Stranger Than Paradise

The rise of independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch began with his first film in 1980, a final year university project entitled "Permanent Vacation," which was followed by his first major film, "Stranger Than Paradise." The latter, a deadpan portrait of three disillusioned youths, not only broke the conventions of traditional Hollywood filmmaking but was awarded the Camera d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.

A landmark in modern independent film, akin to Richard Linklater's "Slacker" and Noah Baumbach's "Kicking & Screaming," Jarmusch's film focuses on the experience of young adulthood at the service of absurdist filmmaking tendencies. Meandering around in long single takes while exploring the actions and emotions of its main characters, "Stranger Than Paradise" is an early work by an artist who has always been fascinated with the inner workings of those who occupy his films.

Previously released by The Criterion Collection as its 400th title, "Stranger Than Paradise" has just been re-released on Blu-ray in a high-definition digital restoration supervised and approved by Jarmusch himself. In addition to an array of exceptional supplemental material, this release included "Permanent Vacation" on the disc as well, so you get two films for the price of one! Additional features include:

� Audio commentary from 1996 featuring Jarmusch and actor Richard Edson
� "Kino '84: Jim Jarmusch", a 1984 German television program featuring interviews with cast and crew members from "Stranger Than Paradise" and "Permanent Vacation"
� "Some Days in January 1984," a behind-the-scenes Super 8 film by Tom Jarmusch
� U.S. and Japanese trailers
� A booklet featuring Jarmusch's 1984 "Some Notes on Stranger Than Paradise," critics Geoff Andrew and J. Hoberman on Stranger Than Paradise, and author and critic Luc Sante on Permanent Vacation

"Stranger Than Paradise"
Blu-ray
$31.96
https://www.criterion.com/films/252-stranger-than-paradise