Paris, Texas (1984, Dir. Wim Wenders)
According to A.A. Dowd “There are men of few words, and then there’s the man of no words who staggers, bleary-eyed and haunted, out of the humid Southwest desert in the opening frames of Paris, Texas.” This man is Travis Henderson. Travis was once married and had a little boy. Unexpectedly, he now appears in a desert of south Texas, after being gone for four years. His brother Walt finds him, and he is reunited with his son Hunter. He can’t explain why he’s been away or why he’s suddenly back. Walt has been raising Travis’ son, Hunter, and it takes a while for the two of them to connect. They eventually decide to go find Jane, Travis’ wife, and Hunter’s mother. When they finally find her, Travis discovers Jane is working in an adult entertainment club, where she sits behind one-way glass and talks with her customers over a telephone in Huston. The film ends with Jane and Hunter reuniting, and Travis leaving again.
In the opening scene, the viewers see Travis walking out the desert, looking like someone who does not have a specific place to go to. The camera captures him walking and stopping, but it is clear that he does not know where to go. The camera was following him from distance to show his surroundings, and it also captured him close up. Sad music was playing while he was walking, and it is consistent with his situation and location. The light was an important element in this movie, as it showed Travis’ pale and sad face, emphasizing gloominess of the scene. When Travis asks for water at a gas station, he collapses, and he is taken to a local hospital. His brother Walt comes to get him. When they stop on the road, Travis starts walking away again. He did not speak or explain why he is leaving again. My first impression was that he could not speak. Later, his brother kept telling him to say something. When Travis finally decides to speak, he does not say anything about where he had been, and why he left. However, the viewers gradually learn pieces of the story: Hunter was left with Walt and his wife, Anne. Travis’ wife Jane could not take care of him anymore.
Travis and Walt decide to go back to Los Angeles. Travis slowly wins Hunter’s trust, as they walk home from school, in a bonding scene where they copy each other’s steps. The camera captured that scene from a distance, until they arrived at home. Shortly after, Travis and Hunter have a serious conversation about Jane, and that is when they decide to drive to Huston and find her. The journey from Los Angeles to Houston included long talks between Travis and his son. In those scenes, they bonded some more, as they now had a united goal of finding Jane. When Travis finally finds Jane, their first conversation is difficult, as Travis tries to find out if Jane goes home with her customers for money. When Travis sees Jane, the viewers see his love for Jane, through the camera work. He was madly in love with her, and the idea of not being with her, caused him a great deal of heartache. In their second conversation, even though Jane cannot see him, Travis turns his back to the window and tells her his story. When Jane discovers who he is, she tells him her own story. At that point, their tones, facial expressions, and their dialog were all consistent with their story telling. The film ends with Travis leaving again after reuniting with Jane and Hunter.
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The characters in this movie are all well-chosen and the way the story unfolded, was captivating and interesting. Travis’ facial expressions and emotions expressed the depth of his feelings through camera. His love for Jane is obvious. Jane’s appearance was applicable to her profession. When Travis came to see her, she initially looked like a character associated with her profession but when she found out who he was, her behavior and facial expressions changed, and she became a wife and a mother again. Walt also played his role well, as he never gave up on his brother and raised Hunter. Anne’s character was consistent with her nationality. Early in the movie, the viewers were told she was from France, and the way she spoke truly reflected where she came from. Her accent was consistent with representing her foreign background. The camera captured different angles from all the scenes and showed the characters facial expressions, and emotions, emphasizing each situation.
In the end, “Paris, Texas” is a sad movie that unfortunately resembled reality. Even though Travis could not live without Jane, he knew he could never change and that is why he decided to leave again. As a viewer, I agree that him leaving was the right thing to do. At least Hunter has one parent with him. According to Wim Wenders, “The best ending was, and the most heroic effort was for him to leave and let his son and wife be together and that was almost a condition for them to be together, that he stepped away.” Wim Wenders thought of that as a beautiful act of love.
References
https://film.avclub.com/wim-wenders-paris-texas-is-less-about-america-than-a-1798267666
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1359-paris-texas-on-the-road-again
https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/apr/27/my-favourite-cannes-winner-paris-texas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCaW8Bjjh8k
https://film.avclub.com/wim-wenders-paris-texas-is-less-about-america-than-a-1798267666
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1359-paris-texas-on-the-road-again
https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/apr/27/my-favourite-cannes-winner-paris-texas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCaW8Bjjh8k