
you. People who finance films, distribute films,
promote films and exhibit films are not filmmakers.
They are not interested in letting filmmakers define
and dictate the way they do their business, so
filmmakers should have no interest in allowing
them to dictate the way a film is made. Carry a
gun if necessary. Also, avoid sycophants at all
costs. There are always people around who only
want to be involved in filmmaking to get rich, get
famous, or get laid. Generally, they know as much
about filmmaking as George W. Bush knows about
hand-to-hand combat.
“Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules”
Movie Maker Magazine
Gangster Film
Rule #3: The production is there to serve the film.
The film is not there to serve the production.
Unfortunately, in the world of filmmaking this is
almost universally backwards. The film is not being
made to serve the budget, the schedule, or the
resumes of those involved. Filmmakers who don’t
understand this should be hung from their ankles
and asked why the sky appears to be upside
down.
“Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules”
Movie Maker Magazine
Gangster Film
Rule #4: Filmmaking is a collaborative process. You get
the chance to work with others whose minds and ideas
may be stronger than your own. Make sure they remain
focused on their own function and not someone else’s
job, or you’ll have a big mess. But treat all collaborators
as equals and with respect. A production assistant who
is holding back traffic so the crew can get a shot is no
less important than the actors in the scene, the director
of photography, the production designer or the director.
Hierarchy is for those whose egos are inflated or out of
control, or for people in the military. Those with whom
you choose to collaborate, if you make good choices,
can elevate the quality and content of your film to a
much higher plane than any one mind could imagine on
its own. If you don’t want to work with other people, go
paint a painting or write a book. (And if you want to be a
f#@king dictator, I guess these days you just have to go
into politics...).
“Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules”
Movie Maker Magazine
Gangster Film
Rule #5: Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere
that resonates with inspiration or fuels your
imagination. Devour old films, new films, music,
books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams,
random conversations, architecture, bridges,
street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light
and shadows. Select only things to steal from that
speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your
work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is
invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t
bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you
feel like it. In any case, always remember what
Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take
things from—it’s where you take them to.”
“Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules”
Movie Maker Magazine
Gangster Film
JJ: Man, I'll tell you, when I watch Hollywood
movies, one thing that really bothers me is this:
The world is so full of interesting, amazing music,
so why do all the scores sound exactly the same?
It's infuriating to me. I love music, man. Can't you
put in some music that has something to do with
the film, or is married to the film, or elevates the
film? Why is it always the same hackneyed
orchestral music that's telling you what to feel at
each moment? It seems so timid or limited. That's
something I find infuriating. In this whole world of
music, you could score a film just using music
from a particular pygmy tribe that would be
beautiful and exquisite, but it's always got to be
the same stuff. That I don't get. But, then, that's
sort of the Hollywood way. Conventions are what
people expect, so that's what we'll give them.
Jim Jarmusch in the Onion AV Club
Interview
Gangster Film
O: They probably end up filming with standard
orchestral music as kind of a temp track and then
just say at the end, "I want music just like this.”
JJ: They probably do. I don't know. It's perplexing
to me, though.
O: You could get someone like John Lurie, who
can do two different scores that won't sound
remotely identical, but I guess maybe people in
Hollywood wouldn't want to gamble when they can
spend more money and get John Williams.
JJ: Yeah, and then they know exactly what they're
getting, and they've heard it all 100 times before,
so no one's afraid of it.
Jim Jarmusch in the Onion AV Club
Interview
Gangster Film