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View the other opinions, total : 57

Gelson Myskovsky | --- | Balneario Camboriu, Brazil | 09 Nov. 2003

The site is great and Paris, Texas is the best movie of all. I´ve already lost how many times I've seen it. The first time, I was 19 and this movie mark my life forever. It had opened for me a lot of great things: the Sam Shepard's books, the wonderful music of Ry Cooder, even a new way to watch the movies. After twenty years, all its magic is still untouchable.

Céline | --- | Grenoble, France | 31 Oct. 2003

De Wim Wenders, je n'avais vu jusq'à présent que Les Ailes du Désir. Déjà ce film m'avait plu, plu, plu. Je m'étais dit "mince, pour réaliser ça, il faut porter quelque chose de précieux, une inspiration, une volonté d'exprimer avec poésie ce qu'il y a de plus simple, universel". Et puis au vu des photos de Paris, Texas, le lieu, l'appellation "raod-movie", la couleur, tout ce que cela évoque dans l'imaginaire, la route 66 etc..."mince, ça va être bien différent" me suis-je dit. Mais, et c'est là qu'on identifie un auteur, je l'ai retrouvé. Quoi? mais la perle que WW chemine d'un film à l'autre (pour ces deux-là au moins!), la réflexion sublime du banal, la beauté des sentiments dans un monde imparfait, peuplé d'imparfaits. Mais qui ont tous leur propre raison. La raison de partir, la raison de laisser son enfant où il sera mieux, la raison de réparer sa faute et de savoir s'effacer. C'est un film qui tient en haleine, charme, rassure aussi.
Qui gardera une rancune envers Travis, pour son ultime fuite? Qui osera appeler cela "fuite"?

Axel | --- | Aguascalientes, Mèxico | 07 Oct. 2003

I can only say it is one of my favorites, I love everything about it, and I'm eager to get it on DVD. On a personal note, I shall say that I've had an experience rather similar as the characters Travis & Jane, not that I pursued the situation, but it happened. And like Travis, I had an encounter which I expressed similarly on a monologue with the love of my life... that's why Paris, Texas is more than being one of my favorite movies, it IS a part of me.

Ana Caína | Ana Caína's Batiburrillo | Málaga, Spain | 05 Oct. 2003

This film changed my life.

Zoe | --- | China | 17 July 2003

Hi. I have seen this movie several times but this is my first time to visit the fan club here. Glad to see so many huge fans of wenders. And it is my great pleasure to be among them as a small one.

Franz | --- | Baltimore, Maryland USA | 20 June 2003

Forban, it is a singularly lovely thing you are doing, providing this forum. It is truly a brotherhood, one of people haunted by this film. I have loved it totally for years; two years ago however one of my brothers began to lose his mind from alchoholism and is estranged from his elder daughter. I now hope and pray that he can come back from his total disconnect, like Travis did, and heal the rift with his child, like Travis did. God bless, and all the best.

Donatien | --- | France | 29 March 2003

Il est minuit je viens de voir ce film en V.O j'en avais beaucoup entendu parlé, c'est pourquoi j'ai tenu à me faire ma propre opinion. Malheureusement mon niveau d'anglais ne m'a pas permis d'apprécier ce film à sa juste valeur mais malgré tout il est indéniable qu'il se dégage de ce film une sensation difficilement nommable, un quelque chose que je ne saurais exprimer mais qui laisse des traces.

Scott | --- | Tucson, Arizona | 23 March 2003

Ry Cooder was a character in the movie although we never see him. We only hear him. We hear him pick and strum the strings of the steel guitar. Sometimes we hear him drag the pick down some of the strings as he play with our emotions. I live in Tucson Arizona and many times I use the theme song of Paris, Texas as the Theme for Somewhere in Arizona. Thank you Ry. Thank you Wim.

GlenGarry | --- | Ontario, Canada | 02 March 2003

Like everyone here, I'm a huge fan of this film. It's one of those rare movies that draws you into the lives of its characters with such ease - these are living, breathing people. I've watched it only 3 times since its release, and for this reason : I don't want to spoil the experience... As for this site, it's a happy accident that I came across it at all. Great job!

Jérôme | --- | France | 01 March 2003

En voyant et revoyant ce film, une phrase de Joseph Conrad tirée de "Au coeur des ténèbres" me revient sans cesse à l'esprit : "[...] on ne peut donner aucune impression vivace d'une quelconque époque de son existence, ce qui en fait l'authenticité, la signification, l'essence subtile et pénétrante. C'est impossible. On vit comme l'on rêve - seul...". Beaucoup d'anges déchus parcourent la terre et ses méandres et rêvent d'un endroit sans langage appelé Paris, Texas...

DomyReg | --- | Lille, France | 25 Jan. 2003

Bon je sais que ce n'est pas original, mais on ne le dira jamais assez : Paris Texas est un film magnifique ! Tout est superbe : les acteurs, le sujet, le scénario, les décors, la poésie... Et surtout l'art de Wim Wenders, tout simplement exceptionnel ! La scène de la déclaration, dans le peep-show, est sans aucun doute une des scènes cultes du Septième Art ! Bref, un très grand film à voir absolument !

Yutaro Sogo | Paris,Texas Homepage | Nara, Japan | 24 Jan. 2003

Hello everyone. I'm Japanese fan of "PARIS,TEXAS". Wim Wenders' movies are famous in Japan too. My best favorite movie is "PARIS,TEXAS". And I love the atmosphere of silence like midnight in his movies. I'd like to go to PARIS,TEXAS someday. I'm sorry for my strange English.

Rene Wennekes | Rene's Homepage | Netherlands | 08 Jan. 2003

3 Years ago, i noticed that a store had a 2nd hand laserdisc of Paris Texas in stock. I stepped into my car and made the trip of 200 kms right away. Some people find that a crazy idea, but that much I wanted the movie. Last year i bought the DVD in a store of my hometown... I loved the music, the dialogues, the pictures and still wondering about the mystery end and famous dialogue. Maybe someone could explain it or give his/her opinion about it. I still don't know what really happened between Travis & Jane. Maybe it supposed to be.

I also want to mention that I like your site very much. The design is also excellent. But I hope that your guest-writers prefer to write in English so that other people can read them. And thanks to your site i know that i'm not the only one who loved this movie... Rene Wennekes.

Tom Farrell | --- | NYC, USA | 07 Jan. 2003

(Mail from Tom Farrell, actor in Paris,Texas: the Screaming man!)

Here is the scene of the Screaming Man written by Sam Shepard as recorded in the film of PARIS, TEXAS, released in 1984.

(54A) SAN FERNANDO ROAD EXTERIOR DAY

On his way back home, Travis passes a Man who is screaming at the top of his lungs to no one in particular. Travis stops and listens to the man for a while.

SCREAMING MAN

"You will all be caught with your diapers down! That is a promise! I make you this promise on my mother's head! For right here, today, standing on the very head of my mother, which is our God Green Earth, which everybody who wasn't born in a fucking sewer ought to know and understand to the very marrow of their bones! They will invade you in your beds! They will snap you from your hot tubs! They will pluck you right out of your fancy sports cars! There is nowhere! Absolutely nowhere in this Godforsaken valley! I'm talking about from the range of my voice right here, clear out to the goddamn Mojave Desert and beyond that! Clear out past Barstow and everywhere else in the valley all the way to Arizona! None of that area will be called a Safety Zone! There will be no Safety Zone! I can guarantee you the Safety Zone will be eliminated! Eradicated! You will all be extradited to the Land of No Return! It's a Navigation to Nowhere! And if you think that's going to be fun, you've got another think coming! I may be a slimebucket but believe me, I know what the hell I'm talking about! I'm not crazy! And don't say I didn't warn you! I warned you! I warned all of you!"

Forban, I'm sorry for taking so long to send you this speech, but I just now found the script. The scene was filmed in December 1983 on a bridge over Interstate 5 in San Fernando, California shortly after dawn. I was given a lot of time to prepare for this scene on my own. In fact, I wrote the line about the Navigation to Nowhere, as well all the remaining words beginning with: I may be a slimebucket. I wanted the final lines to leave an impression on the audience. Thank you for your patience, Forban, and good luck to you in 2003. Wim Wenders is getting ready to make another road movie written by Sam Shepard 20 years after PARIS, TEXAS was filmed.

Tom Farrell, Screaming Man.

Heikki Jäntti | --- | Helsinki, Finland | 28 Dec. 2002

This film is the world. Or more exactly ... making the world ... or in this case, remaking the world. The world means here everybody's world. You and me. Our world is in our heads, in the form of those who gave us life, parents and there parents and so on. Everything we see, we see trough the experience we have about these basic elements of our world, the one we are living in every moment of our lives. The mirror in which we see all this is the face of another, the first one you see on earth when you come up here. Very often its is the moter, but that doesn't matter really. The most important is that it is a person, somebody with his or her own history of life, with persons whom he or she is carrying in his body that is mirroring to somebody. When Travis is looking at Jane trough the mirror, she is wandering where his face is... The one who is just beginning to create his own world/universe is of course Hunter. He has no "idées recues" (prejudices?) in that cosmic work. He is the real maker of the/his universe. In this film you can see the making of the world/universe in many of it's aspects: geographical (maps, photos); cultural ("american", french, spanish... and ultraurban i.e. that of los angeles). When Travis is walking across the landscapes and returning to the "civilisation" we see him remaking in a new (absurd,normal,anything you like) form his or THE existence. This is also a beautiful film (in the sense of natural and human beauty, not just subjective beauty that you can see anywhere anytime if you wish), and a film in which you can see so many apects: man/woman; nature/civilization; child/parent; rich/poor; normal/abnormal.

Colin | --- | Edinburgh, UK | 20 Dec. 2002

A film I've loved since its release. I watched the DVD with the commentary on tonight and there are areas where it is very badly out of sync, most noticeably in the booth scenes. Anyone noticed that too? Doesn't detract from the wonderful commentary though. Lovely site this too. Best wishes, Colin.

Sally Norvell | sallynorvell.com | NYC, USA | 19 Dec. 2002

(Mail from Sally Norvell, actress in Paris,Texas: Nurse Bibs)

I played nurse bibs in 'paris, texas'. the experience of being involved in 'paris, texas' changed my life in every way, for better or worse. i was a young actress, wishing to be hannah shygulla or louise brooks but going up for bullshit parts like charlie's angels & just hating it. i heard at a wenders screening of 'the state of things' at the nuart in LA that he was in town, & that he was working on a project with sam shepard called 'paris, texas'. me being from texas, & being crazy about wim & sam's work, well i just had to get next to that! so, as a reference to 'state of things' (wherein alan gorwitz mentioned putting the european director up at the chateau marmont), i took a chance & called the chateau, asking for mr. wenders. they wanted to put me thru to his room, but i had nothing to say! unprepared youth. so i said, no have him call me back. to my amazement (& my boyfriend's, who didn't believe it was really him), wim called me back, rather cranky (who are you, sally norvell? i don't know you). i asked for a meeting & he obliged. i didn't care if i was a PA, makeup artist, set massuese, just so long as i got on that set! but he cast me. sort of. claire denis (wim's AD at the time) called me & told me to get on a plane. i asked, what am i playing? she said, a peep-show girl. wear a bikini. i said, no i would rather be a bad nurse. so she said, ok, just get a costume & get on a plane. so i did. the name bibs came from an ancient relative of mine from west texas, bibs brooks...harry & i shot the scene three or four times with no cuts, no written dialogue, & they picked the best one. harry tried to pick me up: he said i reminded him of carol lombard, & did i ever go to dan tana's in LA? anyway, after that i couldn't go back to the auditions & humiliation of being an LA blonde. i became a producer & a singer, have travelled all over the world, married three times, hardly coming up for air. hanging out on set watching the great wenders & robby muller work, it was my film school. i could do anything but crap after that. i live in NYC now, have toured with nick cave, made films with lisa rinzler (DP of lisbon story), made a bunch of CDs (http://www.sallynorvell.com), had a beautiful son, worked & struggled & loved & lost & survived. something about being in that film gave me the courage to go on my own journey, & never look back. but when i found this site, i didn't mind looking back on that very special time. thanks for doing it.

love,
sally norvell
aka nurse bibs

ps...how about some pics of dear old nurse bibs? i have none or i would give them to you...

Jacques | --- | Orleans, France | 18 Oct. 2002

La simple évocation de ce film me fait monter les larmes aux yeux. Quelle grâce a touché Wim Wenders pour qu'il sache si bien lire dans les âmes ?

Neil Barclay | --- | London, UK | 09 Oct. 2002

Dear Forban, I'm sorry I took so long to reply, I've been a bit busy with work lately! Here are some pics that I promised, please feel free to place them on your site. They were all taken in 1997 around West Texas, the two Marathon ones are from the motel that I mentioned in my first email to you. I will try & dig out some more for you at some point. I hope you enjoy them. With Regards. Neil.

Stan103 | --- | Belgium | 24 Sep. 2002

Finally, the perfect Region 2 DVD version is out! Perfect image, widescreen, stereo + 5.1 dolby sound, deleted scenes, audio commentary by Wim Wenders, photo gallery,... what else could you hope for? (well, maybe subtitles in various languages would have been nice, because now it doesn't have any) : www.anchorbay.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk and other places as well, probably.

mt | --- | Italy | 24 Sep. 2002

[...] Je suis du nord de l'Italie et d'origine celtique, comme tous les italiens du nord presque, et pourtant je suis blonde, yeux bleus (WOWWWWW), si bien que quelque fois on m'a dit aussi que je ressemble à nastassja... mais c'est pas seulement pour ca, que je suis venu dans ton site... j'aime bcp WW le réalisateur de Paris, Texas et j'aime ce film en particulier car c'est impossible de ne pas l'aimer, les atmosphères, l'histoire etc... si je dois être sincère je me sens plus près de Travis que de nastassja, chacun de nous, je pense a toujours des choses à recoller et on peut le faire seulement tout seul... [...]

Art Bertramd | --- | Baton Rouge, La USA | 17 Sep. 2002

I played professional baseball in Paris in 1954, met and enjoyed lots of the people but Paris looked differently then than the movie showed. I got no feel at all for the Paris I knew...

Neil Barclay | --- | London, UK | 06 Sep. 2002

Nice site. I'm a photographer, so obviously I have always loved the film. A few years ago I was shooting a landscape assignment around the south west Texas region, I found myself photographing a railroad crossing from the vantage of a small classic old motel parking lot, I shoot mainly @ magic hour, i.e. late afternoon/evening, and decided to stay @ the motel as it was the end of a long day & I was very tired. The town, if you could even call it that, was called Marathon. Whilst I was checking in the owner was talking away to me he mentioned a famous film that had been shot here. Which film I asked. Y'know of a movie, Paris,Texas? he said err ... yeah! Turns out his motel was used in the scenes where Travis' brother first takes him after finding him, where he gets him new shoes & he first looks in the mirror. Anyway he came over to my room a little later with a book of location pictures that Wenders had signed and given to him as a gift. We sat for an hour or so on the porch looking at the pictures & the desert in front of us over some cold beers. It was a lovely evening that I shall always remember. I can send you some of the shots of the area if you want.

Fabien | --- | Paris, France | 10 Aug. 2002

Mon film préféré, que dire de plus ? Si que Wenders pour la globalité de son oeuvre est mon réalisateur préféré :-)

Esteban | --- | --- | 31 July 2002

Stanton, wimwen, nastassja et forban. Jack me disait, pas plus tard qu'hier; quel beau site! 01h51, je tape sur mon mac, 1984 disait annie lennox et grand wim de répondre paris texas! comme une droite bien donnée, je ne l'ai pas senti venir, ce petit film germano-américain! je suis resté k o depuis. Ce film est délicieusement lent, subtilement silencieux, parfaitement monté, éroticonastassjament envoutant, soit, la fausse vie plus vraie que vrai! merci à toi de le réanimer.

Orelero | --- | Marseille, France | 30 July 2002

Devant un aussi beau film, je crois qu'il n'y a pas grand chose à dire... Au fil des minutes, toute tentative de parole s'efface pour laisser place à une sorte de sentiment à la fois mélancolique et humaniste grandissant...jusqu'à la dernière scène, éloge du respect de l'Autre - un homme envers une femme - et de l'Amour de l'être humain, réhaussée de couleurs froides et splendides : nous avons quitté la chaleur du désert et de ses hameaux disséminés, pour rejoindre le coeur d'une mégalopole emplie d'espoir et de désillusions. Ne dit-on pas que le vert est la couleur de l'espoir?

Jon | --- | Bilbao, Basque Country | 18 June 2002

Gracis señor Wenders, por hacer cine. Algunas veces, alguien con una camara consigue trasmitir belleza en todas sus dimensiones y profundidades. La belleza no siempre queda supeditada a la rentabilidad económica. La belleza en si mismo es el fin. A veces entras al cine y sales feliz, porque una composición artistica, ha conseguido hacer aflorar sensaciones humanas. Muchas gracias de nuevo. La belleza tambien es capaz de estremecer al pueblo "llano" que ni es, ni quiere ser multimillonario de nada.

Karlos | --- | Newcastle, Australia | 3 June 2002

Hi. It's great to see such a good site for this movie, even after such a long time. Keep up the good work, and I hope this site lasts a long time!

Sydney | Fucking Amal site | Netherlands | 9 May 2002

This film together with Fucking Åmål of Sweden are my two favourite films. But I have been a fan of Paris Texas since I was a teen. So, the best memories are with PT. I would like to add that the atmosphere in this film together with the music of Ry Cooder and the sphere of the eighties this film makes what it is. Superb, magnificent etc. Oh don't forget the actors like Kinski, Stanton and Carson. I watched it so many times I stopped counting. Now I have to take the next step, buy the DVD because the video is almost RIP. Does anyone know where I can buy it, because I tried to find it in shops in the Netherlands. Unfortunately I did not succeed. Maybe people of this forum have some suggestions.

Bryan Voell | --- | Wauconda, Illinois USA | 26 Apr. 2002

Wow. I thought I was the only one who truly loves this film. What a great thing it is to know others love it also. Paris, Texas has been my favorite film ever since I first saw it about five years ago. To me it's the most heart-breaking, beautiful film. I would love to hear from other Paris fans. Thank you.

Elisabetta Iaccarino | --- | Italy | 23 Apr. 2002

Dear Mr.Wenders, I saw the movie when I was in England as a volunteer support worker. There I found a person who cared for me as a true friend. So watching the movie was hard and at the same time it was good as it showed the reconnection between the various characters of the story, living the experience of finding a true friend, of connecting for the first time with the outer world through feelings, and the passion in the movie reached me and shook my state of mind on the importance of the honesty, for example the father returns to the child and to his wife. I understand a lot the fact that he remained in a desert for a long long time, I think he wanted to escape from the hurt of having hurt his beloved when young and the hurt of being abandoned, at the end everybody gets so abandoned, even the child risks to remain fathereless, and the woman this man loved, risks to keep living in a shape of life that's more a sort of optic illusion, given by the colours-lit box through which she speaks to the clients robotically, sort of -it seemed to me- being alive without really feeling the life. The hurt works as a anaesthetizer over the lifes of everyone, even the brother of the man, who manages to pick him up away from the wasteland in which he stayed for an indeterminate time, everyone is affected by the hurt, the child, I don't remember perfectly, but begins to play on his own, even when the father is back, till the father doesn't begin to really speak to him truly, so the man gets out of his half self chosen isolation. I shouldn't tell, but I admit it was sort of emotion to keep watching this movie for me, I felt at a certain point in the middle before knowing whether the three of them would definitively stick together or remain divided, I didn't have courage to go on, as I feared their divide. I can't remember whether they remain together, but i have an image fixed into my head, when the child jumps at the neck of the father, and they smile broadly, probably it is the first time in the movie you see such a smile on the man face, and now that I remember, even the woman is on the car happy. But I would not be so sure i remember the end of the movie correctly.
Mr Wenders, I wanted to thank you for this movie from so long, when I had the chance to meet you in the Termini in Rome, unfortunately I forgot, but I appreciated that meeting a lot. I never wrote before as I spent two years in a great confusion, panic attacks, I tried to reach my friends that for me are as important as for the characters in the movie is essential to reach, but the attempt failed, but now it's time I communicate, getting out of my isolation. I wish I had written before.
All the Best, from a fan, Betti.

Marie-Anne | --- | Ville d'Avray, France | 14 Apr. 2002

Je viens de regarder ce film, à vrai dire mes parents l'ont acheté en dvd, car ma mère en garde un souvenir admirable, elle l'a vu il y a dix-huit ans avec une copine qui a acouché le lendemain. J'avais pas un super à priori, mais j'ai adoré!!!! Evidemment j'étais en pleurs... je reviendrai vous parler de mes émotions... merci.

Dave French | --- | England | 14 Apr. 2002

What can I say about this film that has not been already said. Only to say my video copy - an old Palace produced one found in my local Virgin about 7 or 8 years ago - is one of my most treasured posessions. I watch it about one every couple of months and am still blown away by it. I find watching it in two halves over a couple of evenings is best.

Loleap | Code Quantum | France | 12 Apr. 2002

Félicitations Forban, ton site est magnifique !
J'ai adoré Paris Texas, les dialogues, les non dits, l'atmosphère, la scène de la glace ! Il y a tellement de choses dans ce film qu'il m'est bien difficile d'en parler. En tout cas encore bravo.

Karla Jo Keller | --- | San Francisco, USA | 10 March 2002

Forban, I sent this tale on to Wim tonight. A copy of the letter to him and the story are enclosed below. Just a little anecdote about the power of good film. Thank you for the beauty of this site! Cheers! ~Karla.

The letter to Wim :
Dear Wim and Company,
While I was reading THE FILMS OF WIM WENDERS at City Lights Books here in SF, one of the young clerks approached me and got a little testy. He said he really liked Kings of the Road but hadn't seen Paris, Texas. I mentioned I really liked the film but I had very personal reasons for appreciating it; even 17 years later, I still watched it once or twice a year. He asked me why. When I told him, he said, "WOW! Did you write the story down?" I said no. He told me I should. After you put up the film clip last summer of Donata interviewing you and Sam, I got an answer to a question I had asked Sam Shepard in a letter (I never received a direct response from the man himself) about the script. So I put the story onto paper.
You and Sam have a particular genius for making cinematic the elusive intuitive and the magnificent horizon lines in peoples' lives. Antonioni taught me about horizon lines, you make the intimacy of life potent enough to encourage adventuring beyond the current horizon in sight, every time. (Lisbon Story is one of the best films ever made for this reason).
I've been a regular at Tosca for 28 years; seen a lot of people come and go. What you do endures with grace, just like the old elegance of that grand cafe, so thank you Wim Wenders. I hope you take the time to read this little piece and understand the gratitude extends to you, as well. Cheers! ~Karla Keller.

The Story (©2001 all north american and international rights reserved-kjkeller)
>> Thank you, Sam shepard <<

Cyrano | --- | Geneva, Switzerland | 04 March 2002

La première fois que j'ai vu ce film, c'est par hasard. J'avais 15 ans, c'était tard le soir, seul chez moi. Il était en VOST. Ce soir-là m'a marqué pour toujours. J'ai été transporté par ce rythme et ces décors, immergé dans son silence. J'ai vécu celui-ci. Et aussi précoce que ça puisse paraître pour mon âge, j'ai laissé tomber une larme à la fin alors que j'étais le dernier à penser être quelqu'un d'une telle émotivité. Jamais aucun autre film ne l'a fait depuis.

Angela | Meet Angela | Paris,Texas, USA | 24 Feb. 2002

Hey! I am from Paris, Texas, and I was just surfing the net and came upon this page. Great site! I love the movie, especially since it has the name of my hometown as it's title. It's awesome that so many people love this movie and it continues to be a favorite among many people so many years after its release.

Laurent Lathieyre | toodoo.net | France | 21 Jan. 2002

Juste pour vous remercier pour votre "fan-site" sur "Paris-Texas" - si j'avais eu du temps, du courage, et assez d'énergie pour créer un site à l'hommage de ce film magnifique c'est comme cela que je l'aurais imaginé ! je ne sais toujours pas vraiment pourquoi ce film résonne si fort en moi... c'est un mystère bien agréable. Cordialement, LL.

Philippe Catoire | --- | Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium | 15 Dec. 2001

J'ai vu par hasard "Paris, Texas" lors de sa sortie il y a presque vingt ans, j'ignorais ce que j'allais voir et ce film résonne encore en moi aujourd'hui. Ce que j'aime par-dessus tout, c'est son silence. Je devrais être surpris qu'on y consacre un site Web, mais après tout, rien de plus évident. Et quand en plus, le site est fait avec talent. Je crois que je vais reprendre la photo des rails en fond d'écran. Merci pour ce beau cadeau.

Stan103 | --- | Belgium | 04 Dec. 2001

Hello, thanks for the wonderful site! I have some extra information for you that I didn't find on the site about another version of the DVD. I went to the FNAC in Gent, Belgium (Gand, Belgique) today looking for the Paris, Texas DVD and found one! Finally! My favourite picture ever on DVD! (now all I need is "Der Himmel über Berlin" and "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam and my Top three is in my possession) Strangely, though, I found it in the "imports" section and the cover said it was playable on all regions. Well, that didn't matter, I had to have it on DVD after all these years. When I got home, I discovered the following: It's the Australian DVD that was released by MadMan Films/Potential Films on September 12, 2001. Here is the page of their site where they have more details: avchannel.com.au. It has the following extra's: biographies of Wim Wenders, Nastassja Kinski and Harry Dean Stanton; interviews with Wim Wenders and Harry Dean Stanton (text only); Trailer of Paris, Texas; some other trailers of films that were released by the same company. It looks and sounds really good, but I don't know how

the new Zone 2 one looks and sounds, of course. For the moment, I'm still really impressed by this one. But that could all change when I see the other one... I included a scan of the cover... I'm going back to the store tomorrow to see if they have the Zone 2 version. (I just have to have that one as well, so I can compare them). All the best, Stan103.

Roseanna Lawrence | Wim Wenders Dream Site | England | 18 Nov. 2001

Dear Forban, I have taken a look at your site. The design and layout are truly wonderful and it is extremely informative. Congratulations! You should be very proud of the work and effort you have put into the site. Regards, Roseanna.

sebcolnot | --- | France | 23 Sep. 2001

Exceptionnel, complet, photos de qualité, site agréable à visiter.
Félicitations et merci.

Yalcin Canimoglu | --- | Istanbul, Turkey | 01 Aug. 2001

Travis hala kayip, icimizde eksik oldugunu hissettigimiz ama aramaktan korktugumuz hersey bu filmde. Kaybettiklerimiz ve elde edemeyecegimiz... Bu film tamamen karanlik ve aci dolu... Wenders & Cooder bunu nasil yapabildiniz? Travis hicbir zaman mutlu olmayacak...

Philippe Labouré | --- | Annecy, France | 04 July 2001

Je viens depuis plus d'un an sur votre site, depuis que je l'ai découvert, afin d'y trouver des nouvelles d'une éventuelle sortie en DVD. J'ai beaucoup espéré de ce site argentin sur lequel je me suis rendu. N'ayant rien compris je me le suis fait traduire par un ami qui m'a parlé de virement "Western Union" dont ma banque m'a dit que le coût était supérieur au prix du disque. Surtout, je n'étais pas très chaud à la perspective de voir le film en catalan ou en espagnol. Enfin, vu l'unicité de ce point de vente, j'ai un peu craint une copie légèrement piratée. J'ai donc décidé de patienter et ce soir l'espoir renaît. :-) je "tressaille" de joie en lisant que WW prépare un DVD ! Paris, Texas est, je crois, le film qui m'a le plus marqué, touché au plus profond. Je ne suis jamais bien arrivé à comprendre pourquoi. Beauté de la mère inaccessible, impossible, errance, quête d'identité fondamentale... Une corde sensible. Votre site est précieux. Très bien documenté. Actualisé. Bien présenté. Il traduit votre respect et votre admiration. Félicitations. Continuez. Je ne puis que vous encourager. (peut-être les caractères clairs sur fond noir sont-ils un peu difficiles à lire à la longue. Mais il ne faut pas abuser des bonnes choses, et l'on y revient) Merci.

Stranger than paradise | --- | Paris, France | 25 June 2001

J'ai découvert ce film encore plus tard que vous tous. Je n'étais même pas né en 1984 ! Je l'ai vu il n'y a pas longtemps, à 15 ans, en le louant dans un videoclub en me disant qu'il vallait mieux voir d'ancien chef d'oeuvre, que de nouveaux mauvais films ! Forcément je ne fus pas décu, comme si j'avais ce film déjà en moi. L'homme seul face à la nature, ou plutot avec. La beauté des silences. Il faut certes s'habituer à un rythme plus lent que les films d'aujourd'hui, mais loin d'être moins captivant. Scènes du peep show très émouvantes et belles. Et bravo pour ce superbe site.

Nils | Rasp WebSite | France | 11 June 2001

Salut Forban, Mon opinion sur Paris, Texas... Je n'avais jamais vu ce film avant la séance dont je t'ai parlé. Je n'en savais rien, mais j'avais le souvenir de l'extase dont avait fait preuve mes parents lorsqu'ils l'avaient vu l'année de sa sortie en salle. Et bien sûr, des à prioris positifs tout plein sur Wim Wenders et Ry Cooder (Buena vista social club), Sam Shepard (The Right Stuff), Aurore Clément (Apocalypse Now Redux) et Nastasja Kinski... J'ai trouvé que le film avait du mal à commencer et ne connaissant pas le scénario, je pensais voir un nouveau Rain Man qui aurait fait la part belle aux grands espaces américains jusqu'à ce que Harry Dean Stanton se mette à parler, d'abord timidement puis dévoilant son personnage de plus en plus. Pour moi, le film commence lors de la projection de la vidéo souvenir même si, avant, le plan magnifique des enseignes allumées sur le coucher de soleil m'a vraiment laisser pantois. On suit ensuite avec plaisir le rapprochement entre Travis et Hunter et la crainte de l'inévitable (malheureusement pas assez développé à mon goût) qui nait chez Anne et Walt. La dernière partie du film enchante d'abord par ses plans de Houston puis, bien sûr par le dialogues aveugles entre Travis et Jane, objectivement une des plus belles scènes de dialogue que j'ai jamais vu, servie par une actrice que j'avais largement sous-estimée. Bien sûr, après coup, en parcourant ton site, je comprend d'autres choses comme l'utilisation des couleurs, mais c'est toujours sur une impression générale à la sortie du film que je me base pour le qualifier. En apparté, je trouve dommage qu'Aurore Clément n'ai pas fait plus d'effort en anglais. Elle le parle ici à peine mieux que dans Apocalypse Now, 5 ans avant. Bien sûr, elle joue à chaque fois une française, mais son jeu d'actrice est vraiment handicapée par l'utilisation de cette langue. Peut-être aurait-il fallu lui faire jouer certaines scènes de crises en français un peu comme Béatrice Dale dans Black Out. La musique est très belle mais je déplore un peu le fait que Ry Cooder n'ai pas composé plus de morceaux. Si celui qui revient dans le film sert lui aussi de repère, en tant que grand fan de blues, de blues-rock et d'instrumental, j'aurais apprécié une bande originale plus étoffée. Pour résumer, il me reste une formidable impression esthétique, qui sans être omniprésente dans le film se retrouve dans chaque partie comme un fil conducteur et un grand moment d'émotion à la fois visuelle et intérieure concernant la scène du Peep-Show. Content aussi d'y voir John Lurie (excellent dans Down by Law) à qui Wenders aurait pu par exemple confier une partie de la création musicale. Je rapprocherai ce film d'autres petits chef d'oeuvres qui m'ont laissés des impressions similaires: The Piano de Jane Campion, autre lauréat de Cannes ou le trop peu connu mais formidable The Winter Guest d'Alan Rickman. A bientôt, Rasp.

Tom Farrell | --- | USA | 07 June 2001

(Mail from Tom Farrell, actor in Paris,Texas: the Screaming man!)

I like your Paris, Texas website. Let me find my copy of the speech Sam Shepard wrote for the Screaming Man. The book had a translation from English to German and back to English that is not what the character said. By the way, did you read that Wim is going to do a follow up scene with Harry Dean, Hunter and Nastassja? I'll get back to you, Forban.

Vahid Parsa | --- | Tehran, Iran | 01 June 2001

One of the best explanations for modern humanity and its solitude.

Andrew Grant | --- | --- | 09 May 2001

Hello, I came across your fan site for Paris, Texas from the Internet Movie Database. It's a wonderful site, and you did an incredible job. (I can read French, but I'm not so comfortable writing in it!) I just wanted to let you know that I have bought the Japanese DVD release of Paris, Texas. The quality is Ok - not perfect, but still quite good. The problem is that the film has Japanese subtitles that you can not turn off. A slight distraction, but it's still worth having on DVD! Just wanted to let you know... Merci, Andrew.

Joey Cato | kypsoft.com | Tucson, Arizona, USA | 05 May 2001

I grew up in the small town of Paris, Texas, and I always thought it was neat to have a movie of the same name playing in our own town. Granted, there really wasn't any footage of our city in the movie, but years later (when I become old enough to really appreciate the movie) I gave it a whole new respect. I live in Tucson, Arizona now, and it was my girlfriend, who "re-introduced" me to the movie. She even has the vinyl soundtrack. Perhaps a simple twist of fate? :)
Great website.

Wim Wenders | Wim Wenders Official Site | Los Angeles, USA | 30 April 2001

(Reply to the request for the authorization of the site Paris, Texas Fan Site sent on 23 April 2001 to Wim Wenders Productions, Inc.)

Dear Forban, I have nothing against it. I looked at it, it's okay. You give credit where credit is due, and you refer to our website all the time. A link in the unofficial Wim Wenders Sites listing is fine with me... I think it is good to support these efforts by fans. All the best and thank you for your efforts, Wim Wenders.

Paco de Maniano | --- | --- | 24 March 2001

Forban, I checked out the site - it's very detailed and a worthy tribute to a wonderful film. Reading the script excerpts reminded me of how powerful those peep-show scenes are. Kinski's not the greatest actress in the world but she has a real human warmth which comes across on screen. It's a real pity so much of her career has been spent on rubbishy films (Did you ever see "Exposed"? Probably one of the worst films ever!). I hope that in the future we see her in some good films - I hope she works with Wenders again. I think that Jane, like Orson Welles' in The Third Man, really is the centre of the film, despite a relatively small on-screen appearance. She permeates every frame of the movie. When Travis walks out of the desert, I'm reminded of James Stewart's character Scottie in Vertigo. He's washed-out, a ghost of a man, with a past that is very difficult to come to terms with. What I really like is how the film moves past this very distinctive cinematic beginning to a quiet human drama. The device of Travis' silence is not over-used, as it probably would be in a typical Hollywood film. I often play a game with some of my favourite movies. I imagine what would have happened to them if they were re-written in the Hollywood cliche. Paris, Texas could have become a perfect terrible romantic comedy of the 80s! Jane would not be in a peep-show, but she'd be a bar-maid or something. She'd be an assertive single mother raising Hunter alone (think Helen Hunt in Pay It Forward...although comparing Kinski to Hunt is like comparing a flower garden to a mound of dirt!) Travis would have not wandered out by himself to the desert, instead he would have gone cruising down the highway with some buddies, drinking beer, bedding shallow women, but all this will look mighty glamourous to the audience (Forget Harry Dean Stanton. How about Kevin Costner? Or Jeff Bridges?). And now there's a new guy in her life...a real Ralph Belamy type of guy, boring but nice (maybe they should have hired Rick Moranis?). And things are looking like Jane'll settle down into the dull routine of domestic life, but then Travis turns up again. By some happenstance, they have to stay together to qualify for a cash prize in an article for a nation women magazine ("a week in the life of a Texan couple!"). So it becomes a divorce comedy! We get a new character - the newspaper reporter (maybe a man and woman team a la The Philadelphia Story!). And with a bittersweet aside, in the reuniting of Hunter and Travis (in this sort of picture, he'd take the kid to baseball games, take him hunting, "make a man out of him!"). I can imagine the Hollywood studio executives..."What's all this garbage with the Ry Cooder guitar thing? Let's get Giogio Moroder!". After all, it was 1984. And Wenders? Nah, he's too arty and European. Better to have someone like Rob Reiner. Back to seriousness, thanks for letting me know about your site. Good job in the graphic design as well. Best wishes, Paco.

Rasd | --- | St Quentin en Yvelines, France | 13 Feb. 2001

Voila, j'avais 16 ans, il n'y a donc pas si longtemps que ca car j'en ai 20 actuellement, que j'ai vu Paris,Texas pour la première fois... Et ne sachant pas du tout à quel genre de film je m'attendais, je fus surpris à la fin par les larmes qui emplissaient mes joues. Au fait, je venais juste de découvrir une facette de ma personnalité : sensible et émotif... Mais comment rester de glace devant ce chef d'oeuvre de l'émotion, ces images d'une rare poésie, cette musique (génial ry cooder) envoutante sortie d'on ne sait quelle rêverie mélancolique. Je ne pourrais certainement pas décrire tout ce que j'ai ressenti mais je voulais juste dire que PARIS,TEXAS c'est l'hymne de ma vie... Merci à vous de nous donner la parole.

Nicolas Boscher | --- | Villeurbanne, France | 03 Feb. 2001

Tout d'abord, mon humble avis sur le film : comme toi j'ai beaucoup aimé le film, et comme toi je l'ai découvert tard (j'avais 4 ans en 1984). C'est à l'occasion d'un cycle Wim Wenders que j'ai vu Alice dans les villes, Au fil du temps, Paris Texas, Les ailes du désir, puis j'ai eu la possibilité de visionner La lettre écarlate, The million dollar hotel, L'ami américain. J'adore les premiers et surtout Paris, Texas : road movie rythmé par la douce musique de Ry Cooder. Le film a un point de départ (Paris, Texas), et un aboutissement (le peep show) : ce voyage sera à l'image de l'évolution intérieure de Harry Dean Stanton. D'un personnage amnésique et muet, il se sublimera en père soucieux de rapprocher son fils de sa mère. Il exprime progressivement son amour pour son fils, et beaucoup plus directement sa passion pour sa femme dans l'une des plus belles et des plus émouvantes scènes de l'histoire du cinéma. Ce film complexe aboutit donc à un feu d'artifice d'émotion. Voila rapidement pour le film. Concernant le site, je le trouve tout simplement parfait dans la forme (discrète mais très élégante) que dans un fond très riche. Loin de tout tape à l'oeil, il nous apporte beaucoup d'informations sous une forme très claire. A part Wenders, j'aime aussi Bergman, Welles, Truffaut, Eastwood, Kubrick, Resnais, Scorsese, Coppola, Almodovar, Bresson, Gilliam... et surtout Kieslowski. J'aimerais consacrer un site à la Double vie de Véronique mais je n'ai aucune connaissance sur la création de site Web (et sur rien d'autre non plus d'ailleurs...) : ce n'est donc pas gagné, surtout quand je vois ton site. C'est décourageant !

John Clegg | --- | Paris Texas, USA | 21 Jan. 2001

Resident's opinion: Dreadfully slow & boring film, with many positive & redeeming characteristics...shows two faces, one good & one not so good. Foreign opinion, I have learned, is better...living in the town is much more interesting !!!

Henry Fool | --- | United Kingdom | 20 Jan. 2001

Wonderful website that does justice to this amazing movie. This movie had a profound effect on me. It was the first movie for me which demonstrated the power of cinema to touch below the skin and really communicate directly on a emotional and spiritual level. It in fact transcends the medium itself and stands on its own right as a work of art of great poetical beauty. When I watch this movie it just makes me feel proud to be a member of the human race, with all the pain and longing that life can bring behind it all is this endlessly infinite love and tenderness which this movie seems to have bottled for all to see. Movies like this come along once in a life time and thats enough as Paris, Texas left a trail in my soul which will be with me always.

Jochen Wilhelm | Present Film | Munich, Germany | 25 Dec. 2000

Great idea to create this website! "Paris, Texas" is a unique movie and still worth talking about. When it first came out in 1985 in Germany, it got me interested in movies as an art form and I have been involved with movies ever since. Neither Wender's previous nor later work has moved me as much as "Paris, Texas". To make a long story short, its poetry comes from not absorbing, consuming and wasting what it is looking at: The story of a broken man having lost the image he has created of his woman and son is a story about the images we make of each other. "Paris, Texas" shows how a shallow, false image has damaged a love and familyrelationship. Robby Müller's camera work and Ry Cooder's music help in their tender, beautifully distanced, almost mesmerizing style, to "see" again what is behind those images and what is necessary for these people to come together again. In the father and son's journey through the southern United States, seeking their third part - the mother -, an "American Beauty" unravels that hardly any movie shows in such a poetic way. Maybe only foreigners can see this beauty in America.

Original content and site design © 2000-2001 Forban.
Paris, Texas © 1984 Road Movies GmbH, Berlin - Argos Films, Paris.
This fan site is intended for non-official non-commercial educational purposes only.

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