346 reviews
Sometimes something happens with a person in your life that is absolutely devastating, your world is completely flattened and you're left adrift, wandering spiritually and unable to relate to anyone else. The desolation of the scenery in this film, the poor run-down towns in Texas, and the wide openness of the landscape as the little car drives through it mirrors this feeling of being lost after such an event. This is a film that wields a heavy emotional hammer, and it left me with a hollow feeling in my chest.
The pace is slow but it matches the weight of this guy's past, and builds to an extraordinary scene, as he and his old lover communicate with the benefit of time having passed and through a mirror, saying the words which usually end up being unsaid, and coming to a kind of peace. There are scars which never completely heal but somehow we move on, and this film is a catharsis. There are so many other things to love about it too - Wim Wender's use of light and color, Ry Cooder's lonesome slide guitar, and Harry Dean Stanton's sense of what it is to be broken. It's a masterful, haunting work, one that will stick with you.
The pace is slow but it matches the weight of this guy's past, and builds to an extraordinary scene, as he and his old lover communicate with the benefit of time having passed and through a mirror, saying the words which usually end up being unsaid, and coming to a kind of peace. There are scars which never completely heal but somehow we move on, and this film is a catharsis. There are so many other things to love about it too - Wim Wender's use of light and color, Ry Cooder's lonesome slide guitar, and Harry Dean Stanton's sense of what it is to be broken. It's a masterful, haunting work, one that will stick with you.
- gbill-74877
- Apr 12, 2020
- Permalink
- classicsoncall
- Mar 28, 2018
- Permalink
Moody, slow, absorbing, you lose yourself in this 'love lost' and in many ways tragic story. This film was probably an early warning to us all of how life can easily overwhelm without us realising it. It is also virtually unique in the successful portrayal of a man who is deeply lost in his innermost thoughts that the outside world becomes almost a minutiae. Mr Stanton encapsulates this mood perfectly and this is probably his best performance ever. The most moving scene (and there are many) might be when he reviews some old cine film of his life (a normal happy love story which surely could not have gone wrong so badly)before he walked away from it all. I can't help but think this is a real life epistle which could be a marker for how life has overtaken the human race in the last 20 years.
- Glengarry-Glen-Wright
- Oct 17, 2009
- Permalink
Paris Texas is a slow, moody, and delicate study about a man who once ran away from everything and now is coming to terms with himself and learning to forgive himself, by finally facing he people he turned his back on. The Wim Wenders directed movie still today rests in a fairly under recognized status, which doesn't stretch the term "cult classic" when applied to it. Paris, Texas is about redemption, the road, family, and the bleakness of the American Southwest. It contains one of the most memorable and unusual openings ever. We hear Ry Cooder's lonely single note twangy guitar on the soundtrack with cinematographer Robby Müller (Barfly, To Live and Die in L.A. , Dead Man) capturing the majestic vistas, rock formations, and the open desert in his camera. Actor Harry Dean Stanton walks out of the dry and desolate landscape, wearing a wornout black sports jacket and dusty red baseball cap. It's a beautifully staged opening sequence. A perfect start to a perfect movie. This man is lost and in need of being found. It's his brother played by actor Dean Stockwell ("Quantum Leap", Blue Velvet) who gets word of Stanton's whereabouts and goes after him, which begins the journey of redemption. Nastassja Kinski plays Stanton's young x-wife and the true love of his life. Kinski, the daughter of legendary German actor Klaus Kinski, doesn't make her entrance into the film until the later reels, but her lingering presence is felt throughout. It's almost the same type of thing that Coppola did by not having Brando appear in Apocalypse Now until the conclusion. The scenes that Kinski does have in the end with Stanton are some of the best moments ever captured on film. They're highly emotional and will cause even the most hard-hearted to shed a tear. Both Stanton and Kinski are very subtle and understated in their acting. It's true to their characters. Eight year old Hunter Carson plays Stanton's biological son, who was raised by his uncle (Stockwell). Carson certainly deserves mention in any conversation about great child performances on film. Paris, Texas is a masterpiece. There's no way around it. It's a movie that slowly reveals itself putting the audience right in the shoes of Stanton, who also is trying to remember his past and face it. The story was penned by playwright and actor Sam Shepard, though he doesn't appear in the film. Shepard, a very good playwright, has outdone himself with Paris, Texas surpassing his perhaps more well known, True West. Paris, Texas is a film that must not only be seen, but experienced. Sure the pacing is extremely slow, but as an audience member, use that to your advantage to suck in the picturesque orange southwest desert against the deep blue skys, and the poignant acting, and haunting soundtrack. There's no reason not to treat yourself to this uniquely American masterpiece meditation. It would make a great nightcap for a triple feature with two other simular themed American films, The Searchers and Taxi Driver.
I first saw this film almost fifteen years ago and thought about almost nothing else for at least a month. I have never seen a film before or since that presents the extremes of love, pain, and loss with such immediacy and ruthless candor. Watching this film with openness, identifying with the characters, made me wince and writhe in sympathetic agony. I didn't cry; rather, I was reminded of all the times I have wept in my life, and why.
Perhaps each person person has a film -- usually a masterpiece -- which affects him or her so strongly that it is beyond description. This is mine.
Perhaps each person person has a film -- usually a masterpiece -- which affects him or her so strongly that it is beyond description. This is mine.
- pschwiesow
- Sep 10, 2002
- Permalink
It's hard for me to select just one movie as my very favorite, but if I had to, "Paris, Texas" would probably be it.
As I recall, I first saw it while I was a student in a small theater in '84 or '85; a year or two later I recorded it from cable to Beta tape. After not having watched it for years, I've played it again a few times over the last couple of years. Many movies I recall having liked in the past are just big disappointments when I watch them years later. That's not the case with this one! Then I was single; now I'm married. That alone makes a big difference, but I also find that even some small elements now have more meaning. I previously attached no significance to the scene where Travis was determined to find the same rental car in which he and Walt had previously driven. But how often people do sentimentally and fiercely cling to, objectively, unimportant things in reaction to having had their hearts and spirits broken more than a few times over important things. I often recall this scene when observing some instance of this in myself or others.
I am struck by what opposite opinions people have of this movie. If you have few problems relating to other people, or you don't care much about relating to other humans, and little in your life disappoints you over long spells of your life, you will probably find this movie very boring. I sort of envy people in this situation, though before I would want to wish myself to be like that, I pause at how much my life would be changed and how little of my personality would be left, if I did.
I, too, eagerly await the release of this movie on high quality DVD, and hope that my still barely viewable Beta will last til then.
"Oh, Travis."
As I recall, I first saw it while I was a student in a small theater in '84 or '85; a year or two later I recorded it from cable to Beta tape. After not having watched it for years, I've played it again a few times over the last couple of years. Many movies I recall having liked in the past are just big disappointments when I watch them years later. That's not the case with this one! Then I was single; now I'm married. That alone makes a big difference, but I also find that even some small elements now have more meaning. I previously attached no significance to the scene where Travis was determined to find the same rental car in which he and Walt had previously driven. But how often people do sentimentally and fiercely cling to, objectively, unimportant things in reaction to having had their hearts and spirits broken more than a few times over important things. I often recall this scene when observing some instance of this in myself or others.
I am struck by what opposite opinions people have of this movie. If you have few problems relating to other people, or you don't care much about relating to other humans, and little in your life disappoints you over long spells of your life, you will probably find this movie very boring. I sort of envy people in this situation, though before I would want to wish myself to be like that, I pause at how much my life would be changed and how little of my personality would be left, if I did.
I, too, eagerly await the release of this movie on high quality DVD, and hope that my still barely viewable Beta will last til then.
"Oh, Travis."
It might seem odd to call this an "American" film, as its director, Wim Wenders is a German film director, who , unlike his predecessors, Lang, Murnau, Pabst, Von Sternberg , and Billy Wilder, has chosen to remain aloof from the Hollywood film industry. But Paris Texas is as much an American film as Tocquevillle's "Democracy in America" is an American book. Sometimes it takes a foreigner ( In Wim Wenders' case, a foriegner who loves American music, American movies and American literature.) to look into the American soul. In this case,it helps that he is working with a great-and misunderstood- American writer, Sam Shephard, and a great-and under appreciated- American actor, Harry Dean Stanton. I can not begin to convey who poetic, how haunting, and how beautiful this film is, and how artfully it probes the American heart. The scene where Stanton confronts his wife, and tells what he did and why he did it, must rank among the supreme scenes, not just of film, but of human life. It echoed the great scenes of our literature, such as Ulysses meeting with Penelope, and the return of the prodigal son. In short, the only film which goes beyond it in the eighties is Raging Bull, and that is largely because of the volcanic power of Scorsese, that most self-crucifying of auteurs. in short, I would go so far as to say that Paris Texas is more than a "ten'...Like Citizen Kane, like 2001, like Andrei Roublev, like Raging Bull , like the Searchers, like Pickpocket, Tokyo Story, Seven Samurai and Ordet,it is an ELEVEN. Sublime AND beautiful.
"Paris, Texas" is by far one of the best films ever made. It's a well-photographed film; it's almost like a portrait. In the center you have the characters: Travis, Walt, Hunter, Jane, and Anne; and all around them you see the desert and the empty space and the places they inhabit. The major characters are all memorable, especially Harry Dean Stanton as Travis and Dean Stockwell as Walt.
The film is about reunion. The first third of the film, dealing with the reunion of brothers Travis and Walt in the Texas desert, is both very touching and very real. You can sense the frustration on Walt's face when Travis doesn't want to talk to him about anything, and throughout the road trip, you begin to get more interested in Travis' ramblings to Walt about Paris, Texas.
The second third deals with the reunion of Travis with his son, Hunter, and, to a lesser extent, since he's only been gone for less than a week, the reunion of Walt with his wife Anna and Hunter. This is by far my favorite part of the film, because it shows a young boy (Hunter) trying to readjust after his father returns after a four-year absence. Hunter (by the way, he's a great actor) is nice to Travis at first, but refuses to walk home from school with him because "Everyone drives." The fact that director Wim Wenders focuses on this little portion of the film shows true family life--it expands the little "sin" that Hunter has done. This event sets up perhaps my favorite scene in any film: Hunter and Travis walking home "together"--on opposite sides of the street--with the boy mimicking the movements of his real father. In the following scene I'm touched because the neighborhood reminds me of home--Hunter stops and allows his father to cross the street to join him. There is also a scene (also with no dialogue) that deserves mention--the family watching Super 8mm film of a family fishing trip. Here we see Jane for the first time (a beauty), and we get a portrait of the happy family while the film plays background music for us. It's a wonderful scene that's executed beautifully. The film of the fishing trip allows Hunter to make an observation to Anne about his father--he sees by the way Travis looked at Jane that Travis still loves her very much.
The last third of the film comes as a real shock, and I won't spoil it for anyone because this third of the film is what made me REALLY love the entire film. The sequence of events in the final third actually came out of left field, because I was never really expecting that. You should have figured out, though, that there is a reunion between Travis and his estranged wife, Jane. Harry Dean Stanton's monologue is perhaps one of the best ever caught on film. It's really long but you hear every word and every pause. And what I like about that particular scene is the lighting--notice how the sunlight comes in through the window in Jane's room, and suddenly near the end you realize that it's been artificial light after all. There is a similar lighting effect in "A Clockwork Orange"--during Alex's chat with F. Alexander and his two co-conspirators over wine and spaghetti.
Overall, "Paris, Texas" is a great film that should be noted both for its photography and for its realistic look at family life. These are people who are a real family--opinionated, angry, happy, sad, melodramatic, judgmental, high-strung, incommunicado, etc. They refuse sometimes to admit their true feelings and that is exactly what makes a family a family sometimes, the fact that you can't say what you really want to say at a certain time.
This is the kind of film directors really want to make--small, realistic, poignant...and with zero special effects.
The film is about reunion. The first third of the film, dealing with the reunion of brothers Travis and Walt in the Texas desert, is both very touching and very real. You can sense the frustration on Walt's face when Travis doesn't want to talk to him about anything, and throughout the road trip, you begin to get more interested in Travis' ramblings to Walt about Paris, Texas.
The second third deals with the reunion of Travis with his son, Hunter, and, to a lesser extent, since he's only been gone for less than a week, the reunion of Walt with his wife Anna and Hunter. This is by far my favorite part of the film, because it shows a young boy (Hunter) trying to readjust after his father returns after a four-year absence. Hunter (by the way, he's a great actor) is nice to Travis at first, but refuses to walk home from school with him because "Everyone drives." The fact that director Wim Wenders focuses on this little portion of the film shows true family life--it expands the little "sin" that Hunter has done. This event sets up perhaps my favorite scene in any film: Hunter and Travis walking home "together"--on opposite sides of the street--with the boy mimicking the movements of his real father. In the following scene I'm touched because the neighborhood reminds me of home--Hunter stops and allows his father to cross the street to join him. There is also a scene (also with no dialogue) that deserves mention--the family watching Super 8mm film of a family fishing trip. Here we see Jane for the first time (a beauty), and we get a portrait of the happy family while the film plays background music for us. It's a wonderful scene that's executed beautifully. The film of the fishing trip allows Hunter to make an observation to Anne about his father--he sees by the way Travis looked at Jane that Travis still loves her very much.
The last third of the film comes as a real shock, and I won't spoil it for anyone because this third of the film is what made me REALLY love the entire film. The sequence of events in the final third actually came out of left field, because I was never really expecting that. You should have figured out, though, that there is a reunion between Travis and his estranged wife, Jane. Harry Dean Stanton's monologue is perhaps one of the best ever caught on film. It's really long but you hear every word and every pause. And what I like about that particular scene is the lighting--notice how the sunlight comes in through the window in Jane's room, and suddenly near the end you realize that it's been artificial light after all. There is a similar lighting effect in "A Clockwork Orange"--during Alex's chat with F. Alexander and his two co-conspirators over wine and spaghetti.
Overall, "Paris, Texas" is a great film that should be noted both for its photography and for its realistic look at family life. These are people who are a real family--opinionated, angry, happy, sad, melodramatic, judgmental, high-strung, incommunicado, etc. They refuse sometimes to admit their true feelings and that is exactly what makes a family a family sometimes, the fact that you can't say what you really want to say at a certain time.
This is the kind of film directors really want to make--small, realistic, poignant...and with zero special effects.
- deadkerouac
- Dec 12, 1999
- Permalink
Despite the rave reviews I wish I had enjoyed this more.
It was ok up until the final hour, and then it was too pedestrian in getting nowhere.
I was getting fidgety urging something significant to happen, but it concluded with a most unsatisfactory ending.
I found Hunter's character implausible. Would a boy of that age really readily turn his back on the two people he knew as his parents.
Would Travis really try to make amends for his past by breaking up a family and leaving his son with a woman who would clearly revert to type?
There was no explanation as to the four years prior to Travis walking out of the desert.
Yes, it was beautifully filmed and had a lot of atmosphere, but I just did not buy the story.
It was ok up until the final hour, and then it was too pedestrian in getting nowhere.
I was getting fidgety urging something significant to happen, but it concluded with a most unsatisfactory ending.
I found Hunter's character implausible. Would a boy of that age really readily turn his back on the two people he knew as his parents.
Would Travis really try to make amends for his past by breaking up a family and leaving his son with a woman who would clearly revert to type?
There was no explanation as to the four years prior to Travis walking out of the desert.
Yes, it was beautifully filmed and had a lot of atmosphere, but I just did not buy the story.
- WriterDave
- Dec 4, 2005
- Permalink
- musicchic4713
- Nov 13, 2020
- Permalink
This film is a classic in my opinion. The story is very strongly influenced by its writer's, Sam Shepard, exploration of the human condition. The film is not for everyone. Wim Wenders paces the storyline accordingly to the psyche and struggle of the main character, and the concept of searching for answers to his natural state of mind by returning to the place of his conception is a well thought out and intriguing premise for this film.
I have seen this film more than seven times, and love the slow pace because it allows me to be drawn into that world completely and really have the chance to get to know each character. Recommended to anyone with an interest in psychology, cinematography, Sam Shepard's style of story-telling, and movies that walk to their own beat. Natascha Kinski and Stanton are excellent.
I give it 8 stars (9 if they would release it letterboxed on DVD)
I have seen this film more than seven times, and love the slow pace because it allows me to be drawn into that world completely and really have the chance to get to know each character. Recommended to anyone with an interest in psychology, cinematography, Sam Shepard's style of story-telling, and movies that walk to their own beat. Natascha Kinski and Stanton are excellent.
I give it 8 stars (9 if they would release it letterboxed on DVD)
Greetings again from the darkness. It's been 30 years. The movie hasn't changed. I remember every scene. So that means it's ME that has changed. While I really liked the movie on its 1984 release, it's only now that I truly appreciate the brilliance of the script, the music, the direction, the photography and the acting
much less the wide range of emotions.
Director Wim Wenders has long been a favorite at Cannes Film Festival, and this one took home the prestigious Palme d'Or. Since then, the film has often been mentioned as one of the best movies of the 1980's, and after this most recent screening (courtesy of the Dallas Film Society), I wholeheartedly concur.
Opening in a most unusual manner the lead character comes stumbling out of the Texas dessert and doesn't utter a word for the first 20-25 minutes this film immediately strikes you as something unique – definitely not cookie cutter. Trying to outguess the script is a waste of time. It's best to just watch it unfold in a believable and sometimes awkward way.
In a rare lead role, long time character actor Harry Dean Stanton plays Travis. We soon enough learn that Travis disappeared four years ago leaving behind a wife and young son. We also learn that his brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) and Walt's wife Anne (Aurore Clement) have been taking care of the boy, and Hunter (Hunter Carson) considers them his parents (his mom ran off too).
Walt and Anne invite Travis to stay with them and re-connect with his son, but they are caught off guard when the two really click and they take off to find Jane, the wife/mother. Their charming (but less-than-professional) stakeout leads to the discovery that Jane is working in a sex shop, spending her days talking to a 2 way mirror with lonely men she can't see. One of the most remarkable on screen soliloquies ever seen occurs on Travis' second trip to see Jane (Natassja Kinski). It's a heartfelt story that plays out as an explanation, an apology, and a plan for moving forward. It's his way of making reparations and finally doing the right thing (as he sees it).
As with most classic films, the backstory offers some interesting tidbits and the players are fun to catch up with. This story was originally written by the great Sam Shepard. Mr. Shepard is a Pulitzer Prize winner, an award winning playwright, and well known actor (Oscar nominated for playing Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff). Director Wenders then brought in L.M. "Kit" Carson to add and revise the script while on set. Carson's son (with actress Karen Black) Hunter plays the boy in the film, and he delivers one of the best, least affected, child performances of all time. Kit went on to write the screenplay for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and had a significant acting role in Running on Empty (1988). His son Hunter is still a working actor today. Mr. Wenders was one of the German New Wave of directors along with Herzog and Fassbinder, and his Wings of Desire (1987) would make a terrific double feature with this one. Mr. Stockwell was a very successful child actor in the 1940's and is best known for his work in Blue Velvet and TV's Quantum Leap. Ms. Kinski is the daughter of Klaus Kinski and is fondly remembered for her roles in Tess (1979) and Cat People (1982), though she still works today as well.
Harry Dean Stanton is now 88 years old. He served in WWII and was present during the Battle of Okinawa. His acting career began in the 1950's and he still works periodically today. In addition to nearly 200 acting credits, he has had a pretty nice career as a musician. His band built a large cult following. Some of his most popular acting roles have been in Cool Hand Luke, The Godfather II, Alien, Repo Man, Escape From New York and Pretty in Pink.
The music in the film is provided by Ry Cooder, who is a tremendous slide guitarist and has worked with some of the all-time greats in the music business – The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Neil Young, among others. Cooder is a multi-Grammy winner and re-teamed with Wenders for the Oscar nominated Buena Vista Social Club a few years later. The music is an exceptional compliment to the movie, as is the camera work of Robby Muller, who also works frequently with Wenders.
This story of loss and loneliness is an easy one to overlook, but when a film holds up well for 30 years and affects you differently depending on your own lot in life its legacy is secure.
Director Wim Wenders has long been a favorite at Cannes Film Festival, and this one took home the prestigious Palme d'Or. Since then, the film has often been mentioned as one of the best movies of the 1980's, and after this most recent screening (courtesy of the Dallas Film Society), I wholeheartedly concur.
Opening in a most unusual manner the lead character comes stumbling out of the Texas dessert and doesn't utter a word for the first 20-25 minutes this film immediately strikes you as something unique – definitely not cookie cutter. Trying to outguess the script is a waste of time. It's best to just watch it unfold in a believable and sometimes awkward way.
In a rare lead role, long time character actor Harry Dean Stanton plays Travis. We soon enough learn that Travis disappeared four years ago leaving behind a wife and young son. We also learn that his brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) and Walt's wife Anne (Aurore Clement) have been taking care of the boy, and Hunter (Hunter Carson) considers them his parents (his mom ran off too).
Walt and Anne invite Travis to stay with them and re-connect with his son, but they are caught off guard when the two really click and they take off to find Jane, the wife/mother. Their charming (but less-than-professional) stakeout leads to the discovery that Jane is working in a sex shop, spending her days talking to a 2 way mirror with lonely men she can't see. One of the most remarkable on screen soliloquies ever seen occurs on Travis' second trip to see Jane (Natassja Kinski). It's a heartfelt story that plays out as an explanation, an apology, and a plan for moving forward. It's his way of making reparations and finally doing the right thing (as he sees it).
As with most classic films, the backstory offers some interesting tidbits and the players are fun to catch up with. This story was originally written by the great Sam Shepard. Mr. Shepard is a Pulitzer Prize winner, an award winning playwright, and well known actor (Oscar nominated for playing Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff). Director Wenders then brought in L.M. "Kit" Carson to add and revise the script while on set. Carson's son (with actress Karen Black) Hunter plays the boy in the film, and he delivers one of the best, least affected, child performances of all time. Kit went on to write the screenplay for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and had a significant acting role in Running on Empty (1988). His son Hunter is still a working actor today. Mr. Wenders was one of the German New Wave of directors along with Herzog and Fassbinder, and his Wings of Desire (1987) would make a terrific double feature with this one. Mr. Stockwell was a very successful child actor in the 1940's and is best known for his work in Blue Velvet and TV's Quantum Leap. Ms. Kinski is the daughter of Klaus Kinski and is fondly remembered for her roles in Tess (1979) and Cat People (1982), though she still works today as well.
Harry Dean Stanton is now 88 years old. He served in WWII and was present during the Battle of Okinawa. His acting career began in the 1950's and he still works periodically today. In addition to nearly 200 acting credits, he has had a pretty nice career as a musician. His band built a large cult following. Some of his most popular acting roles have been in Cool Hand Luke, The Godfather II, Alien, Repo Man, Escape From New York and Pretty in Pink.
The music in the film is provided by Ry Cooder, who is a tremendous slide guitarist and has worked with some of the all-time greats in the music business – The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Neil Young, among others. Cooder is a multi-Grammy winner and re-teamed with Wenders for the Oscar nominated Buena Vista Social Club a few years later. The music is an exceptional compliment to the movie, as is the camera work of Robby Muller, who also works frequently with Wenders.
This story of loss and loneliness is an easy one to overlook, but when a film holds up well for 30 years and affects you differently depending on your own lot in life its legacy is secure.
- ferguson-6
- Jun 19, 2014
- Permalink
In certain circles, Paris, Texas is an undisputed classic. A film that was and still is universally praised by critics and film scholars alike. Even legendary filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa, has listed the movie as being one of his 100 favorite films of all time.
But outside of the arthouse community, Paris, Texas is a rather unknown film. I've told so many people about it and I get the same response every time, "I've never heard of it." And to be fair, Paris, Texas isn't what I would call a mainstream movie. It's certainly not a crowd-pleaser by any means. I could see some people thinking that the film is boring or possibly pretentious. And that's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but speaking for myself, Paris, Texas is one of the major defining films of my life.
When I was getting into the world of arthouse cinema and watching films that were part of the Criterion Collection, Paris, Texas was one of the earliest ones that I watched. I watched it without knowing anything about it beforehand, and it was one of the most rewarding viewing experiences I've ever had.
To this day, I've never seen another film capture the spirit of Americana so beautifully. Robby Müller's stunning cinematography in combination with Ry Cooder's gorgeous and hypnotic score creates an ambiance that I still haven't seen or felt in any other movie. Wim Wenders, a German director, directed one of the most beautiful American films of all time, go figure.
The story of Paris, Texas is very simple but utterly unique. It starts out with an unknown, mute man who has been aimlessly wandering across the desert. After passing out from dehydration, he is taken to a doctor who then contacts his brother so that he can go and get him. We found out that the mysterious man had been missing for 4 years.
From there, the film is presented to the audience like a mystery. As the story goes along, much like the mysterious man who has no memory of his past, we learn about him, find out how he came to be wandering in the desert alone, and why he was been missing for 4 years. And that's as specific as I'd like to get with the plot because I think this is one of the best films to watch knowing as little as possible going into it.
Without giving away spoilers, Paris, Texas explores themes of repression, guilt, love, parenthood, and redemption. Harry Dean Stanton gives one of the most gentle and heartbreaking performances that has ever been captured on screen. He's one of those rare actors who can convey so much emotion with just his eyes.
The rest of the cast is also top-notch. Kid actors can be very hit-or-miss with me, but luckily Hunter Carson hits it out of the park. He feels and talks like an actual kid, and he also shares great chemistry with Stanton. Nastassja Kinski is a big reason why the climax of this film is so incredibly moving. Her ability to be so convincing with her on-screen heartbreak feels all too real. She's amazing in this.
If you're not interested in a slow-moving film that focuses on a very bitter-sweet story about one man's journey for redemption, then I think it's fair to say, this film may not be for you. But, for all my arthouse film lovers out there, or any film lover who is looking to watch something different, I can't recommend Paris, Texas highly enough. This is a film that I'm proud to call one of my all-time favorites.
But outside of the arthouse community, Paris, Texas is a rather unknown film. I've told so many people about it and I get the same response every time, "I've never heard of it." And to be fair, Paris, Texas isn't what I would call a mainstream movie. It's certainly not a crowd-pleaser by any means. I could see some people thinking that the film is boring or possibly pretentious. And that's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but speaking for myself, Paris, Texas is one of the major defining films of my life.
When I was getting into the world of arthouse cinema and watching films that were part of the Criterion Collection, Paris, Texas was one of the earliest ones that I watched. I watched it without knowing anything about it beforehand, and it was one of the most rewarding viewing experiences I've ever had.
To this day, I've never seen another film capture the spirit of Americana so beautifully. Robby Müller's stunning cinematography in combination with Ry Cooder's gorgeous and hypnotic score creates an ambiance that I still haven't seen or felt in any other movie. Wim Wenders, a German director, directed one of the most beautiful American films of all time, go figure.
The story of Paris, Texas is very simple but utterly unique. It starts out with an unknown, mute man who has been aimlessly wandering across the desert. After passing out from dehydration, he is taken to a doctor who then contacts his brother so that he can go and get him. We found out that the mysterious man had been missing for 4 years.
From there, the film is presented to the audience like a mystery. As the story goes along, much like the mysterious man who has no memory of his past, we learn about him, find out how he came to be wandering in the desert alone, and why he was been missing for 4 years. And that's as specific as I'd like to get with the plot because I think this is one of the best films to watch knowing as little as possible going into it.
Without giving away spoilers, Paris, Texas explores themes of repression, guilt, love, parenthood, and redemption. Harry Dean Stanton gives one of the most gentle and heartbreaking performances that has ever been captured on screen. He's one of those rare actors who can convey so much emotion with just his eyes.
The rest of the cast is also top-notch. Kid actors can be very hit-or-miss with me, but luckily Hunter Carson hits it out of the park. He feels and talks like an actual kid, and he also shares great chemistry with Stanton. Nastassja Kinski is a big reason why the climax of this film is so incredibly moving. Her ability to be so convincing with her on-screen heartbreak feels all too real. She's amazing in this.
If you're not interested in a slow-moving film that focuses on a very bitter-sweet story about one man's journey for redemption, then I think it's fair to say, this film may not be for you. But, for all my arthouse film lovers out there, or any film lover who is looking to watch something different, I can't recommend Paris, Texas highly enough. This is a film that I'm proud to call one of my all-time favorites.
- nathandm-75297
- Nov 4, 2023
- Permalink
Wim Wenders' "Paris, Texas" is heartache put on screen.
Harry Dean Stanton, in a quietly powerful performance, plays Travis, a man who emerges stunned from the Texas desert at the film's beginning and embarks on an odyssey that sees him reunited with his abandoned son and his estranged wife. The film plays out like a mystery -- we know that Travis's son has been living with Travis's brother and sister-in-law for the last four years, but we don't know why he was left behind by this mother and father. That mystery is eventually unraveled when Travis and his wife, Jane (played by Nastassja Kinski), meet again and we learn more about their sorrowful and bruising history.
"Paris, Texas" is largely about two people who are capable of extreme passion and emotion but who are unable to cope with what those passions and emotions bring out in them. Travis and Jane were overwhelmed by their responsibility to each other and their son -- a life voluntarily chosen became a grim trap from which one would literally kill the other to escape. This part of the story is only told to us, never shown. What we see are the regret, remorse and nostalgia felt by two people who will always have a strong connection -- both emotionally and literally through their boy -- but who know they can never again be together. At the end, Travis drives away into the night, and though his ultimate fate is ambiguous, we feel that he's leaving his wife and child for good. Whether to protect them, or himself (or maybe both) is for us to decide.
Grade: A
Harry Dean Stanton, in a quietly powerful performance, plays Travis, a man who emerges stunned from the Texas desert at the film's beginning and embarks on an odyssey that sees him reunited with his abandoned son and his estranged wife. The film plays out like a mystery -- we know that Travis's son has been living with Travis's brother and sister-in-law for the last four years, but we don't know why he was left behind by this mother and father. That mystery is eventually unraveled when Travis and his wife, Jane (played by Nastassja Kinski), meet again and we learn more about their sorrowful and bruising history.
"Paris, Texas" is largely about two people who are capable of extreme passion and emotion but who are unable to cope with what those passions and emotions bring out in them. Travis and Jane were overwhelmed by their responsibility to each other and their son -- a life voluntarily chosen became a grim trap from which one would literally kill the other to escape. This part of the story is only told to us, never shown. What we see are the regret, remorse and nostalgia felt by two people who will always have a strong connection -- both emotionally and literally through their boy -- but who know they can never again be together. At the end, Travis drives away into the night, and though his ultimate fate is ambiguous, we feel that he's leaving his wife and child for good. Whether to protect them, or himself (or maybe both) is for us to decide.
Grade: A
- evanston_dad
- May 28, 2014
- Permalink
Also my second favourite film of 1984 after Amadeus. Paris, Texas is just wonderful. The movie looks beautiful, the scenery is stunning and the cinematography and editing are just textbook examples of how to photograph and edit a movie. There is also a haunting guitar score that adds to the emotion of this film, and a deeply moving and affecting story complete with a heart-rending confrontation. The pace is deliberately mannered, but that is not a bad thing at all, if anything it is a strength, and the script is beautifully written. The direction is also superb, while the film sees a rare leading role for Harry Dean Stanton and he is just a joy in this movie. In conclusion, Paris, Texas is a must-see, and I honestly think it is one of the best of its decade. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jan 12, 2011
- Permalink
Harry Dean Stanton stars as a man who first appears walking alone through the desert terrain of the southwest. After he's hospitalized for heat exhaustion, his brother (Dean Stockwell) is contacted to come and get him. At first, Stanton refuses to speak, and when he eventually does begin to open up, he seems to have memory loss. He's been missing for the past 4 years, and his young 8 year old son has been raised by Stockwell and his wife (Aurore Clement). Once Stanton seems to stabilize a bit, he and the boy go on a road trip to try and track down the boy's mother (Nastassja Kinski).
Harry Dean Stanton has always been one of my favorite character actors, and I was pleased to see him get a lead role for a change. He's terrific, and the only flaws I could maybe point out were the script's fault and not his. Kinski is very good as well. Like I said, the script has some issues for me, with the main character arc being a little hard to buy, and the two and a half hour running time could have been trimmed without loss of mood or substantial content. The cinematography by Robby Muller is fantastic, as is the score by Ry Cooder. I would still recommend this film, but I was a little disappointed considering it was one of the "1001 Movies to See Before You Die".
Harry Dean Stanton has always been one of my favorite character actors, and I was pleased to see him get a lead role for a change. He's terrific, and the only flaws I could maybe point out were the script's fault and not his. Kinski is very good as well. Like I said, the script has some issues for me, with the main character arc being a little hard to buy, and the two and a half hour running time could have been trimmed without loss of mood or substantial content. The cinematography by Robby Muller is fantastic, as is the score by Ry Cooder. I would still recommend this film, but I was a little disappointed considering it was one of the "1001 Movies to See Before You Die".
Paris, Texas is my first ever taste of acclaimed director Wim Wenders, and while the film isn't exactly sweet; it's certainly not bitter enough to steer itself away from the realms of the masterpiece. Paris, Texas is very much a character driven story and it follows the account of a man that wanders out of the hot desert sun with an acute case of amnesia. When his brother, Walt, finds him, he helps him to remember his life, and we then watch as our protagonist rekindles his former relationships first with son, and then with the mother of his child. Wim Wenders handles this story with the utmost skill, and it works thanks to the tentative way that he portrays the characters to the audience. Just like the town of it's title; Paris, Texas is basically a film about being lost. I (and I'm sure many other people) didn't even realise that there was a place called Paris in the middle of Texas, and this little place is symbolic of the substance that is at the core of this movie.
The film doesn't benefit from any big name actors, but the actors in the movie do give it their all and ensure that it doesn't fall down on the acting side. Harry Dean Stanton takes the lead role, and does a good job in, at first, portraying a man consumed with amnesia; and then consumed with the time he has lost. Nastassja Kinski is the only member of the cast that has a really notable list of film credits other than this movie, but ironically she has the least screen time of the five leads. Every minute she is on screen is a delight, however, and she lights up the screen with both of her talents; looks and acting ability. The young Hunter Carson gives a rare child performance; i.e. one that isn't incredibly annoying, but strangely he didn't appear in very many movies after this one. The climax to the tale is more than satisfying, and is easily one of the most haunting and potent I've ever seen in a film. Wenders shows his talent with both the execution and the implications of it, and it's a satisfying end to a very satisfying movie. Recommended.
The film doesn't benefit from any big name actors, but the actors in the movie do give it their all and ensure that it doesn't fall down on the acting side. Harry Dean Stanton takes the lead role, and does a good job in, at first, portraying a man consumed with amnesia; and then consumed with the time he has lost. Nastassja Kinski is the only member of the cast that has a really notable list of film credits other than this movie, but ironically she has the least screen time of the five leads. Every minute she is on screen is a delight, however, and she lights up the screen with both of her talents; looks and acting ability. The young Hunter Carson gives a rare child performance; i.e. one that isn't incredibly annoying, but strangely he didn't appear in very many movies after this one. The climax to the tale is more than satisfying, and is easily one of the most haunting and potent I've ever seen in a film. Wenders shows his talent with both the execution and the implications of it, and it's a satisfying end to a very satisfying movie. Recommended.
- talita-mem
- Jan 11, 2024
- Permalink
- paulieramone
- Feb 3, 2004
- Permalink
It was very hard to rate this movie since it should really be split in two. The beginning, I loved. Were are not given much to know, and perhaps we didn't need to know anything. the cinematography is great, the music is adequate, the actors are very good.
Though, I always say that the great qualities Wim Wenders has as a film maker, he lacks when it comes to scenarios. In the second half of the movie we are given to understand the typical, unoriginal, backstory to the whole situation. The back story is not interesting, and it is also told to us in a very unoriginal and, I think, all to direct way.
My recommendation is to watch this movie halfway, or 3/4. if I had done that i probably would have given this movie an 8 or a 9. sadly, I watched it until the end (like a normal person), and all the mysteriousness, slight absurdity, feel of the plot, situation, etc. and all the endearing qualities that the characters had, were destroyed. the ending is also completely unrealistic. here it is important to make a difference between what I say "surrealist", or "strange", which is in a way voluntarily unrealistic, and unrealistic which I mean as "wants to be realistic, but fails at it miserably".
knowing that the second half is terrible, I would still watch this movie again, and almost gave it a 7
Though, I always say that the great qualities Wim Wenders has as a film maker, he lacks when it comes to scenarios. In the second half of the movie we are given to understand the typical, unoriginal, backstory to the whole situation. The back story is not interesting, and it is also told to us in a very unoriginal and, I think, all to direct way.
My recommendation is to watch this movie halfway, or 3/4. if I had done that i probably would have given this movie an 8 or a 9. sadly, I watched it until the end (like a normal person), and all the mysteriousness, slight absurdity, feel of the plot, situation, etc. and all the endearing qualities that the characters had, were destroyed. the ending is also completely unrealistic. here it is important to make a difference between what I say "surrealist", or "strange", which is in a way voluntarily unrealistic, and unrealistic which I mean as "wants to be realistic, but fails at it miserably".
knowing that the second half is terrible, I would still watch this movie again, and almost gave it a 7
- raidatlanta
- Mar 18, 2017
- Permalink
- miker75058
- Apr 23, 2007
- Permalink