Paris, Texas (1984)

Overview
User Rating:
7.9/10 12,643 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Wim Wenders
Writers:
L.M. Kit Carson (adaptation)
Sam Shepard (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Paris, Texas on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 November 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
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... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Desert | Redemption | Railroad Crossing | Mojave Desert | Foster Parenting
more
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Wenders To Head Venice Jury
(From Studio Briefing. 30 June 2008, 10:23 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Second American best film of the eighties more
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
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Additional Details
Also Known As:
Motel Chronicles (West Germany) (working title)
Paris, Texas (West Germany)
more
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
147 min
Country:
West Germany | France | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
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 more
Company:
Road Movies Filmproduktion more
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
During the scene in the Texas airport, Dean Stockwell's character is on the phone with his wife. The PA announcer can be heard saying "A message for Joy Stockwell, Joy Stockwell. Austin will arrive at any minute." Joy was Dean's wife and Austin, his son, was born during production of this film. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: In the end credits there is a spelling error: Assistant Director is spelled Assistant Diretor more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Hottest State (2006) more
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User Comments
(Comment on this title)
38 out of 48 people found the following comment useful:-
Second American best film of the eighties, 5 May 1999
10/10
Author: Joseph Harder (jah5y@virginia.edu) from warren michigan

It might seem odd to call this an "American" film, as its director, Wim Wenders is a German film director, who , unlike his predecessors, Lang, Murnau, Pabst, Von Sternberg , and Billy Wilder, has chosen to remain aloof from the Hollywood film industry. But Paris Texas is as much an American film as Tocquevillle's "Democracy in America" is an American book. Sometimes it takes a foreigner ( In Wim Wenders' case, a foriegner who loves American music, American movies and American literature.) to look into the American soul. In this case,it helps that he is working with a great-and misunderstood- American writer, Sam Shephard, and a great-and under appreciated- American actor, Harry Dean Stanton. I can not begin to convey who poetic, how haunting, and how beautiful this film is, and how artfully it probes the American heart. The scene where Stanton confronts his wife, and tells what he did and why he did it, must rank among the supreme scenes, not just of film, but of human life. It echoed the great scenes of our literature, such as Ulysses meeting with Penelope, and the return of the prodigal son. In short, the only film which goes beyond it in the eighties is Raging Bull, and that is largely because of the volcanic power of Scorsese, that most self-crucifying of auteurs. in short, I would go so far as to say that Paris Texas is more than a "ten'...Like Citizen Kane, like 2001, like Andrei Roublev, like Raging Bull , like the Searchers, like Pickpocket, Tokyo Story, Seven Samurai and Ordet,it is an ELEVEN. Sublime AND beautiful.