PAISA New York, 1973: also included in Rosselliniana: bibliografia internazionale, dossier "Paisa edited by Adriano Apra, Rome. 1987 Italy. 1946 Hovald. Patrice. Roberto rossellini. Paris. 1958 Director: Roberto rossellini Mida, Massimo. Roberto Rossellini. Parma. 1961 Verdone. Mario. Roberto rossellini. Paris. 1963 Guarner, Jose Luis, Roberto Rossellini. New York, 1970 Production: Organization Films International in collaboration with Armes, Roy, Patterns of Realism, South Brunswick, New Jersey, 1971 oreign Films Productions, some sources also credit Capitani Films; Bazin, Andre, What Is Cinema ?, vol. 2, Berkely, 1971 black and white, 35mm; running time: 117 minutes, originally 124 Leprohon, Pierre, The Italian Cinema, New York, 1972. minutes; length: 4195 feet. Released 1946 Baldelli Pio. Roberto Rossellini. Rome. 1972. Klinowski, Jacek, and Adam Garbicz, editors, Cinema, The magi Producers: Roberto Rossellini, Rod E. Geiger, and Mario Conti Vehicle: A Guide to Its Achievement: Journey 1: The Cinema production supervisor: Ugo Lombardi; story: Victor Haines, Marcello through 1949, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1975 agiero, Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Klaus Rondolino. Gianni. Roberto Rossellini. Florence. 1974 Mann(Florence episode), and Vasco Pratolini; screenplay: Sergio MacBean, James Roy, Film and Revolution, Bloomington, Indi- ana,1975 Amidei, Federico Fellini, and Roberto Rossellini; English dialogue: Overby, David, editor, Springtime in Italy A Reader on Neo-Realism, Annelena Limentani; English subtitles: Herman G. Weinberg:as- Hamden Connecticut. 1978 sistant directors: Federico Fellini, Massimo Mida, E. Handimar, and Ranvaud. Don, Roberto rossellini. London. 1981 L. Limentani; photography: Otello Martelli: editor: Eraldo da Roma; sound: Ovidia del Grande; music: Renzo Rossellini; English Bondanella, Peter, Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present. narrators: Stuart Legg and Raymond Spottiswoode. New York, 1983. Rossellini, Roberto. Le Cinema Revel, edited by Alain Bergala Cast: Carmela Sazio( Carmela); Robert Van Loon (Joe from Jersey): Hillier, Jim, editor, Cahiers du Cinema 1: The 1950s: Neo-Realism, Alfonsino Pasca(Boy): Maria Michi (francesca): Renzo Avanzo Hollywood. New Wave. London, 1985 (Massimo): Harriet White(Harriet): Dots M. Johnson(MP): Bill Serceau, Michel, Roberto Rossellini, Paris, 1986. Tubbs( Captain Bill Martin); Benjamin Emmanuel; Raymond Camp- Brunette, Peter, Roberto Rossellini, Oxford, 1987, 1996 bell: Albert Heinz; Harold Wagner: Merlin Berth; Leonard Parrish Gansera, Rainer, and others, Roberto rossellini, Munich, 1987 Dale Edmonds(Dale): Carlo Piscane(Peasant in Sicily story): Mats Rossellini, Roberto, Il mio metodo: Scritti e intervisti, edited by Carlson (Soldier in Sicily story): Gar Moore (Fred): Gigi Gori Adriano Apra, Venice, 1987 (Partisan); Cigolani( Cigolani): Lorena Berg(Maddalena): Allen Rossi, Patrizio, Roberto Rossellini: A Guide to References and Dan: M. Hugo; Anthony La Penna. Resources. Boston. 1988 Bondanella, Peter, Films of Roberto Rossellini, Cambridge, 1993 Rossellini, Roberto, My Method: Writings and Interviews, New Awards: Venice Film Festival, Special Mention, 1946: New York Film Critics Award, Best Foreign Film, 1948 Gallagher, Tag, The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini, Cambridge, 1998 Articles Publications Barty King, Hugh, " Seven Americans, in Sight and Sound ( Lon- 0. Autumn 1946 Anderson, Lindsay, in Sequence(London), Winter 1947 Crowther, Bosley, in New York Times, 30 March 1948 Rossellini, Roberto, and others, Paisan, in The War Trilogy: Open Warshow, Robert, in Partisan Review(New Brunswick, New Jersey), City, Paisan, Germany-Year Zero. edited by Stefano Roncoroni, July 1948
915 PAISÀ P (Paisan) Italy, 1946 Director: Roberto Rossellini Production: Organization Films International in collaboration with Foreign Films Productions, some sources also credit Capitani Films; black and white, 35mm; running time: 117 minutes, originally 124 minutes; length: 4195 feet. Released 1946. Producers: Roberto Rossellini, Rod E. Geiger, and Mario Conti; production supervisor: Ugo Lombardi; story: Victor Haines, Marcello Pagiero, Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Klaus Mann (Florence episode), and Vasco Pratolini; screenplay: Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini, and Roberto Rossellini; English dialogue: Annelena Limentani; English subtitles: Herman G. Weinberg; assistant directors: Federico Fellini, Massimo Mida, E. Handimar, and L. Limentani; photography: Otello Martelli; editor: Eraldo da Roma; sound: Ovidia del Grande; music: Renzo Rossellini; English narrators: Stuart Legg and Raymond Spottiswoode. Cast: Carmela Sazio (Carmela); Robert Van Loon (Joe from Jersey); Alfonsino Pasca (Boy); Maria Michi (Francesca); Renzo Avanzo (Massimo); Harriet White (Harriet); Dots M. Johnson (MP); Bill Tubbs (Captain Bill Martin); Benjamin Emmanuel; Raymond Campbell; Albert Heinz; Harold Wagner; Merlin Berth; Leonard Parrish; Dale Edmonds (Dale); Carlo Piscane (Peasant in Sicily story); Mats Carlson (Soldier in Sicily story); Gar Moore (Fred); Gigi Gori (Partisan); Cigolani (Cigolani); Lorena Berg (Maddalena); Allen Dan; M. Hugo; Anthony La Penna. Awards: Venice Film Festival, Special Mention, 1946; New York Film Critics Award, Best Foreign Film, 1948. Publications Script: Rossellini, Roberto, and others, Paisan, in The War Trilogy: Open City, Paisan, Germany—Year Zero, edited by Stefano Roncoroni, New York, 1973; also included in Rosselliniana: Bibliografia internazionale, dossier ‘‘Paisà” edited by Adriano Apra, Rome, 1987. Books: Hovald, Patrice, Roberto Rossellini, Paris, 1958. Mida, Massimo, Roberto Rossellini, Parma, 1961. Verdone, Mario, Roberto Rossellini, Paris, 1963. Guarner, Jose Luis, Roberto Rossellini, New York, 1970 Armes, Roy, Patterns of Realism, South Brunswick, New Jersey, 1971. Bazin, André, What Is Cinema?, vol. 2, Berkely, 1971. Leprohon, Pierre, The Italian Cinema, New York, 1972. Baldelli, Pio, Roberto Rossellini, Rome, 1972. Klinowski, Jacek, and Adam Garbicz, editors, Cinema, The Magic Vehicle: A Guide to Its Achievement: Journey 1: The Cinema through 1949, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1975. Rondolino, Gianni, Roberto Rossellini, Florence, 1974. MacBean, James Roy, Film and Revolution, Bloomington, Indiana, 1975. Overby, David, editor, Springtime in Italy: A Reader on Neo-Realism, Hamden, Connecticut, 1978. Ranvaud, Don, Roberto Rossellini, London, 1981. Bondanella, Peter, Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present, New York, 1983. Rossellini, Roberto. Le Cinéma Révélé, edited by Alain Bergala, Paris, 1984. Hillier, Jim, editor, Cahiers du Cinéma 1: The 1950s: Neo-Realism, Hollywood, New Wave, London, 1985. Serceau, Michel, Roberto Rossellini, Paris, 1986. Brunette, Peter, Roberto Rossellini, Oxford, 1987, 1996. Gansera, Rainer, and others, Roberto Rossellini, Munich, 1987. Rossellini, Roberto, Il mio metodo: Scritti e intervisti, edited by Adriano Apra, Venice, 1987. Rossi, Patrizio, Roberto Rossellini: A Guide to References and Resources, Boston, 1988. Bondanella, Peter, Films of Roberto Rossellini, Cambridge, 1993. Rossellini, Roberto, My Method: Writings and Interviews, New York, 1995. Gallagher, Tag, The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini, Cambridge, 1998. Articles: Barty King, Hugh, ‘‘Seven Americans,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1946. Anderson, Lindsay, in Sequence (London), Winter 1947. Crowther, Bosley, in New York Times, 30 March 1948. Warshow, Robert, in Partisan Review (New Brunswick, New Jersey), July 1948
PAISA FILMS. 4 EDITIoN Paisa Variety(New York ) 2 November 19 Brunette, Peter, Unity and Difference in Paisan, in Studies Ordway, Peter, "Prophet with Honor: Roberto Rossellini, in Thea Literary Imagination, vol. 16, no. 1, 1983. tre Arts(New York), January 1949 Brunette. Peter. *Rossellini and Cinematic Realism. in cinema Manvell, Roger, ""Paisan: How It Struck Our Contemporaries, in Journal (evanston, Illinois), vol 25, no. 1, 1985 Penguin Film Review (London), May 1949 Decaux, E, in Cinematographe(Paris), April 1985 Koval, francis, "" Interview with Roberto Rossellini, in Sight and Variety(New York), 24 August 1987. Sound (London), February 1 Sinclair, M,"Ellipsis in Rossellini's Paisa: The Privileging of the Pacifici, Sergio J, "Notes on a Definition of Neorealism, in Yale Invisible, in Spectator Los Angeles), vol 9, no. 1, 1988 French Studies(New Haven), Summer 1956. Pinciroli, G,""Efficacia e completezza del gesto cinematografice a confronto in Paisa, in Cineforum(Bergamo, Italy), April 1990 don), winter 1960-61 Roncoroni. S. and E. bruno "Presentazione di due soggetti inediti di "The Achievement of Roberto rossellini, in Film Comment(New Sergio Amidei per Paisa di Roberto rossellini, in Filmcritica York ), Fall 1964 (Rome), December 1990. Johnson, lan, in Films and Filming(London), February 1966 Dean, Peter, Video: Paisa Directed by Roberto Rossellini, in Sigh Helman,A,""Roberto Rossellini albo synteza antynomjii: Nasz and Sound (London), vol 3, no 8, August 1993 lluzjon, in Kino(Warsaw ), October 1973 Wagstaff, Chris, True Stories, in Sight Sound (London), vol 3 Lawton. B. r Construction Reality, in no8, August 1993 Film Criticism(Edinboro, Pennsylvania), no. 2, 1979 Brunette, P, "The Neo bible, in Village Voice(New York), vol 40 Predal. Rene.""Roberto Rossellini. 1906-1977. in avant-Scene du 17 October 1995 Cinema(Paris), 15 February 1979 Pym, John, in Monthly Film Bulletin(London), November 1980. 916
PAISÀ FILMS, 4th EDITION 916 Paisà Variety (New York), 2 November 1948. Ordway, Peter, ‘‘Prophet with Honor: Roberto Rossellini,’’ in Theatre Arts (New York), January 1949. Manvell, Roger, ‘‘Paisan: How It Struck Our Contemporaries,’’ in Penguin Film Review (London), May 1949. Koval, Francis, ‘‘Interview with Roberto Rossellini,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), February 1951. Pacifici, Sergio J., ‘‘Notes on a Definition of Neorealism,’’ in Yale French Studies (New Haven), Summer 1956. Rhode, Eric, ‘‘Why Neorealism Failed,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Winter 1960–61. ‘‘The Achievement of Roberto Rossellini,’’ in Film Comment (New York), Fall 1964. Johnson, Ian, in Films and Filming (London), February 1966. Helman, A., ‘‘Roberto Rossellini albo synteza antynomjii: Nasz Iluzjon,’’ in Kino (Warsaw), October 1973. Lawton, B., ‘‘Italian Neorealism: A Mirror Construction Reality,’’ in Film Criticism (Edinboro, Pennsylvania), no. 2, 1979. Prédal, René, ‘‘Roberto Rossellini, 1906–1977,’’ in Avant-Scéne du Cinéma (Paris), 15 February 1979. Pym, John, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), November 1980. Brunette, Peter,’’Unity and Difference in Paisan,’’ in Studies in Literary Imagination, vol. 16, no. 1, 1983. Brunette, Peter, ‘‘Rossellini and Cinematic Realism,’’ in Cinema Journal (Evanston, Illinois), vol. 25, no. 1, 1985. Decaux, E., in Cinématographe (Paris), April 1985. Variety (New York), 24 August 1987. Sinclair, M., ‘‘Ellipsis in Rossellini’s Paisa: The Privileging of the Invisible,’’ in Spectator (Los Angeles), vol. 9, no. 1, 1988. Pinciroli, G., ‘‘Efficacia e completezza del gesto cinematografico a confronto in Paisà,’’ in Cineforum (Bergamo, Italy), April 1990. Roncoroni, S., and E. Bruno, ‘‘Presentazione di due soggetti inediti di Sergio Amidei per Paisà di Roberto Rossellini,’’ in Filmcritica (Rome), December 1990. Dean, Peter, ‘‘Video: Paisa Directed by Roberto Rossellini,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), vol. 3, no. 8, August 1993. Wagstaff, Chris, ‘‘True Stories,’’ in Sight & Sound (London), vol. 3, no. 8, August 1993. Brunette, P., ‘‘The Neo Bible,’’ in Village Voice (New York), vol. 40, 17 October 1995. ***
FILMS. 4th EDItION PARIS. TEXAS Roberto Rossellini's Paisa, along with his Roma, citta aperta PARIS. TEXAS (1945), introduced post-war American audiences to Italian neo- realism, which proved to be th influences that altered the shape of American cinema. Neo-realism, West Germany-France, 1984 a movement that emerged from the shattered Italian film industry mmediately after World War Il, concerned itself with an almost Director: Wim Wenders documentary-like depiction of the hardship and suffering of the Italian people during and after World War Il. Directors like Rossellini, Production: Road Movies Filmproduktion(West Berlin)Argos Films ittorio De Sica, and Luchino Visconti took to the streets in order to ( Paris). in association with Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Channel 4, and make their films. In the process they articulated an aesthetic of Project Film; in color; running time: 148 minutes; length: 13,320 feet cinematic realism that called for the use of non-professional actors, Released 1984 on-location shooting, the abandonment of slick "Hollywood". duction values, and a self-conscious rejection of commercial consid- Executive producer: Chris Sievernich; producers: Don Guest, erations. What emerged was a fresh and energetic film style which Anatole Dauman: screenplay: Sam Shepard; assistant director: largely rejuvenated the pre-war stagnation of the Italian cinema Claire Denis: photography: Robby Muller; assistant photogra- to understand the events of the fascist years, which had overwhelanet phers: Agnes Godard, Pim Tjujerman; editor: Peter Pryzgodda' Years later Rossellini wrote that he used this new approach to attemp ssistant editor: Anne Schnee; sound editor: Dominique Auvray him personally and the Italian people generally. He chose the particu- sound recordist: Jean-Paul Mugel; sound re-recordist: Hartmut lar film style he did for its morally neutral approach; he simply wante to observe reality objectively and to explore the facts that implicated Eichgrun; art director: Kate Altman; music: Ry Cooder his country in the fascist horror of the war. He also wanted to create balance sheet on the experience so that Italians could begin to live Cast: Harry Dean Stanton(Travis Anderson); Dean Stockwell life on new terms ter R. Anderson): Aurore Clement(Anne Anderson): Hunter Paisa contains six episodes that trace the American invasion of (Hunter Anderson): Nastassja Kinski (Jane): Bernhard wicki(Doc Italy from the Allied landing in Sicily in 1934 until the Italian tor Ulmer); Sam Berry(Gas Station Attendant): Claresie Mobley surrender in the spring of 1944. Rossellini does not present the war in ( Car Rental Clerk): Viva Auder(Woman on TV): Socorro Valde terms of armies, strategies, and grand plans but rather as a traged (Carmelita): Edward Fayton(Hunter's Friend): Justin Hogg(Hunter, involving the death and the suffering of human beings caught in the age 3); Tom Farrell(Screaming Man); John Lurie("Slater"):Jeni crush of forces beyond their control. Although some of the critics, Vici ("Stretch"): Sally Norwell ("Nurse Bibs"); Sharon Menzel among them Robert Warshow, found the film too sentimental in (Comedienne ) The Mydolls(Rehearsing Band) places, Paisa received good reviews outside of Italy, and it has retained its place as one of the classics of neo-realism, especially in Awards: BAFTA Award for Best Director, 1984. Palme d' or at the United States Cannes. 1984 Neo-realism and Rossellini's remarks concerning Paisa raise some interesting questions about the mimetic nature of film and about the significance of a point of view of doctrine in shaping the final publications cinematic product. Paisa is neither a doctrinaire film nor, as rossellini some critics have rather simple-mindedly suggested, nor is it a film Scnpt guided by a manifesto. It is a film which provides a new beginning, to borrow Rossellini's balance sheet metaphor, and does so by strippin Shepard, Sam, Paris, Texas (in English, French and German), edited film of the appurtenances of the pre-war studio world. Rossellini was by Chris Sievernin, Berlin, 1984. triving for a basic sincerity in his films, and it was primarily toward that end that he made Paisa with a truthful simplicity which is so Devillers. Jean-Pierre. Berlin. L.A. Berlin: Wim Wenders. Paris. 1985 -Charles L. P Silet Boujut, Michel, Wim Wenders, third edition, Paris, 1986 Wenders, Wim, Written in the West: Photographien aus dem Amerikanischen Western. Munich. 1987 Geist, Kathe, The Cinema of Wim Wenders: From Paris, France, to PANDORAS BOX Paris, Texas, Ann Arbor. Michigan, 1988 See dIe buchse DEr pandora Kolker, Robert P, and Peter Beicken, The Films of wim Wenders, New York, 1993. Cook, Roger F, and Gerd Gemunden, editors, The Cinema of wim Wenders: Image, Narrative and the Postmodern Condition Detroit. 1997. PAPER FLOWERS Wenders, Wim, The Act of Seeing: Essays and Conversations See KAagaz KE phool translated by Michael Hofmann, New York, 1999 17
FILMS, 4 PARIS, TEXAS th EDITION 917 Roberto Rossellini’s Paisà, along with his Roma, città aperta (1945), introduced post-war American audiences to Italian neorealism, which proved to be the first wave in a series of European influences that altered the shape of American cinema. Neo-realism, a movement that emerged from the shattered Italian film industry immediately after World War II, concerned itself with an almost documentary-like depiction of the hardship and suffering of the Italian people during and after World War II. Directors like Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, and Luchino Visconti took to the streets in order to make their films. In the process they articulated an aesthetic of cinematic realism that called for the use of non-professional actors, on-location shooting, the abandonment of slick ‘‘Hollywood’’ production values, and a self-conscious rejection of commercial considerations. What emerged was a fresh and energetic film style which largely rejuvenated the pre-war stagnation of the Italian cinema. Years later Rossellini wrote that he used this new approach to attempt to understand the events of the fascist years, which had overwhelmed him personally and the Italian people generally. He chose the particular film style he did for its morally neutral approach; he simply wanted to observe reality objectively and to explore the facts that implicated his country in the fascist horror of the war. He also wanted to create a balance sheet on the experience so that Italians could begin to live life on new terms. Paisà contains six episodes that trace the American invasion of Italy from the Allied landing in Sicily in 1934 until the Italian surrender in the spring of 1944. Rossellini does not present the war in terms of armies, strategies, and grand plans but rather as a tragedy involving the death and the suffering of human beings caught in the crush of forces beyond their control. Although some of the critics, among them Robert Warshow, found the film too sentimental in places, Paisà received good reviews outside of Italy, and it has retained its place as one of the classics of neo-realism, especially in the United States. Neo-realism and Rossellini’s remarks concerning Paisà raise some interesting questions about the mimetic nature of film and about the significance of a point of view of doctrine in shaping the final cinematic product. Paisà is neither a doctrinaire film nor, as Rossellini would have it, a neutral one. The film is not a long documentary, as some critics have rather simple-mindedly suggested, nor is it a film guided by a manifesto. It is a film which provides a new beginning, to borrow Rossellini’s balance sheet metaphor, and does so by stripping film of the appurtenances of the pre-war studio world. Rossellini was striving for a basic sincerity in his films, and it was primarily toward that end that he made Paisà with a truthful simplicity which is so effective. —Charles L. P. Silet PANDORA’S BOX See DIE BUCHSE DER PANDORA PAPER FLOWERS See KAAGAZ KE PHOOL PARIS, TEXAS West Germany-France, 1984 Director: Wim Wenders Production: Road Movies Filmproduktion (West Berlin)/Argos Films (Paris), in association with Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Channel 4, and Project Film; in color; running time: 148 minutes; length: 13,320 feet. Released 1984. Executive producer: Chris Sievernich; producers: Don Guest, Anatole Dauman; screenplay: Sam Shepard; assistant director: Claire Denis; photography: Robby Muller; assistant photographers: Agnes Godard, Pim Tjujerman; editor: Peter Pryzgodda; assistant editor: Anne Schnee; sound editor: Dominique Auvray; sound recordist: Jean-Paul Mugel; sound re-recordist: Hartmut Eichgrun; art director: Kate Altman; music: Ry Cooder. Cast: Harry Dean Stanton (Travis Anderson); Dean Stockwell (Walter R. Anderson); Aurore Clement (Anne Anderson); Hunter Carson (Hunter Anderson); Nastassja Kinski (Jane); Bernhard Wicki (Doctor Ulmer); Sam Berry (Gas Station Attendant); Claresie Mobley (Car Rental Clerk); Viva Auder (Woman on TV); Socorro Valdez (Carmelita); Edward Fayton (Hunter’s Friend); Justin Hogg (Hunter, age 3); Tom Farrell (Screaming Man); John Lurie (‘‘Slater’’); Jeni Vici (‘‘Stretch’’); Sally Norwell (‘‘Nurse Bibs’’); Sharon Menzel (Comedienne); The Mydolls (Rehearsing Band). Awards: BAFTA Award for Best Director, 1984. Palme d’Or at Cannes, 1984. Publications Script: Shepard, Sam, Paris, Texas (in English, French and German), edited by Chris Sievernin, Berlin, 1984. Books: Devillers, Jean-Pierre, Berlin, L.A., Berlin: Wim Wenders, Paris, 1985. Boujut, Michel, Wim Wenders, third edition, Paris, 1986. Wenders, Wim, Written in the West: Photographien aus dem Amerikanischen Western, Munich, 1987. Geist, Kathe, The Cinema of Wim Wenders: From Paris, France, to Paris, Texas, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1988. Kolker, Robert P., and Peter Beicken, The Films of Wim Wenders, New York, 1993. Cook, Roger F., and Gerd Gemunden, editors, The Cinema of Wim Wenders: Image, Narrative and the Postmodern Condition, Detroit, 1997. Wenders, Wim, The Act of Seeing: Essays and Conversations, translated by Michael Hofmann, New York, 1999
PARIS, TEXAS FILMS. 4 EDITIoN Articles. Reitinger, D.W.,Too Long in the Wasteland: Visions of the American West in Film, 1980-1990. in Film and History(Cleve- Berthelius. M..''Drommen om amerika: Historien om wim Wenders land),vol.26,no.1/4,1996 in Chaplin(stockholm), voL 26, no. 3, 1984 Falkowska, J,"American and European Voices in the Films of Variety(New York), 23 May 1984 European Filmmakers Wim Wenders, Percy Adlon and Aki Carson, Kit, in Film Comment(New York), May-June 1984. Kaurismaki, in the Canadian Journal of Film Studies(Ottawa), Bergala, Alain, and others, in Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), Sum vol.6,no.1,1997 1984. Tunney, Tom, "Paris, Texas, in Sight and Sound (London), vol 8. Welsh, H, in Jeune Cinema( Paris), July-August 1984 no. l, January 1998 Johnston, Sheila. in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), August 1984. Production Diary"in Cinema(West Germany), August, Septem ber, and october 1984. Bishop, R, and T. Ryan, "Wim Wenders: An American Saga, in Cinema Papers(Melbourne), August 1984 It is not just the title of this film which suggests a meeting between Pym, John, The Road from Wuppertal, in Sight and Sound Europe and America. Production involved collaboration between the London), Autumn 1984 director Wim Wenders, who caught the critical eye as part of the new Ranvaud, Don,""Paris, Texas, to Sydney, Australia, in Sight and German cinema of the 1970s, and the scriptwriter Sam Shepard, the Sound(London), Autumn 1984 American author of The Motel Chronicles, poems and prose about Special Issue" of Positif(Paris), September 1984 highway culture in the United States. There was a deliberate policy of Simsolo, Noel, and others, in Revue du CinemaImage et Son(Paris), substantially developing the script as shooting progressed (indeed the script was completed by Kit Carson when Shepard departed for Goldschmidt, D, in Cinematographe(Paris), September-October 1984 Baron. Saskia, in Stills(London), October 1984 fascinated with Hollywood as a mode of representation. Many of his Proper,R A F, interview with Robby Miller, in Skoop(Amster- films approach the legacy of American cinema through a strategy of Simons, J,""Paris, Texas: Wim Wenders Wedergeboorte, "in quotation. Yet Paris, Texas invests directly in an emotional folkloric dam). November 1984 tale of white America. At the same time the film opts for complexity Skrien(amsterdam), November-December 1984 in particular, the present lives of the main characters are shown to be Film (West Germany ), December 1984 psychologically haunted by past events, and contained within the Kornum Larsen, J., in Kosmorama( Copenhagen), December 1984. Verstappen, W, in Skoop (Amsterdam), December 1984-January 1985. Paris, Texas knowingly reworks elements from both classical Holly wood and European art cinema. Whether it exhausts these categories Wooton, Adrian. in Film Directions(Belfast), Winter 1984-85 or expresses a contemporary condition of nihilism is open to debate Bromet, Frans, and M.J. A Holland, in Skoop(Amsterdam), Febru ary 1985 Road movies and family melodramas are the chief genres on Scharres, B, ""Robby Muller and Paris, Texas, " in American Cinema- which Paris, Texas draws. However, the way in which mise-en-scene establishes a sharp contrast between humanity and nature, during the tographer( Los Angeles), February 1985 Freitag, I, in Filmfaust(Frankfurt), February-March 1985 opening stages in particular, is highly reminiscent of the western. The De Gaetano, R, and P. lughi, in Cinema Nuovo(Bari), June 1985. startling drama of the opening sequence depends on the way Travis, Fantauzzi, s, * Wenders e il suo angelo, in Quaderni di Cinema the main character, is counterposed with the desert. Yet he lacks the (Florence), March-April 1989 clear cut motivation to triumph over this wilderness. When collected Russell. D.**The American Trauma: Paris. Texas. in Movie. no. by his brother Walt, Travis is incongruously dressed in a battered suit 34-35, Winter1990 with a truckers cap. He is silent, refusing to explain why he Saint-Ellier, A,""L'epuisement du droit au secours des pirates? in disappeared four years previously, and where he has been In Paris, Film Exchange(Paris), vol. 51, no 3, 1990 Texas the mythical conquest of nature involves recalling the hero Denzin, N.K., " Paris, Texas and Baudrillard on America himself from the wilderness The latter is also a mental condition Theor. Culture and Society vol.8,no.2,1991 Van Oostrum. D.. Wim Wenders Euro-American Construction film is about his reintegration with American society Site: Paris. Texas or Texas. Paris. 'in Florida State University Traviss first articulated ory is Paris, Texas, a plot of land Conference on Literature and Film, voL. 16, 1991 which he purchased and where he claims to have been conceived. Or Luprecht, Mark, Freud at Paris, Texas: Penetrating the Oedipal could say that Travis's return to civilisation is marked by his recall of b-Text, " in Literature/Film Quarterly(Salisbury), vol. 20, land ownership and the nuclear family. But Paris, Texas is a painful no.2,1992 memory. The land remains unoccupied because Traviss own family Aldarondo,R, in Nosferatu( San Sebastian), no 16, October 1994. is broken. Family reunion becomes the narrative goal Edwards, C, ""Dean Stockwell, "in Psychotronic Video(Narrowsburg) The film renews a type of plot which theorists, notably Peter no.21,1995 Wollen, have located within classical cinema. In this kind of plot the Smith, R.C.,"Open Narrative in Robbe-Grillet's Glissements central protagonists search for an object of value which has disap- progressifs du plaisir and Wim Wenders Paris, Texas, in peared in the past. The object may often be a woman. In Paris, Texas Literature/Film Quarterly(Salisbury ) voL. 23, no. 1, January 1995. she is Jane, Travis's wife. Father and son quest for her after being 918
PARIS, TEXAS FILMS, 4th EDITION 918 Articles: Berthelius, M., ‘‘Drömmen om Amerika: Historien om Wim Wenders,’’ in Chaplin (Stockholm), vol. 26, no. 3, 1984. Variety (New York), 23 May 1984. Carson, Kit, in Film Comment (New York), May-June 1984. Bergala, Alain, and others, in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), Summer 1984. Welsh, H., in Jeune Cinéma (Paris), July-August 1984. Johnston, Sheila, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), August 1984. ‘‘Production Diary’’ in Cinema (West Germany), August, September, and October 1984. Bishop, R., and T. Ryan, ‘‘Wim Wenders: An American Saga,’’ in Cinema Papers (Melbourne), August 1984. Pym, John, ‘‘The Road from Wuppertal,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1984. Ranvaud, Don, ‘‘Paris, Texas, to Sydney, Australia,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1984. ‘‘Special Issue’’ of Positif (Paris), September 1984. Simsolo, Noël, and others, in Revue du Cinéma/Image et Son (Paris), September 1984. Goldschmidt, D., in Cinématographe (Paris), September-October 1984. Baron, Saskia, in Stills (London), October 1984. Proper, R. A. F., interview with Robby Müller, in Skoop (Amsterdam), November 1984. Simons, J., ‘‘Paris, Texas: Wim Wenders’ Wedergeboorte,’’ in Skrien (Amsterdam), November-December 1984. Film (West Germany), December 1984. Kornum Larsen, J., in Kosmorama (Copenhagen), December 1984. Verstappen, W., in Skoop (Amsterdam), December 1984-January 1985. Dieckmann, F., in Film Quarterly (Berkeley), Winter 1984–85. Wooton, Adrian, in Film Directions (Belfast), Winter 1984–85. Bromet, Frans, and M. J. A. Holland, in Skoop (Amsterdam), February 1985. Scharres, B., ‘‘Robby Müller and Paris, Texas,’’ in American Cinematographer (Los Angeles), February 1985. Freitag, I., in Filmfaust (Frankfurt), February-March 1985. De Gaetano, R., and P. Lughi, in Cinema Nuovo (Bari), June 1985. Fantauzzi, S., ‘‘Wenders e il suo angelo,’’ in Quaderni di Cinema (Florence), March-April 1989. Russell, D., ‘‘The American Trauma: Paris, Texas,’’ in Movie, no. 34–35, Winter 1990. Saint-Ellier, A., ‘‘L’epuisement du droit au secours des pirates?’’ in Film Exchange (Paris), vol. 51, no. 3, 1990. Denzin, N.K., ‘‘Paris, Texas and Baudrillard on America,’’ in Theory, Culture and Society, vol. 8, no. 2, 1991. Van Oostrum, D., ‘‘Wim Wender’s Euro-American Construction Site: Paris, Texas or Texas, Paris,’’ in Florida State University Conference on Literature and Film, vol. 16, 1991. Luprecht, Mark, ‘‘Freud at Paris, Texas: Penetrating the Oedipal Sub-Text,’’ in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury), vol. 20, no. 2, 1992. Aldarondo, R., in Nosferatu (San Sebastian), no. 16, October 1994. Edwards, C., ‘‘Dean Stockwell,’’ in Psychotronic Video (Narrowsburg), no. 21, 1995. Smith, R.C., ‘‘Open Narrative in Robbe-Grillet’s Glissements progressifs du plaisir and Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas,’’ in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury), vol. 23, no. 1, January 1995. Reitinger, D.W., ‘‘Too Long in the Wasteland: Visions of the American West in Film, 1980–1990,’’ in Film and History (Cleveland), vol. 26, no. 1/4, 1996. Falkowska, J., ‘‘American and European Voices in the Films of European Filmmakers Wim Wenders, Percy Adlon and Aki Kaurismaki,’’ in the Canadian Journal of Film Studies (Ottawa), vol. 6, no. 1, 1997. Tunney, Tom, ‘‘Paris, Texas,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), vol. 8, no. 1, January 1998. *** It is not just the title of this film which suggests a meeting between Europe and America. Production involved collaboration between the director Wim Wenders, who caught the critical eye as part of the new German cinema of the 1970s, and the scriptwriter Sam Shepard, the American author of The Motel Chronicles, poems and prose about highway culture in the United States. There was a deliberate policy of substantially developing the script as shooting progressed (indeed the script was completed by Kit Carson when Shepard departed for another commitment during production). Wenders has always been fascinated with Hollywood as a mode of representation. Many of his films approach the legacy of American cinema through a strategy of quotation. Yet Paris, Texas invests directly in an emotional folkloric tale of white America. At the same time the film opts for complexity: in particular, the present lives of the main characters are shown to be psychologically haunted by past events, and contained within the story is a special emphasis on the power of images in their own right. Paris, Texas knowingly reworks elements from both classical Hollywood and European art cinema. Whether it exhausts these categories or expresses a contemporary condition of nihilism is open to debate. Road movies and family melodramas are the chief genres on which Paris, Texas draws. However, the way in which mise-en-scène establishes a sharp contrast between humanity and nature, during the opening stages in particular, is highly reminiscent of the western. The startling drama of the opening sequence depends on the way Travis, the main character, is counterposed with the desert. Yet he lacks the clear cut motivation to triumph over this wilderness. When collected by his brother Walt, Travis is incongruously dressed in a battered suit with a trucker’s cap. He is silent, refusing to explain why he disappeared four years previously, and where he has been. In Paris, Texas the mythical conquest of nature involves recalling the hero himself from the wilderness. The latter is also a mental condition. Travis has regressed from social values, and in a sense the rest of the film is about his reintegration with American society. Travis’s first articulated memory is Paris, Texas, a plot of land which he purchased and where he claims to have been conceived. One could say that Travis’s return to civilisation is marked by his recall of land ownership and the nuclear family. But Paris, Texas is a painful memory. The land remains unoccupied because Travis’s own family is broken. Family reunion becomes the narrative goal. The film renews a type of plot which theorists, notably Peter Wollen, have located within classical cinema. In this kind of plot the central protagonists search for an object of value which has disappeared in the past. The object may often be a woman. In Paris, Texas she is Jane, Travis’s wife. Father and son quest for her after being
FILMS. 4th EDItION UNE PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE reunited themselves, a development which tears Hunter away from Producer: Pierre Braunberger; executive producer: Jacques B he stable and caring guardianship of Walt and Annie. The quest Brunius, with Roger Woog: screenplay: Jean Renoir, from the story provides a sense of purpose lacking from Wenders's previous films. by Guy Maupassant: photography: Claude Renior; editor: Marguerite Jane's discovery promises to reveal the past and save Travis. When Houle-Renoir, final version: Marienette Cadix under Marguerite they finally meet in a peepshow we learn that Travis's violent desire Houle-Renoir's supervision, assisted by Marcel Cravenne; sound: to own Jane was an initial cause of rupture Courme de bretagne and Joseph de bretagne: production designer: Travis is the voyeur looking in, while Jane is confined to the sound Robert Gys; music: Joseph Kosma and Germaine Montero; assistant of his vo d her reflection in a one way mirror. Somehow to the director: Jacques Becker and Henri Cartier-Bresson, other a second meeting here, they achieve a degree of mutual recognition, contributors to this film include: Claude Heymann, Luchino Visconti finding catharsis through confession to one another. The narrative and Y ves Allegret winds down as the film alternates between them, finally moving to her side of the partition. Slight changes of camera angle open up the Cast: Sylvia Bataille(Henriette ) Georges Darnoux(Henri): Jeanne oppressed space. Quick cuts between them express the return of Marken(Madame Dufour); Jacques Borel(Rodolphe);Paul Temps a bond. and at the end of the scene travis turns off his booth light so (Anatole); Gabrielle Fontan(Grandmother); Jean Renoir (Father the ghostly but overwhelming memory which has returned to Jane. Dufour): Pierre Lestringuez(Old priest) Thus, in a powerful fashion, through a cinematic array of devices, we are presented with an imaginary realm within the fiction. Throughout, a form of dominance is attributed to the image itself Paris, Texas remains a crumpled photograph; the family is only seen Publications united, enjoying themselves in a super film Meanwhile America elf appears to be filtered through the processes of representation. Not only is the country portrayed as the endless space of the road movie, but also through such motifs as the Statue of Liberty, which pops up in the background of one shot as a mural. This detail connotes Renoir, Jean, Une Partie de campagne, in Image et Son(Paris), April- Americana, a symbolic substitute for the nation. While, the action is May 1962: excerpts in Jean Renoir: An Investigation into His strictly kept to the periphery of cities, the identity of America remains Films and Philosophy, by Pierre Leprohon, New York, 1971 mysterious, a miragelike entity viewed from the distant perspective of Travis, the outsider. Maybe one reason why a European filmmaker books can deal with American mythology in the 1980s is because Holly- wood,'s stable representations of the nation are increasingly worked through high-tech science fiction, spectacle, and more marginal Davay, Paul, Jean Renoir, Brussels, 1957 discourses than in the classical era. Paris, Texas is surely aware of Cauliez, Armand-Jean, Jean Renoir, Paris, 1962 this. After all, Hunter is depicted as a Star Wars fan. With the older Renoir, Jean, Renoir, My Father,Boston,196 mythologies vacated by the heavyweights of Hollywood, Paris, Chardere, Bernard, editor, Jean Renoir, Lyons, 1962 Texas is left free to renew a language which is more imaginary Bennett. Susan. Study Unit 8: Jean Renoir. London. 1967. than ever Poulle, Francois, Renoir, 1938, Paris, 1969 Gregor, Ulrich, editor, Jean Renoir und seine Film: Eine Dokumentation. Bad Ems. 1970. Daniel williams Cuenca, Carlos, Humanidad de jean Renoir, valladolid 1971 Braudy, Leo, Jean Renoir: The World of His Films, New York, 1972 Bazin, Andre, Jean Renoir, Paris, 1973 Durgnat, Raymond, Jean Renoir, Berkeley, 1974. UNE PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE Harcourt, Peter, Six European Directors: Essays on the Meaning of Film style. Baltimore. 1974 Beylie, Claude, Jean Renoir: Le Spectacle, la vie, Paris, 1975 (A Day in the Country) Gilliatt, Penelope, Jean Renoir: Essays, Conversations, Reviews, New York. 1975 france. 1946 Faulkner, Christopher, Jean Renoir: A Guide to References and Resources. Boston. 1979 Sesonske. Alexander. Jean Renoir: The French Films 1924-1939 Director: Jean renoir Cambridge massachusetts. 1980 Gauteur Claude Jean renoir: Oeuvres de cinema inedites. Paris. 1981 Production: Pantheon-Production; black and white, 35mm; running McBride, Joseph, editor, Filmmakers on Filmmaking: The American ime: 45 minutes; length: 1 100 meters, originally 1232 meters. Film Institute seminars on Motion Pictures and Television, vol. 2 Released 8 May 1946, Paris. Filmed July-August 1936 near Montigny Los Angeles, 1983 and Marlotte Sarceau. Daniel. Jean Renoir. Paris. 1985 919
FILMS, 4 UNE PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE th EDITION 919 reunited themselves, a development which tears Hunter away from the stable and caring guardianship of Walt and Annie. The quest provides a sense of purpose lacking from Wenders’s previous films. Jane’s discovery promises to reveal the past and save Travis. When they finally meet in a peepshow we learn that Travis’s violent desire to own Jane was an initial cause of rupture. Travis is the voyeur looking in, while Jane is confined to the sound of his voice and her reflection in a one way mirror. Somehow on a second meeting here, they achieve a degree of mutual recognition, finding catharsis through confession to one another. The narrative winds down as the film alternates between them, finally moving to her side of the partition. Slight changes of camera angle open up the oppressed space. Quick cuts between them express the return of a bond, and at the end of the scene Travis turns off his booth light so that Jane can see him. He is resigned, distant, an illuminated image, the ghostly but overwhelming memory which has returned to Jane. Thus, in a powerful fashion, through a cinematic array of devices, we are presented with an imaginary realm within the fiction. Throughout, a form of dominance is attributed to the image itself: Paris, Texas remains a crumpled photograph; the family is only seen united, enjoying themselves in a super 8 film. Meanwhile America itself appears to be filtered through the processes of representation. Not only is the country portrayed as the endless space of the road movie, but also through such motifs as the Statue of Liberty, which pops up in the background of one shot as a mural. This detail connotes Americana, a symbolic substitute for the nation. While, the action is strictly kept to the periphery of cities, the identity of America remains mysterious, a miragelike entity viewed from the distant perspective of Travis, the outsider. Maybe one reason why a European filmmaker can deal with American mythology in the 1980s is because Hollywood’s stable representations of the nation are increasingly worked through high-tech science fiction, spectacle, and more marginal discourses than in the classical era. Paris, Texas is surely aware of this. After all, Hunter is depicted as a Star Wars fan. With the older mythologies vacated by the heavyweights of Hollywood, Paris, Texas is left free to renew a language which is more imaginary than ever. —Daniel Williams UNE PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE (A Day in the Country) France, 1946 Director: Jean Renoir Production: Pantheon-Production; black and white, 35mm; running time: 45 minutes; length: 1100 meters, originally 1232 meters. Released 8 May 1946, Paris. Filmed July-August 1936 near Montigny and Marlotte. Producer: Pierre Braunberger; executive producer: Jacques B. Brunius, with Roger Woog; screenplay: Jean Renoir, from the story by Guy Maupassant; photography: Claude Renior; editor: Marguerite Houle-Renoir, final version: Marienette Cadix under Marguerite Houle-Renoir’s supervision, assisted by Marcel Cravenne; sound: Courme de Bretagne and Joseph de Bretagne; production designer: Robert Gys; music: Joseph Kosma and Germaine Montero; assistant to the director: Jacques Becker and Henri Cartier-Bresson, other contributors to this film include: Claude Heymann, Luchino Visconti, and Yves Allegret. Cast: Sylvia Bataille (Henriette); Georges Darnoux (Henri); Jeanne Marken (Madame Dufour); Jacques Borel (Rodolphe); Paul Temps (Anatole); Gabrielle Fontan (Grandmother); Jean Renoir (Father Poulain); Marguerite Renoir (The servant); Gabriello (M. Cyprien Dufour); Pierre Lestringuez (Old priest). Publications Script: Renoir, Jean, Une Partie de campagne, in Image et Son (Paris), AprilMay 1962; excerpts in Jean Renoir: An Investigation into His Films and Philosophy, by Pierre Leprohon, New York, 1971. Books: Davay, Paul, Jean Renoir, Brussels, 1957. Cauliez, Armand-Jean, Jean Renoir, Paris, 1962. Renoir, Jean, Renoir, My Father, Boston, 1962. Chardère, Bernard, editor, Jean Renoir, Lyons,1962. Bennett, Susan, Study Unit 8: Jean Renoir, London, 1967. Poulle, François, Renoir, 1938, Paris, 1969. Gregor, Ulrich, editor, Jean Renoir und seine Film: Eine Dokumentation, Bad Ems, 1970. Cuenca, Carlos, Humanidad de Jean Renoir, Valladolid, 1971. Braudy, Leo, Jean Renoir: The World of His Films, New York, 1972. Bazin, André, Jean Renoir, Paris, 1973. Durgnat, Raymond, Jean Renoir, Berkeley, 1974. Harcourt, Peter, Six European Directors: Essays on the Meaning of Film Style, Baltimore, 1974. Beylie, Claude, Jean Renoir: Le Spectacle, la vie, Paris, 1975. Gilliatt, Penelope, Jean Renoir: Essays, Conversations, Reviews, New York, 1975. Faulkner, Christopher, Jean Renoir: A Guide to References and Resources, Boston, 1979. Sesonske, Alexander, Jean Renoir: The French Films 1924–1939, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1980. Gauteur, Claude, Jean Renoir: Oeuvres de cinéma inédites, Paris, 1981. McBride, Joseph, editor, Filmmakers on Filmmaking: The American Film Institute seminars on Motion Pictures and Television, vol. 2, Los Angeles, 1983. Sarceau, Daniel, Jean Renoir, Paris, 1985