Wim Wenders' Paris Texas (1984) (Part 3)
(commentary by Rey Bianchi (Wen Huei-Min), NCCU English Dept (retired))What I have written up to now pretty much sums up my impressions of what the story-line was trying to say: that belongs to structure, the sensibility, or the bones of the film.
What follow here is the essence, the sense, the flesh of the story.
1) Paris, Texas - well, after all, the IS the name of the movie, even tho it is only referred to 2 or 3 times in the whole thing. Paris was where Travis came from. More importantly, it refers to his mother more than himself. While he tried, unsuccessfully, to relate to his mother (Walt asked "why did you buy the land?" Travis: "...I forget"), when he re-discovered Jane, he finally understood what the real meaning of "Paris" was.
The town Paris, Texas was connected to Paris, France by name. The way i see it is that his father always embarrassed his mother when he said that his wife came from Paris. The key word relating to Paris in the story is "fancy". Travis said that "mom was not a fancy woman." It was impossible for his mother to come from Paris, France because she wasn't a fancy woman. But when Travis talked with Jane that first time and 1) saw her patience, 2) saw her willingness to listen, and 3) realized that Jane had never gone out with any other man, he considered Jane had matured a lot, and so considered her to be a fancy, or proper, woman, one who was worthy of taking care of Hunter. And so he had no problem giving him to Jane.
2) Heights: I mentioned before how Walt and Anne, by living/working high above the city, had isolated themselves. "Height" also had another meaning. After he got himself drunk and said that the place where he and Hunter were staying was not a place for a fancy woman, he moved Hunter to a high place in some hotel which was more worthy for Jane to stay. And the camera often strayed to show high objects. In this situation height also means "clearness." Remember when Travis met Walt high up to tell Walt that he was leaving to find Jane? He also said "it's nice up here; you can see things clearly." A high place was where he should bring Jane; that became very clear to him. Kind of like putting Jane on a pedestal where queens belong. Kind of like a "new Paris." More important than the old Paris with an empty lot.
3) A Road movie: this is clear from the lovely symmetry of the movie: Walt getting to know Travis again on their car journey West to California, Travis getting to know Hunter again on their car journey East to Texas, Travis sat in the back going West until the brothers were close again, Hunter sat in the back going East until they really became close again, Travis went West to meet his son for the first time in 4 years, then went East to meet his wife for the first time in 4 years, Travis was practical and earth-bound because he didn't like to fly, Hunter was a dreamer who talked about rockets and space travel.
4) A Feast for the Imagination: so many wonderful loose ends!!! Are these loose ends for us to think about re the characters?.. Well, for me, no. Rather, for us to think about re ourselves. Just think of these questions:
a) Should Walt have gone to get Travis?
b) Should Travis have gotten into Walt's car?
c) Should Anne have told Travis how to find Jane?
d) Should Walt have given Travis his credit cards and money?
e) Should Travis have allowed Hunter to go with him?
f) Should Travis have met Jane face-to-face?
g) Should Travis have left at the end of the film?
I'll bet that many of us would answer these questions differently, based on our own lives, loves, relationships, fears, money. Just substitute "Would I" for the first 2 words in each question. Paris, Texas is Everyman's film, no matter whether one is isolated or clearly involved, high above or down below, travelling to the East or to the West.
沒有留言:
張貼留言