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IMDbPro

Paris, Texas

  • 19841984
  • RR
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,797
723
Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton, and Hunter Carson in Paris, Texas (1984)
Trailer for the Criterion Collection edition
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
99+ Photos
Drama
Travis Henderson, an aimless drifter who has been missing for four years, wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.Travis Henderson, an aimless drifter who has been missing for four years, wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.Travis Henderson, an aimless drifter who has been missing for four years, wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,797
723
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • L.M. Kit Carson(adaptation by)
      • Sam Shepard
      • Walter Donohue(story editor: Channel 4)
    • Stars
      • Harry Dean Stanton
      • Nastassja Kinski
      • Dean Stockwell
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • L.M. Kit Carson(adaptation by)
      • Sam Shepard
      • Walter Donohue(story editor: Channel 4)
    • Stars
      • Harry Dean Stanton
      • Nastassja Kinski
      • Dean Stockwell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 306User reviews
    • 111Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 18 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos1

    Paris, Texas
    Trailer 2:18
    Paris, Texas

    Photos198

    Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Harry Dean Stanton and Hunter Carson in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Paris, Texas (1984)
    Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Paris, Texas (1984)
    Paris, Texas (1984)
    Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton, and Hunter Carson in Paris, Texas (1984)
    Nastassja Kinski in Paris, Texas (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Harry Dean Stanton
    Harry Dean Stanton
    • Travis Henderson
    Nastassja Kinski
    Nastassja Kinski
    • Jane Henderson
    Dean Stockwell
    Dean Stockwell
    • Walt Henderson
    Sam Berry
    • Gas Station Attendant
    Bernhard Wicki
    Bernhard Wicki
    • Doctor Ulmer
    Aurore Clément
    Aurore Clément
    • Anne Henderson
    • (as Aurore Clement)
    Claresie Mobley
    • Car Rental Clerk
    Hunter Carson
    Hunter Carson
    • Hunter Henderson
    Viva
    Viva
    • Woman on TV
    • (as Viva Auder)
    Socorro Valdez
    • Carmelita
    Edward Fayton
    • Hunter's Friend
    Justin Hogg
    • Hunter (Age 3)
    Tom Farrell
    Tom Farrell
    • Screaming Man
    John Lurie
    John Lurie
    • 'Slater'
    Jeni Vici
    • 'Stretch'
    Sally Norvell
    • 'Nurse Bibs'
    Sharon Menzel
    • Comedienne
    The Mydolls
    • Rehearsing Band
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • L.M. Kit Carson(adaptation by)
      • Sam Shepard
      • Walter Donohue(story editor: Channel 4)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the scene in the Texas airport, Dean Stockwell's character is on the phone with his wife. The PA announcer can be heard saying "A message for Joy Stockwell, Joy Stockwell. Austin will arrive at any minute." Joy was Dean's wife and Austin, his son, was born during production of this film.
    • Goofs
      When Travis shows Walt and Hunter the picture of the vacant lot he bought in Paris, Texas, the photograph shows a desert landscape. Paris, Texas is located near the forests of East Texas, hundreds of miles from any desert.
    • Quotes

      Jane Henderson: I... I used to make long speeches to you after you left. I used to talk to you all the time, even though I was alone. I walked around for months talking to you. Now I don't know what to say. It was easier when I just imagined you. I even imagined you talking back to me. We'd have long conversations, the two of us. It was almost like you were there. I could hear you, I could see you, smell you. I could hear your voice. Sometimes your voice would wake me up. It would wake me up in the middle of the night, just like you were in the room with me. Then... it slowly faded. I couldn't picture you anymore. I tried to talk out loud to you like I used to, but there was nothing there. I couldn't hear you. Then... I just gave it up. Everything stopped. You just... disappeared. And now I'm working here. I hear your voice all the time. Every man has your voice.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Stop Making Sense/Falling in Love/Paris Texas (1984)

    User reviews306

    Review
    Top review
    A tale of redemption
    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.
    helpful•144
    22
    • ztruk2001
    • Feb 26, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 23, 1984 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Motel Chronicles
    • Filming locations
      • Marathon Motel & RV Park - Highway 90, Marathon, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Road Movies Filmproduktion
      • Argos Films
      • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £1,162,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,181,987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,208,837
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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