Review of Paris, Texas (1984) by Norm D — 02 Aug 2017

How folks are mesmerized by this film is truly astonishing - a french-German take on love, loss, & the dry littered effect of human presence in the desert of west Texas. The title should be "The Abomination of Desolation," and then 45-mins cut. Even the deleted scenes run to 25-mins. Eurochick Nastassja Kinski, eminently watchable since "Cat People," as a wayward Texas wild child? Come on ...

This is film at its least & most minimalist to tell a Shepard story probably best left between the covers of the book - which was the reason for watching this on the day of Shepard's passing. Almost as bad is the soundtrack. By the end you'll want to find a dobro & smash it on your DVD player. The Reviews are misleading, and this opinion from a film buff of many types & genres, foreign & domestic. There's nearly nothing here that isn't a waste of time. Slow & almost goofy in places. Let's take the 8mm footage: It has the requisite cliched scratches & zoomy shakiness. But it's not shot & shown at 18-fps. A German director's sophomore mistake & part of what imparts to 8mm its home movie look - as it's supposed to have here.

This production is one of those weird films that acquires some kind of cult following among critics & the moon-eyed Burning Man pod people. It's not good - and why it's appraised as such by so many here is a mystery. Even Dennis Hopper was trotted-out to weigh-in in the extra materials; but he didn't seem that enthusiastic either.