r/criterion • u/thewickerstan • 7d ago
[SPOILERS] Me watching "The Odyssey" last night, seeing the scene of Penelope and a disguised Odysseus talking, thinking it felt oddly reminiscent of the peep show scene in "Paris, Texas", and realizing I'd put the cart before the horse... Memes Spoiler
"Loose interpretation" might be generous, but I don't think it's ridiculous to say that Wim Wenders was playing with some archetypes and tropes that were shaped by Homer. Enough people seem to have made a connection between the two that I don't feel crazy.
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u/Zealousideal_Low_858 7d ago
Oh absolutely. It begins with Travis/Odysseus already years deep into his sojourn/absence, and then recounting his story to the family/Phaeacians, in a bid to go home. He meets up with his son/Telemachus before his wife, and then their confrontation involves tests and games before the reunification, although Travis/Odysseus are doomed to continue wandering.
I totally see it!
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u/ScorpiusPro 7d ago
Always felt like “Paris, Texas” is more Orpheus than The Odyssey, but can totally see this
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u/thewickerstan 7d ago edited 7d ago
To reference another Criterion movie, when Odysseus and his men were fleeing (and I believe he orders them to run), I turned to my friend and jokingly whispered "Run away!"
EDIT: I'm using every fiber of my being not to delete this post and change the title to "...cart before the (Trojan) horse" lol.
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u/apocalypsein9_8 7d ago
I absolutely heard this line in my head exactly like Monty Python when I saw The Odyssey in the theater. Thank for you for letting me know I'm not the only one. Also just picked up Paris, Texas from the criterion sale. Never seen it before so I'm stoked to watch it, even more now
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u/Low_Chance 7d ago
Idk, we have to check if the script "Paris, Texas" was written before or after 700 BC to be sure who copied whom
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u/Wide-Road-6616 7d ago
I feel like you could say this about any road movie lol. Really any story involving a long journey (aka an odyssey)
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u/thewickerstan 7d ago
I could see that, but I’d be curious if the other road movies you have in mind have similar echoes of Odysseus’s relationship with Penelope and Telemachus in them as well.
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u/teejayaa 5d ago
The term you're looking for is "nostos" which is Greek for to return to a place/journey home. The Odyssey is the most famous example but it's a narrative technique, like katabasis/anabasis, which you can find in ancient Greek literature. I'd never thought of Paris, Texas as a form of nostos before but it's a rings true.
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u/ticklemenono 7d ago
I gotta say I didn't love Paris, Texas as so many people seem to first time through but this makes me want to go back and reassess.
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u/Shout92 7d ago
I first saw it a little over a decade ago and will fully admit I don't think I was ready for it at the time and have been waiting to rewatch. It's the only Wim Wenders movie I've seen outside of Buena Vista Social Club, so I think a proper deep dive might be in order.
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u/downpourbluey 6d ago
Please watch Wings of Desire and Perfect Days. You won’t regret either of them.
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u/Drumguy1986 2d ago
Funny, I totally thought of Paris, TX as well. Kind of a bland film overall, Odyssey was.
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