Night on Earth (1991)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 1991 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Five Taxis. Five Cities. One Night.

Plot:

An anthology of 5 different cab drivers in 5 American and European cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night.

Plot Keywords:

Social Differences | Sunglasses | Diplomat | Pill | Casting Agent

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gena Rowlands	...	Victoria Snelling
Winona Ryder	...	Corky
Lisanne Falk	...	Rock Manager
Alan Randolph Scott	...	Rock Musician #1
Anthony Portillo	...	Rock Musician #2
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Helmut Grokenberger
Giancarlo Esposito	...	YoYo
Rosie Perez	...	Angela
Richard Boes	...	Cab Driver #1
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Driver (Paris)
Béatrice Dalle	...	Blind Woman
Pascal N'Zonzi	...	Passenger #1 (as Pascal Nzonzi)
Emile Abossolo M'bo	...	Passenger #2 (as Émile Abossolo-M'bo)
Stéphane Boucher	...	Man in Accident (as Stephane Boucher)
Noel Kaufmann	...	Man on Motorcycle
Roberto Benigni	...	Driver (Rome)
Paolo Bonacelli	...	Priest
Gianni Schettino	...	Transvestite #1
Antonio Ragusa	...	Transvestite #2
Nicola Facondo	...	Lover
Camilla Begnoni	...	Lover
Romolo Di Biasi	...	Angry Driver
Donatella Servadio	...	Dispatcher (Rome) (voice)
Matti Pellonpää	...	Mika
Kari Väänänen	...	Man #1
Sakari Kuosmanen	...	Man #2
Tomi Salmela	...	Man #3
Eija Vilpas	...	Dispatcher (Helsinki) (voice)
Jaakko Talaskivi	...	Factory Worker #1
Klaus Heydemann	...	Factory Worker #2

Directed by
Jim Jarmusch

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jim Jarmusch		written by

Produced by
Masahiro Inbe	....	co-executive producer
Jim Jarmusch	....	producer
Demetra J. MacBride	....	co-producer
Rudd Simmons	....	line producer
Jim Stark	....	executive producer
Noboru Takayama	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Tom Waits

Cinematography by
Frederick Elmes

Film Editing by
Jay Rabinowitz

Makeup Department
Jean-Charles Bachelier	....	hair stylist: Paris
Gina Belafonte	....	hair stylist: Los Angeles
Catherine Demesmeaker	....	makeup artist: Paris
Kaija Ilomäki	....	makeup artist: Helsinki segment
Christina Smith	....	makeup artist: Los Angeles
Meredith Soupios	....	hair stylist: New York
Meredith Soupios	....	makeup artist: New York
Pietro Tenoglio	....	makeup artist: Rome

Production Management
Kathie Hersch	....	production manager: New York
Pierre-Yves Parrinet	....	unit manager: Paris
Manuela Pineskj	....	production manager: Rome (as Manuele Pineski-Berger)
Gilles Sacuto	....	production manager: Paris
Susan Shapiro	....	production manager: Los Angeles
William Watkins	....	unit manager: New York (as William H. Watkins)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roni Ben-Nevat	....	second assistant director: New York
Olivier Coutard	....	second assistant director: Paris
Jeanne Marie De la Fontaine	....	first assistant director: Paris
Terence J. Edwards	....	first assistant director: Los Angeles
Stéphane Fontaine	....	first assistant director: Paris
Nils Hoffet	....	assistant director
Howard McMaster	....	first assistant director: New York
Susan O'Leary	....	second assistant director: Los Angeles
Pauli Pentti	....	first assistant director: Helsinki
Todd Pfeiffer	....	second assistant director: New York
Joseph Rochlitz	....	assistant director

Art Department
Diana Burton	....	property master: second unit, New York
Jeff Butcher	....	property master: New York
Kari Laine	....	set decorator: Helsinki
Johan Le Teneux	....	set decorator: Los Angeles
Laurent Saimond	....	set decorator: Paris
Giuseppe Strino	....	property master: Rome
Christian Waelder	....	set carpenter: Los Angeles
Neal W. Zoromski	....	property master

Sound Department
Elisha Birnbaum	....	foley artist
Felipe Borrero	....	sound mixer: second unit, New York
Moe Chamberlain	....	boom operator: Los Angeles (as Patrick 'Moe' Chamberlain)
Anthony J. Ciccolini III	....	sound designer (as Anthony 'Chic' Ciccolini III)
Eugene Gearty	....	sound effects editor
Thomas A. Gulino	....	dialogue editor
Richard King	....	foley editor (as Richard Q. King)
Drew Kunin	....	location sound mixer
George A. Lara	....	foley engineer
Richard Murphy	....	boom operator: New York
Giampaolo Pippa	....	boom operator: Rome
Rocky Quiroz	....	boom operator: Los Angeles (as Raquel Quiroz)
Benno Schoberth	....	assistant sound editor
Stuart Stanley	....	dialogue editor
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording mixer
Brian Vancho	....	foley artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert M. Andres	....	key grip: second unit, New York (as Bob Andres)
Ray Blackburn	....	best boy grip: New York
Stefan Bremer	....	still photographer: Helsinki
Emanuele Chiari	....	assistant camera
Catherine E. Coulson	....	first assistant camera: Los Angeles
Etienne Debaudringhien	....	best boy electric: New York
Stéphane Fontaine	....	first assistant camera: Paris
Bob Gambardella	....	gaffer: New York (as Robert Gambardella)
Wm. Terrell Hasker	....	grip: Los Angeles (as Terrell Hasker)
Mark Higashino	....	still photographer
Moune Jamet	....	still photographer: Paris
Michael Katz	....	gaffer
Dan Kneece	....	steadicam operator: Los Angeles
Harri Laakso	....	first assistant camera: Helsinki
Todd MacNicholl	....	key grip: New York
Fabio Massimi	....	grip: Rome
Mikko Mattila	....	best boy grip: Helsinki
Dianne Miller	....	best boy grip: Los Angeles
John Mitchell	....	electrician: New York
Peter Morello	....	second assistant camera: New York
Corrine Oréal	....	second assistant camera: Paris
Ilkka Paloniemi	....	electrician: Helsinki
Christine Parry	....	still photographer: New York
René Pequignot	....	key grip: Paris
Antonio Ponti	....	assistant camera
Alberto Salandri	....	electrician: Rome
Nicolas Sand	....	gaffer: Paris
Michael Shore	....	key grip
Sean Simeons	....	still photographer: Rome
Pia Tikka	....	second assistant camera: Helsinki
Demmie Todd	....	additional still photographer: New York
Salvatore Totino	....	first assistant camera: New York
Riccardo Umetelli	....	camera operator: Rome
Olli Varja	....	gaffer: Helsinki
Lorna Wiley	....	second assistant camera: Los Angeles
Jeff Zucker	....	best boy electric: Los Angeles

Casting Department
Susan Shopmaker	....	extras casting: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Magda Bava	....	costume designer: Rome
Holly Davis	....	wardrobe assistant: Los Angeles
Claire Fraisse	....	costume designer: Paris
Barbara Gordon	....	costume designer: Los Angeles
Tina Seppo	....	costume designer: Helsinki
Alexandra Welker	....	costume designer: New York

Editorial Department
Tim Brennan	....	negative matcher
Joe Fineman	....	post-production consultant
Tony Grocki	....	assistant film editor
Susan Littenberg	....	apprentice editor
Kimmo Taavila	....	assistant editor: Helsinki

Music Department
Josef Brinckmann	....	musician: accordian
Matthew Brubeck	....	musician: cello
Ralph Carney	....	musician: horns
Joe Gore	....	musician: guitar
Mule Patterson	....	musician: percussion
Jim Sotet	....	musical advisor
Clark Suprynowitz	....	musician: bass
Francis Thumm	....	musician: keyboards

Transportation Department
James Leavey	....	transportation captain: New York (as James F. Leavey)

Other crew
Haije Alanoja	....	production secretary: Helsinki
Erkki Astala	....	production secretary: Helsinki
Randall Balsmeyer	....	title designer
Beth Bernstein	....	assistant coordinator: Los Angeles
Maria T. Bierniak	....	assistant location manager
Elisabeth Chochoy	....	script supervisor: Paris
Randy Day	....	key set production assistant: Los Angeles
Michele De Lorimier	....	production assistant
Simon Egleton	....	production assistant: New York
Martine Etchegaray	....	production secretary: Paris
Nathan Gendzier	....	location manager: second unit, New York
Sandra Grubb	....	assistant coordinator
Varda Hardy	....	script supervisor
Eugene Hess	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Elizabeth Kaczmarzyk	....	script supervisor: second unit, New York
Danny Kaufman	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Lisa Krueger	....	script supervisor: New York
Erkki Lume	....	location manager: Helsinki
Joe McDougall	....	location manager
Gary Francis Minor	....	production assistant: New York
Suzanne Molière	....	office production assistant
Susan O'Leary	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Giorgia Onofri	....	script supervisor: Rome
Thomas Patrick Petrilla	....	production assistant
Lucy Pollak	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Edward Pollard	....	production assistant: New York
Leo Santos	....	production assistant: New York
Cornelius Schultze-Kraft	....	office production assistant
Danielle Sotet	....	production auditor
Birgit Staudt	....	production coordinator
Daniel Strol	....	location manager: New York
Molly Van Vleck	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Susanna Virtanen	....	production consultant
Yvonne Woods	....	production assistant: New York
Mandana Yamin	....	production assistant: Los Angeles

Thanks
Claire Denis	....	acknowledgment: advice and inspiration

Production Companies

• Victor Company of Japan (JVC) (in association with)
• Victor Musical Industries (in association with)
• Pyramide Productions (in association with)
• Canal+ (in association with)
• Pandora Cinema (in association with)
• Pandora Filmproduktion (in association with)
• Channel Four Films (in association with)
• JVC Entertainment
• Locus Solus Entertainment

Distributors

• Fine Line Features (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Shibata Organisation (1993) (Japan) (theatrical)
• New Line Cinema (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Arthaus Filmverleih (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Asso Film (video)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Globo Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Musidora Films S.A. (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Pyramide Distribution (????) (France) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1997) (Sweden) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Otto Nemenz International  camera and lenses
• Sound One Corporation  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

LANewYorkParisRomeHelsinki (USA) (working title)
Une nuit sur terre (France)

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany | USA | Japan

Language:

English | French | Finnish | Italian | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:L | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Victor Company of Japan (JVC)

Trivia:

The original title of the film was (all small characters) "lanewyorkparisromehelsinki".

Quotes:

Helmut Grokenberger: [objecting to Yoyo's driving the cab] No, no, it's...
Yoyo: What you mean 'No?'
Helmut Grokenberger: It's not allowed! Not allowed!
Yoyo: Look, yeah, it's allowed! This is New York!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Good Old World

5 little stories, 5 cities, 4 languages - surprising

A fantastic piece of entertainment: five little stories, five cities, four languages. That's all. This movie has no message but it portrays five regions of the world most sensitively.

The L.A. episode is the weakest. It is not bad but it has one big problem: it is the first one. People start watching the movie and expect something sensational. This first episode cannot present anything spectacular, only first class character acting. There are no big surprises or twists, the episode is not particularly funny or anything. Honestly, when I saw the first minutes of this movie I thought: `O dear, I'm going to fall asleep!'

Then, the N.Y. story came. This one made me laugh real hard, and it made Armin Mueller Stahl one of my favourite actors. I started to love this movie, and I was well prepared for the Paris episode, which is, in my opinion the best, the most satisfying of them.

I found the story of the Roberto Benigni episode rather stupid, but his talent in exaggerating (so he did this even seven years before 1999's Oscar ceremony!) made up for it.

Then, the huge contrast: The liveliest episode is followed by the dreariest. Finnish workers tell each other stories from their lives, each trying to tell the saddest.

`Night on Earth' is not a movie for everybody but I think it is, in any case, the ideal movie to watch on television at two o'clock in the morning.