Paris, Texas (Review)

As this review is being written because of lead actor Harry Dean Stanton’s passing earlier this month, I might as well start off with Stanton’s performance. I haven’t seen every movie of his but you don’t have to, to know that this is his best film. Why? Well, because it’s one of the best performances ever. We first meet his character, Travis, in the opening moments of the film in the desert. He’s been walking for a long time and he has nowhere to go. When he collapses in a small town a doctor contacts his brother (played by Dean Stockwell) and he comes to take him home. At first, he doesn’t say anything, even when talked to. Already we know this is a man with a past he doesn’t want to face and his own inner demons. When starts to talk to his brother and when he gets home, we meet his son. His first barrier in his journey to overcome his fear of the past to make the greatest sacrifice of all.

Stanton shows a great restraint. He doesn’t become a stereotypical ‘mute’ at the start of the film and tells all we need to know with only his eyes. He perfectly captures the subtext of his story as he overcomes his fear of confronting his mistakes earlier in life.

Personally, I love Americana but not ‘America’. The iconography, the landscapes, the roads and the music, these are things truly admire about the USA. ‘America’ is what brings the country down (simply put, capitalism) but I don’t want to talk about it today. Americana is the culture of the middle of the USA and I think that Wim Wenders and co., perfectly capture it and use it as a story tool. The landscapes are the most obvious one. We start off in the flat desert with a man who has nothing. We then move to the luscious, green hills in Los Angeles. Late in the film, Travis must make a decision of what to do next and what better place to do it than a highway crossroads filling the background. And everything in between, the diner’s, the hotels, the highways and even the costumes, just adds to the tone, the beauty and the world building present in the film.

Wenders has said in interviews that everything he worked on up until Paris, Texas helped him make the film. His theatre days taught him how to rehearse with actors before blocking a scene with his Cinematographer (Robby Muller in this case), most of his other movies taught him about the road movie, Alice in the Cities taught him about an adult/children relationship, etc.. While this movie sets its roots in American tradition, director Wim Wenders is actually German and this film is a co-production between France and Germany. Wenders admits his love for American films, music, etc. clearly throughout his filmography but if this film was directed by an American director it wouldn’t work the same way.

While I am writing in memory of Harry Dean Stanton, I should be writing in the memory of Sam Shepard, the writer of the film, as well. Unlike Wenders, he is an American and it’s evident throughout his work but it’s the combination of Wender’s outsider view and Shepard’s insider one that makes this film shine.

Shepard’s writing in the film is well polished and natural (thanks to the actors rehearsing) but never comes off as something you would find in something written by Aaron Sorkin. The side character’s never come off as exposition as we find out what happened to Travis that made him walk vast distances across the desert. Walt (Stockwell) helps his brother reconnect with his son, Hunter, Jane (Aurore Clement), Walt’s wife unknowingly pushes Travis (in a good way) for him to make his great sacrifice in the end. At the end, we meet Jane Henderson (Nastassja Kinski), Travis’s wife but I’ll let you watch the film to decide what you think.

As previously mentioned the landscapes and architecture play an important part in the film and the one who caught all of them on celluloid was Robby Muller (Dancer in the Dark, Dead Man). It seems in this film that no matter the time of day they the film takes place, Muller uses it to his full advantage. During the day we see the vast landscapes and at night we see buildings and interiors painted with neon lights (mainly red and green, which play a part in the arc of the film). If a cinematographer wants an audience to look at a shot and subconsciously get the feeling of the characters across, he certainly succeeded. This might be two people sitting in a car, a family watching super 8 home movies or two people talking with a plain of glass between them. While there are some shots need to be called out for their greatness (there is an over the shoulder shot that will take your breath away), I want to point out one near the beginning of the film when Travis and Walt are in a driving car and we watch as the camera is watching from a distance. As the car drives forwards it stays in the same place in the frame. No other visual format can capture a moment like that.

While a camera can only capture a frame and nothing outside it, therefore limiting space, music can add to it. Ry Cooder’s score in this film, consisting of a slide guitar, makes the images feel larger than what they are and that the characters are a part of the landscapes as they move forward. You can listen to the score below.

Please don't be daunted by the 2 1/2 run time. Even after multiple watches, I guarantee you that this movie will feel like a <2 hour film. Editor Peter Przygodda knows when to hold on the wide before cutting into singles for most scenes that were blocked like this. The rhythm in conversations feels natural as it's made to make us feel like we are watching as we are next to them. In real life, someone starts to talk but we aren't looking at them straight away, we have to turn our heads.

There is a reason Paris, Texas is so popular among critics, audiences and cinephiles. It's themes of loss, lack of gimmicks and unique use of the cinematic language defy a giving this film a specific target audience. It may not be a movie to keep your kids entertained but anyone with a heart will find something, no matter age or gender. I will admit it is a tear-jerker but I honestly think the best way to watch this film is by not knowing anything about it (I know that contradicts my review) just the way I watched it for the first time and not knowing that you will get emotional at the end as one of the greatest monologues ever is delivered. Anyone and everyone who worked on this film really brought their A game, even though they lost funding halfway through.

Overall Score: 10/10

What are your thoughts on this film?

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Director: Wim Wenders

Writer: Sam Shepard

Starring: Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clément and Hunter Carson with Natassja Kinski

Cinematography: Robby Muller

Editing: Peter Przygodda

Score: Ry Cooder