Peter Bogdanovich had been a struggling actor and sometime director before he was given his big break, with the screen adaption of Larry McMurtry's novel The Last Picture Show. Set in a dusty West Texas small town, circa 1950, the film drew critical acclaim that Bogdanovich would be unable to find with his later films.
While the film was anchored with performances from Hollywood veterans, most of the screen time was given to the young and formerly obscure leads.
Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges) are high school seniors with unpromising futures. They vie for the fickle attentions of rich girl Jacy (Cybill Shepherd, making her film debut).
Sonny is the more reflective young man. He takes pity on Ruth (Cloris Leachman), the lonely wife of his high school coach. Sonny also spends time with Sam (Ben Johnson), the middle aged man who owns three of the dying town's remaining businesses. Sonny and Sam look out for Billy (Timothy's brother Sam Bottoms), a mute, mildly retarded teenager with a penchant for sweeping. Randy Quaid has a minor role in his screen debut, seemingly already typecast as a goony comic relief character.
The soundtrack makes frequent use of Hank Williams country classics, which are mostly angry and mournful lamentations of unrequited love. This parallels the useless attempts by Sonny and Duane of having a meaningful relationship with Jacy, who only uses them to fulfill her need for life experiences.
On imdb.com, the user ratings for all age groups show that men think more highly of the film than do women. The gender discrepancy may be due to Shepherd's manipulative, flirtatious character. No doubt many observers have wanted to give Jacy a good spanking, but with varying motives. Curiously, everyone in the film gives Jacy a free pass to behave as she pleases. Her parents are certain to rescue her, should she go too far astray. And she knows it.
The Last Picture Show was given eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography (Robert Surtees). Johnson, Leachman, Bridges and Ellen Burstyn were nominated for supporting acting Oscars. Age triumphed over youth, with Johnson and Leachman winning.
Bogdanovich's success continued with two films starring Ryan O'Neal, What's Up Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973). The latter is Bogdanovich's best film. Like The Last Picture Show, it was filmed in black and white and had a nostalgic setting. However, the characters were deeper, more sympathetic, and had less random relationships.
Bogdanovich married Cybill Shepherd in 1973. He then tried to promote her career with two flops, Daisy Miller (1974) and At Long Last Love (1975). They divorced, and his career slid further after the box office disaster Nickolodeon (1976). Although he still finds work, the only subsequent hit for Bogdanovich was Mask (1985).
Texasville (1990) was a belated sequel to the The Last Picture Show. The principal cast was reunited with Bogdanovich, and Larry McMurtry again supplied the source novel. However, the unfocused film drew a tepid response from both critics and the viewing public. (71/100)
The lives of high-schoolers, a debutante and others overlap in a dying 1950s Texas town. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Best supporting Oscars for Clo...More at HotMovieSale.com
Released in 1971 to critical acclaim and public controversy, The Last Picture Show garnered eight Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) a...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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