Harry Dean Stanton as Travis: The best male performance of the 80's
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Paris, Texas
armanmarok — 11 years ago(November 09, 2014 10:04 PM)
Being an avid filmgoer, I've seen Stanton scarcely over the years in countless different films (one of the, obviously, is Alien). And being a character actor, he obviously lived under the shadows and performances of bigger name stars. So, when I first watched Paris, Texas, I was pleasantly surprised to know this is one of his too few leading roles and he delivered what Roger Ebert described as "sad poetry" in what may very well be the most understated performance of all-time by any american actor. His performance is enigmatic yet stark at the same time. One sad look from his solemn eyes worth a thousand words, a shrug from his shoulders could tell his life story. It is a larger than life embodiment of a real character and utterly transporting to behold. Watching his work in Paris, Texas is such a profound experience, to the point you will want this elegiac figure to have a happy ending by the end of his journey regardless of his past mistakes. From that point on, Stanton joined my list as one of the 10 greatest film performances by American actors of all time. I know F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri was the most praised performance of 1984, and I know Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta is commonly regarded as the best male performance of the 1980's. But for my money, Harry Dean Stanton as Travis Henderson surpassed both by a landslide.
My Top 100 Favorite Films:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls071561044/ -
bluesky84 — 11 years ago(November 13, 2014 03:10 PM)
I really enjoyed reading your post. While I haven't seen many of Stanton's films at all, his performance in this one was fantastic (easily the best out of the entire cast). I was disappointed that he did not get nominated for the Best Actor award. Whoever decided to cast him in the role of Travisgreat decision.
The dust has come to stay. You may stay or pass on through or whatever. -
armanmarok — 11 years ago(November 14, 2014 09:14 PM)
I don't think he was nominated for any sort of award for his work in Paris, Texas. Such a shame, kinda shows subtle acting is indeed rarely loved by award prizes.
My Top 100 Favorite Films:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls071561044/ -
kenny-164 — 11 years ago(December 16, 2014 01:14 PM)
While I love this film, love Stanton's performance, and the OP makes a great case, let's not forget there were some really great performances by male actors in the 80s.
These include:
Jack Nicholson in The Shining
Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull
Burt Lancaster in Atlantic City (imo a criminally underrated performance)
Gerard Depardieu in The Last Metro
Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond (won the Oscar)
Depardieu again in The Woman Next Door
Paul Newman in The Verdict
DeNiro again in The King of Comedy (not my favorite Scorcese, but an excellent performance)
Peter O'Toole in My Favorite Year
Al Pacino in Scarface (a bit over the top, perhaps, but imo iconic)
Jurgen Prochnow in Das Boot
Nicholson again in Prizzi's Honor
Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man
Gene Hackman in Mississippi Burning
Jeff Bridges in The Fabulous Baker Boys
Jus saying. -
thepartydjz — 11 years ago(December 17, 2014 08:27 PM)
"Burt Lancaster in Atlantic City (imo a criminally underrated performance)"
agreed
I would add Ben Kingsley as Ghandi but the original poster has a point, I think Dean Stanton is a highly over looked actor and deserves all the praise possible.
I would also mention Richard Farnsworth in The Grey Fox 1982
Farnsworth and Stanton were the perfect pairing in The Straight Story
Other notable Harry Dean roles are in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Dillinger (1973), The Godfather: Part II (1974) and Repo Man (1984).
I'll always remember his role as the country singer in The Rose.
He fronts a band called "The Harry Dean Stanton Band" which regularly performs in the Los Angeles area. He sings and plays guitar. The band plays a mix of jazz, pop, and tex-mex styles. The band often plays in Hollywood at 'Jack's Sugar Shack'.
He was Best Man at the wedding of Jack Nicholson and Sandra Knight. After their divorce, Nicholson lived for a time with Stanton. -
gonemoab — 11 years ago(December 17, 2014 09:00 PM)
He was Best Man at the wedding of Jack Nicholson and Sandra Knight. After their divorce, Nicholson lived for a time with Stanton.
What a really odd coincidence. I just read through and agree with all the remarks of this post, all the while thinking about some quality Stanton brought to the role that reminds me constantly of Nicholson's enigmatic Bobby Dupea in
Five Easy Pieces
. Can't name the quality, but there it is.
Beernow there's a temporary solution
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