Ghost Dog: Postscript

I usually don't do this, considering I already wrote a review of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Nonetheless, when I found out about the supposed print fiasco during the opening weekend, and the distributors' steps taken to rerelease the film, I felt an editorial was in order. Perhaps you should read the other opinions about this film before going into my comments about the new prints (now in circulation everywhere).

Interesting news. Artisan Entertainment put out a full ad in The Village Voice exclaiming in big letters how proud they were to be the distributors of Jim Jarmusch’s new movie. I thought to myself that this was a pretty cool gesture on their part, speaking highly of this “distinctive work by one of our great original filmmakers.”

I went on to read that due to a lab error, the prints in release of this film during the opening week were “not in the form that Jarmusch wanted.” Those who have seen the film know there are several crucial scenes between Ghost Dog and his best friend, Raymond, who speaks only in French. The prints of this film, including the version I saw, did not have English subtitles for Raymond’s dialogue.

For my money, that was the whole point of the scene. We’re seeing everything through the eyes of our protagonist, Ghost Dog, who doesn’t understand a word of French. When asked why he hangs out with a guy whose language he cannot speak, he tries to explain that they somehow manage to communicate all the same. This was clear to me, despite the fact that I didn’t understand a single word Raymond said, either – I still got the emotional communication going on between these two guys, and don’t think I wanted or needed to see subtitles in order to understand what was happening.

It’s my belief that Jarmusch (or whoever made this decision) is making a mistake by throwing in these subtitles. It detracts from the point he is trying to make with these scenes, which is, simply, that they communicate despite the language barriers. We as audience members are able to understand what is going on in these scenes even if we don’t speak French. Since they have confirmed that this change will be in effect, I can only say I’m glad I caught the film in the opening week, and that this will severely weaken what were perhaps the best scenes in the film.

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