JIM JARMUSCH IN THE MAINSTREAM? MAVERICK DIRECTOR BRINGS OUT THE STARS IN `BROKEN FLOWERS'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer

In the past 25 years, Jim Jarmusch has written and directed 10 movies, including his latest masterwork, the tenderhearted ``Broken Flowers,'' which opens Friday. His first nine films have grossed a total of $14 million in the United States, about double that total worldwide.

And you know what? Jarmusch doesn't care. Really. He still gets to make the movies he wants to make and make them the only way he knows how - with complete creative control. The finished films are pure Jarmusch in every possible way - casting, editing, choice of music. He even owns the master prints. And for him, that's all that matters.

Really.

``I'm not a player,'' Jarmusch says. ``To have the spotlight on me is not my thing. I'm not in this for the money or fame or any of those things. I could care less about that stuff ... although I'm very happy I don't have to have another job and I'm able to make films and can support myself that way. That's all I want to do. All I want to say is on the screen.''

While millions of people may not be listening, the right people seem to be. Over the years, Jarmusch, 52, has worked with the likes of Bill Murray - who stars in ``Flowers'' - Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Robert Mitchum and a host of legendary musicians, including Tom Waits, Joe Strummer, Iggy Pop and Neil Young.

In fact, only once has Jarmusch written something for an actor only to be turned down. (John Turturro passed on ``Night on Earth'' because of another commitment. Jarmusch proceeded to write a different story for Winona Ryder and Gena Rowlands.)

``When Jim calls and says he has something for you, you feel privileged, like, 'What did I do to deserve this gift?' '' says Depp, a friend who starred in Jarmusch's acid-trip Western ``Dead Man.''

``He's a true original in a business that doesn't put much stock in originality. And he doesn't compromise. That's what makes his movies so good. That's what makes him someone that you'll drop everything to work with,'' Depp adds.

Murray has - twice. After appearing in a segment of Jarmusch's anthology film ``Coffee and Cigarettes,'' Murray agreed to star in the filmmaker's next full-length feature, a movie that Jarmusch had actually written before ``Broken Flowers.'' But Jarmusch couldn't finish the script after spending more than four months on it - an eternity for a guy who likes to write quickly.

``To go back to it was just too painful, so I pulled the plug on it,'' Jarmusch says. ``Bill was disconcerted because he liked that story. I said, 'But Bill, I've got this other idea,' which was 'Broken Flowers.' And I told him what I had, and he said, 'Well, do you want to do that one instead?' I said, 'I do. I'd love to.' And he said, 'Yeah, let's do that.' With Bill, he'll give you his word, and that's all you need.''

``Broken Flowers'' tells the story of Don Johnston, an aging Lothario who receives an unsigned letter from a former lover informing him that he has a 19-year-old son who may be paying him a visit sometime soon. Prodded by his amateur-sleuth neighbor (Jeffrey Wright), Don hits the road, looking up four old flames. The journey into the past forces Don to confront what he has become in the present.

At a Cannes Film Festival press conference, where ``Flowers'' (like eight previous Jarmusch films) screened to much acclaim, Murray said the movie was relatable, in that ``we all have someone where we think maybe we didn't give that person enough of a chance. Having done this film, I would say it's a far more precarious position than I would have guessed before.''

That ``Flowers'' might be Jarmusch's most accessible movie to date isn't lost on Focus Features co-president David Linde, who bought ``Flowers'' upfront, making it the first Jarmusch movie to be financed with American money since 1986's ``Down by Law.''

``We believe this movie is going to introduce Jim to a lot of filmgoers who haven't had the opportunity to see his movies before,'' Linde says.

Linde compares ``Flowers'' to another Focus release, last year's ``Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,'' which turned out to be writer Charlie Kaufman's most successful film to date.

``Jim has a true, dedicated following,'' Linde says. ``What's beautiful about his movies is that you go into a theater and you see something you're not going to see anywhere else. We want to build on that following and let other people in on that experience.''

Adds ``Six Feet Under's'' Frances Conroy, who plays one of Don's past lovers in the movie: ``Jim's such a warm person - and his movies are, too. I find them very approachable. I'm not quite sure why more people haven't seen them.''

When asked whether he'd like a bigger audience, Jarmusch responds quickly.

``I might be frightened by it,'' Jarmusch says. ``It's my nature to be attracted to expression that comes more from the margins than the mainstream. It doesn't mean I don't like mainstream things. I often do. But I'd rather read Paul Verlaine than Victor Hugo. I'm certainly going to see Gus Van Sant's new film ('Last Days') and I'm not gonna see `War of the Worlds.'

``So if too many people like my films, I might get scared and think I did something wrong. Honestly.''

When it's pointed out that his friend Depp said the same thing when no one objected to his offbeat performance in ``Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,'' Jarmusch laughs and says, ``I know, I know. He got (flak) from the studio when he did 'Pirates.' And the reason that the film's so fun is those wacky choices that he made.''

``Wacky'' wouldn't be a word you'd use to describe Jarmusch's shaggy-dog stories, which are typically light on plot and heavy on mood, atmosphere and characterization. In that respect, ``Flowers,'' with its straight linear narrative, might indeed be a candidate for a commercial breakthrough. It's actually an atypical Jarmusch movie in several ways.

Jarmusch explains: ``One, I don't like looking back. I don't even look at my films once they're done. (Note: This is why Jarmusch's commentary on the Criterion edition of ``Down by Law'' does NOT play over the film.) It's just not in my nature. So why did I write a script about a guy who goes back? I don't know.

``Also, I'm very nocturnal. I often write scripts that take place at night because that's when I'm most comfortable. And when I finished this, I read it back and asked, 'What have you done to yourself? It's all in the day. You're gonna have to get up at 5 a.m.'

``And the other thing was starting with a character I don't identify with or care about or even like at the onset of the film. And I always like my characters. But with Don, what do I care about a guy who's just sitting in his house? Who cares? But Bill pulls it off. He makes you care and gives you a connection.''

And maybe, in the end, teaches people something about life?

``I hope not,'' Jarmusch blurts. ``God, I hope not.''

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

To the tune of a different Strummer

Jim Jarmusch has been a militant atheist for most of his life. Now he says he's not militant because he doesn't believe in telling anyone what to think. And he's not really an atheist because - as you might gather from such films as ``Dead Man'' and ``Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' - he has a great respect for Buddhism and American Indian philosophies.

As for hearing voices from beyond, one comes through loud and clear: Joe Strummer, the Clash frontman who died of a heart attack in December 2002. Strummer played a booze-soaked holdup man in Jarmusch's 1989 film, ``Mystery Train.''

``He still gives me advice,'' Jarmusch says of his friend. ``When I have trouble deciding something, I consult with him, and I hear him saying, (Jarmusch adopts Strummer's thick Cockney accent, doing a dead-perfect imitation) 'Forget it now, man! Don't do that! Run away! Don't trust 'em!' Or: 'Go for it, man! Life is short! You gotta do this! It's something for you!'

``And I kind of close down,'' Jarmusch continues. ``It's not me making the decision. I really feel like I get his advice, you know? It's kind of weird. I just really miss him. He was such a spirit. Sometimes it's hard to see what's good for you without a little camera outside yourself. And somehow his voice is from that place. It's not from my own turmoil. It's something more pure.''

- G.W.

The best of Jim Jarmusch

Never heard of Jim Jarmusch? Join the club. His biggest film - ``Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' - grossed all of $3.3 million in the States.

Look at it as an opportunity to discover an American original. A select guide to loading up your rental queue:

STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984)

The stars: John Lurie, known today more for his work as a composer and painter.

The premise: Hungarian girl visits her New York hipster cousin. She moves to Cleveland. He and a buddy visit her in the dead of winter. They take a road trip to Florida.

The take: $2.4 million. (U.S. box office gross)

Our rating: Four stars

One of the most influential indie films ever made.

DOWN BY LAW (1986)

The stars: Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni, John Lurie, Ellen Barkin.

The premise: Three men land in a Louisiana prison - but not for long.

The take: $1.4 million.

Our rating: Three and one half stars

Poetry on the bayou.

MYSTERY TRAIN (1989)

The stars: Joe Strummer, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Steve Buschemi, Nicoletta Braschi.

The premise: Strange things happen in and around a rundown Memphis (heartbreak) hotel.

The take: $1.5 million.

Our rating: Three stars

More bleary-eyed eccentrics. Somehow, can't help but fall in love.

DEAD MAN (1995)

The stars: Johnny Depp, John Hurt, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, Gabriel Byrne, Iggy Pop and Robert Mitchum in his last film role. Neil Young performs the score.

The premise: Accountant heads to the Old West, becomes an outlaw, goes on magical mystery tour to the spirit world.

The take: $1 million.

Our rating: Four stars

Jarmusch reinvents self with existential Western.

GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (1999)

The stars: Forest Whitaker. RZA does the score.

The premise: Samurai hit man becomes a target.

The take: $3.3 million.

Our rating: Three stars

Buddist butcher makes a compelling character.

COFFEE AND CIGARETTES (2003)

The stars: Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Roberto Benigni, Tom Waits, Jack and Meg White, Iggy Pop, Steven Wright.

The premise: Eleven vignettes, filmed over the course of many years, featuring characters bonding over the titular vices.

The take: $2.2 million.

Our rating: Three stars

Addictive viewing.

- G.W.

CAPTION(S):

9 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- 5 -- cover -- color) LOVES LOST

...and found as director Jim Jarmusch takes his star on a journey in `Broken Flowers'

(6) Director Jim Jarmusch, right, on the set with actor Bill Murray.

(7) Murray sets out to revisit his former girlfriends on a journey to locate the son he never knew existed in ``Broken Flowers.''

(8) Musician Joe Strummer

(9) Johnny Depp

Box:

(1) To the tune of a different Strummer (see text)

(2) The best of Jim Jarmusch (see text)