West Germany/ France I 1983/1984 I English I 4K DCP (restored version) I Colour I 146 minutes [CR1] I 1:1.66
Director: Wim Wenders
Screenplay: Sam Shepard
Script: Helen Caldwell
Adaptation by: L.M. Kit Carson
Producer: Wim Wenders, [CR2] [CR3] Chris Sievernich
Director of Photography: Robby Müller
Editor: Peter Przygodda
Music: Ry Cooder
Sound: Dominique Auvray, Jean-Paul Mugel
Cast: Harry Dean Stanton (Travis), Nastassja Kinski (Jane), Dean Stockwell (Walt), Aurore Clément (Anne), Hunter Carson (Hunter), Bernhard Wicki (Doctor Ulmer)
Out of nowhere, a gaunt man in a dark suit and a red baseball cap appears in the burning heat of the desert between the US and Mexico. Travis. He drinks the last sip from his water bottle, then he moves on, doggedly, into the inhospitable area that the locals call “The Devil’s Playground”. Travis might seem to be mute and amnesiac, but he’s driven by the desire to reconnect with his family.
Wim Wenders’ iconic Cannes winner from 1984, exquisitely photographed by Dutch master Robby Müller, is a powerful statement on self-discovery, loss, redemption and the unbreakable bonds of love. Outstanding performances by Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, a masterful screenplay by Sam Shepard and Ry Cooder’s haunting soundtrack have contributed to PARIS, TEXAS’ cult film status and its spell, even 40 years later.
