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Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, Hunter Carson ... see more see more... , Bernhard Wicki , Socorro Valdez , Tommy Farrell , John Lurie , Jeni Vici , Viva Auder , Sam Berry , Justin Hogg , Sharon Menzel , Claresie Mobley , The Mydolls , Sally Norvell , Sam Shepard

Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) is wandering through the Texas desert, a bit shaky and in desperate need of water, when he stumbles into a bar and collapses. A German doctor of dubious credentials finds a... read more read more... phone number in Travis' wallet, which belongs to his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell). Walt is shocked to hear about his brother's condition, since no one in the family has seen or heard from Travis in four years; Walt flies to Texas to bring him home, only to find Travis wandering by the side of the road, and they begin the long drive back to Los Angeles, where Walt lives with his wife, Anne (Aurore Clement), and Hunter (Hunter Carson), Travis' seven-year-old son. At first, Travis refuses to speak and is oddly distant, but in time he begins to talk again, and when he arrives in California, he begins the painful process of reacquainting himself with his son and trying to reconcile with his wife, Jane (Nastassia Kinski). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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26 critics

R, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Wim Wenders

Release Date: November 1, 1984

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (1,260)

  • fb1664868775
    October 18, 2011
    fb1664868775
    Eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end. Plus my favorite score of all time, provided by Ry Cooder, interpreting Dark Was The Night by Blind Willie Johnson.
  • axadntpron
    May 25, 2011
    axadntpron
    In terms of film-making, the term "simple" is often used as a pejorative. But sometimes the simplest of stories can yield some of the most compelling results. Win Wenders' 1984 "Paris, Texas", is a modest yet moving portrait of a man in search of his roots. Harry Dean Stanton is ... read moreas amazing as ever as a man who, after a four year separation from his family, has come back find who he was/is.
    Much like Wenders' "Wings of Desire", much attention is given to the setting to show how seemingly insignificant we are in comparison to our surroundings. Yet, rather than war torn Germany, Paris, Texas features panoramic shots of the Texas badlands. With a character so arcane and withdrawn from the world, Wenders utilizes the power of atmosphere coupled with Stanton's acting prowess to fill in the parts of the story where the words won't suffice.
    It is a story about the path to finding one's identity and Wenders finds so many ways to convey this journey.The freeway scene is a brilliant metaphor for how we as humans go through life. We seem to be traveling down this open road at breakneck speed, making last minute lane changes in hopes to catch up with the life we so desire.
    The film moves at a snails pace, but I get the sense that Wenders doesn't want to rush Travis' journey. I think it is a smart touch as by the films conclusion, one feels that we were allowed to drink in so much of his life that his image kind of sticks with us. There have been many times in my life where I have felt like a Travis and I think the film beautifully encapsulates the confusing and often heart wrenching journey that one must take in order to find out who they really are.
  • sanjurosamurai
    March 15, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    poetic in that it is simple in some ways, but epic in others and very emotionally compelling. the film has been described as the great german director wim wender's love letter to america. the beautiful cinematography brings an appeal to the southwest not noticed by most passers... read more by, and the musical score is absolutely masterful. the performances were outstanding, and the characters and story unfolded perfectly, until the last scene, about which im not sure how i feel. it is odd to see a story told so well until the realization that two of our most important characters are left in the dust of the desert the film is set in, and all i keep thinking is "what happened to walt and anne?" this is the one thing holding the film back from masterpiece status, but it is still one of the best films i have ever seen.
  • cosmo313
    January 22, 2011
    cosmo313
    To see the United States from an outsider's perspective is a wondrous and interesting thing.This film, and its director, really reminded me a lot of Werner Herzog. Both Herzog and Wenders are German, both have done road/journey movies, have used similar Americana type soundtracks... read more, and have made films giving a unique view of the U.S. In this case, it is the southwest. The Herzog film it most reminds me of is my favorite of is: a perplexing and wild and strange gem called "Stroszek".

    This film is just as strange, although I do not find it to quite be the masterpiece it is often heraldd as being. Don't get me wrong, it is fantastic, but I found it hard to get completely immersed in. It's a bit hard to sit through. At times though, when I was able to really tune into the same wavelength this was on, it was quite great.

    This film begins like some sort of mystery, and indeed it takes the whole film to really find out what happened, but it lacks the traditional shenanigans of the mystery genre. Even when the answers come to light, I was left unsatisfied and wanting more. That's not a bad thing, either. WHile there is a story and plot, it is not really about those things.

    Instead, this is more of a meditation on character, emotions, loneliness, and despair. That Stanton's character is a man of few words (quite literally) is one of the many things that make this film a curiosity worthy of seeking out. Stanton is a brilliant character actor, and this was his first time to take the lead. He's wonderful, and I wish more people would take advantage of his abilities and let him lead more often. The little kid gives one of the better and more interesting performances by a child, and Stockwell is also nice. The two women, while pretty good ,left a little to be desired. The performances aren't bad, just overshadowed.

    Besides the acting, the best reaosn to watch this are the music and the cinematography. Ry Cooder's music here is probably the definitive drifter theme in all of cinema and in general. Robby Müller's cinematography is some of the best work done in the last thirty years. From the neon to the vast expanses of landscapes shots, everything looks gorgeous. The way that light and shadow are dealt with is also quite stunning.

    As mentioend above, this film is a bit trying on the patience. While it could be a little shorter, I think the real issue here is the pacing. It both works for and agaisnt the film. It's good that the story unfolds graudally, because that's part of the intrigue, but I think it takes a bit too long at times, and the viewer may wonder why some stuff is focused on longer than it should be.

    I'm giving this 4.5 or an A- in letter grade terms, but I'm not sure how I really feel about this one. I'm mixed on it, and am not sure how to really accurately describe or grade it. I think that's a sign that this is worth checking out.
  • aliceinpunderland
    January 14, 2011
    aliceinpunderland
    I thought I had this movie all figured out. I thought Travis had gotten into a car accident that killed his wife, and that's why he's mildly catatonic and refuses to drive or sit in the front seat of an automobile.

    Well, now I'll eat my hat. This movie is, as Jim Hunter desc... read moreribes, "a long, perambulating film," but I never thought it tried to be deep or understated. There is so much exposition in Travis' confessional that any Intro to Playwriting class would ream it a new arsehole, but for some reason, it works. Perhaps it's because the characters aren't looking at each other. Perhaps it's because Harry Dean Stanton is just so straightforward about it all: his rage, his brutality, his numbness. He's neither overstated nor understated; he's just stated. Perhaps it's because of Nastassja Kinski's complex good girl/bad girl duality. Her coy yet cautious follow-up questions show that she's not entirely naive; she has an inkling about who's on the other side, but she IS still naive enough to will herself to believe it's not so.

    Hunter Carson as the precocious, young son is mighty impressive. Hunter and Jane's reunion scene is so unexpected. It's not tearful (at first). It's not resentful. It's not deep. It just is. Hunter gets up, walks over, holds out his arms for an embrace, all at an aching adagio pace.

    Lastly, I think I've found a gesture that rivals the inexplicably beautiful woman-putting-on-stud-earrings tableau: woman's-hand-resting-on-clavicle. I mean, looking like Nastassja Kinski might help too.
  • hunterjt13
    December 13, 2010
    hunterjt13
    The film opens with a man walking in worn-out shoes across the desert, and that image perfectly describes my feelings about the film as a whole. It is a long, perambulating film that tries to be understated but ends up as a let-down that even Sam Shepherd's beautiful writing, Ha... read morerry Dean Stanton's fine acting, and Nastassja Kinski's gorgeous face (she's the prettiest crier since Ingrid Bergman) can't save. Much of act one does little to set up the film's primary conflict, which doesn't really reveal itself until midway through act two, which is too long to wait to understand to what dramatic question we should attach ourselves. And even the reason why Stanton's character finds direction on his journey is ironically too quickly developed and resolved. I found myself thinking that even a seven-year-old in all his seven-year-old naivete wouldn't forgive that easily.
    Overall, I think the film should have started about forty minutes into the story, and it would have achieved the same effect.
  • kenstachnik
    September 27, 2010
    kenstachnik
    Plenty of praise has been heaped on this. Most of it deserved.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    January 7, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Beautiful shots. Truly captured the Texas landscape. Very long, but I would sit through it again.
  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    A beautiful film by Wim Wenders, Harry Dean Stanton is fantastic! This is great film making, a true classic!
  • arashxak
    November 27, 2008
    arashxak
    How can anyone call this masterpiece boring? Interesting beautiful & touching

View All Paris, Texas Reviews

Critic Reviews

James Kendrick
February 14, 2010
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

one of Wenders's best films, a stirring portrait of people striving against their disconnect that resists simple answers even as it rewards our emotional investment. Full Review

Christopher Long
January 26, 2010
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis

One of the few films that has captured the beauty of the American southwest in all its rolling desert glory. Full Review

Joseph Jon Lanthier
January 24, 2010
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine

Paris, Texas may be missing a crucial piece of authentic Americana, but it still evokes an America most Americans yearn to gaze on. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
January 24, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

... the mix of [Wim] Wenders' sensibilities and love of American movies and Sam Shepard's spare writing and take on fractured American families creates a sublime vision. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
November 20, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Deservedly winning Cannes Fest top award, Wim Wenders' brilliant film is a personal meditation on the relative power of images and words, as well as a contribution to the modern Western and journey pi... Full Review

Jason Morgan
December 10, 2007
Jason Morgan, Filmcritic.com

the evolution of a dream Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
December 30, 2005
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Compelling contemporary Western. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
June 14, 2004
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Paris, Texas is that rare thing: a movie of intelligence and beauty and poetry, but also based on emotionally believable characters and a forward-moving, narrative thrust. Full Review

Rumsey Taylor
April 6, 2004
Rumsey Taylor, Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Paris, Texas uses the familiar thematic construct of the Western, and is conducted in somber nostalgia. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
July 23, 2003
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A quirky movie about the surprise of selfless love. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Hunter: What's that?
    • Travis: A vacant lot. A vacant lot, I bought that land when we were all together, with your mom. I thought we might live there someday.
    • Hunter: Where?
    • Travis: Paris...Texas.
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  • What actress links the following films: "Tess", "Cat People" (1982), "Paris, Texas", "Terminal Velocity", "One Night Stand" (1997), and "Inland Empire"?  Answer »
  • wHo directed this movie: Paris, Texas ?  Answer »
  • Who is the director of Paris, Texas?  Answer »
  • In Paris, Texas what is the first thing Hunter says to his mother, when she comes to see him?  Answer »
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