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Paris, Texas

  • 1984
  • R
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
133K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,161
308
Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton, and Hunter Carson in Paris, Texas (1984)
Trailer for the Criterion Collection edition
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
99+ Photos
Road TripDrama

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.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.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
    • Sam Shepard
    • Walter Donohue
  • Stars
    • Harry Dean Stanton
    • Nastassja Kinski
    • Dean Stockwell
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    133K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,161
    308
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • L.M. Kit Carson
      • Sam Shepard
      • Walter Donohue
    • Stars
      • Harry Dean Stanton
      • Nastassja Kinski
      • Dean Stockwell
    • 367User reviews
    • 130Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 16 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos1

    Paris, Texas
    Trailer 2:18
    Paris, Texas

    Photos206

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    Top cast19

    Edit
    Harry Dean Stanton
    Harry Dean Stanton
    • Travis Henderson
    Nastassja Kinski
    Nastassja Kinski
    • Jane Henderson
    Dean Stockwell
    Dean Stockwell
    • Walt Henderson
    Sam Berry
    • Gas Station Attendant
    Bernhard Wicki
    Bernhard Wicki
    • Doctor Ulmer
    Aurore Clément
    Aurore Clément
    • Anne Henderson
    • (as Aurore Clement)
    Claresie Mobley
    • Car Rental Clerk
    Hunter Carson
    Hunter Carson
    • Hunter Henderson
    Viva
    Viva
    • Woman on TV
    • (as Viva Auder)
    Socorro Valdez
    • Carmelita
    Edward Fayton
    • Hunter's Friend
    Justin Hogg
    • Hunter (Age 3)
    Tom Farrell
    Tom Farrell
    • Screaming Man
    John Lurie
    John Lurie
    • 'Slater'
    Jeni Vici
    • 'Stretch'
    Sally Norvell
    • 'Nurse Bibs'
    Sharon Menzel
    • Comedienne
    The Mydolls
    • Rehearsing Band
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • L.M. Kit Carson
      • Sam Shepard
      • Walter Donohue
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews367

    8.1132.7K
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    Featured reviews

    10coop-16

    Second American best film of the eighties

    It might seem odd to call this an "American" film, as its director, Wim Wenders is a German film director, who , unlike his predecessors, Lang, Murnau, Pabst, Von Sternberg , and Billy Wilder, has chosen to remain aloof from the Hollywood film industry. But Paris Texas is as much an American film as Tocquevillle's "Democracy in America" is an American book. Sometimes it takes a foreigner ( In Wim Wenders' case, a foriegner who loves American music, American movies and American literature.) to look into the American soul. In this case,it helps that he is working with a great-and misunderstood- American writer, Sam Shephard, and a great-and under appreciated- American actor, Harry Dean Stanton. I can not begin to convey who poetic, how haunting, and how beautiful this film is, and how artfully it probes the American heart. The scene where Stanton confronts his wife, and tells what he did and why he did it, must rank among the supreme scenes, not just of film, but of human life. It echoed the great scenes of our literature, such as Ulysses meeting with Penelope, and the return of the prodigal son. In short, the only film which goes beyond it in the eighties is Raging Bull, and that is largely because of the volcanic power of Scorsese, that most self-crucifying of auteurs. in short, I would go so far as to say that Paris Texas is more than a "ten'...Like Citizen Kane, like 2001, like Andrei Roublev, like Raging Bull , like the Searchers, like Pickpocket, Tokyo Story, Seven Samurai and Ordet,it is an ELEVEN. Sublime AND beautiful.
    9ferguson-6

    A Fancy Lady

    Greetings again from the darkness. It's been 30 years. The movie hasn't changed. I remember every scene. So that means it's ME that has changed. While I really liked the movie on its 1984 release, it's only now that I truly appreciate the brilliance of the script, the music, the direction, the photography and the acting … much less the wide range of emotions.

    Director Wim Wenders has long been a favorite at Cannes Film Festival, and this one took home the prestigious Palme d'Or. Since then, the film has often been mentioned as one of the best movies of the 1980's, and after this most recent screening (courtesy of the Dallas Film Society), I wholeheartedly concur.

    Opening in a most unusual manner … the lead character comes stumbling out of the Texas dessert and doesn't utter a word for the first 20-25 minutes … this film immediately strikes you as something unique – definitely not cookie cutter. Trying to outguess the script is a waste of time. It's best to just watch it unfold in a believable and sometimes awkward way.

    In a rare lead role, long time character actor Harry Dean Stanton plays Travis. We soon enough learn that Travis disappeared four years ago leaving behind a wife and young son. We also learn that his brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) and Walt's wife Anne (Aurore Clement) have been taking care of the boy, and Hunter (Hunter Carson) considers them his parents (his mom ran off too).

    Walt and Anne invite Travis to stay with them and re-connect with his son, but they are caught off guard when the two really click and they take off to find Jane, the wife/mother. Their charming (but less-than-professional) stakeout leads to the discovery that Jane is working in a sex shop, spending her days talking to a 2 way mirror with lonely men she can't see. One of the most remarkable on screen soliloquies ever seen occurs on Travis' second trip to see Jane (Natassja Kinski). It's a heartfelt story that plays out as an explanation, an apology, and a plan for moving forward. It's his way of making reparations and finally doing the right thing (as he sees it).

    As with most classic films, the backstory offers some interesting tidbits and the players are fun to catch up with. This story was originally written by the great Sam Shepard. Mr. Shepard is a Pulitzer Prize winner, an award winning playwright, and well known actor (Oscar nominated for playing Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff). Director Wenders then brought in L.M. "Kit" Carson to add and revise the script while on set. Carson's son (with actress Karen Black) Hunter plays the boy in the film, and he delivers one of the best, least affected, child performances of all time. Kit went on to write the screenplay for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and had a significant acting role in Running on Empty (1988). His son Hunter is still a working actor today. Mr. Wenders was one of the German New Wave of directors along with Herzog and Fassbinder, and his Wings of Desire (1987) would make a terrific double feature with this one. Mr. Stockwell was a very successful child actor in the 1940's and is best known for his work in Blue Velvet and TV's Quantum Leap. Ms. Kinski is the daughter of Klaus Kinski and is fondly remembered for her roles in Tess (1979) and Cat People (1982), though she still works today as well.

    Harry Dean Stanton is now 88 years old. He served in WWII and was present during the Battle of Okinawa. His acting career began in the 1950's and he still works periodically today. In addition to nearly 200 acting credits, he has had a pretty nice career as a musician. His band built a large cult following. Some of his most popular acting roles have been in Cool Hand Luke, The Godfather II, Alien, Repo Man, Escape From New York and Pretty in Pink.

    The music in the film is provided by Ry Cooder, who is a tremendous slide guitarist and has worked with some of the all-time greats in the music business – The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Neil Young, among others. Cooder is a multi-Grammy winner and re-teamed with Wenders for the Oscar nominated Buena Vista Social Club a few years later. The music is an exceptional compliment to the movie, as is the camera work of Robby Muller, who also works frequently with Wenders.

    This story of loss and loneliness is an easy one to overlook, but when a film holds up well for 30 years … and affects you differently depending on your own lot in life … its legacy is secure.
    graham-PA

    Slow paced film of cinematic excellence

    This film is a classic in my opinion. The story is very strongly influenced by its writer's, Sam Shepard, exploration of the human condition. The film is not for everyone. Wim Wenders paces the storyline accordingly to the psyche and struggle of the main character, and the concept of searching for answers to his natural state of mind by returning to the place of his conception is a well thought out and intriguing premise for this film.

    I have seen this film more than seven times, and love the slow pace because it allows me to be drawn into that world completely and really have the chance to get to know each character. Recommended to anyone with an interest in psychology, cinematography, Sam Shepard's style of story-telling, and movies that walk to their own beat. Natascha Kinski and Stanton are excellent.

    I give it 8 stars (9 if they would release it letterboxed on DVD)
    10pschwiesow

    Life-altering. The greatest film of all time.

    I first saw this film almost fifteen years ago and thought about almost nothing else for at least a month. I have never seen a film before or since that presents the extremes of love, pain, and loss with such immediacy and ruthless candor. Watching this film with openness, identifying with the characters, made me wince and writhe in sympathetic agony. I didn't cry; rather, I was reminded of all the times I have wept in my life, and why.

    Perhaps each person person has a film -- usually a masterpiece -- which affects him or her so strongly that it is beyond description. This is mine.
    8sprig63

    An experience not to be missed

    Moody, slow, absorbing, you lose yourself in this 'love lost' and in many ways tragic story. This film was probably an early warning to us all of how life can easily overwhelm without us realising it. It is also virtually unique in the successful portrayal of a man who is deeply lost in his innermost thoughts that the outside world becomes almost a minutiae. Mr Stanton encapsulates this mood perfectly and this is probably his best performance ever. The most moving scene (and there are many) might be when he reviews some old cine film of his life (a normal happy love story which surely could not have gone wrong so badly)before he walked away from it all. I can't help but think this is a real life epistle which could be a marker for how life has overtaken the human race in the last 20 years.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Harry Dean Stanton's favorite film from his own filmography.
    • Goofs
      When Travis shows Walt and Hunter the picture of the vacant lot he bought in Paris, Texas, the photograph shows a desert landscape. Paris, Texas is located near the forests of East Texas, hundreds of miles from any desert.
    • 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. We'd have long conversations, the two of us. It was almost like you were there. I could hear you, I could see you, smell you. I could hear your voice. Sometimes your voice would wake me up. It would wake me up in the middle of the night, just like you were in the room with me. Then... it slowly faded. I couldn't picture you anymore. I tried to talk out loud to you like I used to, but there was nothing there. I couldn't hear you. Then... I just gave it up. Everything stopped. You just... disappeared. And now I'm working here. I hear your voice all the time. Every man has your voice.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Stop Making Sense/Falling in Love/Paris Texas (1984)

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    FAQ19

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 23, 1984 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • París, Texas
    • Filming locations
      • Broadway Bar - 208 Broadway, Nordheim, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Road Movies Filmproduktion
      • Argos Films
      • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • £1,162,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,422,082
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $16,668
      • Sep 1, 2024
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,269,395
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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