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:

Cab | Cab Driver | Anthology | Pill | Rome Italy

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

Also Known As:

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

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, and some drug use.

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:

Iceland:L | Singapore:M18 | 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 names "Mika" and "Aki" are taken from directors Mika Kaurismäki and Aki Kaurismäki. Brothers Kaurismäki have also frequently used the main cast of the Finnish segment (Matti Pellonpää, Kari Väänänen and Sakari Kuosmanen)

Goofs:

Continuity: Winona Rider's character opens up a trunk through the missing rear window, but then in the next shot the window is there again.

Quotes:

Paris Driver: Don't blind people usually wear dark glasses?
Blind Woman: Do they? I've never seen a blind person.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Strada: (2009-05-08)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Back in the Good Old World

The most under-rated film in history!

No one I ever mention this film to has heard of it, let alone seen it! I actually tried to see Thelma and Louise at the cinema when Night on Earth came out, but as it was sold out, I saw this instead - what a lucky break! The film is actually 5 short films of around twenty minutes, each one a taxi journey, taking place at the exact same moment in 5 cities across the world, from LA to Helsinki, via New York, Paris and Rome.

Without ruining the surprises contained (its unexpectedness is one of its delights) the film covers numerous emotions. At times it is utterly hilarious, at others it's sad and moving. It is pacy and yet considered, the characters are well painted, both by the writing and the acting, and the story lines engrossing yet punchy. There are some sub-titles, by the way, but please don't let that put you off. It's not one of those intellectual "aren't I clever" films.

If you like your films classy, well written, well acted, intelligent, thought provoking yet accessible, and with a great soundtrack (Tom Waits), then Night on Earth is for you! Share it!