Jim Jarmusch Collectors Box Set II: Directors Suite includes three films from the king of the American indie movie, Jim Jarmusch – PERMANENT VACATION : MYSTERY TRAIN : DEAD MAN.

The films in this exclusive limited-edition boxed set represent a stylish, worldly, collection of American Independent film from a legendary and acclaimed director noted for his ironic wit, laconic style, and often his gorgeous black-and-white photography. Jarmusch’s singular vision of life’s eccentric moments and characters remains a unique experience for the film lover.

Mystery Train (1989)
Three stories are connected by a Memphis hotel and the spirit of Elvis Presley. A Japanese couple obsessed with 1950s America goes to Memphis because the male half of the couple emulates Carl Perkins. Chance encounters link three different stories in the city, with the common thread being the seedy hotel where they are all staying.
Stars: Masatoshi Nagase, Yûki Kudô, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Rufus Thomas, Jodie Markell

• Won Best Artistic Contribution at Cannes (1989), Nominated for the Palme d'Or

“Mystery Train is one of Jim Jarmusch's stron­gest and most lovingly-made films. It's a tour of American culture through the eyes of outsiders, and a tribute to a time of great cultural productivity in a city that has since retreated from the limelight…Highly recommended.” DVD Talk

Permanent Vacation (1980)
A young slacker wanders New York City searching for some meaning in life and encounters many idiosyncratic characters.
Stars: Chris Parker, Leila Gastil, John Lurie, Sara Driver

• Won Josef von Sternberg Award, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival (1980)

“Jarmusch brings his molasses pace to cinema verite, creating an episodic wandering through a surreal version of New York. Led by Charlie Parker-enthusiast Aloysius "Allie” Parker (the pompadoured Christopher Parker), we go from one strange character to another, each fighting his or her own private war with the demons within, manifesting without as the bombed-out rubble that these visionaries see as a sign of the conflict and a few (including Allie's girlfriend, Leila Gastil) see as just the normal state of decay…Permanent Vacation is fascinating as a bold experiment taken on by a young filmmaker, but it's a little slow, maybe a tad too loose. Still, it's essential to the understanding of Jarmusch's de­velopment as an artist.." DVD Talk

Dead Man (1995)
On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.
Stars: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Crispin Glover, Lance Henriksen, Michael Wincott, John Hurt, Robert Mitchum, Iggy Pop, Gabriel Byrne

• Won Screen International Award, European Film Awards (1996)
• Nominated for Palme d'Or at Cannes (1995)

“Dead Man defies categorization. Some have called it a revisionist Western, an anti-Western, and its creator refers to it as an acid Western. The difficulties with nomenclature are important; Dead Man is a film that seems to capture an undeniable Western feel while simultaneously resisting pretty much all the satisfactions one typically experiences with the genre. We've got a lone hero, a posse of regulators, a helpful Indian, and a fight over a prostitute in a frontier town. However, the hero is an accountant, the posse doesn't stay a posse for long, the Indian is as apt to quote the poet William Blake as ancient wisdom, and the frontier town fight leads to Blake's unspec­tacular death. Jarmusch flirts with all of these elements, gently tweaking and sometimes breaking the Western formula, without ever coming off as cheeky or disrespectful. It's a triumph of genre filmmaking. While some of Jarmusch's earlier films have stars (notably Wynona Rider and Gena Rowlands in Night on Earth), Dead Man is really the turning point for the director as far as actors are concerned. Here he assembles a cast with an impressive degree of talent and history. Johnny Depp anchors everything as William Blake. Still smarting from his teen-idol image, Dead Man is one of the handful of mid-Nineties roles in indie features that helped cement his talent. Here he's wonderful, drawing on the strangeness that would blossom into Captain Jack, while also relying on the shy bookishness that he would uncover elsewhere. He's only one face in a cast of other brilliant actors. Robert Mitchum's final role as a gun-toting business man is inspired, as is John Hurt's turn as a manager. Genre fans will appreciate Lance Henriksen's turn as a psychotic killer, and sharp-eyed music lovers will notice Iggy Pop, Benmont Tench, and Gibby Hanes. The film is worth watching for the performances alone, irrespective of the film's Western story. The final piece of the Dead Man puzzle is Robbie Muller's stunning cinematography. Not since color began to dominate Hollywood's output have we seen such a master of black-and-white cinematography. The shades and shape he conjures are gorgeous to look at, and although I haven't tested it, I think Dead Man would work well as a silent film, just allowing the images to speak for themselves…” DVD Verdict

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Original Theatrical Trailers
• Neil Young Music Video: ‘Dead Man Theme’
• Outtakes and deleted Scenes from DEAD MAN