Genevieve Lotus Assignment 2

Wim Wender’s 1984 masterpiece, Paris Texas, is one of my favorite movies of all time and employs one of the most visually compelling and cohesive cinematographic styles I’ve ever seen in a film. It opens with a panoramic view of the southern Texas desert, and then a man in a bright red baseball hat appears, seemingly sprung from the desert itself. The man is Travis, played by Harry Dean Stanton. We know nothing about this character as he stumbles into a tiny town and proceeds to collapse. He is mute for the first 15 minutes as people around him attempt to communicate with him. His brother’s number is found in his pocket, and we learn that Travis has been missing for 4 years and presumed dead by his brother and sister-in-law, who took over care of his young son. They return (driving the whole way, as Travis refuses to board an airplane) to Los Angeles, where Travis struggles to rejoin civilization and build a relationship with his son. As their bond grows, Travis grows determined to find his lost wife. He is able to trace her to Houston and brings Hunter at his insistence, despite not notifying his brother. They are able to find her and follow her car to a peep show club. Travis finds Jane and in a heart-wrenching monologue tells the story of their marriage, of jealousy and rage and how he grew to hate himself and his actions so much that he left to a place “without language or streets”. Jane, his wife, during this monologue slowly recognizes him and begs him to return to live with her and Hunter again. Travis turns the light on himself so she can see him and tells her where she can find Hunter. The film ends with Hunter and Jane being reunited, and from outside Travis watching. He then gets into his car and drives into the desert again. On a deeper level, this movie is about American West as a concept, and the landscape shots and settings feel as important to the tone and the story as any dialogue. As the film progresses, the setting becomes more and more urban, beginning in the vast, empty wilderness and ending in downtown Houston. This shift parallels the reintegration of Travis into society. The color palette includes bright reds, greens, yellows, and pinks. The characters are often bathed in colored light during times of internal struggle.

5 words: Family, American West, wandering, desert, tragic

Paris Texas is about a lost man wandering the deserts of the American West, searching for his family and meaning in the tragic events of his life.