Paris, Texas (1984)

Destructive power of jealous love

It has been almost 25 years since this film won the Cannes Film Festival prize. You know this film was made a while ago becuase in one scene we see one of the characters smoking while on the air flight from California to Texas. It is a story of a man who has been missing for four years. He has been wondering thru Texas until his brother was notified about his wheeabouts. It is a reluctant gathering between the two brothers particularly once it becomes obvious that the missing brother has 8-year old child that has been cared for by his aunt and uncle for the last four years. Emotions, family ties, future are all at stake. There is a mystery about marriage break up of the older brother and almost simultaneous disapperance between himself and his wife. As story slowly unforld we learn about strong and passionate love between two people that brought them both destruction and separated them from their little boy. It is also a story about the things that we most strongly imagine that become frightening reality. Can it be that our thought and actions are so powerful that things we fear the most can become reality? Well this film certainly shows that is quite possible. As Travis (main character) is found by accident, the only way he can give his family a second chance is if he disappers again. Because his love for Jane, his wife, is still strong, but he knows well by now that it has destructive powers to it. Emotionally charged movie that requires certain sense of maturity from its audiences. Definitely an acquired taste. Nastassja Kinski is so young and beautiful! July 8, 2008

painfully slow and obvious

this film is simply too long, especially considering the no-surprises-anywhere plot. I consider myself an "art house" film buff, and this is exactly the sort of movie that gives the "drama" category a bad name. I can't give it lower than two stars though, because it has lots of redeeming features like splendid acting, the music and especially the cinematography. But nothing can save a film from bad editing and an unimaginative script. December 4, 2007

A long, rewarding journey

Back when Wenders could do no wrong, this was one of his most inspired and understated achievements: a drama conceived with an economy of dialogue that conveyed more emotion through muted restraint than most Hollywood dramas do via tiresome histrionics.

Harry Dean Stanton's reputation as the most talented white trash in American movies was already established with a string of prominent supporting roles in popular mainstream and cult films. This lead role is a rarity for him, especially considering that he doesn't say a word through the first third of the film and still manages to express more depth than he ever has before or since. Stanton deserves recognition as both a colorful character actor and a genuinely capable dramatic performer.

Kinski is excellent in her rather small role; her repressed conduct is almost as impressive as her assumed Texan drawl. But the best supporting performance in this film is that of Aurore Clément, whose convincing emotive discharge lends as much to this film's primary theme of loss as anything else here.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautifully photographed films that I've ever seen. The cinematography of longtime Wenders collaborator Robby Müller presents the sprawling, impersonal landscapes of both the Texas desert and Houston with an extraordinarily vivid focus.

Most reviewers refer to Paris, Texas as a film about a man who's reconstructing his life. While that's true to an extent, Stanton's character actually spends most of his time backtracking, salvaging the remains of a familial disaster (of which he shares an equal amount of blame), one which can never be resolved.

This is a sparse, disquieting film of extraordinary power. Those of us who have experienced a situation in which home has become a distant memory and an impossible dream will relate to the central character; hopefully, they can redeem themselves as satisfactorily as he has by the story's end. September 14, 2007

And Now For Something Completely Different

Before you rush out and buy the "Paris, Texas" (1984) DVD based on the many glowing reviews and comments, you may want a bit of a reality check. The film is 145 minutes long, that's almost two and a half hours. And not much happens during this time. The pacing is about on the level of "The Straight Story" (1999), which was only 112 minutes; so if that film had you climbing the walls you should probably steer clear of this one.

On the other hand "Paris, Texas" is a technical masterpiece with great photography, excellent directing, and solid performances from the entire cast (although that cast is small). And it's a lyrically told story about loss, loneliness, and eccentricity; a look America and American values from an outside perspective (in this case European). I'm not sure that the film's message(s) is gotten across (unless you listen to the commentary feature on the DVD and maybe not even then) but it is certainly more coherent than when Michelangelo Antonioni tried to do the same thing in the early 1970's.

The film opens with a wanderer walking alone in the desert. You eventually learn that this is not Howard Hughes but Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton), that he has been missing the past four years, has semi-amnesia (a lot is made of this but the condition is never adequately explained), has a seven year-old son name Hunter (Hunter Carson), and a wife named Jane (Nastassia Kinski). Kinski fans will be somewhat disappointed as she does not even appear until the last third of the film (except briefly in some grainy home movies).

The film could actually be classified as a "buddy picture-road movie" or two buddy picture- road movies. The first third features Travis and his brother's (Dean Stockwell) journey from Texas to LA, the final third Travis and his son's journey back to Texas. The weakest part is the middle third which serves little purpose other than providing some background details and linking the two journey segments.

Because "Paris, Texas" is not your standard pre-sold commercial product, most of its suspense comes from the viewers themselves, who have little idea just where the film is headed. So if you watch a lot of films and are jaded because everything is so predictable, this movie viewing experience should be a nice change of pace.

Because you haven't met these characters in other films, it takes a lot of storytelling to flesh them out, which is probably the biggest reason for the film's extended running length. Sam Shepard's script is not so much elliptical as it is evasive, somehow the characters tell us their most basic beliefs and deepest fears without really revealing anything about themselves (insert "Two Lane Blacktop" here).

German New Wave director Wenders gets an astonishingly unaffected performance from young Hunter Carson, as convincing as any you are likely to find. Carson never did much after this amazing debut.

The most intriguing sequences take place between Stanton and Kinski. The actors are never face-to-face as their characters speak to each other from opposite sides of one-way mirror. Travis has found Jane working in a seedy shop where lonely men pay to talk to women on the telephone.?

The DP fills the screen with images of people dwarfed by vast, distant, and impersonal land/ cityscapes. The most effective and original is a sequence of Travis walking along a bridge over a LA interstate with the audio supplied by an unseen (until the end) and rambling derelict addressing the bumper to bumper traffic rushing by below.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. June 11, 2007

A Beautiful Movie

Paris, Texas is a real place. Supposedly, the main character, Travis, claims his old father once said he was conceived in Paris, Texas, some tiny dusty ghost of a town blistering in the dry heat of the Mojave somewhere in the center of Texas. Hardly the Paris we'd all first assume.

We find Travis lost, depressed, mute and alone in the center of the hot summer Texan drylands.

Like an egg cooking, we are slowly introduced into this shy and sad character's life. A doctor finds him with only a single clue, a business card in his pocket. The name of the person on the card happens to be his brother (Dean Stanton) in Los Angeles.

From here, the story develops when Travis'es brother's character is developed. We see how his brother took care of his son and then we are introduced into his brother's household where we meet his son Sullivan who vaguely remembers his biological father, Travis and refers to his uncle and aunt as "mom and dad."

The movie slowly unpeels Travis'es life like a gentle emotional nostalgic striptease, until nearly 1 hour and 50 minutes into the film, we finally discover who Travis's lover and who Sullivan's true biological mother is.

It's a slowly developing movie that is patient and true to the nature of our protaganist who has gone 4 years without talking and who has changed as a result of the path in life he's taken.

Wim Wenders, director of "Wings of Desire" has his signature cinematographic touches and as always, patiently introduces us to new characters in an intriguing manner.

The late introduction of Natasha Kinski's character was beautifully done as we develop a picture of her and finally are introduced to her mystically in a red car riding through through tributary freeways of Houston, Texas. So much development is made of her character, that, when we are finally introduced to her, in a seedy joint with "pay to talk to chicks booths", she portrays the very goddess like appeal and attraction that Travis'es character has for her. The sordid location served little significance.

Her acting is convincing and angelically portrayed, and beautifully written.

Visually, the movie is ethereal. The night colors of Los Angeles are remarkable. The landscapes invinceable. There is also an intriguing interpretation of America from a German Director. Sometimes the character mannerisms, behaviors and dialogues are too European and unAmericanly directed. But all and all, I love this movie as I appreciate most Wim Wenders movies.

My favorite scene was easily the scene with Sullivan and Travis chasing mom on the freeways of Houston. It was an exciting, romantic artistic creation.

The scene of the man screaming above the noisey, apathetic Los Angeles traffic was gripping too.

Travis aria to Kinski beyond the dark barrier of a peepshow booth in the third person was oscar award winning. March 29, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...