Review of Paris, Texas (1984) by Stephen M — 05 Jan 2008
After two decades' work as a dependable character actor, Harry Dean Stanton was finally given a richly deserved leading role in this, one of the most iconic films of the 1980s and one of the most beautiful films of any decade.
He plays Travis, a damaged refugee from an exploded relationship who pieces back together his life and his dignity after four years in the wilderness, gradually gaining the trust of the son he left behind and setting out to reunite the boy with his mother.
I can't understand how anyone can call this a boring movie; even ignoring the great acting, the stunning visuals and the spectral majesty of Ry Cooder's soundtrack, the mystery at the core of the plot - the cataclysmic event which blew these three people apart - is as compelling as that of any detective story.
The dramatic centrepiece is a hypnotic and deeply moving monologue, by Stanton, as the estranged lovers finally 'meet' again across the two-way mirror of a peep-show. Though the ending is bittersweet, the message I've always taken from "Paris, Texas" is inspirational: "Don't give up on life, even if your dreams are unattainable.
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This review of Paris, Texas (1984) was written by Stephen M on 05 Jan 2008.
Paris, Texas has generally received very positive reviews.
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