Wild West Americana juice (Paris, Texas 1984)

Paris, Texas (1984)

Immediately there is a juxtaposition in the title; Paris and Texas - two very distant, different places yet are joined by their inclusion in American terminology for describing places - like London, England. Before watching, I thought this film was certainly going to be surreal as this film is created by Wings of Desire director - Wim Wenders. Him being German allows him to look in on the American culture, and present it in a way that is not overbearingly laboured, or really patriotic. Paris, Texas makes me think of a dustbowl hamlet in the middle of the desert; the town planners thought they were being ironic.

And thus, The film beings with a panoramic view of the desert, and walking over dunes is a biblical figure donning a red baseball cap. It is his version of the Christian cross, instead for
the religion of the American man. The colour of the sandly yellow against the blue sky and red of the cap is sharpened due to Wender's ability with framing and creating effects with lighting. The simplicity of these primary colours creates the atmosphere continued throughout the film; a passive calming appraisal of a life in the American west.

Its a road movie as well. The trajectory is mostly straight - like his idea to find Paris, Texas although, his motives which are confused and unknown, create deviations off the freeway.  

Apparently Wender's was inspired by the Searchers - a Western in which the lone figure of John Wayne travels, without a clear plan to find his niece captured by Native Americans (it's a very good film)

However, this film is punctuated by relics of consumerism. They are almost as beautiful as the natural landscape now we have been brought up seeing them all the time. This is conveyed when our raggedy wanderer, when understanding his brother designs the billboards exclaims that they are 'real pretty'. Amusingly he believes he is the sole maker...

This idea of the one person that fits a purpose in life goes throughout the film. In a child's mind we have this idea of all the adults we meet. There is less ambiguety and this is how our man sees the world until he surfaces again into society. He wants to find out who 'the father' is? Does this relate to God, as he searches for his place of conception, or notion to the American stereotype of the familial roles? He gets amusing advice from the helper woman who states there are only two types of fathers - rich or poor and how ones outward appearance dictates which one you are.

Contrastingly, it is the child who creates the points of tension in the movie and is the one who is most mature. Our child, Hunter, ends up having two fathers and he can't explain this problem. He tackles it well though, as the kid is a sarky LA 80s kid whos sardonic language is funny - in LA the kids grow up quickly. We worry for the kid - if all this complication with his dad will affect him or when he drives away with his dad, if he will be safe. Through him we also see emblems of 80s america which now look pretty retro - like a Nasa bomber jacket, or a Star Wars bed quilt. (He's a pretty cool kid)

The simple purity of travelling is conveyed as our man wants to walk everywhere - people need to re-engage with their legs again. It's sad because its so peaceful and easy and correct (because that is what we evolved to be able to do). Especially when the car became an essential in the 80s,
it seems like no one walks for the sake of walking anymore.

Similar to Wings of Desire, the screenplay is very thoughtful, though more naturalistic which is interesting. It makes it seem more like an Art film where the viewer is just witnessing someones life, filmed neutrally. The film beings with a sparse commentary as our wanderer doesn't talk, however at the end he ends up reciting a beautiful recount of his life and how he ended up like he was at the beginning. The cycle of the story is envisaged so nicely. Just as nice as the mother 'Jane' is with her 80s cropped blond hair and pink fluffy jumper. Despite being a prostitute, she is quite demure and incongruous As Wenders doesn't portray these woman as obvious 'scums of the earth' kind of characters, it is quite refreshing.

This film for me was really compelling and the tranquility of the bluesy soundtrack lulled you into a state of awe and passiveness as you journey in the brilliant sun of Texas, through dusty outposts that could be the last point of civilisation before the vastity of the Mojave desert. Then going deep into Huston, a futuristic city which when drenched in orange dawn light, makes you think your on Mars (in the future when we can go and live there curtesy of NASA). The director makes you quizzical to what direction you will take your own life through the use of multiple shots of roads, dissapearing into the horizon, or raised highways, criss-crossing over the characters' heads.

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