Directed by: Wim Wenders
Travis (Harry Dean Stanton), a seemingly mute, semi-catatonic, amnesiac man wanders out of the desert and into a small, rural Texan town, his sole possession a piece of paper bearing the Los Angeles telephone number of his younger brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell). Returning to LA with Walt, Travis's memory slowly returns as he begins to piece together the details of his life, discovering the wife and young son he walked out on four years previously. Beautifully shot by longtime Wim Wenders cinematographer Robby Muller and featuring a memorable, haunting score by Ry Cooder, Paris, Texas is an unforgettable study of human emotions, relationships and alienation.
viewer's comments:
- wim wenders at his best, to say nothing of stanton and kinski
This is one of the masterpieces from the prolific output of Wim Wenders. It is also an excellent example of Ry Cooders superb talent to enhace, describe, and score the mood of the character's surroundings. As usual Cooder does not try to embody the feelings etc of the character but to bring to the watcher the feeling of the landscape around them and the culture in it, witness Southern Comfort, Crossroads et al. This is one of the greatest films of modern times.
- A truly fabulous film
Okay, I'm gonna attempt to put into words why this film is great, a task not easy to do. This film, written by sam shepard, is a truly original take on a character study. To try to understand the character of Travis (harry dean stanton), Wim Wenders takes us on a journey where the suspense we feel is in the fact that we know nothing about who travis really is until very near the end of the film. In one of the most beautifully and horrifyingly written scenes ever filmed, Travis spills his guts to a adult bookstore dancer (you know the ones behind the tinted glass windows) whose connection to Travis we are only just beginning to understand.
The film moves slowly as is typical of most Wim Wenders' films. It is not for the average movie-goer, but for someone truly excited by character development. What will strike you most is the subtle nature with which the story moves. I admit the first time I watched this film I almost fell asleep. But I stuck it out and watched the movie. I watched it a couple more times since then and the film keeps getting better. This, to me, is the true test of a great film. I can still watch this film and enjoy it and find new things about it to love.
Bottom line: This film is great, but not for the average movie-goer. If you enjoy character development and arresting dialogue this movie is for you.
- A Unique movie experience
It is truly rare in film when you are presented with a character whose life you are immediately intrigued by. Paris, Texas gives you that kind of character. From the first moments you see this man walking across the barren southwest in no particular direction you wonder.......where is he going and why? The entire film thoughtfully explains just those questions. This movie is subtle and deep. The performances are uniformly top notch with Harry Dean Stanton playing the role of his career. This is not a film for those who are drawn to big budget Hollywood pictures.........it is for those who want to truly consider the arc of a troubled man's life. This is a fantastic film!
- Life-altering. The greatest film of all time.
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.
- bleak and brilliant look at a man from the inside out
Harry Dean Stanton gives the performance of his life in this stunning and bleak journey into a mans soul and whats left when everything thats ever mattered is gone! yes it really is that desolate as stanton creates a feeling of utter loneliness and reaches out to the audience with what can only be described as inner pain, as the film unfolds the story of how he came to be so alone and why he in fact wanted this isolation is told intelligently and sensitively, Natassa Kinski, is excellent in an understated role as stantons estranged lover, the film might be seen as a downer by some but it ends in hope as stanton faces his demons, and the son that stanton had in his relationship with kinski is reunited with his mother, if this had been made in the usa i fear it would have ended up being a terribly corny affair, but wenders brilliant direction and the haunting soundtrack by rye cooder make it a must see for any leonard cohen devotee:)
Credited cast:
Harry Dean Stanton .... Travis
Nastassja Kinski .... Jane
Dean Stockwell .... Walt
Aurore Clément .... Anne
Hunter Carson .... Hunter
Socorro Valdez .... Carmelita
Bernhard Wicki .... Doctor Ulmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Sam Berry .... Gas Station Attendant
Tom Farrell (I) .... Screaming Man
Justin Hogg .... Hunter age 4 (home movie)
John Lurie .... Slater
Claresie Mobley .... Car Rental Clerk
Sally Norvell .... Nurse Bibs
Sam Shepard
Runtime: 147 min
Country: UK / France / West Germany
Language: English
Color: Color
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