Paris, Texas

[gagelle]

I've wanted to see this film since it first came out, but I never did. I think I avoided it due to my own narrow minded belief that Wim Wenders caved in to pressure from Hollywood to make a conventional American film. I would say that it is, indeed, an American film. But Mr. Wenders has certainly not given up his artistic powers for the holy dollar. If anything, his European training and perspective have intensified his ability to give us a more penetrating vision of America. There is never a doubt that this is Wim Wenders' film. In all aspects, he is the auteur: It is his personal artistic creation.

From its beginning, his leisurely shots of Southwest Texas are exquisite. A brief shot of an eagle impresses a feeling that this film is a force of nature. Throughout its entirety, he takes time to focus on different aspects of the arid Texas landscape, which become an organic part of the human drama. The background music has an eerie beauty that makes us feel that this America is more real than our own perception of the country. Wenders' unconventional use of glass to reflect and distort his shots is a testament to his mastery of the genre. It is a superb film that works on many levels and has given me a desire to see his other films, especially the critically acclaimed, "Wings of Desire."

 

[rnorton]

Harry Dean Stanton should have gotten an Oscar. Best performance of his career, IMHO.

 

[tubed]

Geez, 1984.
I think I'll watch later tonight.
Ry Cooder Soundtrack

 

[ducati_EL34]

The good ole days when you could smoke on an airline flight.

 

[guiller]

I agree, it is a superb film!

 

[gagelle]

Harry Dean Stanton should have gotten an Oscar. Best performance of his career, IMHO.

Absolutely agree. I didn't think anyone on AK would be familiar with this film. (Thanks for the link, tubed.) It's good to know it's appreciated by Akers.

Wim Wenders was screwed by the distributors when the film was released. There was very little publicity and it was only released in major American cities. The "filmstruck" streaming service has a great interview with Director Wim Wenders and a German film critic. Wenders goes into interesting detail about the actors, especially Harry Dean Stanton. Wenders said that Harry Dean Stanton is perhaps one of the greatest actors in all of film history; that he never received the recognition he deserved, and that in almost all his films, he didn't act, but played himself by drawing on parts of his life. It's hard to believe that the film was made on a budget of 1.5 million dollars. Wenders also gave credit to the composer for the brilliance of the film's musical score. It received many awards in Europe but went almost unrecognized in the U.S. Wenders thought that Americans had an aversion to films about the U.S. made by foreigners.

I first learned about Wim Wenders when I watched a documentary he did on the American director, Nicholas Ray. Ray is best known for "Rebel Without a Cause." In "Futurama," the main character Fry's red jacket is a tribute to Jim Stark's (James Dean's) red jacket in "Rebel."

 

[gagelle]

Last night I watched a very dark Italian film called "Fists in the Pocket, by director Marco Bellocchio. I chose to watch this film because I missed a showing of another film by Mr. Bellocchio called "In The Name of the Father," I have been unable to find this film anywhere, and have regretted missing it since I took a film course in college. (In those days, we saw every film on a 16 mm projector.)

"Fists in the Pocket" portrays 1960s Italian society as obsessed with money and social status to the point that they become driven to succeed by a force of absolute evil. (I would like to describe it without giving away the most powerful events in the film.) Lou Castel's portrayal of evil, playing the character, Allesandro, is absolutely brilliant. From the film's opening, we know that Allesandro is perverse and demented just from his facial expressions. As the film progresses, however, we see that he is tormented by excruciating headaches and seizures. It is obvious that something is wrong in his head. The film's power, however, is revealed by the way all the characters are unconsciously connected, and irresistibly drawn into a vortex of absolute depravity, that is personified by Allesandro. The emotional tension is increased by the background of Roman Catholic ritual. The film makes it obvious that the old religion has no power to reform or heal this new generation of vipers. I would say that the only film I've seen that more affectively probes the psychological depths of human depravity is Luchino Visconti's "The Damned."

 

[dodog]

As "tubed" pointed out, the soundtrack for Paris, Texas was done by Ry Cooder. If you like the tunes in the movie, you owe it to yourself to get the real deal (no affiliation):

https://www.popmarket.com/products/ry-cooder-soundtracks-7-cd-set

This is an amazing sounding set in a really nice package. Cooder's soundtracks, while not as good as his main albums, are very very close.

If you want more Wenders and Cooder, watch "Buena Vista Social Club," then listen to the album!

 

[ducati_EL34]

Absolutely agree. I didn't think anyone on AK would be familiar with this film. (Thanks for the link, tubed.) It's good to know it's appreciated by Akers.

Wim Wenders was screwed by the distributors when the film was released. There was very little publicity and it was only released in major American cities. The "filmstruck" streaming service has a great interview with Director Wim Wenders and a German film critic. Wenders goes into interesting detail about the actors, especially Harry Dean Stanton. Wenders said that Harry Dean Stanton is perhaps one of the greatest actors in all of film history; that he never received the recognition he deserved, and that in almost all his films, he didn't act, but played himself by drawing on parts of his life. It's hard to believe that the film was made on a budget of 1.5 million dollars. Wenders also gave credit to the composer for the brilliance of the film's musical score. It received many awards in Europe but went almost unrecognized in the U.S. Wenders thought that Americans had an aversion to films about the U.S. made by foreigners.

I first learned about Wim Wenders when I watched a documentary he did on the American director, Nicholas Ray. Ray is best known for "Rebel Without a Cause." In "Futurama," the main character Fry's red jacket is a tribute to Jim Stark's (James Dean's) red jacket in "Rebel."

How much do you think a movie w/o special effects should cost to make, in 1984? Some bad fashion shirts and pants, a couple cartons of cigarettes, and a late 70s craptastic automobile here and there, should not cost a fortune.

 

[gagelle]

How much do you think a movie w/o special effects should cost to make, in 1984? Some bad fashion shirts and pants, a couple cartons of cigarettes, and a late 70s craptastic automobile here and there, should not cost a fortune.

That'a a good question. I was thinking that 1.5 million in today's dollars would be a budget film. But I wasn't thinking in 1984 dollars.

 

[ducati_EL34]

That'a a good question. I was thinking that 1.5 million in today's dollars would be a budget film. But I wasn't thinking in 1984 dollars.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) $15M, Sixteen Candles (1984) 23.7M Star Trek III (1984) $16M Bachelor Party (1984) $6M for comparison. 1984 was a tough year for box office competition.

 

[gagelle]

As "tubed" pointed out, the soundtrack for Paris, Texas was done by Ry Cooder. If you like the tunes in the movie, you owe it to yourself to get the real deal (no affiliation):

https://www.popmarket.com/products/ry-cooder-soundtracks-7-cd-set

This is an amazing sounding set in a really nice package. Cooder's soundtracks, while not as good as his main albums, are very very close.

If you want more Wenders and Cooder, watch "Buena Vista Social Club," then listen to the album!

Thanks very much for this.

 

[gagelle]

As "tubed" pointed out, the soundtrack for Paris, Texas was done by Ry Cooder. If you like the tunes in the movie, you owe it to yourself to get the real deal (no affiliation):

https://www.popmarket.com/products/ry-cooder-soundtracks-7-cd-set

This is an amazing sounding set in a really nice package. Cooder's soundtracks, while not as good as his main albums, are very very close.

If you want more Wenders and Cooder, watch "Buena Vista Social Club," then listen to the album!

I'm very grateful for the tip. I can watch "Buena Vista Social Club" for free with my Amazon prime membership.