Criterion has now released two Wim Wenders-directed films within a few short months of one another. Back in November 2009 they released Wings of Desire and now they bring what is most likely considered Wenders’ best film, Paris, Texas to both DVD and Blu-ray. As it turns out both releases made for the first two films I had seen from the famous German director, and both continue to inspire me to seek out more of his work, however I can’t say his films are for today’s most general of moviegoers.
After watching Paris, Texas I was telling a friend they should check it out. The obvious response was to ask me what it was about. I hesitated for a second and told him the film opens in the middle of the desert where we meet a tired and haggard-looking man named Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) who has been missing for four years. You don’t know where he’s come from or where he’s going. When Travis is located by his brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) you have the making of a family reunion that serves as the spark for the rest of the story. It’s a sparing description, but to reveal too much would be to spoil the experience of watching the story unfold, a story that in itself is also sparing, but when taking a more realistic look at life that’s exactly what life is.
I guess when asked what the film is about I could have also gone another route. It’s about emotions, feelings, love, guilt, jealousy and sacrifice. These are qualities that can be looked as standard fare in most any film, but where Paris, Texas differs is that it doesn’t lead the audience as much as it asks you to follow the story. For much of its 147 minute runtime dialogue isn’t used to service the plot as much as it’s used to service the characters. Faces, reactions and the rolling landscapes of Texas to the twang of Ry Cooder’s isolated steel guitar are just as important and used only when needed.
The film is deliberate and patient in its pacing and asks the audience to be equally patient. In the audio commentary by Wenders he addresses this very aspect of the film, questioning whether he would have shot the impactful finale the same way today as he did 27 years ago. “Audiences are so impatient now,” he says, before finally saying he wouldn’t have changed a thing.
This said, the film could have used a bit of trimming in places, primarily the middle frame, but the story behind the making of the film explains much of situation there. Criterion’s release also proves Paris, Texas could have needlessly been much longer as evidenced by the inclusion of upwards of 23 minutes of deleted scenes on this disc. Most are extensions of scenes from the film or additional character arcs, some that could have really hurt the film. Wenders’ decision-making proves solid in the end as the deleted scenes deserved removal, but there is definitely some meat to be found in watching them.
Additional features on the release include interviews with Claire Denis and Allison Anders, who are now directors in their own right, but before that served as first assistant director and production assistant on Paris, Texas. There’s an impressive 43-minute documentary titled “The Road to Paris, Texas”; a 2001 interview with Wenders that ties in to a lot of what the director discusses in his audio commentary and also a fascinating segment from the French television program “Cinema cinemas” which shows Wenders and Ry Cooder working on the score for the film. (In the audio commentary Wenders reveals Cooder’s score was inspired Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark was the Night,” which I included just above if you’d like to give it a listen.)
Cooder’s score for Paris, Texas is fantastic and a lot of it is also heard during the seven minutes of Super 8 footage that was cut from the film as part of the group of deleted scenes. And as always there is an included booklet, this time it’s a massive 46 pages with an essay, interviews and photos from Wenders’ book of photos “Written in the West”.
As for the sound and image quality on this Blu-ray it’s definitely impressive especially when you look at earlier releases and compare them. The score stands out and the imagery really pops, especially the grand landscapes shot by cinematographer Robby Muller, whom Wenders credits frequently throughout his commentary.
In terms of a recommendation I can tell you I wouldn’t hesitate to add this to my collection, but like I said it’s not for everyone. It’s a slow-paced feature, which is the reason it has been compared to a lot of westerns — it plays like one. Roger Ebert, specifically, compares it to John Ford’s The Searchers, a film he points out was the inspiration for Taxi Driver. His comparison is interesting, but I don’t think the three are all that comparable beyond what Ebert calls a “buried theme.” Each is wildly unique from the other so don’t go in looking for a similar Travis Bickle human-explosion or a wild west shootout. Paris, Texas is much slower than both of those films, but the payoff in the end is definitely worth the journey.
NOTE: I have read the Wenders audio commentary is the same one that is available on the previously released Fox and Anchor Bay editions of Paris, Texas. His commentary on deleted scenes is also from those. Everything else is new to this edition.
