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Paris, Texas (1984)

★★★½ — Paris, Texas (1984)

Wim Wenders made Paris, Texas in the middle of a remarkably fertile run, coming off The State of Things (1982) and heading towards Wings of Desire (1987), and the film sits comfortably at the heart of his long fascination with American mythology filtered through a European sensibility. The screenplay came from Sam Shepard, the playwright and actor, working from his own story material, and Shepard's feel for the silences of the American West gives the whole project an unusually literary foundation. Shot on location across Texas and Los Angeles by cinematographer Robby Müller, it was a European co-production on a modest budget, funded by Road Movies (Wenders' own company), Argos Films, and German broadcaster WDR. Harry Dean Stanton, long a familiar supporting face in films like Alien and Repo Man, took a rare lead role here, and the film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1984.

If it was made in 2025 we'd call it boring. Paris, Texas is in a strange place. It's very atmospheric and the cinematography is really great, but I think it's let down a little by the loose ends of the story. Also... if I'm being honest, I wasn't convinced by the lead actor. I think this is probably why he's not the lead in many films. The female lead was the best part of the movie. It's an entertaining movie on first viewing but not one I'd necessarily recommend to others or consider to watch again

Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1984 | Watched: 2025-04-07

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Physical: Amazon UK

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