Mystery Train (film)
| Mystery Train | |
|---|---|
French theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Jim Jarmusch |
| Produced by | Rudd Simmons Jim Stark |
| Written by | Jim Jarmusch |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Lurie |
| Cinematography | Robby Müller |
| Edited by | Melody London |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Orion Classics (USA) |
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Release date
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May 13, 1989 (Cannes Film Festival) November 17, 1989 (United States) |
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Running time
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113 minutes |
| Country | Japan United States |
| Language | English Japanese Italian |
| Budget | $2,800,000 |
| Box office | $1,541,218 (domestic) |
Mystery Train is a 1989 independent anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee. The film comprises a triptych of stories involving foreign protagonists unfolding over the course of the same night. "Far From Yokohama" features a Japanese couple (Youki Kudoh and Masatoshi Nagase) on a blues pilgrimage, "A Ghost" focuses on an Italian widow (Nicoletta Braschi) stranded in the city overnight, and "Lost in Space" follows the misadventures of a newly single and unemployed Englishman (Joe Strummer) and his companions (Rick Aviles and Steve Buscemi). They are linked by a run-down flophouse overseen by a night clerk (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) and his disheveled bellboy (Cinqué Lee), a scene featuring Elvis Presley's "Blue Moon", and a gunshot.
The starting point for the script was the ensemble cast of friends and previous collaborators Jarmusch had conceived characters for, while the tripartite formal structure of the film was inspired by his study of literary forms. Cinematographer Robby Müller and musician John Lurie were among the many contributors who had been involved in earlier Jarmusch projects and returned to work on the film. Mystery Train's US$2.8 million budget (financed by Japanese conglomerate JVC) was considerable compared to what the director had enjoyed before, and allowed him the freedom to rehearse many unscripted background scenes. It was the first of Jarmusch's feature films to depart from his trademark black-and-white photography, though the use of color was tightly controlled to conform with the director's intuitive sense of the film's aesthetic.
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