Speaking of trances, Jim Jarmusch made the cinematic equivalent of Tuvan throat-singing with this gorgeous black-and-white western. It's a deeply mystical exploration of identity and death, rooted in a wintry, wooded landscape, grounded by the mesmerizing junkyard growl of Neil Young's guitar. A film of exotic power.
        ---Rustin Thompson, Moviemaker Magazine, April 1998





The Dead Man Society


Welcome to the Dead Man Society! This website and message board are dedicated to Jim Jarmusch's film DEAD MAN, starring Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer. We hope to make this a handy resource for folks interested in all things Dead Man, and a place to discuss the film, its creator Jim Jarmusch, the poet William Blake... anything that can help us appreciate this great work even more. Of course, since we are just starting out, we need your help! We would love to post your original reviews and essays about the movie. Also, please let us know about interesting Dead Man links and resources!

The obligatory disclaimer: this is not an official site. The Dead Man Society is in no way related to Jim Jarmusch, Miramax, Johnny Depp (rats!), etc. The DMS is just a fan site.

The Movie

Dead Man, released in 1995, was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. On the surface, it is the simple tale of young Bill Blake, who travels West some time in the late 1800s. After Bill is mortally wounded, he encounters Nobody, a solitary Native American. Nobody believes Bill is THE William Blake - the poet returned to earth - and so becomes Bill's mentor and guide on his final journey. The film is presented in black and white (and "all possible gray tones" according to Jarmusch) with a sparse musical score by Neil Young.

Dead Man is no simple tale, however! From the opening scenes of Bill Blake's figurative descent into Hell to Nobody tossing out lines from William Blake's poetry, nothing in this film should be taken for granted. Each viewing presents new surprises and new puzzles to be solved.

The Cast
William Blake - Johnny Depp
Nobody - Gary Farmer
Cole Wilson - Lance Henriksen
Conway Twill - Michael Wincott
Benmont Tench - Jared Harris
Thel Russell - Mili Avital
Salvatore "Sally" Jenko - Iggy Pop
Big George Drakoulious - Billy Bob Thorton
Train Fireman - Crispin Glover
Johnny "The Kid" Pickett - Eugene Byrd
Nobody's Girlfriend - Michelle Thrush
Charlie Dickinson - Gabriel Byrne
John Scholfield - John Hurt
John Dickinson - Robert Mitchum
Trading Post Missionary - Alfred Molina
Marvin (Older Marshall) - Jimmie Ray Weeks
Lee (Younger Marshall) - Mark Bringelson


Directed and written by Jim Jarmusch
Production Designer Robert Ziembicki
Director of Photography Robby Müller
Musical score by Neil Young


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"Afternoon with the fawn" © Deadmaniac 2004


Last update: 14 November 2004
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