Paris, Texas (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

Paris, Texas (1984)Drama, 147 minutesDirected by Wim WendersStarring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski and Dean StockwellThe first thing to mention about Paris, Texas is how quickly the opening scene establishes a mood. We are shown sweeping shots of a desert to the sound of Ry Cooder's haunting guitar. A man who we will later know as Travis (Stanton) comes into view. He looks like he's been wandering for days. He's wearing a red cap and jeans and his beard looks several weeks old. He wanders into an isolated bar and collapses.A local clinic tends to his injuries and contacts his brother, Walt (Stockwell), who flies from Los Angeles to collect him. It's been four years since the two last met and Walt had wondered whether Travis was still alive. Travis doesn't speak during this meeting and Walt has to show extreme patience while he waits for Travis to begin explaining what happened. In a sense, the audience is in the same situation. For almost 30 minutes, the film plays out like a total mystery.Walt wants to fly Travis home because he took in his child as his own when Travis disappeared. Travis insists that they drive, and on using the same rental car Walt drove when he picked him up. We learn that Travis has bought some land in Paris, Texas, but he can't remember why. It's clear that Travis has been through a traumatic experience and has attempted to block out those memories.Travis makes two important decisions during the story:The first could spawn all manner of debate about whether it is right or wrong. His mental health is in question, and yet he makes a decision that could drastically alter someone's life; or perhaps the lives of several people. You'll have to decide for yourself whether his actions were justified.The second decision comes as a result of a meeting with a person who used to be important in his life. In the final 25 minutes of the film, we are shown a very unusual conversation. It's tense, emotional, brave, heartbreaking and elegant all at once. It's this conversation which elevates the film to the level of greatness. The ending is almost impossible to predict early in the film, and that's something I find refreshing. Here's a film with an idea and it's perfectly executed.Harry Dean Stanton has played so many colorful characters over the years, but Paris, Texas gives him his most significant role. He gives Travis depth and the film wouldn't work without him. His appearance and haunted expression fit the character and his performance is quiet, but powerful.Nastassja Kinski's performance as Jane is a revelation. Watch the subtle emotions on her face and hear how expressive her voice can be as she responds to Stanton's monologue. I'm also impressed by Hunter Carson's realistic portrayal of a young boy.It's always interesting to see things from a different viewpoint and Wim Wenders shows us how he views America. The screenplay and Ry Cooder's score work together well. This is the kind of film that seems timeless. It's a human story set in a world so large that its characters are in danger of becoming lost, but they somehow find their way.I had to make a choice of my own in this review. Should I give away the whole story so that I could discuss some of the best scenes, or should I say just enough to set the mood? I hope that I have said enough to make you interested in seeing the film. If you do, maybe you'll understand why I withheld so much information.

This is a really great price for this DVD. It shipped very quickly. Going to give it as a gift.

two thumbs up

I have always loved this movie since I first saw it in the early 90’s. Harry Dean Stanton is so good , as is really, the whole cast. In my opinion, this is probably Wim Wenders’ best movie, and he has made many great movies.

Any viewer must mindfully discern the emerging central conflict....because it's in the title. A road film where space is almost a tacit character, and the people or characters flail about in space searching for their own meaning. Also, driving theme of idealism vs. realism, and projecting one's ideals onto a person who might be quite different. Think: Cervantes' "Don Quixote." where less is more, and the driving theme emerges gradually, just as Travis seems to emerge from the south Texas landscape while a disinterested eagle perches, scans him, then flies away. A viewer might lose interest anywhere in the first 40 minutes waiting for the tedious yet common media-created violence to crunch Travis, his brother and sister-in-law, and his young son, Hunter, an improbable but plausible leader as he begins to know and love and trust his errant father. Okay, it's about love, and the Socratic maxim: "Know thyself." Ho-hum...so much trouble nowadays, but oh so badly needed. But wait! You will forget that Harry Dean Stanton is the actor as his character, Travis, tracks down Jane, finally with his son Hunter, to a Houston girlie salon with oneway glass. Then, hold the remote, be ready to stop, reverse, repeat dialogue because Sam Shepherd's is so natural, so plausible, as Jane finally comes to grips in sober honesty with why she left, why she became a failed mother. Heroism is everywhere, and true heroes of their own lives sometimes exit the back stairs and drive quietly away knowing they did the right thing.

So much to unwrap with this film. Very unique in style and story. I had seen it long ago, and I find it still holds up. Absolutely deserved a place in my movie collection. Good cast. Good story. Good direction. If you enjoy cerebral films, this is a winner.

There aren't many films that I'd consider to be idling near perfection, but I would say that about Paris, Texas. In fact, I would call this the best film of the 80s. And yes, I know that's saying a lot considering the movies that were released during that decade. A fantastic score by Ry Cooder, the unparalleled cinematography of Robby Muller, a heart wrenching script by the late-great Sam Shephard, and a beautifully understated performance by the late, legendary Harry Dean Stanton - all pulled together seamlessly by director Wim Wenders- makes this a movie to remember. Even the landscape of the the American southwest and southern California seem to come to life on screen.The story follows Travis, a man who once had a family but then disappeared into the desert, as he reemerges years later and decides to right some of the wrongs he's responsible for. To say any more than that would spoil what are some of the most emotionally resonating moments ever put to film. Especially the dialogues between Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski.Please see this film.

I read somewhere that this was supposedly Kurt Cobain's favorite movie, and being a fan of the late/great Harry Dean Stanton (Wild at Heart, Repo Man) and Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet) I took the plunge. So glad I did - excellent acting/storyline, wonderfully shot, and an interesting twist at the end (Nastassja Kinski was great in this film, too). 2 big Fonz-styled thumbs up (HEEEEEY)!!