Paris, Texas (1984)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

L.M. Kit Carson (adaptation)
Sam Shepard (written by)

Release Date:

9 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A place for dreams. A place for heartbreak. A place to pick up the pieces.

Plot:

A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his...

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Paris Texas | Reunion | Amnesia | German American

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
Sally Norvell	...	Nurse Bibs
Sharon Menzel	...	Comedienne
The Mydolls	...	Rehearsing Band
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sam Shepard	...	(unconfirmed)
Brandy Tipton	...	Hunter's Girlfriend (scenes deleted)

Directed by
Wim Wenders

Writing credits
L.M. Kit Carson		(adaptation)
Sam Shepard		(written by)

Produced by
Anatole Dauman	....	producer
Pascale Dauman	....	associate producer
Don Guest	....	producer
Chris Sievernich	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ry Cooder

Cinematography by
Robby Müller		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Przygodda

Casting by
Gary Chason

Art Direction by
Kate Altman

Costume Design by
Birgitta Bjerke

Makeup Department
Karoly Balazs	....	hair stylist (as Charles Balazs)
Karoly Balazs	....	makeup artist (as Charles Balazs)

Production Management
Udo Heiland	....	post-production manager
Karen Koch	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claire Denis	....	assistant director
Michael Helfand	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Lorrie Brown	....	assistant art director
Kimberly Buckley	....	property master (as Kim Buckley)
Craig Busch	....	assistant props: Texas
Anne Kuljian	....	set decorator: Los Angeles

Sound Department
Dominique Auvray	....	sound editor
Douglas Axtell	....	boom operator
Hartmut Eichgrün	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lothar Mankewitz	....	sound processor
Jean-Paul Mugel	....	sound mixer (as Jean Paul Mugel)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur Blum	....	best boy grip
Robert K. Feldmann	....	key grip (as Robert Feldman)
Kevin Galbraith	....	electrician
Greg Gardiner	....	gaffer
Agnès Godard	....	first assistant camera
Scott Guthrie	....	best boy electric
Robin Holland	....	still photographer
Martin Schäfer	....	camera operator: additional photography, second unit
Pim Tjujerman	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Sheila Possner	....	casting coordinator: Los Angeles

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Roberta Elkins	....	wardrobe assistant: Texas

Editorial Department
Anne Schnee	....	assistant editor
Joachim von Mengershausen	....	commissioning editor: WDR (as J. Von Mengershausen)

Transportation Department
Homer Albin	....	driver
Lynn Brisbin	....	driver
Al Cantu	....	driver
Charles Griffith	....	driver (as Charlie Griffith)
Carl Johnson	....	driver
Tom Kelton	....	driver
Richard Padgett	....	driver
B.C. Smith	....	driver

Other crew
Allison Anders	....	production assistant
Helen Caldwell	....	script supervisor
Walter Donohue	....	story editor: Channel 4
Susan Elkins	....	location manager: Texas
Sarah Fitzsimmons	....	office coordinator: New York
Scott Kirby	....	production assistant
Patric Kreuzer	....	production assistant
Dean Lent	....	production assistant
Barbara Lucey	....	accountant
Dianne Mapp-Cheek	....	production coordinator (as Dianne Lisa Cheek)
Sherry McBride	....	caterer: Texas
Bonna Newman	....	production assistant
Lilyan Sievernich	....	office coordinator: New York
James Thompson	....	location manager: Los Angeles (as Jim Thompson)
Susanna Virtanen	....	post-production office

Thanks
Lotte Eisner	....	dedicatee (as Lotte H. Eisner)
Barbara von Weitershausen	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Road Movies Filmproduktion
• Argos Films
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (in association with)
• Channel Four Films (in association with)
• Pro-ject Filmproduktion (in association with)

Distributors

• Argos Films (1984) (France) (theatrical)
• ELKE (1984) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Tobis (1984) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Lii-Filmi (1984) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Primer Plano Film Group (1999) (Argentina) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1984) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Axiom Films (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Look Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Madman Entertainment (2001) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Palace Video (1984) (UK) (VHS)
• Palace Video (1984) (UK) (video) (Betamax)
• Palace Video (1984) (UK) (video) (video 2000)
• Ripley's Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• SBP (1999) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• T:mi Pekka Pietislä (19??) (Finland) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• marketing-film

Other Companies

• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Motel Chronicles (West Germany) (working title)
Paris, Texas (West Germany)

Runtime:

147 min

Country:

West Germany | France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

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

Company:

Road Movies Filmproduktion

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.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Hunter tells Travis that light needs about three seconds to travel from California to Houston. It really barely needs 0.01 seconds.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rain Man (1988)

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)