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Paris, Texas Movie Review

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Sci-Fi/Fantasy Comedy & Personal Dramas Action Dramas
Actors: Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clément
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Paris, Texas
Written by Sam Shepard, PARIS, TEXAS is a movie directed by Wim Wenders in 1984. It won the Golden Palm at the 1984 Cannes Film festival. The Shepard-Wenders meeting creates a unique road movie that, 20 years after its theatrical release, stays as the masterpiece of the German director.

Harry Dean Stanton is found wandering in the middle of the Texas desert. His brother Walt arrives from L.A. in order to bring him home. Harry had disappeared four years before without saying anything, leaving his son Hunter to Walt and his wife. Now he's half amnesic and, at first, doesn't say a word to Walt during the two days drive from Houston to Los Angeles.

Soon, Harry and his son become closer and closer; both understand that they're suffering from the same secret wound, the loss of Harry's wife who also disappeared four years before. A few days later, Harry and Hunter decide to leave together L.A. by car and to move towards Texas where they hope to find Jane, Hunter's mother.

The long trip brings closer the father and the son until the day they find at last Jane at a bank teller sending money to L.A. They secretly follow her to her working place, waiting for the right moment to speak to her.

--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar




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Analysis of Paris, Texas
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie: - 1980's-1999
Family, loving Yes
Special relationship with - son
Inner struggle or disability Yes
Brain/Body not working? - amnesia
Coping with loss of loved one? Yes
Coping with loss of - Wife/girlfriend/squeeze

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
Hair color? - brunette (Brown)
Hair type - (man) short/standard straight
Body type - (man) very skinny
Events of movie makes character more... - happy
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Secondary Main Character
Identity: - Female
Hair color - blonde
Hair style - (woman) medium/shoulderlgn straight
Body type - (woman) average
How much in movie? - 20%
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Texas
Desert? Yes
City? Yes
City: - Los Angeles
Misc setting - resort/hotel

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
Movie makes you feel... - thoughtful
Non-American film? Yes
What language? - English
Any profanity? - None
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE... - Country/Western
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