Paris, Texas (1984)

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.

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

L.M. Kit Carson (adaptation), Sam Shepard

Stars:

Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell

Top Rated Movies #239 | Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Travis Henderson
Nastassja Kinski	...	Jane Henderson
Dean Stockwell	...	Walt Henderson
Aurore Clément	...	Anne Henderson (as Aurore Clement)
Hunter Carson	...	Hunter Henderson
Bernhard Wicki	...	Doctor Ulmer
Sam Berry	...	Gas Station Attendant
Claresie Mobley	...	Car Rental Clerk
Viva	...	Woman on TV (as Viva Auder)
Edward Fayton	...	Hunter's Friend
Socorro Valdez	...	Carmelita
Justin Hogg	...	Hunter - Age 3
Tom Farrell	...	Screaming Man
John Lurie	...	'Slater'
Jeni Vici	...	'Stretch'

Storyline

A man wanders out of the desert after a four year absence. His brother finds him, and together they return to L.A. to reunite the man with his young son. Soon after, he and the boy set out to locate the mother of the child, who left shortly after the man disappeared.

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Plot Keywords:

father son relationship | desert | texas | wandering | mute | 

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Taglines:

Where lost love is found....

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) doesn't speak at all until 26 minutes into the film.

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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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gas Station Attendant: What the hell?

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Connections

Referenced in The Last Espectral Sigh (2017)

User Reviews

Do I envy people who don't like this movie?

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."

Details

Country:

West Germany France UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

23 August 1984 (UK)

Also Known As:

Paris, Texas

Filming Locations:

State Hwy 118 and American Legion Road, Brewster County, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

GBP1,162,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,181,987

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,206,121

Company Credits

Production Co:

Road Movies Filmproduktion, Argos Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1