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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
L.M. Kit Carson (adaptation)
Sam Shepard (written by)
Release Date:
9 November 1984 (USA) more
Tagline:
A place for dreams. A place for heartbreak. A place to pick up the pieces. more
Plot:
A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his... more | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Wenders To Head Venice Jury
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 30 June 2008, 10:23 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A tale of redemption more (127 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Harry Dean Stanton | ... | Travis Henderson | |
| Sam Berry | ... | Gas Station Attendant | |
| Bernhard Wicki | ... | Doctor Ulmer | |
| Dean Stockwell | ... | Walt Henderson | |
| Aurore Clément | ... | Anne Henderson (as Aurore Clement) | |
| Claresie Mobley | ... | Car Rental Clerk | |
| Hunter Carson | ... | Hunter Henderson | |
| Viva | ... | Woman on TV (as Viva Auder) | |
| Socorro Valdez | ... | Carmelita | |
| Edward Fayton | ... | Hunter's Friend | |
| Justin Hogg | ... | Hunter - Age 3 | |
| Nastassja Kinski | ... | Jane Henderson | |
| Tom Farrell | ... | Screaming Man | |
| John Lurie | ... | Slater | |
| Jeni Vici | ... | Stretch |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Motel Chronicles (West Germany) (working title)
Paris, Texas (West Germany)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
147 min
Country:
West Germany | France | UK
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L | Australia:M | UK:12 (DVD rating) (2007) | West Germany:6 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Norway:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:R | France:U | Portugal:M/12
Filming Locations:
10060 Olivia Terrace, Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
During the scene in the Texas airport, Dean Stockwell's character is on the phone with his wife. The PA announcer can be heard saying "A message for Joy Stockwell, Joy Stockwell. Austin will arrive at any minute." Joy was Dean's wife and Austin, his son, was born during production of this film. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: When Travis and Hunter are following the red Chevrolet from a downtown bank, they merge onto US HWY 59 northbound, just south of interstate 45 and north of the HWY 288 interchange with US HWY 59. After a few moments pass the next shot shows them approaching the HWY 59 and HWY 288 interchange (going northbound on HWY 59). This interchange is located about 1/2 mile south of the onramp they took in the previous shot so there is no way they would have been able to approach this interchange going north on HWY 59 had they taken the northbound onramp in the previous shot. more
Quotes:
Jane Henderson: I... I used to make long speeches to you after you left. I used to talk to you all the time, even though I was alone. I walked around for months talking to you. Now I don't know what to say. It was easier when I just imagined you. I even imagined you talking back to me... more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (127 total)
Message Boards
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
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Paris Texas is a slow, moody, and delicate study about a man who once ran away from everything and now is coming to terms with himself and learning to forgive himself, by finally facing he people he turned his back on. The Wim Wenders directed movie still today rests in a fairly under recognized status, which doesn't stretch the term "cult classic" when applied to it. Paris, Texas is about redemption, the road, family, and the bleakness of the American Southwest. It contains one of the most memorable and unusual openings ever. We hear Ry Cooder's lonely single note twangy guitar on the soundtrack with cinematographer Robby Müller (Barfly, To Live and Die in L.A. , Dead Man) capturing the majestic vistas, rock formations, and the open desert in his camera. Actor Harry Dean Stanton walks out of the dry and desolate landscape, wearing a wornout black sports jacket and dusty red baseball cap. It's a beautifully staged opening sequence. A perfect start to a perfect movie. This man is lost and in need of being found. It's his brother played by actor Dean Stockwell ("Quantum Leap", Blue Velvet) who gets word of Stanton's whereabouts and goes after him, which begins the journey of redemption. Nastassja Kinski plays Stanton's young x-wife and the true love of his life. Kinski, the daughter of legendary German actor Klaus Kinski, doesn't make her entrance into the film until the later reels, but her lingering presence is felt throughout. It's almost the same type of thing that Coppola did by not having Brando appear in Apocalypse Now until the conclusion. The scenes that Kinski does have in the end with Stanton are some of the best moments ever captured on film. They're highly emotional and will cause even the most hard-hearted to shed a tear. Both Stanton and Kinski are very subtle and understated in their acting. It's true to their characters. Eight year old Hunter Carson plays Stanton's biological son, who was raised by his uncle (Stockwell). Carson certainly deserves mention in any conversation about great child performances on film. Paris, Texas is a masterpiece. There's no way around it. It's a movie that slowly reveals itself putting the audience right in the shoes of Stanton, who also is trying to remember his past and face it. The story was penned by playwright and actor Sam Shepard, though he doesn't appear in the film. Shepard, a very good playwright, has outdone himself with Paris, Texas surpassing his perhaps more well known, True West. Paris, Texas is a film that must not only be seen, but experienced. Sure the pacing is extremely slow, but as an audience member, use that to your advantage to suck in the picturesque orange southwest desert against the deep blue skys, and the poignant acting, and haunting soundtrack. There's no reason not to treat yourself to this uniquely American masterpiece meditation. It would make a great nightcap for a triple feature with two other simular themed American films, The Searchers and Taxi Driver.