SILVER

New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders (WINGS OF DESIRE) brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in PARIS, TEXAS, a profoundly moving character study co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard, L.M. Kit Carson and Wenders. In this unconventional road movie, the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis (a magnificent Harry Dean Stanton, whose face is a landscape all its own) 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, Shepard and Carson 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. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, PARIS, TEXAS features exquisite photography by Dutch master Robby Müller and a haunting soundtrack by Ry Cooder. With these elements, in addition to the film’s outstanding performances, PARIS, TEXAS casts a spell that has not been broken in the 40 years since its release. (Note adapted from Janus Films.) DIR/SCR Wim Wenders; SCR Sam Shepard, L.M. Kit Carson; PROD Don Guest. West Germany/France/UK, 1984, color, 146 min. RATED R