Texas has produced more in its time beyond great BBQ, great football and cowboy lore. We take a look at some of the best pieces of film to be set in the Lone Star State in honour of the breakout hit of 2014 that is Richard Linklater’s Boyhood (filmed in Austin, pictured above); from vampires to NASA, from JFK to chainsaw wielding family treasures, here are 10 films bound to make any film buff croon “Alright, alright, alriiight”.
Boyhood (2014)
Let’s start off with the Academy Award nominated, BAFTA winning film that is finally giving Houston born director Richard Linklater the accolades and attention he’s always deserved. This is a film that had our attention on concept alone: film the same actors once a year over thirteen years to produce the ultimate coming-of-age story. There have been few films with more realism and more heart than this film, buoyed by some incredible performances from the entire cast. With the entire film shot in Texas, primarily along the Gulf Coast in Houston and around the Hill Country area featuring Austin and San Marcos – you’re going to get to experience a bit of the soul of the Lone Star State too.
Giant (1956)
Adapted from the book by Edna Ferber – this film is also one of the most iconic to capture the beauty and vibrancy of the state. Starring James Dean in a role that saw him nominated for a posthumous Oscar alongside Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and Dennis Hopper, this was the film that saw Director George Stevens take home an Oscar and remains a classic film of the American dramatic genre. The beautiful film, shot in and around Marfa, Texas, focuses on a Texan family from the 1920’s to post-World War II, detailing how discrimination and racial segregation affects their social evolution through love and the pursuit of happiness.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Tobe Hooper’s classic film for the horror movie lover kicked off one of the biggest horror movie franchises of all time, with 7 films (including the original) grossing US$235 million worldwide. Made on a tiny budget – less than $300,000 – the film became both controversial and legendary for its violence, and remains a film screened around the world to this day. The movie was primarily shot at an early 1900s farmhouse near Round Rock, Texas (outside of Austin), where the area is now a booming residential area that offers great outlet shopping and family activities, quite a departure from the darkness of “leatherface.”
Apollo 13 (1995)
Houston, we have a problem. Those famous lines have been uttered so many times since Ron Howard’s now classic film hit screens. And though we are spending much of this film in Space, it’s in Houston, Texas that we engage with the characters back on Earth as they struggle to bring their battered spaceship back to Earth safely. Naturally, visiting NASA is a popular tourist destination for those who make the journey to Houston (Find out more about that in our special article on AU Abroad), find out more here:
https://www.traveltex.com/attractions/nasa-space-center-houston
Friday Night Lights (2004)
The film based on the book (Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream) that inspired one of the best TV series of all time (we’re biased here, we won’t lie), Friday Night Lights is a perfect sports film. But it’s more than that. It’s a film about people, about family and about a Texas town whose obsession with a High School Football Team seems to define themselves. Oh and let’s not forget the incredible soundtrack from Explosions in the Sky.
Paris, Texas (1984)
Wim Wender’s Palme d’Or winning film remains one of those films on every “100 films to see before you die” list. From the opening shots of Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) wandering the Texan desert, you are transfixed. The film takes us on a journey from Texas to California and back again (culminating in an iconic scene at a bank in Houston), but it’s the iconography of Texas that sits with you throughout the film thanks to the often breathtaking cinematography from Robby Müller, while Ry Cooder’s slide guitar sits effortlessly in the background.
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Whether it’s a co-incidence or not, but the following year, we experienced a quirky journey taking us from California to Texas in the form of Tim Burton’s Directorial Debut, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, “A Story of a Rebel and His Bike” – as the tagline so simply put it. It’s a bizarre and often hilarious journey, one every film lover should enjoy. Watch this scene from the film in San Antonio and discover that “there’s no basement in the Alamo.”
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Peter Bogdanovich’s classic 1971 coming-of-age film takes us into the heartland of Texas, into a small town. The film marked the on screen debut of Cybill Shepherd, and it was the film that launched Jeff Bridges’ career. The film, on advice from Orson Wells, was shot in black and white, and Texas looks stunning in the colour scheme, emphasising the isolation of the town and making it reminiscent of other great films of the genre like Rebel Without a Cause. And it sits as well regarded alongside it today.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
While Linklater is back in the spotlight again with a coming of age film to be remembered, we cast our minds back to what could be considered the original in Dazed and Confused. We meet a young Matthew McConaughey who in the film is probably what we’d consider today to be the ultimate ‘toolie’, and a narrative which takes a group of Austin teenagers through the hectic times of high school. Keg parties, hook ups, teenage embarrassment and the desire for acceptance and respect within the ranks reign supreme in Dazed and Confused, with many scenes and quotes resonating and reaching iconic status among fans. In Dazed, Linklater showcased a quintessential American ‘party’ movie, all the while giving the viewer a wry commentary on the substance – or lack thereof – existing in the traditions which many high schools upheld and still do, in a lot of cases. McConaughey was thrust into the spotlight following his turn as Wooderson and gave us his signature “Alright, alright, alright” – that alone makes the film deserving of its place in the Texas Film Hall of Fame, right?
No Country For Old Men (2007)
In the thrilling Coen Brothers’ neo-Western escapade, we were not only given two hours of suspense-soaked action, but also what could be seen as one of the film’s scariest elements – Javier Bardem’s bowl haircut. For real. Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men as a film adaptation stays remarkably truthful to the original source material and goes to good lengths in realising the frightening aspects of Chigurh and Moss’ game of chasey from Texas through to Mexico to life on screen. The film shows Texas off circa 1980, kicking up the dust in West Taxas (around Sanderson and Marfa) and bringing forth some great drawls from the likes of Tommy Lee Jones as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, Josh Brolin as Moss and of course, Woody Harrelson as the bounty hunter Wells. Much of the fear and suspense in the film stemmed from the lack of dialogue featured, instead relying on the shots of the settings and incredible performances of the main cast – it’s a complex story but definitely one the viewer sinks their teeth into.
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With these films clearly showing off both the lighter and darker sides of Texas, we can assure you that there’s nothing to fear if you make a trip to the State yourself. For more details head to traveltex.com.
This article has been written by Sosefina Fuamoli and Larry Heath. This article has been sponsored by Texas Tourism.
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