The Last Picture Show (Definitive Director's Cut Special Edition)

Starring:Sam Bottoms, Timothy Bottoms, Eileen Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Gary Brockette, Ellen Burstyn, Loyd Catlett, Barc Doyle, Jessie Lee Fulton, Robert Glenn, Clu Gulager, Joe Heathcock, Helena Humann, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Randy Quaid, Cybill Shepherd, Bill Thurman, Sharon Ullrick
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

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Like Easy Rider, Bonnie and Clyde, The Wild Bunch, and The Graduate, The Last Picture Show is one of the signature films of the "New Hollywood" that emerged in the late 1960s and early '70s. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry and lovingly directed by Peter Bogdanovich (who cowrote the script with McMurtry), this 1971 drama has been interpreted as an affectionate tribute to classic Hollywood filmmaking and the great directors (such as John Ford) that Bogdanovich so deeply admired. It's also a eulogy for lost innocence and small-town life, so accurately rendered that critic Roger Ebert called it "the best film of 1951," referring to the movie's one-year time frame, its black-and-white cinematography (by Robert Surtees), and its sparse but evocative visual style. The story is set in the tiny, dying town of Anarene, Texas, where the main-street movie house is about to close for good, and where a pair of high-school football players are coming of age and struggling to define their uncertain futures. There's little to do in Anarene, and while Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) engages in a passionless fling with his football coach's wife (Cloris Leachman), his best friend Duane (Jeff Bridges) enlists for service in the Korean War. Both boys fall for a manipulative high-school beauty (Cybill Shepherd) who's well aware of her sexual allure. But it's not so much what happens in The Last Picture show as how it happens--and how Bogdanovich and his excellent cast so effectively capture the melancholy mood of a ghost town in the making. As Hank Williams sings on the film's evocative soundtrack, The Last Picture Show looks, feels, and sounds like a sad but unforgettably precious moment out of time. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

It has aged well.......2007-06-30

Nobody needs more superlatives about this movie. All I can add is it remains one of the definitive movies about the teenage experience, even after almost 40 years, and does not appear the least bit dated. Just as important, it isn't easy to categorize simply as a "Coming of Age movie" since it deals just as relevantly with the issues of having one's best years behind oneself (Sam the Lion, and by extension, the town itself) not to mention the struggles of being trapped in a loveless marriage (Ruth Popper & Lois Farrow being two strikingly different sides of the same coin). It continues to strike a chord on multiple levels.

A true classic, made all the more remarkable by the fact that Bogdanovich made perhaps two more movies after this which were remotely worth a damn. But I guess having one classic to one's credit should be enough.

The death of innocence in 1950's Texas.......2007-05-21

The Last Picture Show is a film adaptation by Peter Bogdanovich of Larry McMurtry's novel of the same name. The two-hour film follows Texas high school seniors as they graduate and move on to military service, college, or get stuck in the soon-to-be ghost town of Anarene. Anarene is an actual ghost town in Texas, but the movie was filmed 8 miles to the north, in McMurtry's hometown of Archer City, which was fictionalized as Thalia in his 1966 novel. The setting is evocative of many American small towns in the dust bowl during the Korean War. In fact, Bogdanovich chose the name Anarene for his film version to pay homage to Howard Hawks' 1948 Red River, set in Abilene, Kansas.

You can taste the dust and desolation as you view The Last Picture Show. Two high school seniors (Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms) lust after the teenage temptress (Cybill Shepherd) and get advice from the old-time owner of the town's movie theater. The young generation of Anarene residents is confused about their future and jockeying for position in the social strata, while the older generation feels the desperation of life in a dying one-horse town. Reportedly, Orson Wells recommended that the movie be shot in black & white, and I can't imagine it any other way. As a younger viewer, I was surprised by the amount of full-frontal nudity and sexual scenarios in a film nominated for eight Academy Awards. It gives me hope to know that American cinema wasn't always as prudish as it has been in the recent past.

Well made film but................ .......2007-05-20

Although this film is top notch in most respects it left me too sad and depressed to want to give it the full five star rating. The filmmakers certainly do an excellent job of portraying small town North Texas ( the Wichita Falls area is just below Oklahoma) life from the adults who obsess about the teenagers' football playing abilities to the petty cruelties and intrigues spawned by wind swept boredom. The actors are all well cast and bring their characters to life though I'll admit I was a little confused at first as to the family connections or lack there of for Duane, Billy, Sonny and Sam the Lion. It amazes me that when the film was released in 1971 it was portraying events that had happened only nineteen years previously (in 1952) since it seemed at the time it debuted it was all ready considered a movie about long gone days. One note it definitely does deserve the R rating.

Do your self a favour - Check this out.......2007-05-08

Having just seen this film for the first time what can I say, I'm totally
totally blown away. I won't bother going into any details as the reviews below heap more than enough superlatives on this little beauty. The pity is that in Australia this film is unknown, certainly no one I know has heard of it, and I only became curious when I saw it featured on a Doco of 70's movies. One of those rare movies where all the elements of the film making craft stand out brilliantly. Sure don't make 'em like they used to.

One of the Best Movies of All Time.......2007-03-11

When "The Last Picture Show" was first released, it was hailed as one of the best debut films by an American director since "Citizen Kane." Odd, since "Citizen Kane" is #1 on The American Film Institute's Top 100 list and "The Last Picture Show" is nowhere to be found. Since it is in the 400 nominees for the 10th anniversary edition of that list, maybe it will make it this time. It certainly deserves to. The film is based on a novel by Oscar winner Larry McMurtry (Best Adapted Screenplay, 'Brokeback Mountain') and is written by McMurtry and director Peter Bogdanovich. The movie takes place in a small, desolate Texas town where the only thing to do is go to school, play sports, and see a movie. No one knows this better than Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and his friends. Sonny is a typical high school senior. He hangs out with his friends, usually Duane (Jeff Bridges), chills with his girlfriend, and worries about his future. Especially since almost no one in the town has much of a future. Bogdanovich hammers this message down, mostly with the black & white cinematography. Despite having a crush on Duane's slutty girlfriend Jacy (Cybill Shepherd), Sonny begins having an affair with his football coach's wife Ruth (Cloris Leachman, who deservedly won an Oscar her role). Probably the most memorable character in the film is Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson, who also won an Oscar for his role) the man who owns the movie theatre, the diner, and pool hall frequented by almost everyone in the town. Sam also, for the most part, acts as the moral conscience of the town. The character is given some of the best dialogue. The performances in this film are all so good. You can not imagine one other person playing the roles in the film. One thing I kept noticing while watching the film is how hot Cybill Shepherd was back in the day. "The Last Picture Show" is a masterpiece of cinema that deserves a lot more props for how good it is. It's regarded as a classic, but isn't a solidified one. The movie does everything so well to illustrate its story and the desperation of all the characters to get away. From the black & white atmosphere to the dull-ness of everything. Not a single scene in the film seems forced or un-needed (although it could be argued the film has gratuitous nudity, but who cares?). If you haven't seen "The Last Picture Show" you should, because it's a great film and it's very memorable, you won't regret watching it.

GRADE: A

Charlie Rose with Jeff Bridges; Alan Rickman (August 27, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Jeff Bridges; Alan Rickman (August 27, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Charlie Rose with Alan Rickman; Stephen L. Carter (June 7, 2002)
Looking For My Brother
An Awfully Big Adventure
Blow Dry
The Return of the Native (Cover to Cover Classics)

ASIN: B000HBL4E8
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

First, an interview with actor Jeff Bridges about his recent role in the movie K-PAX and his film career. Then, actor Alan Rickman talks about his leading role in the Tony-nominated revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives on Broadway and his career on stage and screen.

Average customer rating:

It has aged well
The death of innocence in 1950's Texas
Well made film but................
Do your self a favour - Check this out
One of the Best Movies of All Time

The Last Picture Show [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Texasville
Paper Moon
Hud
Five Easy Pieces
Nashville

ASIN: B00005N52P

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Customer Reviews:

It has aged well.......2007-06-30

The death of innocence in 1950's Texas.......2007-05-21

Well made film but................ .......2007-05-20

Do your self a favour - Check this out.......2007-05-08

One of the Best Movies of All Time.......2007-03-11

Charlie Rose with Peter Bogdanovich; Spike Lee (April 19, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Peter Bogdanovich; Spike Lee (April 19, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

Charlie conducts an interview with actor/film director Peter Bogdanovich on his personal life, work as a film critic, and recurring role in the television series The Sopranos. Also, filmmaker Spike Lee discusses his documentary on the life of former football player and activist Jim Brown, Jim Brown: All-American.