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To paraphrase the masterful and epic "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd, Duane (Jeff Bridges) and Sonny (Timothy Bottoms), the two leads in Peter Bogdanovich's finest hour, are caught in the crossfire between childhood and stardom. Unfortunately for the duo, eminence cannot be found in small town Texas in 1951 during the baby boom generation. The protagonists must seek a joyous existence outside of the dead municipality or stay and make a go of the local picture house they have inherited from their mentor, Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson in Oscar-winning form). Girls and occasionally sports take up the rest of their spare time, but in an equally as effective manner as Larry McMurtry's adapted novel, as high school and the failing cinema draw to a natural conclusion, so too it seems do the souls of the youths.
Filmed in unusual black and white with the whispering melodies of Hank Williams as a perfect backdrop, The Last Picture Show achieves exactly what it says on the tin only with a film-worthy script - one has to remember that the 1950s were the twilight years of the Golden Age before television sets steamrolled into lounges across the globe. For small scale American settlements, picture houses were the epicentre of social life and the sole connection to urban culture. To see the building cease to operate would be the equivalent of throwing your television, telephone and internet away in the present day. Bogdanovich easily juxtaposes Sam the Lion's demise (the only self-sufficient and satisfied man in the town owns an all night café and pool hall in addition to the theatre) with the general blasé and fruitless attitude of the civic population. With no dreams worth living, and the most influential person in the town gone, sexual infidelity is the only method by which teenagers (and bored housewives) realise they are still alive. Cybill Shepherd's Jacy and her mother (played by a perfectly cast Ellen Burstyn) epitomise this monotony with almost animalistic outlooks on sex - both are the trophy females of their generation who seemingly work through all the suitable males because it's a thrill and also because it's simply the only thing to do in their tedious lives.
Ultimately, Bogdanovich's effort will be remembered for embracing the awkwardness of life. It's bittersweet and evocative, but highly authentic. The shot the director uses at the film's conclusion is the same as the beginning. The main street looks every bit as lifeless as Bogdanovich justifies it as being with the actions of his characters - it certainly isn't beyond accuracy to think of Anarene, Texas as an underdeveloped community with a film house plopped in the middle of Western civilization. According to Roger Ebert, Bogdanovich is an acolyte of Orson Welles and it's easy to see why. The whole message of the film is reminiscent of a line from Citizen Kane, "I was there before the beginning� and now, I'm here after the end." As the director makes crystal clear, nothing will come of your life if you're an Anarene native and you stay as a citizen of the necropolis.
The extras
First things first, the "Director's Cut" adds eight minutes of footage. In terms of visual quality compared to a recent black and white film like Pleasantville the picture is obviously inferior. However, Bogdanovich's baby certainly doesn't have any major problems with the anamorphic transfer and this even spreads to the documentaries which is unusual. The first is a great hour long general featurette which explores everything one would expect. The second is only about six minutes long and was produced at the time of release but is a good addition nonetheless. Bogdanovich speaks extensively in both, and in the longer documentary the director and stars like Shepherd and Bridges add comprehensive insight about certain scenes and the stressful conditions of the shoot. Friction was always present it seems with the relationship between Bogdanovich and Shepherd, small town folk getting offended, and cast problems being at the forefront. A trailer, standard filmographies and a decent little booklet round off the package but all the quality comes in the 64 minute documentary which earns the DVD three stars by itself.
The summary
Peter Bogdanovich presents a case study of small town Texas folk with an almost independent film approach. Heartfelt nuances are felt throughout in this New Hollywood stalwart featuring several recognisable names of today.
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