Harry Dean Stanton: Five Films for Newcomers
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Today Harry Dean Stanton would have turned ninety-seven years old. We lost him six years ago at the age of ninety-one, yet it still feels like we lost him far too soon. He was the kind of actor that somehow channelled the embodiment of the quiet, lone soul: the kind we have come across numerous times in our life. At the same time, Harry Dean Stanton was never boring. He would be quiet or passive but he was always magnetic. It’s the kind of talent which often gets overlooked, but it felt impossible when he was on screen because he somehow tapped into the hearts and souls of every viewer without ever feeling like he was vying to do so. He was a natural, raw gift to acting who never got as many flowers as he deserved; his passing was a major shockwave, proving how much he meant to millions of film lovers. In case you’re only getting familiar with his works now, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a trip down memory lane with an old friend. Here are five films for newcomers to the works of Harry Dean Stanton.
5. Alien
In a film like Alien, you’ll have several major people that stand out in their own ways. It was also a nice introduction to Harry Dean Stanton, who had been acting for decades by this point but was about to experience a breakthrough with the masses outside of the works he was already partaking in. Alien comprised of a handful of idiosyncratic figures that were susceptible to being slaughtered by the titular being, and Harry Dean Stanton felt a bit more like the everyday person — as a blue-collared technician — being stuck in a shuttle amongst the stars: he represented a majority of viewers should they find themselves alongside scientists, military personnel, and navigators, all waiting to die. His ability to ground the story and make it applicable to many added to the horror here.
4. Pretty in Pink
I’ll go on record with this take: Harry Dean Stanton delivers my favourite performance in any John Hughes film. Ever. His part is small, but his work as father Jack Walsh (who is protective of daughter Andie, played by Molly Ringwald) is so real and pure that it feels like I am watching my own dad on screen. There’s one sequence where he confides in Andie and his purity breaks my heart. I feel like Hughes’ works lost their sense of reality when the late eighties came and went, but there was a time when they represented the misfits or outcasts of everyday life; Harry Dean Stanton captures the inner thoughts of lonely, struggling parents that feel like society has abandoned them, and it’s truly something magnificent and tender to see.
3. Repo Man
I regretfully don’t have a single David Lynch role on this list (I’m trying to stick to just including films here so his beautiful work in Twin Peaks: The Return doesn’t apply, and I don’t think any of his roles in Lynch’s major motion pictures are large enough for such a list, but I implore you to check out these films as well). However, we cannot completely write off Harry Dean Stanton’s ability to work within bizarre universes as well. Enter Alex Cox’s cult classic Repo Man with the character Bud (played by Stanton) that kind of acts like the fixture of reality for viewers to cling onto in an anarchistic, punk world. Somehow, Stanton’s presence in these kinds of films either adds to their quirkiness (he did have a lovely side of peculiarity when he so desired) or reminds us of what normalcy feels like within these unusual stories.
2. Lucky
It goes without saying that this film is here because it feels so appropriate when considering Harry Dean Stanton in hindsight. One of his final works is John Carroll Lynch’s Lucky: an existential drama about the awareness of one’s mortality. It almost feels like an intentional sendoff for the loving actor, considering that the film came out literally months before he passed and is contextually so relevant. It’s also a nice opportunity to see Stanton in a starring role in a film that does rely solely on him: he sadly didn’t get these opportunities too often, but the rare times where he is front and centre are all blessings of cinema. On that note…
1. Paris, Texas
No other film could be in this top spot outside of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas. The role of Travis Henderson feels like it was written specifically for Harry Dean Stanton and no one else could play him. At least a third of the performance features Travis mutely facing his life with extreme dread and a lack of visible emotions. So many other stars would have come off as wooden or boring. Stanton is exhilarating even when in complete silence. As Travis conjures up the confidence to become an existing human again — and face his biggest fears — Stanton becomes a living poem of a person: a tortured soul that must make amends to cure his depression and hurt. By the end of Paris, Texas, the once-silent Travis winds up delivering one of the most heartbreaking monologues in all of cinema, and this gradual transition is entirely believable because of how palpable Harry Dean Stanton is as a thespian. He never needs to yell, shout, or act animated. He just exists, and you believe every minute of it. Paris, Texas is a must-watch film in general, but especially when you want to see how great of an actor Harry Dean Stanton truly is.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.