Paris, Texas

Ten years after Alice in The Cities, Wenders americanised his story, and won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his troubles. He continues his ongoing theme of the clashing of European and American sources, which symbolises for him the tutulent mixed-up nature of the modern world, whose quickening pace and global reach increasingly exclude humanity from the equation. Eter you keep up, and block your mind to it, or you drop out

Paris, Texas echoes Alice... in that both explore the cathartic effect of an abandoned child in this mad world. Here, for Harry Dean Stanton in his first major role after years of character parts. The most significant difference between the two films and the only area where the later matches the briginal is in the switch to colour stock no doubt enabled by a bigger budget. Where Alice... was shot in bleached out black and white, only the striking colour used in Paris, Texas could do justice to the sweeping Texan vistas. The opening sequences with the blue sky, yellow plains, and red of Harry Dean Stanton's cap are unforgettable. Otherwise, it's a somewhat schmaltzy affair, redeemed by Ry Cooder's soundtrack and the fact that an American director would only have done it worse. If you ever wondered where the "Yep, I know that feeling" on Primal Scream's Screamadelica came from, listen to Nastassja Kinski in the peepshow scene.

Review by Philip Kelley
Taken from EUFS Programme 1994-95