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Paris, Texas (1984)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
9 November 1984 (USA)
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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...
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| full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Desert
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Paris Texas
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Reunion
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Amnesia
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German American
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Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe.
Another 14 wins
&
5 nominations
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NewsDesk:
User Comments:
A European View Of America
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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:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
147 min
Country:
Language:
Colour:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The restaurant that Travis calls Walt's home from is actually located in Cabazon, CA (not San Bernardino, which is about 45 miles away.) This of course is home to Claude Bell's famous concrete T-Rex and brontosaurus.
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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.
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Quotes:
Walt:
We live in the suburbs, but I've got my business in town
Travis: Oh yeah? What's your business?
Walt: I make billboard signs for advertising.
Travis: Oh yeah? So *you*'re the one who makes those signs, I love those. Some of them are beautiful.
Walt: I'm not the only one who makes them, Trav.
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Travis: Oh yeah? What's your business?
Walt: I make billboard signs for advertising.
Travis: Oh yeah? So *you*'re the one who makes those signs, I love those. Some of them are beautiful.
Walt: I'm not the only one who makes them, Trav.
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Movie Connections:
References The Searchers (1956)
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (127 total)
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At face value, the screen story, about a dysfunctional family, is weak. The plot is not really credible. The lead character (Travis) is an older man who in the first ten minutes of the film wonders alone in the desert like a horse with no name, seemingly suffering from severe trauma. But Travis' later behavior and the behavior of other characters in the film are not believable, given this opening gambit.
However, if we discard our need to interpret behavior rationally, then the film works, either as a dream or, more generically, as a parable of modern day America, from the viewpoint of a European film director. The characters and their journey through the film's story are symbolic of American culture as a whole, with its ever-present loneliness, urban alienation, emotional separation, and general rootlessness.
The film's visuals and music combine to prop up the thin story, and give the film its enduring cultural theme. Cinematographer Robby Muller's images are stunning. His location shots both in the desert and in the urban jungle, using polarizing filters, are works of true photographic art. The images, with their florescent greens, reds, blues, and yellows in dim light are just terrific. More than any dialogue could, these visuals effectively convey the loneliness, alienation, and lost love that are so characteristically American. And Ry Cooder's simple but haunting Tex-Mex guitar sounds amplify this grim mood.
The film's main flaw is its length. With a runtime of 150 minutes, some parts of the film could have been edited out, without loss of the film's message.
"Paris, Texas" is a memorable art house film about the modern American experience. Like other art house films, the story is not necessarily to be taken literally. Instead, the story provides narrative support for the visuals, the music, and other film elements, the combination of which imparts some broader or deeper social message than could be conveyed by story alone.