Say Hello to My Little Film: Episode 201 - Down By Law

It's a new season at SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FILM, which means all new recommendations! To kick things off, Rob by recommending one of his favorite films of all time, the 1986 neo-beat noir DOWN BY LAW! This Jim Jarmusch classic stars John Laurie (STRANGER THAN PARADISE), Roberto Benigni (LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, THE TIGER AND THE SNOW) and the titan that is Tom Waits (COFFEE AND CIGARETTES, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR PARNASSUS). 

This off-beat comedy centers on Zack, Jack and Bob. Three men who find themselves incarcerated through set ups and acts of self-defense. Eschewing the tropes of normal prison film, Jarmusch turns his microscope on only the interpersonal relationships of his leads by keeping his camera in their cell alone. As we witness the ups and downs of the psychology of jailed people, the friendships that can be found are anything but conventional. With special appearances by Ellen Barkin (THE BIG EASY, JOHNNY HANDSOME) and Benigni's real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi (MYSTERY TRAIN, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL), DOWN BY LAW proves to be a pillar of 80s independent filmmaking and a film that solidified Jarmusch in the pantheon of the era's directors. 

Will the off-kilter humor and slow-paced camerawork imprison Ray in boredom? Or will the undeniable chemistry of cool in the trio of Waits, Laurie and Benigni free his mind? Tune in this week to find out!    

THEME SONG:

Music & Lyrics: Jeremy Catarelli 

INTERMISSION: 

Music: Jay You

Voice: Jeremy Catarelli