Paris, Texas

Harry Dean Stanton is on cracking form here the amnesiac "Travis". He turns up in a Texan clinic dressed in a striped suit, but recalling little for the slightly roguish doctor who helps him after some dehydrating time in the desert to use to help identify him. A tiny scrap of paper in his wallet enables him to, though, and soon "Walt" (Dean Stockwell) arrives to try and get his long-lost brother back to his own home in Los Angeles. As the story now gradually unfolds, we discover that "Travis" has a son who lives with "Walt" but we are unsure as to just what has led him to his current, absent-...

**A film full of qualities, but which will not please the general public.**

There are films that are made for commercial audiences and others that are clearly made to please specialized critics and film theorists. Although this film was present on the commercial circuit, the truth is that Wim Wenders directed this film for critics and film festival audiences, and this explains why critics love it and why the general public hardly knows this work. . About me? To be quite honest, I didn't particularly like the film, and it's not the kind of film I like to watch or watch with pleasure. However...

I discovered Paris, Texas through Letterboxd's Top 250 Films with Most Fans, having never heard of it before. The 8.1 IMDB rating caught my attention, so I decided to give this acclaimed film a shot.

What Worked

The film starts genuinely intriguing. Travis's complete silence in the opening act was captivating - Harry Dean Stanton delivers a convincing portrayal of someone emotionally hollowed out by four years of isolation. His emotionless face perfectly captures that shell-shocked quality. I was particularly drawn to the early domestic scenes, like when Travis starts polishing boots at ...

**_Artsy but tedious road flick in the Southwest_**

Written by Sam Shepard and shot in late 1983, this meshes elements of Coppola’s “The Rain People” with Paul Schrader’s “Hardcore” and a little “The Last Picture Show.” While it generally failed at the box office, it has since garnered an impressive following and is highly rated on the internet.

For me, it’s the least of those movies. Sure, it’s well made and artistic with creatively communicated messages, such as Travis’ meeting the “screaming man” on the long bridge, which represents what he himself went throu...