New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in Paris, Texas, a moving character study written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard. The film follows the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) as he tries to reconnect with his young son, living with his brother (Dean Stockwell) in Los Angeles, and his missing wife (Nastassja Kinski). From this simple setup, Wenders and Shepard produce a powerful statement on codes of masculinity and the myth of the American family, as well as an exquisite visual exploration of a vast, crumbling world of canyons and neon. (Wim Wenders, 1984, 35mm-to-DCP, 147 minutes)
Part of the film series New Restorations: The ’80s Rewind.