The Last Picture Show

[Moderate Spoilers] If you love great movies, whether or not you can relate to small-town life, "The Last Picture Show" (TLPS) should be next on your list. While most people would simply say "great movie" about a film they loved and be done with it (LOL), my review is rather lengthy, I feel, to justify my neverending praise and adoration of TLPS. We were assigned to read Larry McMurtry's book TLPS in my Humanities class in high school, and little did I know then that the movie version would be such an enduring masterpiece of cinema. Admittedly, I may be a little biased about TLPS because I've lived in Texas my whole life and recently moved from a one-stoplight town much like the fictional "Anarene" in the film (in reality, TLPS was filmed in Archer City, Texas), and because the film is decidedly from a male point of view, albeit a sometimes hormone-driven male point of view (probably what keeps some women from being fans of the film). But TLPS, intentionally filmed in black and white (for dramatic effect, in the same way that black-and-white filters are used for color pictures today, so please don't judge by appearances), has proven to be my co-favorite movie of all time, having seen it now over 50 times, a co-favorite with 1983's "Terms of Endearment," which is universally regarded as a "chick flick," though not necessarily accurately, so the two films are like polar opposites. Interestingly, however, both movies are based on Larry McMurtry novels, and I can't decide which is at the top of my list (please see my Amazon review of "Terms of Endearment" from January 2014), but TLPS more than deserves that spot. I've never seen a film in which I cared about the truly memorable characters more than I do in TLPS, even now, over 40 years after its release, as compared to other films in which you forget about the characters not long after the credits roll, even though in TLPS you're apparently considered over the hill when you hit 40, which is a good example of how the film didn't forget to include a little humor. And the high-school-sports-obsessed atmosphere in small-town Texas, especially football, is dead-on! In fact, in an opening scene, everybody in town seems to know that "Sonny" and "Duane" lost a big football game for lack of tackling skills and aren't afraid to tell them, in person, with seemingly half the town having placed wagers on the game (and some being smart enough to bet against them). Plus, there's an abundance of personally relatable subjects in the film: Sharing a truck growing up (me and my little brother did the same, like the characters of Sonny and Duane); the peanut brittle from the pool hall (a gas station/pool hall near my Grandma's house had the same); water tanks that probably only have turtles (little-to-no fish to be caught); self-rolled cigarettes (my Grandpa's favorite); etc. Of course, no film is perfect, so, first, let me mention its minor imperfections. Cybill Shepherd (TV's "Moonlighting"), as "Jacy Farrow," is respectably good, considering it was her film debut, but it's obvious in certain scenes that there was room for improvement and that she was learning as she went along (she would, indeed, learn from her experience and impressively hone her skills, being a future Golden Globe winner and 3-time Emmy nominee, proving her talent was untapped but real). Along the same lines, a young Timothy Bottoms as "Sonny Crawford" and Randy Quaid ("Vacation," "Christmas Vacation," "Brokeback Mountain") as "Lester Marlow" were still acting pupils. In fact, Bottoms apparently couldn't muster up his own tears in a couple of teary-eyed scenes (appearing to have those artificial movie tears), but, then again, he compensated very impressively by being so believable, heartfelt, and even humorous in other scenes. For example, in a very genuine and fitting scene, after Sonny's secret affair, he drives out into the countryside, alone, relaxes against the truck that he shares with Duane, eats a peanut brittle, and gazes at the stars, pondering the rights of manhood. Later, Sonny lovingly, and sadly, while riding in the car with his high school friends, gives the town a once-over out the car window as a passenger, including exterior shots of the pool hall and seeing "Genevieve" working through the Diner windows (trying to pay off all those doctor bills) and, of course, "Mrs. Mosely" in the box office at the Picture Show (who barely has the know-how to run the popcorn machine, bless her heart), an extremely poignant moment in the film, because we've already begun to care about their welfare. Later, when Jacy and Sonny are pulled over on the highway and the cop asks them to follow him, Sonny says, "How can you arrest us just like 'at?" with a one-in-a-million twang! I love Bottoms' perfect delivery of this unintentionally funny line! And as we near the end of the film, Sonny remorsefully looks at "Coach Popper" alongside the football field as the next football season starts, perhaps finally understanding the repercussions of his actions, followed by everyone singing the school song, yet another nostalgic-feeling and very moving moment. And Bottoms saves his best for last with his tearjerking line, "He was sweepin', you sons of bitches. He was sweepin'!" No matter how many times I've seen the film, this line gets me every time, straight to the heart. And, by the way, that's Bottoms' real-life little brother, the late Sam Bottoms, convincingly playing innocent "Billy," the mute street sweeper. Also, the performance of Clu Galager ("Abilene") is fine though unspectacular, and watch for John Hillerman of TV's "Magnum P.I." as the teacher. Moreover, not all Texans speak with the sometimes exaggerated twang depicted in the film, of course, and not all of us know folks with middle names like "Bob" or "Sue." These imperfections (though in themselves may parallel our own lives), however, were more than counterbalanced by the rest of the formidable cast, including a young Jeff Bridges as "Duane Jackson" ("Crazy Heart," "The Big Lebowski," "True Grit" remake), a future Oscar Winner and the best of the younger actors in the film (even garnering a Supporting Actor nomination), as well as the consummate and seasoned professional talents of future Oscar Winner Ellen Burstyn as "Lois Farrow" ("Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "The Exorcist," "Requiem for a Dream"), future Emmy winner Eileen Brennan as "Genevieve," Ben Johnson as "Sam the Lion," and Cloris Leachman as "Ruth Popper" (TV's "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Raising Hope"). And, again, the characters were so well defined and well established that they endured way beyond the movie's run time; you sincerely cared about their well-being, felt for them in their sorrow, and hoped right along with them for the realization of their dreams. Amid moderate controversy and whispering among the public, TLPS still managed a very impressive eight Oscar Nominations, including Best Picture, winning two, with Johnson and Leachman each winning in their supporting roles. It's impossible not to love Sam the Lion, who's like a surrogate Grandpa to everyone in Anarene, like your Dad, brother, uncle, or best friend. Sam also tells it like it is, i.e., when Sonny, Billy, and Sam are at the tank that seems to have only turtles, Sonny asks Sam, "Is being married always so miserable?" Sam responds, "No, not really...about 80% of the time, I guess." Funniest line in the film! The viewer is also reminded how much Sam the Lion really cares for Sonny and Duane as they leave for Mexico, giving them spending money, an affectionate gaze, and a loving wave goodbye. As for Leachman, interestingly, her kitchen scene with Sonny that ends the film (which probably swayed more Academy voters in her favor over co-star Burstyn, also nominated as Best Supporting Actress) was reportedly done on the first and only take, after director Peter Bogdanovich, perfectly satisfied, refused to let her do more takes, frustrating Leachman at the time, though I'm sure all was forgiven on Oscar night. But Burstyn and Brennan were just as deserving, especially Burstyn, who shadowed Leachman's brilliance, scene for scene. In what would've been just a mediocre scene in another film, Burstyn is so devoted and true in her role when, while in Jacy's room, Lois asks her daughter if she can spray herself with a little of Jacy's perfume. Jacy approves but is surprised, knowing her Mom has some of her own perfume a couple of rooms away. Lois agrees but explains that she wanted to smell pretty "right now," and when Lois asks Jacy, "Don't you ever feel like doing anything 'right now'?," I think a lot of viewers knew exactly what she meant (to live in the moment), a subtle yet deep meaning. Burstyn's skills are also in full display in the scene at the Christmas dance when Lois way too nonchalantly (and without hesitation) plants one on Abilene's lips (who works for her husband), right in front of everyone, infuriating Abilene's girlfriend, who says, "What do you mean kissing him like that? I oughta slap your face," to which Lois, completely unaffected, again without the slightest bit of hesitation, retorts, "Well, why don't you just kiss my ass?" It was a very confident scene that probably didn't win her a lot of female fans, as the tart cheating on her husband, seemingly without a conscience, but it proved Burstyn did her homework for the role, and she played Lois to the hilt. And whether or not Lois' Texas twang was geographically accurate, it was unwavering (Burstyn would later get her own very-much-deserved Oscar, even one-upping Leachman's Supporting Actress Oscar by winning Best Actress for 1975's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"). The film also received some undeserved criticism (and still does) for being too frank in its portrayal of intimate relationships and the morality thereof, and while it may not be an accurate representation of Everytown, USA (what film is?), TLPS boldly went where few movies had gone before, a perspective that safer movies would shy away from. Whether or not they're virtuous, these relationships exist, and TLPS was not afraid to say so. The viewer simply sees what's usually behind closed doors. In fact, most of the nudity in the film is at the swimming party attended by Jacy and Lester and otherwise has been exaggerated, with technically no other main cast member doing full nudity. Also, Bogdanovich didn't want to "prettify" the film by using color, and he succeeded; it's not pretty. But there are beautiful diamonds in the rough of this extraordinary film: Sonny and Duane's friendship and big confrontation later over maneater Jacy; Duane's unrequited love for Jacy; Sonny's longing for affection of his own wherever he can get it; Ruth's dilemna (her loneliness and mysterious medical problems); Billy's sacred innocence and the affectionate re-positioning of his baseball cap by his loved ones throughout the film; and Sam the Lion having transferred the love of his own deceased sons to Duane and Sonny. What is the fate of Anarene and its residents as we hear that north Texas wind blow, at both the beginning and the end of the film, just outside the Picture Show? --F.G. [Personal comment about the so-called Director's Cut of TLPS: I'm not a fan of consumers being forced to purchase so-called director's cuts of films after the fact simply because the director feels his/her particular cut of the film is the best, even though consumers may love the film as it is/was (the version the consumers are used to), as is the case for the most recent version of TLPS, a Director's Cut that basically includes a racier scene at the pool hall and other unnecessary additions that are not beneficial to a film that's already 2 hours long (most viewers' limit) and only lend towards its inaccurate reputation of being too risque. The answer here would be to either give the consumer the option of watching the extra, originally deleted scenes separately or having two versions of the film as an option, the original and the Director's Cut, not ONLY the Director's Cut.]

The Last Picture Show is one of the best films that I have ever seen. When it first premired in 1971, it garnered both praise and critism, mainly because of the sexual content in it's stories. But don't stress about that, it's really nothing bad at all, especially for today's standards(nothing close to Monster's Ball), remember The Graduate caused an explosion too in 1967. Adapted from the Novel by Larry McMurty(Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment)and directed to PERFECTION by Peter Bogdanovich, the takes place in fall 1951-fall 1952 in the dying, small town of Anarene, Texas. It includes some of the best characters in a film ever, and the acting by all is simply EXQUISITE. The film mainly follows two best friends, Sonny(Timothy Bottoms) and Duane(Jeff Bridges-in a supporting actor academy award nominated role),in their senior year in high school. Both are begining to get to a time of change and crossroads in their lives. Duane's girlfriend Jacy(Cybill Shepherd-in her wonderful film debut) is the girl who both boys have their eyes on. While Jacy is taken, Sonny starts an affair with the coach's wife(Cloris Leachman-Best Supporting Actress Academy Award), this gets the story rolling. The three women in this film are simply magnificent. Ellen Burstyn was, in a word, wonderful & she was my favorite character, and garnered a Supporting Actress Nomination(she won Best Actress in 1974). Cloris Leachman beat her out for the Oscar that year. Her character changes so much from being meek and quite, to being filled with joy, to being full of anger & in the final moment's of the movie she shows why she has that Oscar. Eileen Brennam is superb as Genevieve the waitress, she serves as a mother-figure for Sonny, and is tough-talking but sincere. One of the Most Memorable roles in the Film is that of Sam the Lion(Ben Johnson),the all-knowing wise man, who owns the picture show. THe scene by the Lake is Classic. THis role won him the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. The film is shot in black-and-white, which adds to the feeling of depression and gives the lonely dying feeling that the town evokes. The music is true to the time, and is also part of the movie. It only comes from a radio or record player, no background music. People with "country" roots will especially like this one as will those who like to study films, this one is one of the most importants of all time. It was also nominated for Best Picture, director, and Adapted-screen play too(8 nominations in all). Check it out, it's important and entertaining.

Criterion collection, esta esperando algo que no se que es, para incluirla en su colección, por mientras disfrutemos esta gran película en DVD, trae documental que vale verlo. nuevamente actores de Hollywood jóvenes, demostrando de que están hechos, insólita película, para su época, y además filmada en un pueblo quieto en USA. Amo esta película, básica para coleccionistas. mientras esperamos la edición de Critterion Collection

Yes, it arrived on time. Yes, it was in perfect condition. The film itself I ordered sight unseen based on what I had read. It stays with you long after you’ve watched it.

This is one of my favourite movies. The DVD arrived on time and in great condition. It was a very good transaction.

Unique film, great imagery, well acted. Bonus material offered a unique perspective on the selection of actors and inspiration for making the film. Worth watching multiple times.

Very good movie