(aka "Ghost Dog - Der Weg des Samurai (Germany)" or "Ghost Dog, la voie du samouraļ (France)")
directed
by Jim Jarmusch
France/Germany/USA/Japan 1999
Ghost Dog is the name of an African-American Samurai hitman
that works for a low level mobster who once saved his life. Their chief mode
of communication is carrier pigeon. Ghost Dog spends most of the time with his
birds on an urban rooftop practicing his martial arts and reading from
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai, an 18th-century warrior's guide. His best
friend is an ice-cream vendor who doesn't speak a word of English.
Like his other films, Jim Jarmusch tells this story using long takes, a
stationary camera, deadpan humor and a sense of melancholic irony. Most of the
deeper messages of the movie are picked up by the camera instead being spoken.
Forest Whitaker is excellent in the title role. His performance gives
credibility to what otherwise might come off as a cartoonish character. The
same for the supporting cast. They are all eccentrics inhabiting Jarmusch's
odd world and the actors make it very believable. The sountrack music by Wu
Tang Clan's The RZA adds a wonderful touch.
Highly recommended!
Excerpt of review by Jonathan Rosenbaum at the Chicago reader located HERE
Posters
 |
 |
Theatrical Release: France - 18 May 1999 (Cannes Film Festival), Canada - 14 September 1999 (Toronto Film Festival)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Artisan Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution |
Artisan Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
|
| Runtime | 116' | |
| Video |
1.77:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
|
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Isolated Music Score by The RZA (Dolby Surround 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | non-removable English during certain scenes | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Artisan Entertainment Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 27 |
|
| Comments |
The
transfer is unusual in that much of it looks great and some only
acceptable. This can also be seen on the bit rate viewer. Although the
average bit rate is 5.72 Mb/s at times the image hovers in the 7-9 Mb/s
range. Color leans toward red and appear s a little oversaturated. Contrast and detail are good with some film grain visible. The image is generally dark, though this might be due to a lot of the movie taking place during dusk and at night. Audio is well balanced with the surround channels kicking in mostly during the action sequences. The RZA's cooly rhythmic soundtrack makes good use of the subwoofer without being overwhelming. As Jim Jarmusch owns the negatives to his films and is said to supervise his own transfers we can only assume the he released this DVD the way he wanted it to be seen. It would be interesting to see a comparison of this DVD in other regions.  out of
|
DVD Menus
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Screen Captures
Subtitle sample
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incidental Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The A List: The National Society of Film
Critics' 100 Essential Films by Jay Carr (Editor) |
Movie Mutations: The Changing Face of World
Cinephilia by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Adrian Martin |
Dead Man (Bfi Modern Classics Distributed
for the British Film Institute) by Jonathan Rosenbaum |
Jim Jarmusch: Interviews (Conversations
With Filmmakers Series) by Ludvig Hertzberg |
How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, and
Multimedia : Language, History, Theory by James Monaco |
Teach Yourself Film Studies
by Warren Buckland |
Moving Places: A Life at the Movies by Jonathan Rosenbaum |
The Art of Watching Films by Joe Boggs, Dennis W. Petrie |
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution |
Artisan Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
|
DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive and advertisement free:
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Thank You
Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch's - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review Jim Jarmusch Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai DVD Review !
