Overview

This book examines the films of Jim Jarmusch from a sound-oriented perspective. The three essential acoustic elements that structure a film music, words and noise propel this book's fascinating journey through his work. Exploring the director's extensive back catalogue, including Stranger Than Paradise  (1984), Down By Law  (1986), Dead Man  (1995) and Only Lovers Left Alive  (2013), Sara Piazza's unique reading reveals how Jarmusch created a form of 'sound democracy' in film, in which all acoustic layers are capable of infiltrating each other and in which sound is not subordinate to the visual.

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9781780234410

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Piazza's book is a lengthy and detailed study of Jarmusch that intelligently explores his work in terms of sound and which does draw on a few academic sources. . . . Piazza doesn't merely analyze how sound functions within his films but argues for the importance of sound in terms of how it structures and permeates them. In focusing on how three sonic aspects work in his films--music, words and noise . . . her analyses on the whole are sophisticated and rich . . . an excellent and highly recommended book, which contains some extremely insightful reflections on Jarmusch's art. --Viewfinder The work is a much-needed--and excellent--addition to the limited number of publications dedicated to a very influential and well respected filmmaker. . . . This book is an essential companion to the cinema, music, and poetry of Jarmusch and is accessible to both devotees of the filmmaker and newcomers to his work. It will be of interest for film scholars and students, cinema and music lovers alike. --Senses of Cinema Sara Piazza has sought to peel away some of the dense layers of Jarmusch's identity in this intelligently written book that suggests that sound without vision is only half of the big picture. --Monacle Magazine The book serves as an important and compelling model for film criticism/film scholarship that engages with and makes itself legible to non-academic cinephiles. The book balances close readings of Jarmusch's filmography with historical background and personal interviews. Unlike many single-subject volumes aimed at the general public, Piazza never allows her book to devolve into a simple hagiography (despite her clear affinity for Jarmusch's work). What she has produced, instead, is a genuine critical history of an important filmmaker, and the shifting, complicated, and rich historical and cultural contexts in which he lived and worked. --Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television You'll come away wanting to see a Jim Jarmusch film if you haven't seen one, and to put this stuff to the test. --The Quietus

Piazza's book is a lengthy and detailed study of Jarmusch that intelligently explores his work in terms of sound and which does draw on a few academic sources. . . . Piazza doesn't merely analyze how sound functions within his films but argues for the importance of sound in terms of how it structures and permeates them. In focusing on how three sonic aspects work in his films--music, words and noise . . . her analyses on the whole are sophisticated and rich . . . an excellent and highly recommended book, which contains some extremely insightful reflections on Jarmusch's art. --Viewfinder The work is a much-needed--and excellent--addition to the limited number of publications dedicated to a very influential and well respected filmmaker. . . . This book is an essential companion to the cinema, music, and poetry of Jarmusch and is accessible to both devotees of the filmmaker and newcomers to his work. It will be of interest for film scholars and students, cinema and music lovers alike. --Senses of Cinema The book serves as an important and compelling model for film criticism/film scholarship that engages with and makes itself legible to non-academic cinephiles. The book balances close readings of Jarmusch's filmography with historical background and personal interviews. Unlike many single-subject volumes aimed at the general public, Piazza never allows her book to devolve into a simple hagiography (despite her clear affinity for Jarmusch's work). What she has produced, instead, is a genuine critical history of an important filmmaker, and the shifting, complicated, and rich historical and cultural contexts in which he lived and worked. --Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television You'll come away wanting to see a Jim Jarmusch film if you haven't seen one, and to put this stuff to the test. --The Quietus Sara Piazza has sought to peel away some of the dense layers of Jarmusch's identity in this intelligently written book that suggests that sound without vision is only half of the big picture. --Monacle Magazine

Author Information

Sara Piazza is an independent writer, radio journalist, film-documentary producer and interpreter based in Berlin. She is a contributor to many publications including the Berlin newspaper Die Tageszeitung.

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