Down by Law - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
Director Jim Jarmusch followed up his brilliant breakout film Stranger Than Paradise with another, equally beloved portrait of loners and misfits in the American landscape.
When fate brings together three hapless men—an unemployed disc jockey (Tom Waits), a small-time pimp (John Lurie), and a strong-willed Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni)—in a Louisiana prison, a singular adventure ensues. Described by Jarmusch as a “neo-Beat noir comedy,” Down by Law is part nightmare and part fairy tale, featuring sterling performances and crisp black-and-white cinematography by the esteemed Robby Müller.
Region B Blu-ray: Australian compatible
Director-Approved Special Features
- New, restored digital transfer, supervised by director Jim Jarmusch, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Audio interview with Jarmusch from 2002
- Interview with director of photography Robby Müller from 2002
- Footage from the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, including a press conference with Jarmusch and actors John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, and Nicoletta Braschi, and an interview with Lurie, featuring commentary
- Sixteen outtakes
- Music video for Tom Waits’s cover of Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right with Me,” directed by Jarmusch
- Q&A with Jarmusch in which he responds to fans’ questions
- Recordings of phone conversations between Jarmusch and Waits, Benigni, and Lurie
- Production Polaroids and location stills
- Trailer
- Isolated music track
- Optional French dub track, featuring Benigni
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: A new essay by critic Lucy Sante