"Down by Law" The "close relationship" of Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni in black and white

Unique nuances created by Waits, Lurie and Benigni

Tom Waits , who plays the struggling DJ Zack, is a unique singer-songwriter known for his numerous albums with the theme of nighttime backstreets. When he debuted in the 1970s, he was a cult figure known only to music connoisseurs, but after he composed the music for Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart (1982), he became a household name in the film world. Now you can. He also appeared as an actor in supporting roles in Coppola's films.

And "Down by Law" was his first starring role. Waits and the director first met in the mid-80s. The two were surrounded by glamorous art people at a Basquiat art exhibition, but they were intimidated and moved to another bar, where they hit it off. The director felt that he had great potential as an actor and cast him as Zach.

His songs are also used in the film. The film begins with the slightly twisted music of " Jockey Full of Bourbon, " which brings a fresh charm to the slightly old scenery of New Orleans. The ending song is " Tango Till They Are Sore ." Both songs are from Waits' 1985 masterpiece album " Rain Dogs ."

"Down by Law" (c)1986 BLACK SNAKE Inc.

Meanwhile, John Lurie will appear in the film following his appearance in ` `Stranger Than Paradise .'' At the time, he was the saxophonist for the New York faux-jazz band Lounge Lizards. Apparently, he had already met the director at a club in New York in the late 1970s.

In the previous work, he played the heroine's unfriendly cousin, giving off a nice touch, but this time he plays the role of a cool pimp in a suit, showing a bit more of an actor's face than before. He is also in charge of the music for the movie, and by creating simple sounds and including dissonant sounds, he creates a sense of gentle tension throughout the movie.

The role of Roberto was played by Roberto Benigni, who would later become known for directing and starring in " Life is Beautiful " (1997). According to Jarmusch, for Benigni, language (Italian) was his weapon, but having that taken away from him and having to speak broken English was a new challenge for him as an actor.

When the film first came out, Benigni was unknown, so his presence, always smiling and speaking English at a different level to the people around him, was refreshing (if a bit annoying).

Two musicians who are connoisseurs and an Italian comedy actor who can't speak English well. The cast is different from that of established American films, giving it an offbeat feel.

An unfading charm