Arizona Dream

Director: Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica

Overview

Director Emir Kusturica and screenwriter David Atkins crafted this absurdist comedy in which Johnny Depp plays Axel Blackmer, who lives in New York State and is obsessed with fish. He tags fish and monitors their habits for a living, but his greatest curiosity is when and how they dream. Axel's uncle, Leo Sweetie (Jerry Lewis) would prefer Axel take over the family business, a Cadillac dealership in Tucson, Arizona; against his better judgment, Axel drives from New York to Arizona to check out the lot and attend Leo's wedding to Millie (Paulina Porizkova), a woman who is hoping that marriage will keep her from crying all the time. While watching the Cadillacs, Leo meets Elaine Stalker (Faye Dunaway), the sexy widow of a wealthy mine owner, and the two strike up a romance, while Elaine's daughter Grace (Lili Taylor) wanders through her mother's home playing "Besame Mucho" on the accordion to her pet turtles. Needless to say, Warner Bros, the film's United States distributor, didn't figure this was a sure bet for box-office success, and they trimmed Arizona Dream of 22 minutes before putting it into limited release and eventually dumping it onto home video without opening it in most major cities. Kusturica's original 142-minute cut was released in Europe (where it did respectable if not ground-shaking business) and to a few art houses in America; the shortened 120-minute version is available on home video.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/16/2010
UPC:	0883316236635
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Johnny Depp	Axel Blackmar
Jerry Lewis	Leo Sweetie
Faye Dunaway	Elaine Stalker
Lili Taylor	Grace Stalker
Vincent Gallo	Paul Leger
Paulina Porizkova	Millie
Candyce Mason	Blanche
Alexia Rane	Angie
Michael J. Pollard	Fabian
Polly Noonan	Betty
Ann Schulman	Carla
Patricia O'Grady	MC/Announcer
Tricia Fisher	Lindy
James R. Wilson	Lawyer
Eric Polczwartek	Man With Door,Man with Door
Kim Keo	Mechanical Doll
Sal Jenco	Man at the Phone
James P. Marshall	Boatman
Vincent Tocktuo	Eskimo Man
Santos Romero	Mariachi Band Member
David Rodriguez	Mariachi Band Member,Mariachi Band Member
Juan Urrea	Mariachi Band Member
Jose Luis Avila	Mariachi Band Member
Sergio Hlarmendaris	Mariachi Band Member
Frank Turley	Mariachi Band Member
Manuel Ruiz	Mariachi Band Member
Narcisco Dominguez	Mariachi Band Member
Benjamin S. Gonzales	Mariachi Band Member
Serafino Flores	Mariachi Band Member
Miguel Moreno	Mariachi Band Member
Raphael Salcido	Mariachi Band Member
Goran Bregovic	Composer
James P. Morrison	Boatman
Vincent Tocktoo	Eskimo Man
David Rodriquez	Mariachi Band Member
José Luis Ávila	Mariachi Band Member
Manuel Rodríguez	Mariachi Band Member
Cayetano Acosta	Mariachi Band Member
Goran Bregovi¿	Composer

Technical Credits

Emir Kusturica

David Atkins

Emir Kusturica	Director,Screenwriter
David Atkins	Screenwriter
Paul R. Gurian	Executive Producer,Producer
Max W. Anderson	Special Effects
Everett L. Creach	Stunts
Pennie Dupont	Casting
Ken Estes	Special Effects
Cedomir Kolar	Producer
Gregory C. Landerer	Special Effects
Yves Marmion	Producer
Claudie Ossard	Producer
Richard Brick	Producer
Vincent Arnardi	Sound Effects
Gérard Hardy	Sound Effects
Jean-Pierre Lelong	Sound Effects
Fred Mays	Sound Effects
Corinne Rozenberg	Sound Effects
Adam Brown	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Just the type of movie you'd expect with a cast as bizarre as Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, Jerry Lewis, and Vincent Gallo, this oddity from the always interesting Emir Kusturica is sometimes maddeningly uneven (not to mention completely random), but represents the kind of off-the-wall filmmaking that general audiences so rarely see. The film features Dunaway in top form, and helps secure Depp's reputation as one of Hollywood's most challenging actors, willing to give his all even in roles that seem half-baked, as this one sometimes does. The back-story on Arizona Dream is almost as interesting as the film itself: reportedly, Kusturica walked off the set following a dispute with the producers and agreed to return only if the film was made on his terms. Additionally, there are two cuts of the film: the 119-minute U.S. and British version, and a 142-minute European version that was shown around the country in 1995 after the film garnered a surprising cult following, thereby broadening its exposure.

All Movie Guide - Jason Clark