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Summary: One of the best pictures of all time!
Review: Only CITIZEN KANE even comes close to this
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Summary: Dying Innocence, Lost Hopes, Empty Dreams
Review: Peter Bogdanovich's examination of a small, Texas town in the middle of nowhere, where everyone knows each other, their weaknesses, their failures, and their dreams. It's a film filled with sadness, with hopelessness, and isolation. It's a film about sex, not glamroized. It's an honest film. But it also contains a sweet tenderness, hidden beneath the scorn, the sadness, and the desperation. Oscar winner Cloris Leachman shines as the widow who shares a brief love affair with the main character. The film is beautiful, with its wide shots of the open skies, shot in black and white (uncommon in 1971), an obivous homage to John Ford. But the performances of Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Bridges and the rest of the actors are so sympathetic, so tender, that it's almost impossible not to involve yourself into the lives of these people.
Rating:
Summary: Important American Film
Review: Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show is a landmark film in the history of motion picture. At the time of it's release it was declared the most important American film since Citizen Kane. The film is easily the best picture of the 1970's and features strong performances from Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepard (screen debut), and ellen Burstyn. The film focuses on the sexual and social of a small Texas town, and is a stark examination of human nature and society. Many people claimed American Beauty exposed such an element in society....I agree American Beauty was a great film- but American Beauty dosen't come close to the grace and delicacy at which Peter Bogdanovich examines similiar issues in this timeless classic.
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Summary: Stark Picture
Review: Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show is an adaptation of a Larry McMurtry novel. Much like most of Mr. McMurty's work, the film is set in Texas. The time is the mid 50's and like many towns at the time, TV was sweeping the land and fewer people were going to the movies, so the only movie theater in town is shutting down. The picture isn't built around that, but more around that the idea of a loss of a more innocent time. The film centers around Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) whose best friend is Duane (Jeff Bridges). They were the captains of the high school football team, but they have since graduated. Sonny still wears the varsity jacket as a sign that he was once something big. He ends up having an affair with the football coaches plain wife. Cloris Leachman plays the wife and she brings a sadness to the role. Sonny helps her feel young and alive, but she can never be with him. Sonny ends up falling for Duane's girlfriend Jaycee (Cybil Shepard) and Duane leaves town. Sonny & Jaycee marry, but in the end everything breaks apart. Mr. Bogdanovich filmed the movie in black and white and town is stark and dusty and we feel a sense of loss. Ben Johnson appears a the all-knowing Lion and he and Ms. Leachman won the 1971 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor & actress respectively. The Last Picture Show is difficult and depressing, but brilliantly made.
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Summary: Small-town life
Review: Set in a small town in Texas, this movie examines becoming an adult and sexual mores. The entire film is shot in black and white, which adds a kind of authenticity to it.The are great performances, early in their careers, by Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd. Shepherd's role of Jacey, the young debutante, is convincing. The expression of her face speaks volumes. Another great performance was from Cloris Leachman, whom I had always thought of as a comedic actress. There is not a lot to do in this small town, and everyone knows what everyone else is doing. There are a pool hall, a restaurant, and a theater, but there is not much else beyond that. The characters find themselves pressed against the only choices they have as they all struggle for some kind of escape. This movie is well worth watching. I would highly recommend it.
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Summary: Teenagers in the fifties
Review: Set in rural West Texas, but reflects life of American teenagers in the fifties more generally. See also American Graffitti. If you grew up in the fifties, then you may see yourself in these films! (A Kentuckian)
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Summary: You Can Smell The Dry Dusty Texas Air
Review: The Last Picture Show examines life in the small rural town of Anarene, Texas circa 1951. With such meticulous attention to detail, you would almost swear you can smell the dry dusty air, as tumble-weed blows down Main Street and Tony Bennett sings "Your Cold Cold Heart" on the juke box. With the oil boom behind them, Anarene clings to life until finally even their beloved movie house flickers for the last time. Appropriately enough, it's Howard Hawk's "Red River" that marks the end of the line as the lights go up and the doors shut for good. Peter Bogdanovich's brilliant direction earned him an Oscar nomination and he should have won it. Working with a cast of virtual new-commers, Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybil Shepred and Randy Quaide, Bogdanovich catches lightening in a jar and creates such in-depth character studies you truly feel like these are people you grew up with. So turn out the lights set up the projector and let this one roll one last time. Thank you Peter Bogdanovich for one hell of a movie!
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest films ever made
Review: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW is a perfect, if depressing, film about small-town Texas life in the 1950s. The film combines some of the most intersting characters ever put on screen (masterfully created by writer Larry McMurtry) with an amazing film technique from director Peter Bogdanovich, with superb performances from such actors as Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman and several others. This film operates at many different levels, both figuratively and literally (observe the infinite depth-of-field sharpness to the black-and-white film, reminiscent of Orson Wells' CITIZEN KANE). It is truly one of the most important, and perfect, films ever made.
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Summary: The Show Isn't Over Yet
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great presentation of the 1951 era and a dying lifestyle.
Review: The picture presented a microcosim of life's problems and situations of a dying community and each player's relationship with each other and community. The picture presented each player's life situation, how they were coping with it and each other. What was going on in the foreground was great; what was going on in the background - desolate scenery, long and short range shots. The music was from the era and was worked in naturally into the background!! This movie depicted the era.
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