Director Jim Jarmusch’s 1995 black-and-white, acid western debuts in the ultra-high definition format to remind cinephiles of his focused take on the genre, delivered by an unusual collection of actors, in Dead Man (Criterion, not rated, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 121 minutes, $49.98).
Specifically, Johnny Depp stars as William Blake, a timid Cleveland accountant taking on a new job in the small Western mining town of Machine in the 19th century.
Unfortunately, his job has been given away and, even worse, he ends up on the run after killing a man while in an unexpected love triangle during a shoot-out that leaves a bullet in his chest.
Injured and now pursued by a trio of ruthless bounty hunters sent by the dead man’s father, Blake meets an eloquent and alienated American Indian named Nobody (Gary Farmer), who considers Blake a reincarnation of the poet William Blake.
Nobody nurses him to health and promises to take him on a spiritual journey to the other side, but the mission is more violent than peaceful as they travel from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest.
The legendary grizzled cast members surrounding Mr. Depp deliver in the most onery ways possible and include the iconic Robert Mitchum as the enraged industrialist in the mining town; Lance Henriksen (“Aliens”) as a cannibalistic bounty hunter; Billy Bob Thornton (“Fargo”) as a moronic mountain man; John Hurt (“The Elephant Man”) as mean-spirited business manager; Gabriel Byrne (“Excalibur”) as Blake’s first victim; Alfred Molina as a racist trading post missionary; and the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop, as a cross-dressing fur trader.
Mr. Jarmusch’s irresistible narrative style and blunt design choices in the film will keep viewers riveted. The layered story unfolds through a collection of vignettes that each fade to black, accompanied by a droning electric guitar from Neil Young, the musical director.
4K in action: The latest digital transfer, supervised by the director, was actually created back in 2017 for Criterion’s high definition release.
The 4K remaster was digitally scanned from the 35mm original camera negative and included a meticulous cleanup to remove any instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices and warps.
The result is a crisp and clean appreciation of the monochromatic palette with just the pinch of grain that always highlights the production design of Robert Ziembicki and cinematography of Robby Muller, all focused on a bounty of rich textures and stark terrain in every scene.
Outdoor landscapes — such as a horse-stomped muddy street in the town; a cactus- and animal skull-littered sandy trail; brush-covered cliffs; a forest of white birch trees; massive redwoods; and smoky mountaintops — create breathtaking dioramas for actors to perform their craft.
Details come to life through authentic costuming, weapons and set pieces that, when assembled together, such as a scene with three distinct bounty hunters standing around a fire, look like photographs from the 1860s with the movie paused for examination.
Best extras: Alas, Criterion reuses all the extras from its 2018 high-definition release and includes them on the Blu-ray version of the film.
Yes, nothing new, but the vintage selection will certainly allow viewers an overview into the making of the movie, starting with a 48-minute audio recording session with the director in which he answers 31 fan questions ranging from “what draws you to the music of Iggy Pop and Neil Young?” to “how many bullets are fired in ’Dead Man’?”
He offers thoughts on the Western, challenges in shooting the film and working with Miramax. Even “Saturday Night Live” performer Bill Hader’s question gets answered as he asks to be in one of Mr. Jarmusch’s movies.
Next, a scene-specific commentary features sound mixer Drew Kunin (in New York) and Mr. Ziembicki (in Los Angeles) diving into topics such as building sets; being on location in Arizona; costumes (especially Blake’s pale suit); using a black-and-white format; the brutal, violent moments in the film; and dealing with horses during the production.
Next, a 27-minute video interview with Mr. Farmer has the actor talk about his early life before touching on the culture of indigenous peoples; the stellar phenomena sightings during the film; the emotional toll of the film’s subject matter; collaborating on the character with the director; working with Mr. Depp; accepting the European Film Award for best foreign film with Mr. Depp; and his friendship with Mr. Young.
Also, worth a listen are Mili Avital, Alfred Molina, and Iggy Pop reading poems by Blake, accompanied by Mr. Jarmusch’s location-scouting photos.
Finally, and weirdly soothing, is spending 26 minutes watching Mr. Young play an eclectic and acoustic guitar as well as piano and pump organ to create the film’s soundtrack as he watches the movie on various-sized screens in a poorly lit San Francisco warehouse.
The package includes a 22-page, full-color booklet featuring a critical essay on the film from critic Amy Taubin and an exploration of Mr. Young’s musical score by music journalist Ben Ratliff.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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