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 #240 | 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:

It brings magic back to the cinema...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Walt says he "took a beating" on the financing of his new home, he was referring to the very high mortgage interest rates at the time of this film. A 30-year fixed mortgage would have been around 13-14% then.

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Goofs

Travis and Hunter make a phone call from a Texaco gas station in San Bernardino. In the background we see the road-side dinosaurs, which are in Cabazon California, closer to Palm Springs. Not a big mistake, but a distance of some 40 miles.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in No Small Parts: Harry Dean Stanton (2015)

User Reviews

A European View Of America

At face value, the screen story, about a dysfunctional family, is weak. The plot is not really credible. The lead character (Travis) is an older man who in the first ten minutes of the film wonders alone in the desert like a horse with no name, seemingly suffering from severe trauma. But Travis' later behavior and the behavior of other characters in the film are not believable, given this opening gambit.

However, if we discard our need to interpret behavior rationally, then the film works, either as a dream or, more generically, as a parable of modern day America, from the viewpoint of a European film director. The characters and their journey through the film's story are symbolic of American culture as a whole, with its ever-present loneliness, urban alienation, emotional separation, and general rootlessness.

The film's visuals and music combine to prop up the thin story, and give the film its enduring cultural theme. Cinematographer Robby Muller's images are stunning. His location shots both in the desert and in the urban jungle, using polarizing filters, are works of true photographic art. The images, with their florescent greens, reds, blues, and yellows in dim light are just terrific. More than any dialogue could, these visuals effectively convey the loneliness, alienation, and lost love that are so characteristically American. And Ry Cooder's simple but haunting Tex-Mex guitar sounds amplify this grim mood.

The film's main flaw is its length. With a runtime of 150 minutes, some parts of the film could have been edited out, without loss of the film's message.

"Paris, Texas" is a memorable art house film about the modern American experience. Like other art house films, the story is not necessarily to be taken literally. Instead, the story provides narrative support for the visuals, the music, and other film elements, the combination of which imparts some broader or deeper social message than could be conveyed by story alone.

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