Don’t Wait For Permission | The Great Acting Blog

I recently saw Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise on the big screen at the BFI, it’s been a long-time favourite film of mine, and I was delighted to finally be able to see it in a theatre.

Jarmusch made the film in the early 80s using some film stock leftover from another movie. The result is a striking work of minimalist beauty, dry humour and no wave screen acting. It struck a nerve on it’s original release (in one Parisien cinema, it played for 12 consecutive months) and went on to become a landmark in American cinema (influencing the likes of Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino).

The point is, Jarmusch didn’t wait for someone to give him permission to make the film, and he didn’t wait for someone to give him a job (in fact, Jarmusch had even made a feature film prior to this one, funding it with his college tuition fees). He started on the production with almost no budget (and before digital technology made it a lot easier) and continued because he believed in the vision he was creating.

Building on this same philosophy has meant that Jarmusch has continued to do the work he’s wanted to do, without interference, for some thirty years. There’s not many can say that. This philosophy however, extends to actors as well as filmmakers.