Paris, Texas (film): Difference between revisions
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Defunct instrumental rock band [[The Six Parts Seven]] used samples from the film at the beginning of the song "From California to Houston, on |
* Defunct instrumental rock band [[The Six Parts Seven]] used samples from the film at the beginning of the song "From California to Houston, on Lightspeed". The song's title is also an homage to the film. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 16:04, 14 April 2010
| Paris, Texas | |
|---|---|
| File:Paris texas moviep.jpg 1984 original film poster | |
| Directed by | Wim Wenders |
| Written by | L.M. Kit Carson, Sam Shepard |
| Produced by | Chris Sievernich, Don Guest, Pascale Dauman, Anatole Dauman |
| Starring | Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Hunter Carson |
| Cinematography | Robby Müller |
| Music by | Ry Cooder |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |  19 May 1984 (Cannes premiere) 19 September 1984 9 November 1984 11 January 1985 |
Running time | 147 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Paris, Texas is a 1984 American film directed by Wim Wenders. The screenplay is by L.M. Kit Carson and playwright Sam Shepard, and the distinctive musical score was composed by Ry Cooder. The cinematography is by Robby Müller.
The film stars character actor Harry Dean Stanton as Travis, who has been lost for four years and is taken in by his brother (played by Dean Stockwell). He later tries to put his life back together and understand what happened between him, his wife Jane (Nastassja Kinski), and his son Hunter (Hunter Carson).
The film was a co-production between companies in France and West Germany, but was filmed in the United States.
Cast
- Harry Dean Stanton - Travis Henderson
- Sam Berry - Gas Station Attendant
- Bernhard Wicki - Doctor Ulmer
- Dean Stockwell - Walt Henderson
- Aurore Clément - Anne Henderson
- Claresie Mobley - Car Rental Clerk
- Hunter Carson - Hunter Henderson
- Viva - Woman on TV
- 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
Title
The film is named for the Texas town of Paris, but no footage was shot there. Instead, Paris is referred to as the location of a vacant lot owned by Travis that is seen in a photograph. The photograph shows a desert landscape, however in fact the real Paris rests on the edge of the forests of East Texas, far from any desert.
Style
Paris, Texas is notable for its images of the Texan landscape and climate. The first shot is a bird's eye-view of the desert, a bleak, dry, alien landscape. Shots follow of old advertisement billboards, placards, graffiti, rusty iron carcasses, old railway lines, neon signs, motels, seemingly never-ending roads, and Los Angeles, finally culminating in some famous scenes shot outside a drive-through bank in down-town Houston. The cinematography is typical of Robby Müller's work, a long-time collaborator of Wim Wenders.
The film is accompanied by a slide-guitar score by Ry Cooder, based on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground."
Reception
The film won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.[1] It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1985 and again in 2006 as part of the Sundance Collection category.[2]
The film also won the BAFTA Awards for Best Director and was nominated for Best Film and other categories.
Newsweek referred to the film as "a story of the United States, a grim portrait of a land where people like Travis and Jane cannot put down roots, a story of a sprawling, powerful, richly endowed land where people can get desperately lost."[3]
In popular culture
- Irish rock group U2 cite Paris, Texas as an inspiration for their album The Joshua Tree.[4]
- Scottish bands Travis and Texas both took their names from this film.[5][6]
- Defunct instrumental rock band The Six Parts Seven used samples from the film at the beginning of the song "From California to Houston, on Lightspeed". The song's title is also an homage to the film.
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Paris, Texas". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "2006 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films From the Sundance Collection" (PDF). 2006-01-23. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Paris, Texas / Wim Wenders - The Official Site". Wim-wenders.com. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ Kelly, Nick (2009-04-25). "From the Lone Star State to outer space". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ Levine, Nick (2010-03-12). "Interview - Sharleen Spiteri". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
- ^ Graham, Polly (2007-09-21). "Paper, Scissors, Rock - the return of Travis". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2010-03-12.