Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Paris, Texas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 16, 2013

Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or and FIPRESCI awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders' "Paris, Texas" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Axiom Films. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; "The Road to Paris, Texas", a collage of interviews with Wim Wenders, cinematographer Robby Muller, composer Ry Cooder, actors Harry Dean Stanton, Peter Falk, Dennis Hopper, and Hanns Zischler, director Samuel Fuller, author Patricia Highsmith, and film critic Kraft Wetzel conducted by director Paul Joyce; deleted scenes with optional commentary by Wim Wenders; footage from the Cannes Film Festival; and more. The release also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring an interview with Wim Wenders, writings on the film by Sam Shepard, technical notes, and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"He ran until the sun came up... and he could not run any further"

Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton), who has been missing for four years, suddenly reappears in a vast Texas desert. Exhausted and quite possibly on the verge of suffering a heat stroke, he collapses in a rundown bar, where a German doctor (Bernhard Wicki) picks him up and phones his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), who lives in Los Angeles.

Some hours later, Travis is picked up by Walt and the two head back to Los Angeles. Initially, Travis refuses to speak, but later, after Walt becomes visibly frustrated by his uncanny behavior, confesses that to him that he has spent the last four years walking. Travis also shows Walt a picture of Paris, Texas, the place where many years ago their parents made love for the first time, which he now calls home.

In Los Angeles, Travis meets Walt's wife, Anne (Aurore Clément), and reunites with his son, Hunter (Hunter Carson), who has been living with them and has no memories of him. As the father and son quickly warm up to each other, the former announces that he must travel to Huston where, apparently, his ex-wife and the latter's mother (Nastassja Kinski) lives.

Written by Sam Shepherd and directed by Wim Wenders, Paris, Texas may well be the most American film ever made by a non-American director. Indeed, it is a deeply emotional character study of a man and region done with terrific emphasis on detail. In a way, it is also a political film, one that examines American values and the manner in which Americans communicate their feelings.

There are two key characters in Paris, Texas. The first is Travis, the heartbroken loner who has embarked on a seemingly endless journey through the deserts of the American South, hoping to forget the woman he loves and no longer has in his life. Walking, like a machine and in complete silence, is the only therapy that is helping him accomplish his goal.

The presence of the second character, the American South, is what transforms Paris, Texas into an unforgettable film. Like Travis, the American South looks lonely, numbed by the scorching heat, perhaps also lost.

It is fascinating to see that a German managed to capture so persuasively a part of America that even today many Americans are largely unfamiliar with. Indeed, every scene, object, and color in Paris, Texas adds convincingly to a truly special cinematic portrait of an area with a unique pulse and culture.

The unforgettable atmosphere that permeates this special cinematic portrait would not have materialized without Ry Cooder's masterful soundtrack. It is a collection of simple yet astonishingly rich guitar solos that blend perfectly with the great visuals.

In 1984, Paris, Texas won the prestigious Palme d'Or and FIPRESCI awards at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later, the film won the Critics Award for Best Foreign Film granted by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, as well as the BAFTA Film Award for Best Direction.

Paris, Texas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in a aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Axiom Films.

The high-definition transfer is virtually identical to the one Criterion used for their Blu-ray release of Paris, Texas in the U.S. -- and this is certainly great news because the telecine Criterion worked with was supervised by Wim Wenders. (Information included in the booklet provided with this release also confirms this as it clarifies that the high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from the original camera negative and then supervised and approved by Wim Wenders).

Detail is wonderful throughout the entire film, while during the darker nighttime footage clarity is very pleasing. However, as I noted in our review of the Criterion release, some of the most dramatic improvements are in the area of color reproduction. Instead of looking flat or fuzzy, colors are now natural and well saturated. Furthermore, there are no traces of excessive denoising. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections either. There are a couple of sequences where some extremely light halo attempts to sneak in, but even the well trained eyes will have a very difficult time spotting it while viewing the film. There are no large debris, cuts, or warps to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Paris, Texas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Axiom Films have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is terrific. The lush guitar solos from what is arguably one of the greatest soundtracks done for a contemporary film sound quite incredible. Depth and clarity are also excellent. The dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, hiss, or distortions to report in this review.

Paris, Texas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Paris, Texas. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Cannes Film Festival - raw footage from the Cannes Film Festival, where Paris, Texas won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award. (5 min, 1080p).

• Home Movies - this is the same Super 8 footage that is also included on the Criterion release of Paris, Texas. The footage is from the time when Travis and Jane were still together and in love. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Wim Wenders. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080i).

• "The Road to Paris, Texas" - interviews with Wim Wenders, cinematographer Robby Muller, composer Ry Cooder, actors Harry Dean Stanton, Peter Falk, Dennis Hopper, and Hanns Zischler, director Samuel Fuller, author Patricia Highsmith, and film critic Kraft Wetzel conducted in 1989 by director Paul Joyce for Lucida Productions. The featurette also appears on the Criterion release. In English, not subtitled. (45 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with director Wim Wenders that is included on the Criterion release. It is a very technical commentary, one that focuses on a number of the film's key sequences, the specific locations seen in them, the preparation efforts, the film's production history, Ry Cooder's soundtrack, etc.

• Booklet - 24-page illustrated booklet featuring an interview with Wim Wenders, originally published in La Revue du Cinema, No. 397, September 1984; Like Flying Blind Without Instruments - On The Turning Point in Paris Texas by Wim Wenders; Dejeuner Diary: Postcards From The Man On Paris Texas by L.M. Kit Carson, originally published in Film Comment, May 1984; Encountering Sam Shepard by Wim Wenders; Coalinga 1/2 Way by Sam Shepard, published in the short story collection "Great Dream of Heaven"; and technical notes.

Paris, Texas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wim Wenders' wonderful Paris, Texas arrives rather late on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom, but this is without a doubt the very best Region-B release of the film that I have seen to date. It uses the approved by the German director high-definition transfer and offers a terrific selection of supplemental features. I want to specifically mention that this is also one very stylish looking Blu-ray release. Your collection cannot be complete without Paris, Texas, folks. I urge you to consider ordering a copy. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.