Paris, Texas (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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(3 stars) - A Small Place in a Large State
Texas is a desolate state where Paris is the town with an active, bustling train full of freight cars. Somewhat like the Norfolk Southern but smaller and not quite so loud. It is like the Mohave desert in places. Houston was a metropolis in comparison, where Rodney Crowell grew up. Maybe I was mistaken, but this is the place where Lettie visited Carl during the war years and she was rewarded with a pair of little grannie glasses.

Travis went there and got lost, ended up buying some land close to the Red River. He was the typical male, taking no blame for anything and ran from responsibility. These were two damaged souls revived by a child. Afraid of what I might find, it was easier when I just imagined him. Mark is real, but not in Texas.

(4 stars) - Destructive power of jealous love
It has been almost 25 years since this film won the Cannes Film Festival prize. You know this film was made a while ago becuase in one scene we see one of the characters smoking while on the air flight from California to Texas. It is a story of a man who has been missing for four years. He has been wondering thru Texas until his brother was notified about his wheeabouts. It is a reluctant gathering between the two brothers particularly once it becomes obvious that the missing brother has 8-year old child that has been cared for by his aunt and uncle for the last four years. Emotions, family ties, future are all at stake. There is a mystery about marriage break up of the older brother and almost simultaneous disapperance between himself and his wife. As story slowly unforld we learn about strong and passionate love between two people that brought them both destruction and separated them from their little boy. It is also a story about the things that we most strongly imagine that become frightening reality. Can it be that our thought and actions are so powerful that things we fear the most can become reality? Well this film certainly shows that is quite possible. As Travis (main character) is found by accident, the only way he can give his family a second chance is if he disappers again. Because his love for Jane, his wife, is still strong, but he knows well by now that it has destructive powers to it. Emotionally charged movie that requires certain sense of maturity from its audiences. Definitely an acquired taste. Nastassja Kinski is so young and beautiful!

(2 stars) - painfully slow and obvious
this film is simply too long, especially considering the no-surprises-anywhere plot. I consider myself an "art house" film buff, and this is exactly the sort of movie that gives the "drama" category a bad name. I can't give it lower than two stars though, because it has lots of redeeming features like splendid acting, the music and especially the cinematography. But nothing can save a film from bad editing and an unimaginative script.

(4 stars) - A long, rewarding journey
Back when Wenders could do no wrong, this was one of his most inspired and understated achievements: a drama conceived with an economy of dialogue that conveyed more emotion through muted restraint than most Hollywood dramas do via tiresome histrionics.

Harry Dean Stanton's reputation as the most talented white trash in American movies was already established with a string of prominent supporting roles in popular mainstream and cult films. This lead role is a rarity for him, especially considering that he doesn't say a word through the first third of the film and still manages to express more depth than he ever has before or since. Stanton deserves recognition as both a colorful character actor and a genuinely capable dramatic performer.

Kinski is excellent in her rather small role; her repressed conduct is almost as impressive as her assumed Texan drawl. But the best supporting performance in this film is that of Aurore Clément, whose convincing emotive discharge lends as much to this film's primary theme of loss as anything else here.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautifully photographed films that I've ever seen. The cinematography of longtime Wenders collaborator Robby Müller presents the sprawling, impersonal landscapes of both the Texas desert and Houston with an extraordinarily vivid focus.

Most reviewers refer to Paris, Texas as a film about a man who's reconstructing his life. While that's true to an extent, Stanton's character actually spends most of his time backtracking, salvaging the remains of a familial disaster (of which he shares an equal amount of blame), one which can never be resolved.

This is a sparse, disquieting film of extraordinary power. Those of us who have experienced a situation in which home has become a distant memory and an impossible dream will relate to the central character; hopefully, they can redeem themselves as satisfactorily as he has by the story's end.

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