The Cinema of Jim Jarmusch
“Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, bridges, street signs, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul.” – Jim Jarmusch, “Golden Rule For Filmmaking, #5”.
Perhaps no film director has been more identified with the late-20th century renaissance of independent American cinema than Jim Jarmusch. Born in Akron, Ohio but raised on a diet of European arthouse and American underground cinema, Jarmusch’s work is renowned for its droll humor, minimalist visual aesthetic, and for the centrality of music, particularly rock and roll and the blues, with musicians including Iggy Pop and Tom Waits often cast in onscreen acting roles.
Garnering top awards at Cannes, Locarno and Sundance, Jarmusch’s iconic (and laconic) body of work, unfettered by studio budgets and special effects, has been an inspiration to aspiring young filmmakers across the globe for nearly forty years.
The films we'll discuss:
- Oct. 19: Stranger Than Paradise (1984) 90 mins. Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie (John Lurie), his pal Eddie (Richard Edson), and visiting sixteen-year-old cousin Eva (Eszter Balint) always manage to make the least of any situation.
- Oct. 26: Down By Law (1986) 107 mins. DJ Zack (Tom Waits) and pimp Jack (John Lurie) have the hipster con-man blues.
- Nov. 2: Mystery Train (1989) 107 mins. Mystery Train, like Jarmusch’s prior films, is a portrait of misfits and foreigners adrift in the American South.
- Nov. 9: Night on Earth (1991) 125 mins. Jarmusch assembles an extraordinary cast, including Gena Rowlands, Winona Ryder, Giancarlo Esposito, and Roberto Benigni, for his disarmingly charming anthology of five short stories that take place in five different taxi cabs on the same night in five different cities.
Faculty Bio
Karen Davis is Senior Film Programmer for the Mill Valley Film Festival and Professor Emerita at California State University at Monterey Bay. She has also held visiting faculty positions in film studies at UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis and Vassar College.
This is a Livestreamed-Only Course
- Classes will stream live at the scheduled day and time
- Classes cannot be recorded due to copyright restrictions
- Please note: Films should be viewed in advance. Class sessions will consist of lecture, discussion and short film clips to deepen understanding of the course material.
- Fee assistance is available if cost is a barrier. Learn more.
Schedule Highlights
- Course starts on Thursday, Oct. 19 and ends on Thursday, Nov. 9
- Classes meet for four weeks, 1.5 hours per session (9:30–11 AM)
- All course materials will be available to access and enjoy through Dec. 31
Member Praise for Professor Davis
She is a captivating instructor! Can't wait for her next class.
Excellent teacher, very interesting films, and learning about talented people in film that I either knew nothing about and/or are just amazingly gifted people.
Faculty Q&A
- Read an interview with Karen Davis from our archive.