2018 Blind Spot Series: Wrong Move

Based on the novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Falsche Bewegung (Wrong Move) is the story of a writer who leaves his hometown where he meets other travels to seek some inspiration as well as trying to create a new identity. Directed by Wim Wenders and screenplay by Wenders and Peter Handke, the film is the second film of a trilogy of road movies where a man tries to find new adventures on the road. Starring Rudiger Volger, Hanna Schygulla, Hans Christian Blech, Ivan Desny, Marianne Hoppe, Peter Kern, Lisa Kreuzer, and introducing Nastassja Kinski. Falsche Bewegung is an entrancing yet somber film from Wim Wenders.

Trying to find inspiration as a writer, the film follows a man who decides to leave his hometown where he travels through Germany where he meets other travelers during his journey as he questions his own existence. It’s a film with a simple yet minimalist premise that doesn’t have much plot yet it is more of a study of isolation and a journey to find meaning through traveling across the country. The film’s screenplay by Wim Wenders and Peter Handke follows the writer Wilhelm Meister (Rudiger Volger) who is hoping to create something yet feels stuck living with his mother (Marianne Hoppe) where he decides to go on a trip around Germany for ideas.

The script does have a structure as it play into Meister’s trip as the first act is him meeting fellow travelers in an actress Therese Farner (Hanna Schygulla), an aging Olympian in Laertes (Hans Christian Blech), and his teenage mute companion in Mignon (Nastassja Kinski). They’re later joined by an Austrian in Bernhard Landau (Peter Kern) where the second act has them staying at the home of an industrialist (Ivan Desny) who is grieving the loss of his wife while the third act is set in Frankfurt as it would play into Meister’s sense of isolation with a world that is becoming modernized.

Wenders’ direction is definitely intoxicating for the compositions he creates throughout the course of the film. Notably in the usage of the wide shots where it opens with a helicopter shot of Gluckstadt as it’s raining to play into a world that is quaint and has a traditional look which isn’t an environment for Meister to find some sort of inspiration. The usage of the wide and medium shots doesn’t just play into the moments of traveling where Meisler travels to Bonn via train with Laertes and Mignon but also in this mixture of a world that has old traditional buildings mixed in with something that is new yet retaining its forests and natural settings. Notably in a scene where Meister, Farner, Laertes, Mignon, and Landau are all walking on a roadside mountain looking at the surroundings where Wenders would create these gorgeous images that has Meister and Laertes conversing in the foreground in a medium shot while everything else is happening in the background in a wide shot.

Wenders’ direction also uses the medium shots and close-ups for the scenes set inside the train as well as some of the moments where the characters interact including a scene with the industrialist who talks about his own sense of loss. These conversations and intimate scenes that include a strange encounter with Mignon add to Meister’s fascination with humanity as he tries to write things down. Particularly his conversation with Laertes who is a mysterious individual who ran at the 1936 Olympics while also having a darker past which would disturb Meister who becomes troubled by how Laertes uses Mignon. The film’s third act set in Frankfurt has Wenders showcase a world that is different from Bonn and Gluckstadt which is chaotic and filled with lots of people living in this rapid-pace society that would overwhelm Meister to the point that he questions his existence and worth. Overall, Wenders crafts a ravishing yet haunting film about a man’s journey through Germany in an attempt to find inspiration and an identity.

Cinematographer Robby Muller does amazing work with the film’s colorful cinematography as it captures the beauty of the locations in the exterior settings including the city lights at night along with low-key lights for some of the interiors. Editors Peter Przygodda and Barbara von Weitershausen do brilliant work with its usage of jump-cuts and dissolves to help play into the sense of wonderment that occurs throughout the film. Wardrobe by Heidi Ludi does nice work with the costumes with Mignon being the most fashionable from her colorful sweater and overalls that she wears every day as well as what she wears at a house. The sound work of Martin Muller and Klaus Peter Kaiser is superb for its natural approach to sound as how noises sound from afar to the sounds of the city. The film’s music by Jurgen Knieper is brilliant for its low-key yet plaintive score with its mixture of strings and guitars to play into the melancholia while the soundtrack features bits of classical music and a rock song from the Troggs.

The film’s wonderful cast include a few notable small roles from Marianne Hoppe as Wilhelm’s mother and Lisa Kreuzer as Wilhelm’s girlfriend Janine. Ivan Desny is terrific as the industrialist as a man living in a castle that is in ruins as he deals with loss while welcoming the idea of people at his home for a day. Peter Kern is superb as Bernhard Landau as an Austrian traveling in Germany as he hears Meister recite poetry as he wants to be a poet where he joins them on the journey through the country. Hans Christian Blech is fantastic as Laertes as a former Olympian with a dark past as he works as a con artist where he copes with his ailing health and the changes around the world. 

Nastassja Kinski is brilliant as Mignon as a teenage mute street performer who never says a word yet manages to do a lot in terms of her physicality as well as display a complex innocence to her character. Hanna Schygulla is amazing as Therese Farner as an actress traveling through Germany as she is returning home to Frankfurt while dealing with the demands of her job. Finally, there’s Rudiger Volger in an excellent performance as Wilhelm Meister as an aspiring writer trying to find inspiration through this trip through Germany where he deals with his surroundings as well as questioning his work and identity as it’s one of his finest performances.

Falsche Bewegung is an incredible film from Wim Wenders. Featuring a phenomenal cast, entrancing visuals, an intoxicating music soundtrack, and themes of identity and loneliness on the road. It’s a film that explores a group of people traveling through Germany as they deal with themselves and their environments on a trip to the unknown. In the end, Falsche Bewegung is a remarkable film from Wim Wenders.

Wim Wenders Films: (Summer in the City) - (The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty) - (The Scarlet Letter (1973 film)) – Alice in the Cities - Kings of the Road – The American Friend - (Lightning Over Water) - (Room 666) - (Hammett) - (The State of Things) – Paris, Texas - (Tokyo-Ga) – Wings of Desire - (Notebook on Cities and Clothes) – Until the End of the World - (Faraway, So Close!) - (Lisbon Story) - (Beyond the Clouds) - (A Trick of Light) - (The End of Violence) - (Buena Vista Social Club) - (The Million Dollar Hotel) - (The Soul of a Man) - (Land of Plenty) - (Don’t Come Knocking) - (The Palermo Shooting) - (Pina) - Salt of the Earth - (Every Thing Will Be Fine) – (The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez) – (Submergence) - (Pope Francis: A Man of His Word)

© thevoid99 2018

The Short Films of David Lynch Part 2 (2002-2013)

Part 2 (2002-2013)

Darkened Room


Shot as an eight-minute experimental film with digital cameras that was seen on his website, the film plays into a young woman (Jordan Ladd) crying in a sofa as a Japanese woman (Etsuko Shikata) is in Tokyo talking about bananas. It’s a film that doesn’t have much plot as it would feature a brunette woman (Cerina Vincent) coming in to the room for the short’s second half. It’s a short that is quite dramatic but also has this sense of the unknown where it’s not trying to explain itself or be anything other than an experiment.

DumbLand


In a return of sorts to the world of animation, Lynch creates eight episodes where its entire series run at nearly 30 minutes which plays into the life of a dim-witted white-trash man named Randy. Set to crudely-drawn hand-made animation, the short series present Lynch at his most absurd in terms of just off-the-wall stupidity and low-brow humor. Yet, it is so goddamn funny into the situations Randy and his family go into involving a neighbor, a doctor, a treadmill, a clothesline, a man with a stick inside his mouth, Randy’s son having a toothache, his uncle Bob, and ants. All of which involves Randy reacting to these situations in the most idiotic way as it’s one of Lynch’s most entertaining shorts.

Out Yonder (Neighbor Boy)


In another experimental short of sorts that Lynch would make for his website, it has him and his son Austin sitting on lawn chairs observing a young neighbor who is creating a racket. It’s a short that has the two Lynches talking in squeaky voices about this gigantic neighbor who just wants milk as all sorts of craziness occurs. It’s a short that is quite simple yet it also shows Lynch’s knack for low-brow and offbeat humor as it showcases that he can find humor in not just the absurd but also in the surreal.

Rabbits


In a four-episode series where it’s shot entirely in a single room with only three characters, the short is a strange mix of horror, comedy, drama, and avant-garde where Scott Coffey, Naomi Watts, and Laura Elena Harring all play rabbits who converge in a single room in a wide static shot. Through some very strange dialogue, the short uses some laugh-tracks and other sound effects to play off the idea of a sitcom yet many of the things said are very dark. It’s definitely Lynch at his darkest and most surreal but certainly one of the most intriguing projects he ever did.

Boat

Made as part of the Dynamic No. 1 DVD film collection of shorts Lynch did for his website, the short is a simple story of a young woman talking about a boat as she goes on a trip with a man on this boat. Featuring the voice of Emily Stofle, the film features Lynch driving the boat himself as it has this air of hypnotic textures in the voiceover with Lynch providing pristine yet intoxicating images through the digital camera.

Bug Crawls


A digital video/animated short is a simple story that revolves around a bug crawling on top of a house just as a blimp passes by. It’s a simple 4 minute short that reveals what happens when a bug crawls over the house as it’s a short that harkens back to Lynch’s early work. Especially in what happens when a door is revealed as it’s a short with only two simple cuts and that is it making it one of Lynch’s finest works.

Lamp


Lamp - David Lynch from Félix Al-karaz Al-wazir on Vimeo.


The thirty-minute short film is essentially David Lynch making a lamp where he reveals not just his meticulous approach into making the appliance but also in the craft and dedication into making the stand with the help of a tree. It’s also a short that looks into the workshop Lynch has where he does things outside of films while he would film himself doing everything that is happening. Even as he would take breaks during the making of this lamp stand.

Industrial Soundscape


This ten-minute animated short is essentially a loop where machines do the same thing to create sound textures as it is shot in an entire static shot where the only thing that changes is the sound to play into this mix of ambient and industrial music. It’s Lynch using film to display his love for music as it play into not just his own dark sensibilities but also his willingness to try different things.

Intervalometer Experiments




A trio of short films where Lynch would shoot simple things through the digital camera showcases the filmmaker once again trying to do something simple and find something entrancing. Whether it’s a room, some steps, or the sunset, it’s all shot in time-lapse presentation which allows the ordinary to become extraordinary. Even as it plays into these simple events being told in the span of a day.

More Things That Happened


Featuring 75 minutes of material that didn’t make the final cut of INLAND EMPIRE, the short is essentially a collection of scenes and outtakes that is turned into a project that is entirely its own. The material included additional subplots that related to the film as it involve Laura Dern’s Sue character and her marriage as well as insights the lives of prostitutes in Hollywood, the work of the Phantom in the film, and other aspects that relate to Sue. The scenes are interesting while as a whole film, it’s an odd and dense one that won’t be for everyone. Yet, it is still one of the most fascinating things that Lynch has ever done.

Ballerina


The 12-minute short film is essentially a ballerina dancing to music though the soundtrack is largely dark-ambient music that is reminiscent of the music in many of Lynch’s films. Yet, it is presented with images that are very cloudy as it dissolves over the ballerina dancing where it has this dream-like quality to the short. It is one of Lynch’s most beautiful short films as well as one of his essentials that proves he can find beauty in dark places.

Absurda


A three-minute short made specifically for the anthology film Chacun son Cinema that celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, Lynch’s short segment plays into a group of teens going into a movie theater. An old man would present them the film that is filled with horrifying images that comes to life as it plays into not just Lynch’s own take on horror and surrealism. While it is a very short segment, it is definitely one Lynch’s best works.

Blue Green


Made as a music video collaboration with David Vegara, the short is a simple yet offbeat short that has a child skipping around a factory while a young woman wanders around in the street and buildings. It is a short that isn’t trying to say anything yet doesn’t need any kind of explanation as it’s just Lynch being himself and having fun making a short inside a factory.

Dream #7


This 10-15 second short plays into not just Lynch’s own ideas of surrealism but also in the fact that he is willing to strange things no matter how long or how short the film is. A digital animation short involves an egg and an eye and what does it all mean? Well, does it need to mean anything? Still, it is one inventive short.

Lady Blue Shanghai


A 15-minute short made for Dior which stars Marion Cotillard as well as Emily Stofle, Gong Tao, Cheng Hong, Lu Yong, and Nie Fei. It’s a short that revolves a woman who returns to her hotel in Shanghai where she finds a mysterious blue purse not knowing where it came from as she starts to see things believing that she’s been to Shanghai before. Shot in digital video, the short has this air of beauty that Lynch is often not known for yet he manages to do so much with the film as well as flesh out a mesmerizing performance from Marion Cotillard. The short itself is truly one of Lynch’s best works.

The 3 Rs


This 65-second short that Lynch made for the 2011 Venice Film Festival is a simple short which revolves around surreal images shot mostly in black-and-white where Lynch has a man holding two rocks though people are really wondering how many rocks he’s really holding. It’s definitely in line as an avant-garde short but it offers so much more where it ranges from being scary to being comical.

Idem Paris


The 8-minute documentary short has Lynch go into the Idem Paris fine art studio print which reveals the art in making lithographic processing. Shot on high-definition digital video in black-and-white, the film is essentially a documentary with no dialogue or anything strange but rather something very straightforward about what these people do at Idem Paris. Even as these are people who work very hard at what they do and be dedicated to an art form that doesn’t require new technology as they often try to fix or refine the machines they’re using. It’s definitely one of Lynch’s best films that showcases his love for the world of art.

No matter what form David Lynch is doing, his work in short films definitely adds to his already legendary status as an artist. Whether it’s in musical performances, commercials, animation, or just something straightforward. Lynch always find something to say no matter how small or how short these films are as it is an indication of his power as a filmmaker. Even if it plays into the absurd, the fear, or just being absolutely comical as it shows why people love David Lynch.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - The Elephant Man - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - Lost Highway - The Straight Story - Mulholland Dr. - INLAND EMPIRE - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2015

Tess (1979 film)

Based on Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Tess is the story of a young peasant girl who learns that she might be connected to an aristocratic family in the hopes of inheriting some of their fortune only to endure humiliation and betrayal. Directed by Roman Polanski and screenplay by Polanski, Gerard Bach, and John Brownjohn, the film is an exploration into the world of a young woman who copes with all sorts of challenges as she tries to see if she can get a better life as the titular character is played by Nastassja Kinski. Also starring Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson, John Collin, Rosemary Martin, and Richard Pearson. Tess is a ravishing yet evocative film from Roman Polanski.

Set in the 19th Century in Britain, the film explores a young woman who learns that her family might actually be related to an aristocratic family where her attempts to get the family fortune would have in ruins as she succumbs to shame and despair despite being cared and adored by a preacher’s son. It’s a film that plays into a woman who would go through many trials and tribulations as she copes with being raped by a man who claims to be her cousin and then carry that shame with her as she tries to move on with her life. All of which plays into the name she believed that belongs to her and her family only to be ruined in many ways all because of that cursed named.

The film’s screenplay has a unique yet complex structure as it plays into Tess’ journey from innocence to ruin. The first act revolves around Tess’ meeting with the d’Urberville family that is led by Alec d’Urberville (Leigh Lawson) as she arrives to confirm rumors that her family surname might actually be d’Urberville after her father (John Collin) runs into a parson (Tony Church) who called him Sir d’Urberville setting up the chain of events. Tess is someone that comes from a simple world as she is also very strong-willed as she isn’t really interested in inheriting a fortune but rather help out her family. When Alec takes a personal interest in Tess, Tess is bewildered as the encounter ends up being one of humiliation and shame as it’s followed by tragic circumstances which would force her to leave her family.

Upon taking a job as a milkmaid for a farm, Tess would meet an idealistic preacher’s son named Angel Clare (Peter Firth) whom she had previously encountered very early in the film from afar. It is there that the film’s second act begins where Tess finds not just hope and happiness in Angel but also a life that feels much more familiar than the one before the encounter with Alec. Yet, she is haunted by her time with Alec as she wants to tell Angel her past where it would later cause many problems where the film’s third act is about Tess devolving into a state of ruin and despair as she refuses Alec’s help while being estranged from Angel who would eventually make his own return. All of which plays into exactly what Tess wants but also in how far deep she has gone into a state of unhappiness all because of the name she thought was supposed to be hers and her family.

Roman Polanski’s direction is truly intoxicating in not just the way he creates something that feels like a moment in time where things were much simpler. It’s also in how he is able to make a story about a woman’s shame and the troubles that she would go through into something that feels quite modern. Much of the film is shot on location in France through many of its different countryside locations to play as Britain during the Victorian era. Polanski’s use of soft lenses, wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups are key to the film’s first act where it feels warm and rapturous in its look as it plays to the life that Tess could have as well as a life with Angel that is very simple. Yet, there’s many constraints about what is expected for women that would play into the film’s second half where Tess is still coping with the sense of shame over her encounter with Alec.

There is a looseness to the way the camera acts for scenes shot on carriages or in the rain as it becomes much tighter in its second half. The look itself is also very bleak where it plays into Tess own state of despair. The camera isn’t as shaky in some parts while the compositions are much broader to showcase how detached Tess is with herself and the help that she needed as it sort of plays into how stubborn she is. Even as she would reluctantly meet Alec in its third act as it plays into what she needs but also in what her family needs in the wake of everything they’ve been through. The film’s ending which also involves Angel plays into not just Tess’ desire for happiness but also all of the trouble she had encounter all because of the d’Urberville name as well as the role that is expected for women in those times. Overall, Polanski creates a very mesmerizing yet harrowing film about a woman’s troubled journey over a family name that she was connected with.

Cinematographers Geoffrey Unsworth and Ghislain Cloquet do incredible work with the film‘s very gorgeous and ravishing cinematography where Unsworth‘s work is spent on much of the film‘s exterior scenes in the fields to play into its beauty as well as the scenes at the d‘Urberville estate while Cloquet goes for more low-key looks and natural settings for much of the film‘s interiors as well as the exterior scenes in the film‘s second half as the photography of Unsworth and Cloquet is a major highlight of the film. Editors Alistair McIntyre and Tom Priestley do excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward in some parts while creating some unique jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the drama as well as some of the intense moments in the film. Production designer Pierre Guffoy and art director Jack Stephens do amazing work with the look of the d’Urberville estate and its other features as well as the look of the places that Tess and Angel would encounter including the house where they would spend their wedding night.

Costume designer Anthony Powell does brilliant work with the dresses that Tess would wear in her journey from the simple yet plain dresses early in the film to something more lavish as it progresses with elements of wear and tear to play into her despair. Sound editors Herve de Luze and Peter Horrocks do superb work with the sound to capture the sparse textures in the way the carriage sounds as well as some key moments into the machines that are emerging during those times. The film’s music by Philippe Sarde is fantastic for its lush, orchestral score that plays into the many emotions that Tess would go through in her journey as it has elements of somber strings and woodwinds to help create a sense of emotion throughout the film.

The casting of Mary Sewell is great as it features some notable small roles from Suzanna Hamilton as a milkmaid who pines for Angel, Tony Church as the parson who would inform Tess’ father of his namesake, Sylvia Coleridge as Alec’s mother, Arielle Dombasle as Sunday school teacher that Angel knew, Caroline Embling as another milkmaid Tess meets in Retty, David Markham and Pascale de Boysson as Angel’s parents, and Richard Pearson as a local vicar who tried to help out Tess following a tragic event but is constrained by his own laws. Rosemary Martin and John Collin are excellent as Tess’ parents with Martin as the more sensible mother and Collin as the father who is desperate to gain something from the family he’s related to.

Leigh Lawson is brilliant as Alec d’Urberville as a man who lives a privileged life despite not really owning up to everything he has as he tries to take control of Tess and buy her off as well as her family as he represents a symbol of capitalism and entitlement that Tess despises. Peter Firth is amazing as Angel Clare as a preacher’s son who is fascinated by Tess as he falls for her while later coping with her past as he tries to erase it only to go into his own foolish journey which would lead him back to Tess. Finally, there’s Nastassja Kinski in a remarkable performance as the titular character as a young peasant girl who would endure an incredible journey of growth and awareness about herself and the world as it’s truly intoxicating to watch as it’s a real breakthrough performance for Kinski.

Tess is an exquisitely glorious film from Roman Polanski that features a radiant performance from Nastassja Kinski. The film is definitely one of Polanski’s finest films in the way he explores morals and destinies as it relates to a young woman in the 19th Century as she is constrained by them. Armed with a great ensemble cast, gorgeous photography, sublime music, and all sorts of amazing technical work. The film is truly one of the finest and most compelling films about a woman who deals with rules and what is expected of her as she is shamed into ruin. In the end, Tess is a magnificent film from Roman Polanski.

Roman Polanski Films: Knife in the Water - Repulsion - Cul-de-Sac - The Fearless Vampire Killers - Rosemary's Baby - Macbeth (1971) - (What?) - Chinatown - The Tenant - (Pirates) - Frantic - Bitter Moon - Death and the Maiden - The Ninth Gate - The Pianist - Oliver Twist (2005 film) - The Ghost Writer - Carnage - (Venus in Fur) - (Based on a True Story) - (An Officer and a Spy) - (The Palace)

© thevoid99 2015

An American Rhapsody

Written and directed by Eva Gardos, An American Rhapsody is the story of a Hungarian family who fled the country during the emergence of Communism as they were forced to leave their infant daughter behind as she would eventually return to them only to become a lost teenager who would return to Budapest. Based on Gardos’ own real-life, the film is an exploration into a young girl who is caught between two different worlds and two different families as she tries to come to terms with her own identity. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Nastassja Kinski, Tony Goldwyn, Larisa Oleynik, Mae Whitman, Emmy Rossum, and Agnes Banfalvy. An American Rhapsody is a haunting yet powerful film from Eva Gardos.

Set in 1950s Communist Hungary through the mid-1960s, the film explores this world of a family coming apart through the most troubling circumstances as their eventual reunion would only cause a young girl to feel lost and angry over everything she’s been put through. Since this is a very personal film based on Eva Gardos’ own experiences as a child who was born and raised in Communist Hungary during the 1950s as she would be reunited with her own family years later in the U.S. The film showcases not just a girl who would be caught between the world that she had been raised in unaware of its political turmoil but also a family who were forced to leave her behind as the years to repair the damage of that discord only creates tension between mother and daughter.

The film’s screenplay does have a traditional three-act structure as the first act is about Peter and Margit Sandor (Tony Goldwyn and Nastassja Kinski, respectively) escaping Communist Hungary with their five-year old daughter Maria (Klaudia Szabo) as they would trek through its treacherous borders to find refuge in Vienna. The plan was that their infant daughter Suzanne would join them but Margit’s mother Helen (Agnes Banfalvy) puts a stop to it once she realizes what will happen to Suzanne during this transfer as she asks a family friend to find a home for her granddaughter while she would serve time in prison. Helen’s decision would be the catalyst for everything that goes on as she would see her granddaughter be raised by kind farmers in Jeno (Balazs Galko) and Teri (Zsuzsa Czinkoczi) as she would take Suzanne away from them and back to her family. Unfortunately, the reunion between Suzanne and her parents is filled with a sense of confusion for the young girl as she would grow into this rebellious teenager (Scarlett Johansson) who asks her father to return to Hungary to gain an understanding into everything that has happened to her.

Gardos’ direction is very simple in the way she presents the film as she starts it off with some exposition of Suzanne talking about 1950s Hungary as it was taken over by the Communists and the events that forced her family to leave the film as the first 15-minutes are shot in black-and-white with the rest of the film in color. Gardos uses some hand-held cameras to play into the looseness of America while going for something more low-key and eerie for the scenes set in Hungary as well as some notable locations in Budapest. The use of wide shots and close-ups allow Gardos to play into the drama. Particularly in the second half as the tension between Margit and Suzanne starts to come ahead which would prompt the latter to want to return to Hungary. Though there’s a few things in the film that does get bogged down by exposition over why Margit had decided to leave Hungary. Gardos is able to keep things simple in the way it would play into Suzanne’s development as well as trying to find herself in the two disparate worlds she lived in. Overall, Gardos crafts a very tender and mesmerizing film about a family trying to start over and bring back the young girl they left behind.

Cinematographer Elemer Ragalyi does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography for many of the scenes set in California while going for a more low-key yet desolate look for the scenes in Budapest which includes some of the black-and-white look for the scenes in Hungary in its first act. Editor Margaret Goodspeed does nice work with the editing as it‘s pretty straightforward while it has some aspect of styles in its dissolves and a few montages including the newsreel sequence about Hungary‘s fall to the Soviet Union. Production designer Alex Tavoularis does excellent work with the set pieces from the design of the barbed wire walls in the Hungarian border as well as the look of 1950s/1960s homes in America.

Costume designers Beatrix Aruna Pasztor and Vanessa Vogel do fantastic work with the costumes from the dresses the women wear including the 60s clothes that Suzanne and her sister Maria would wear in the film‘s second half. Sound editor Jane Tattersall does terrific work with some of the sound from the terror in the barbed wire borders to the sounds in the American locations. The film’s music by Cliff Eidelman is wonderful for its somber orchestral score to play into the drama while it includes some traditional Hungarian music that is assembled by music supervisor Denny Diante who would also include some classical pieces and songs by Elvis Presley and Gerry & the Pacemakers.

The casting by Elizabeth Lang is brilliant as it features some notable small appearances from Colleen Camp and Lisa Jane Persky as American neighbors Margit befriends, Vladimir Mashkov as a Russian immigrant that Peter works with, Timothy Everett Moore as Suzanne’s American boyfriend Paul, Zoltan Seress as a family friend of Peter and Margit who would be the lone connection the family have back in Hungary, and Emmy Rossum as Suzanne’s friend Sheila whom she likes to smoke and drink with. In the roles of Suzanne’s sister Maria, there’s Klaudia Szabo as the five-year old, Mae Whitman as the more Americanized 10-year old version, and Larisa Oleynik as the 18-year old version who deals with Suzanne’s rebellion as well as what their mother wants. In the roles of the young Suzanne, there’s Raffaella Bansagi as the infant Suzanne and Kelly Endresz Banlaki who is terrific as the five/six-year old Suzanne who becomes unhappy in her new American surroundings.

Balazs Galko and Zsuzsa Czinkoczi are excellent in their respective roles as Jeno and Teri as the farming couple who raised Suzanne when she was young as they had a hard time with her departure while revealing to the older Suzanne about what happened to their farm and the dark realities of Communist Hungary. Agnes Banfalvy is superb as Suzanne’s grandmother Helen who would be the one that would cause the family to go through so much drama as she would eventually meet Suzanne years later as she would tell her why she made that drastic decision. Tony Goldwyn is amazing as Peter Sandor as Suzanne’s father who organized the escape as he deals with leaving his daughter behind while being the one who understands his daughter’s own culture shock and homesickness as he would have her return to Hungary.

Nastassja Kinski is wonderful as Suzanne’s mother Margit who tries to connect with Suzanne upon their reunion only to become very protective of her as it leads to mother-daughter tension. Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in a remarkable performance as the teenaged Suzanne as this young girl who feels lost as she wants to return to Hungary as she contends with her mother as it’s Johansson displaying a lot of angst and sensitivity to a troubled young girl in one of her quintessential performances.

An American Rhapsody is an excellent film from Eva Gardos that features a fantastic performance from Scarlett Johansson. Along with strong performances from Nastassja Kinski and Tony Goldwyn as well as a look into the world of European immigrants coming to America in unveiling the world they had to leave behind along with the sacrifices they had to make. In the end, An American Rhapsody is a superb film from Eva Gardos.

© thevoid99 2014

The Claim

Based on The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, The Claim is the story about a young surveyor who comes across a town in California during the late 1860s figuring out where to put a railroad while its mayor deals with demons from the past as a woman and her daughter arrives to town. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the film is an exploration into the world of the American West in the aftermath of the Gold Rush and the changing times that is to emerge with the arrival of the railroad. Starring Peter Mullan, Milla Jovovich, Nastassja Kinski, Sarah Polley, Shirley Henderson, and Wes Bentley. The Claim is a mesmerizing yet haunting film from Michael Winterbottom.

Arriving to the town of Kingdom Come is a young surveyor named Donald Dalglish (Wes Bentley) where he works for the Central Pacific Railroad company to find a site where he can put a railroad through California. Accompanied by a group of men who work for the company, Dalglish has to ask the town’s founder and mayor Daniel Dillon (Peter Mullan) for permission to survey the land as Dillon grants it as he’s hoping that a railroad through town can increase the business. Meanwhile at the same time, a woman named Elena Burn (Nastassja Kinski) and her daughter Hope (Sarah Polley) arrive asking for Dillon as Hope gives Dillon a cross where Dillon realizes who they are as he’s haunted by memories of how he got the gold in which he traded his wife and baby daughter for gold.

Hope befriends Dalglish as he continues to survey the land around Kingdom Come while Dillon hopes to meet the ailing Elena who is suffering from tuberculosis. While Dillon has a lover in the saloon/brothel owner in the Portuguese-born Lucia (Milla Jovovich), Dillon wants to be with Elena as he tries to give Lucia the deeds to the places she owns as well as some gold bricks but she refuses. Dillon marries Elena as hopes to help her beat her tuberculosis as he also gets to know Hope as her relationship with Dalglish blossoms. After some major setbacks and issues over the land, Dalglish makes the decision to leave town to move the route somewhere nearby and easier leaving Kingdom Come without a promising future. Things get worse for Dillon and the town that would force Dillon to do something in response to what is happening around him.

The film is essentially the story about a mayor who learns about a surveyor who is trying to find a path for a railroad in the hopes that it will bring a lot of things to the town. Yet, he is haunted by the arrival of an ailing woman and her daughter which forces him to confront his past when he first found gold and became rich that led to him finding a town where he became its mayor. Upon their arrival, the mayor hopes to redeem himself and do right for this woman as she’s ill from tuberculosis as well as her daughter. Yet, he faces complications from his lover who owns and runs a saloon and a brothel who is in love with him as well as changing times when it becomes clear that the land near might not be suitable enough to have a railroad nearby or right on his town.

Frank Cottrell Boyce’s screenplay is very multi-layered in the way he presents a world that is changing during the late 1860s just as the arrival of the railroad is happening around the American West. The character of Dalglish is a young man who works for a prestigious railroad company who wants to see where a railroad can be placed in northern California near Sacramento. He becomes the man that places the fate of the town to see if a railroad can help this small town be more well-known as a lot is already happening. At the center of this is a mayor who is hoping for the railroad to come to the town as he is dealing with how he became rich and is hoping to redeem himself to this woman he knew from his past. While it is obvious who this woman and her daughter are to this man based on the flashbacks but Boyce doesn’t dwell on exposition as he just lets the flashback tells the story.

For Daniel Dillon, the arrival of Elena and Hope Burns can give him the chance to not just find redemption but also do right for both of these women but he would alienate his current lover who is also in love with him. Lucia would definitely play part to not just Dillon’s downfall but in unexpected ways since things become more complicated in the third act when Dalglish makes his decision that would be uneasy for Dillon in what he would face. A showdown would occur but since this is not a conventional Western, the showdown would only serve little to what would happen in the third act.

Michael Winterbottom’s direction is definitely ambitious in terms of the world that he recreates though it is shot largely in Canada with some parts in Colorado. Since the story takes place in the winter and in a small town that is in the middle of the mountains. Winterbottom creates a film that is filled with lots of broad images where it takes place in this land as a young surveyor tries to see where to put the railroad and see if he can help this little town. The direction is also big in lots of ways that includes a very memorable scene of a house being pulled down a hill by men and horses. Still, Winterbottom maintains an air of intimacy with his close-ups and in the interior scenes to showcase a world that is thriving but also changing.

Notably as it is about the possibility of a greater future yet Daniel Dillon would face things that he is unprepared for that would make him deal with everything he had been through. Winterbottom’s use of the flashbacks only pop up once in a while though it would tell enough of what is needed without too much exposition. By the time the third act occurs, things definitely get grim where there are aspects of the Western but it’s not a conventional manner. It’s about a whole lot of things but also loss in a grand way. Overall, Winterbottom creates a truly majestic yet harrowing film about changing times and loss set in the American West.

Cinematographer Alwin H. Kuchler does brilliant work with the film‘s vast cinematography from the look of the exterior settings to the more evocative lighting schemes for the scenes at night as well as the use of candle lights in the nighttime interior scenes. Editor Trevor Waite does excellent work with editing to play up the intensity of the drama as well as using jump-cuts for certain scenes as it has an air of style throughout the film. Production designers Ken Rempel and Mark Tildesley, along with set decorator Paul Healey, do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the saloons and homes in the town as they are very elaborate in their presentation to present a world of the American West.

Costume designer Joanna Hansen does superb work with the costumes from the ragged clothes the men wear to the more stylish dresses the women wear during that period. Sound editor Ian Wilson does wonderful work with the sound to capture the raucous atmosphere of the saloons to the harsh sounds of the cold winds. The film’s music by Michael Nyman is truly a highlight of the film as it’s a very low-key yet sweeping operatic orchestral score that plays up to the sense of drama and uncertainty that is prevalent throughout the film.

The casting by Kerry Barden, Wendy Brazington, Billy Hopkins, and Suzanne Smith is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable small roles from Shirley Henderson as a prostitute named Annie, Julian Richings as one of Dalglish’s friends in Frank Bellanger, and Barry Ward as the young Dillon. Nastassja Kinski is excellent as the ailing Elena Burn who deals with her illness and her past with Dillon as she hopes that he does the right thing. Milla Jovovich is wonderful as Lucia who deals with the presence of Hope as she tries to hold on to Dillon while being intrigued by Dalglish’s arrival.

Wes Bentley is excellent as Donald Dalglish who deals with the fate he’s carrying as well as what is going on in the town where he would make some drastic decisions in his life. Sarah Polley is superb as Hope Burn who deals with her mother’s illness while falling for Dalglish as she sees a town going through changes. Finally, there’s Peter Mullan in a marvelous performance as Daniel Dillon who deals with his demons and a possible future while hoping to find redemption for his past sins in a world that is changing around him.

The Claim is a remarkable film from Michael Winterbottom and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce. Featuring a great ensemble cast that includes Peter Mullan, Sarah Polley, Wes Bentley, Milla Jovovich, and Nastassja Kinski. It’s a film that definitely showcases a bit of realism into what was happening in the American West. Notably as it’s very different from most films about the West without delving too much into conventions. In the end, The Claim is an extraordinary film from Michael Winterbottom.

Michael Winterbottom Films: (Rosie the Great) - (Forget About Me) - (Under the Sun) - (Love Lies Bleeding) - (Family (1993 TV film)) - (Butterfly Kiss) - (Go Now) - (Jude) - Welcome to Sarajevo - I Want You - (With or Without You) - Wonderland (1999 film) - 24 Hour Party People - In This World - Code 46 - 9 Songs - Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story - The Road to Guantanamo - A Mighty Heart - Genova - The Shock Doctrine (2009 film) -The Killer Inside Me - The Trip (2010 film) - (Trishna) - (Everyday (2012 film)) - The Look of Love - (The Trip to Italy) - (The Face of an Angel)

© thevoid99 2012

Cat People (1982 film)

Based on the original story by DeWitt Bodeen, Cat People is the story of a woman who travels to New Orleans to meet her long-lost brother as she discovers an ancient secret about her family that would threaten the new life she’s craving for. Directed by Paul Schraeder and screenplay by Alan Ormsby with additional work by Schrader, the film is an updated remake of the legendary 1942 film by Jacques Tourneur as it explores the world of eroticism and identity. Starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr., and John Larroquette. Cat People is an eerie yet hypnotic film from Paul Schraeder.

Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) arrives to New Orleans to meet her older brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) whom she hadn’t seen since they were children as he takes her to his home that includes the maid Female (Ruby Dee). Paul goes away for a few days claiming he has work to do as a minister as Irena looks around the sites of the city as she comes across a zoo. Irena is entranced by a black leopard that had just been taken after an incident that nearly left a prostitute killed as she spends her day sketching the leopard only to lose track of time as she meets the zoo’s curator Oliver (John Heard). The two become friends as Oliver gives her a job working at the zoo’s gift shop as she remains entranced by the leopard where it attacks one of the zoologists in Joe (Ed Begley Jr.). Later that night, the leopard escapes as Oliver and fellow zoologist Alice (Annette O’Toole) wonder what is going on.

Paul reappears to Irena revealing what he’s done as well as a dark family secret about who their parents really are as Irena refuses to believe him as she lives with Oliver who takes her to a remote place that he likes to be at. Upon her return home following another involving the black leopard, Paul reappears to Irena about what she should do to save them both as she refuses leading to Paul to try and attack Oliver. The attack falters where Oliver makes a discovery as Irena decides to leave New Orleans where she has a strange vision about her heritage prompting her to return. Through this new revelation, Irena would do something that would save herself and Oliver.

The film is a loose take on the original 1942 film by incorporating more themes about sexual repression and identity as it revolves around a young woman and her troubled life as she falls for a zoo curator while being pulled another way by her long-lost brother. Throughout the course of the film, she would have this strange connection to her brother as she would start to see things and behave erratically until she learns about what she really is as it would eventually complicate matters. Notably as her discovery about her heritage and who her parents really are would eventually change her point of view on the world and everything else around her.

Alan Ormsby’s screenplay explores this unique dynamic between man and creature where there’s this rare group of people who are one and the same as story begins with this prologue about the cat people who were these ancient creatures that were once considered gods. For Irena, she knows nothing about this world until she meets Paul as she begins to deal with these transformations in not just a physical sense but also an emotional one. She falls for this zoo curator who loves animals but becomes more confused as the story progresses leading to her wondering more about herself and who she really is. It’s a very captivating script that explores the world of a woman who is seemingly repressed sexually yet would eventually embrace this new revelation but with a heavy price.

Paul Schraeder’s direction is very stylish in its presentation as it starts off with this very sepia-drenched look of an old world where these black leopards are considered gods. The film then cuts to a present world set in New Orleans where it’s definitely exotic with its religious imagery and all sorts of places as it is a major character in the film. Still, Schraeder is interested in the characters and the world they live in as the house that Paul lives in is a place that features all sorts of relics from an old world while his maid seems to know a lot more than both of them realize as she would provide some important ideas in the third act that is crucial to Irena’s view of things.

While some of the compositions are straightforward, Schraeder dues infuse a lot of details into his framing from the way Oliver first sees Irena at night below his office to the chilling moment of Irena’s first idea where she’s not human. It’s part of Schraeder’s approach to suspense where he knows when to go for the kill as it includes some very chilling scenes with the black leopard such as a hooker’s encounter where she could be killed or not. Things definitely become more entrancing in the third act that includes a wonderful homage to the original 1942 by Jacques Tourneur when Alice dives into a pool and thinks that a leopard is looking for her. It plays to Irena’s own transformation and acceptance yet it would also have her do something that would be crucial to her own being. Overall, Schraeder creates a very fascinating yet provocative film about identity and sexuality.

Cinematographer John Bailey does incredible work with the film‘s photography from the hypnotic sepia-washes in the prologue scenes to the gorgeous colors of New Orleans locations along with some amazing nighttime scenes that are exquisite in its lighting schemes and set-ups to convey a mood. Editors Jacqueline Cambas, Jere Huggins, and Ned Humphreys do superb work in creating an element of suspense through the cutting while utilizing stylish cuts for some of the film‘s intense moments like the human to leopard transformation. Art director Edward Richardson and Bruce Weintraub do terrific work with the set pieces such as Paul‘s exotic home to the look of the old world with its caves and trees. Costume designer Daniel Parades does a wonderful job with the costumes as a lot of it is casual with the exception of Paul who often wears black while Irena wears more exotic white to convey her persona.

Special effects makeup by Thomas R. Burman does some amazing work with the makeup effects in the film‘s transformation scenes that really brings a sense of terror to the film. Sound editor Charles L. Campbell does an excellent job with the sound to create a mood in some scenes such as a moment where Irena hears a lot of things that plays out to her transformation. The film’s music by Giorgio Moroder is brilliant for its haunting and evocative electronic score as it plays up the suspense and its brooding tone as it‘s truly one of Moroder‘s best scores. The title theme song performed by Moroder and David Bowie is among one of Bowie’s best songs for the dark mood it conveys through Moroder’s synth-drenched presentation and Bowie’s haunting vocals.

The casting by Mary Goldberg is wonderful for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Frankie Faison as a detective leading the investigation, John Larroquette as a financial man for the zoo, Scott Paulin as a zoo supervisor, and Ed Begley, Jr. as Oliver’s zoologist friend Joe. Ruby Dee is terrific as the strange Female where Dee maintains a very low-key approach to her role as she only returns briefly in the third act with some very crucial information. Annette O’Toole is excellent as Alice who is intrigued by Irena while becoming concerned for Oliver’s obsession towards Irena.

John Heard is superb as Oliver as he is intrigued by Irena’s beauty and shy personality as he starts to wonder what is going on with her along with the mysteries of the leopard. Malcolm McDowell is brilliant as the very mysterious Paul as he displays a bit of charm to his role but also a chilling intensity to a man who carries a very dark secret. Finally, there’s Nastassja Kinski in a mesmerizing performance as Irena as she displays a very quiet and restrained performance early on as it progresses into a woman filled with fear and uncertainty where she delves into dark territory as it is really one of Kinski’s best performances.

Paul Schraeder’s version of Cat People is a remarkable yet brooding film that features a radiant yet harrowing performance from Nastassja Kinski. While it’s a very different film from the original 1942 film by Jacques Tourneur, it is still a very interesting one for its interpretation in the way it explores a woman’s identity. In the end, Cat People is an exotic yet captivating film from Paul Schraeder.

Paul Schraeder Films: Blue Collar - Hardcore - American Gigolo - Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - (Light of Day) - (Patty Hearst) - (The Comfort of Strangers) - (Light Sleeper) - (Witch Hunt) - (Touch) - Affliction - (Forever Mine) - (Auto Focus) - (Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist) - (The Walker) - (Adam Resurrected) - (The Canyons) - Dying of the Light - (Dog Eat Dog) - First Reformed - (The Card Counter)

Related: Cat People (1942 film)

© thevoid99 2012

Paris, Texas

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com 7/12/06 w/ Extensive Revisions & Additional Edits.

One of the leaders of the German New Wave, Wim Wenders helped revive the German film industry after the years of World War II by making films about Germany. While his peers contemporary like the controversial and dramatic Rainier Werner Fassbinder and the ambitious dream world of Werner Herzog helped redefine German films for an international audience. Wenders was different from them, largely due to his love for American cinema. Early films including his road trilogy of Falsche Bewegung (The Wrong Move), Alice in den Stadten (Alice in the Cities), and Im Lauf der Zeit (King of the Roads) in the mid-70s revealed his love for American road movies. One of his favorite directors was American filmmaker Nicholas Ray where in 1980, Wenders released a documentary called Lightning Over Water about Ray's final days.

Still fascinated by America, Wenders teamed up with Texan screenwriter and producer L.M. Kit Carson about an adaptation of a short story written by playwright Sam Shepard, whose most famous work was acting in Terrence Malick's 1978 masterpiece Days of Heaven. With Shepard, Carson wrote a script that was later finalized by Shepard about a lost man who is found as he tries to get reacquainted with the world and heal the wounds of his shattered family life. The final result would become of Wenders' greatest films about America entitled Paris, Texas.

Directed by Wenders with a script by Shepard, Paris, Texas is an existential road movie of a man who had disappeared for four years. Finally found and reunited with his brother, the man is forced to realize the real world while trying to re-establish a relationship with his young son and to find his wife. Taking Wenders' knowledge of American road movies and Shepard's study of decay, the film is a wandering, elliptical journey of a man trying to get a second chance while discovering why he departed an already fulfilled life. Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, and Hunter Carson. Paris, Texas is a beautiful, worldly masterpiece from the team of Wim Wenders and Sam Shepard.

A man named Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) is walking around a desert lost as he finds a gas station to get some water as he passes out. After a local doctor (Bernard Wicki) looks over him as Travis acts mute, the doctor finds out who Travis is through his wallet as he calls Travis' brother Walt (Dean Stockwell). Walt receives the doctor's call as he flies to Texas to identify the man he hadn't seen in four years. After arriving to Texas, Walt identifies his brother as Travis remains mute and acts strangely until Travis finally speaks asking to go to Paris, Texas where he claims that where he was conceived. The brothers go on a road trip on a different rental car to Paris, Texas for a plot of land that Travis had bought as Walter decides to take Travis home to Los Angeles.

Arriving into L.A., Travis meets Walter's French wife Anne (Aurore Clement) whom he hadn't seen in years as well as Travis' own son Hunter (Hunter Carson) as they're surprised by Travis. Though Hunter isn't sure who is, Travis spends his time trying to get reacquainted with Anne and Hunter while their maid Carmelia (Sorroco Valdez) helps Travis in re-bonding with Hunter. After watching through some old family films that featured Hunter's missing mother Jane (Nastassja Kinski), Travis decides to go and find Jane as Anne reluctantly reveals her whereabouts. Travis goes on the trip as he takes Hunter without telling Walt or Anne as Hunter later calls them as they go to Texas.

After arriving in Houston, Hunter finally sees his mother dropping off money in a car as Travis follows her as he sees that she's a stripper working at a peep show. Shocked by what she's become, Travis decides to go into the peep show pretending to be a different man to see Jane as they talk in a two-way mirror. The meeting forces Travis to reveal Hunter about what happened to him as he goes for one more emotional meeting with Jane about their departures and what they need to do for Hunter.

While the film is truly an American film, the film does have a sense of European style of narratives and filmmaking techniques. Still, the collaboration of Wenders and Shepard in their own respective style reveals how both work to create an entirely original, harrowing road film. What Wenders and Shepard reveal is that the film is about a man whose descent into madness makes him lose focus of what is important and when he returns to the real world, he has to deal with loss. The film's theme is loss since the character of Travis has lost his identity, his family, his dreams, and everything that was around him. What is more troubling was how he lost everything and how tries to regain everything.

Sam Shepard's screenplay is filled with allegories of the old West where the film opens with a worldly scene of the Western landscape with a hawk flying down. There, the script is filled with symbolism of the decaying world that Travis is trying to find as the film explores Travis' descent and his attempt to reclaim everything. Shepard's script allows characters to grow and deal with everything around them. Notably the characters of Walt and Anne who are dealing with the fact that Travis' return will shake their own idyllic life where they raised Hunter as one of their own. Shepard creates a harrowing script that has moments of humor and hope while creating an ending that is very ambiguous on what is to happen for all of its central characters. In many ways, it's truly part of the genius of Sam Shepard who is a master in the study of alienation, loss, and grief.

If Shepard needed a director to complement his study of character, Wim Wenders is the perfect director as he uses his knowledge of American cinema to view a world that is isolating. Wenders' observant yet wandering direction is filled with many symbols as one of the prominent colors of the film is red whether it's the red hat that Travis wears, the red jacket of Hunter, or the red car and sweater that Jane wears towards the end. The color in some ways serves as a tribute to one of Wenders' favorite director in Nicholas Ray while he opens the film with having the protagonist not uttering a word for the first 20-30 minutes. Its in Wenders that allows the character of Travis to try and explore his surroundings where he makes the audience aware of a world that is completely different from the one years before. Overall, it's some of the best directing and presentation given by a director as brilliant as Wim Wenders.

Helping Wenders in his presentation is his longtime cinematographer Robby Muller who helps capture the alienating feel of the American landscape. Muller's photography is one of the film's highlights as he captures the exterior of America with a disconcerting feel with an array of colors with sunlight and the moon to bring that feel of loss. Muller's presentation of America is beautiful but haunting as even the interiors in the film's third act from the strip club to a bar reveals the sense of isolation with its moody colors and compositions. It's truly some of Muller's best work in the world of cinematography. Art director does some great work in capturing the decay of the American West while showing the comfort yet claustrophobic feel of American suburbia. Costume designer Birgitta Bjerke also does great work in the film's costumes, notably the cowboy suit that Travis wears to impress hunter as does the clothing of red.

Editor Peter Przygodda does excellent work in giving the film an elliptical yet transcending style of pacing while his cutting to give the perspective of characters and it surroundings help the presentation that Wenders wanted. Sound editor Dominique Auvray and sound mixer Jean-Paul Mugel also does great work with the film's sound in bringing an atmosphere that is alienating from the quiet ambient tone of the Texas desert to the chaotic world of the cities in Los Angeles and Houston. Finally there's composer and longtime Wenders collaborator Roy Cooder whose lyrical blues guitar playing that is a variation of Blind Willie Johnson's Dark Was The Night brings the sense of grief and loss for the film's tone. Cooder's melodic playing is filled with sadness as its riffs are memorable to give the sense of Americana that Wenders and Shepard wanted. It's truly one of the best film scores ever done on screen.

The film's wonderful cast includes such notable small performances as Bernhard Wicki as the doctor, Socorro Valdez as the family maid, Tom Farrell as a screaming man who Travis walks by, Sally Norvell as a fellow stripper, Justin Hogg as the 3-year old Hunter, a cameo from Sam Shepard himself, and regular Jim Jarmusch actor John Lurie as the owner of the strip club Jane works for. French actress Aurore Clement gives a fascinating yet harrowing performance as a maternal figure who's afraid of losing her child while is reminded of the fact that Hunter is not her son yet she's been his mother for years. Clement is truly marvelous in her role as she brings a unique quality to her character. Hunter Carson is also great as the young yet smart Hunter who is aware that he has a father he hasn't seen yet he still calls both his real dad and uncle as dad. Carson brings a lot of innocence and realism to his character that most child actors do.

Dean Stockwell is wonderful as Travis' brother Walt who is forced to confront Anne's fears of letting go Hunter as his character is forced to deal with many forms of loss like the idea of losing not just his nephew but his brother again. Stockwell's performance is filled with the frustration and comfort of a brother who hopes to repair troubled relationships while understanding him as Stockwell carries the same realism that the young Carson has. Nastassja Kinski is entrancing yet complex in her role as the lost Jane whose descent is shocking as a woman who is trying to let go of her past only to be forced to confront it. Kinski early on starts off as a woman who is upbeat and quirky as the German-born Kinski pulls off a great Texan accent. Still, Kinski's role in the final minutes are very important to the story as she pulls off the emotions that is needed for its finale as Kinski remains underrated among her contemporaries.

Finally, there's noted character actor Harry Dean Stanton in what is truly, his greatest role to date. Stanton exudes all of the troubles and grief into his character where for the first 20-30 minutes, he doesn't even speak. Stanton's stillness in his minimalist performance shows his complexity and range as an actor who can do so much by doing so little. When his character comes out of the protective shell of grief and sadness, Stanton's minimalism in his performance is more drawn out as he reveals Travis' sensitivity and drive into repairing the damaged relationships with his family. Stanton's performance in the final act when he reveals the film's most important information in a very emotionally crucial scene reveals how he restrained he is with his emotions. It's a magnificent performance from the character actor who rarely gives an adequate performance.

Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas is a harrowing yet worldly masterpiece thanks to the contributions of Sam Shepard and the film's cast, notably Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, and Hunter Carson. While the film's elliptical pacing, unconventional narratives might confuse or bore more conventional film audiences. The film does have something to offer in terms of its emotions and themes as it's considered to be one of Wenders' best films. For anyone wanting to see an intelligent, beautiful road movie, Paris, Texas is the film to see.

Wim Wenders Films: (Summer in the City) - (The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty) - (The Scarlet Letter (1973 film)) - Alice in the Cities - Wrong Move - Kings of the Road - The American Friend - (Lightning Over Water) - (Room 666) - (Hammett) - (The State of Things) - (Tokyo-Ga) - Wings of Desire - (Notebook on Cities and Clothes) - Until the End of the World - (Faraway, So Close!) - (Lisbon Story) - (Beyond the Clouds) - (A Trick of Light) - (The End of Violence) - (Buena Vista Social Club) - (The Million Dollar Hotel) - (The Soul of a Man) - (Land of Plenty) - (Don't Come Knocking) - (Palermo Shooting) - (Pina) - The Salt of the Earth - (Every Thing Will Be Fine) - (Submergence) - (Pope Francis: A Man of His Word)

© thevoid99 2011