The Last Picture Show

 

The Last Picture Show

Moviedrome Introduction

Film Details

Release Date: 1971

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

Stars:

Timothy Bottoms as Sonny Crawford

Jeff Bridges as Duane Jackson

Cybill Shepherd as Jacy Farrow

Cloris Leachman as Ruth Popper

Ben Johnson as Sam the Lion:

Plot Summary: 

The story unfolds in the town of Anarene, where the local movie theater, the Royal, is about to close down. The film follows the lives of two high school friends, Sonny Crawford (played by Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (played by Jeff Bridges), and their experiences during their senior year.

As the town faces economic decline and cultural changes, the characters grapple with their own personal struggles. Sonny becomes involved in a complex romantic entanglement with his football coach's wife, Ruth Popper (played by Cloris Leachman), while Duane pursues a relationship with Jacy Farrow (played by Cybill Shepherd), a beautiful but promiscuous girl.

The film explores themes of friendship, love, and loss against the backdrop of a community in decline. The characters confront the harsh realities of adulthood, and the closing of the town's movie theater symbolizes the end of an era for the characters and the community.

Personal History

This is a film that I have been aware of, and dismissed as being "retro". Needed a project like this to convince me to watch it. Sometimes, you just need a gentle nudge.

Current Review

A film of firsts. First Moviedrome to have the same actor, Jeff Bridges. First Moviedrome with sex.

To give you a clue to the complexity of this film, the podcast I found discussing it (excellently) runs almost to the length of the feature.

I'd skip this if you've not seen the film. Hard to discuss without spoilers.

This is a coming of age film, set in a small town American town that is slowly dying.

The three kids, Sonny, Duane and Jacy are doing what kids do. Wondering about their futures, trying to lose their virginity and trying not to be bored.

The kids are alright

This is marvelously juxtaposed against the older generation, who have only managed to complete one of these three challenges.  

Let's try and give an overview of these complex characters;

Jacy's Mom - A beauty that married into money and spends her days drinking, watching TV next to her sleeping husband and having affairs.

The Coaches Wife - and my favourite character. Its insinuated and hinted in the book that the coach is gay.  She has some sort of illness (my guess terminal) and Sonny strikes up a purely sexual relationship (from his side) with her. She transforms through the film and delivers a superbly heartfelt, single take monologue in the final frames. A nice touch that the coaches teams - basketball and football - are getting trounced in every game.

Sam the Lion - the only "famous" actor at the time the film was made, a veteran of classic westerns.  The beating heart of the film and owner of the pool hall, bar and cinema. He has is own largely unexplained history - first detailing to the kids he went through similar experiences.  Right down to the skinny dipping. More mysterious is his legacy, he leaves the pool hall to Sonny (trapping him in the town for life?) and $1000 dollars to the religious kid who may, or may not be a peado.

Sonny and Duane are stock characters - fighting, drinking and driving cars of various degrees of quality. Sonny does have a meeting with his father at a party and it leads to the most awkward and authentic conversation in movie history. They have little to say to each other and again, no explanation is provided.

Jacy, the films most complex character. Played by Cybil Shepherd who had no acting experience but was a model. She has such dubious but human morals. She leaves Duane to go skinny dipping with rich kids, brokered by the most nerdish Randy Quaid. She decides its time to lose her virginity but puts no effort in and simply berates Duane when it unsurprisingly goes wrong. I must have been watching the Directors Cut, as in my version she goes off with her mom's lover, whilst bored watching TV.  Finally, she tricks Sonny into eloping to getting married.

Other things of note;

Cinema vs. Television - The cinema is showing the glory days of America. Check out the good feeling of the final picture - Red River - with Texan sing songs and yelling. The television is on in the background whenever something boring or bad is happening to characters. Usually TV programs like "Strike it rich". More irony, as the only work in town is on the speculative oil wells.

The sex is presented in a totally non hollywood style, in all its awkwardness and fumbling. Sonny kisses his girlfriend in the cinema, whilst looking at Elizabeth Taylor on screen. They move on to the car, where she simply takes off her top and hangs her bra on the interior mirror. Cue awkward fumblings. Jacy does a very unsexy removal of her clothes at the skinny dipping scene, in front of naked but very non hollywood body actors. The coaches wife looks like she is getting a quote for a new carpet during the first business-like transaction with Sonny.

There's a lot of sex in the film but no one would ever accuse this as being erotic or tittilating.

Is it a good film?

Of course, and a good cult film that would benefit from multiple viewings. Its not always entertaining and demands full concentration, that today's generation cannot give anything.

Quirky Facts 

• The podcast detailed that the film was a joint effort between the director, Bogdanovich, and his wife.  Mother of his children. Bridges and Shepherd were in a brief relationship until Bridges, until he had to temporarily leave the set for military service. There must have been quite some tension when Bogdanovich and Shepherd started an onset affair, that the world knew about.
• 8 Academy Award nominations and 2 Oscars for best supporting actor/actress.  Congrats Sam the Lion and Coaches Wife. 

Quotes

• "You boys been doing a whole lot of complainin' about this town. You don't like it. You don't have to stay. Got a train and a bus goes ever' day." - Sam the Lion
• Conversation between Jack and her mom;
• Jacy Farrow: Well you married Daddy when he was poor and he got rich, didn't he?
• Lois Farrow: Scared your daddy into getting rich, beautiful.
• Jacy Farrow: Well if Daddy could do it, Duane could too.
• Lois Farrow: Not married to you. You're not scary enough.
• Telephone Conversation between Lois Farrow and her lover, Abilene
• Abilene: Hello.
• Lois Farrow: Abilene, you asleep?
• Abilene: No.
• Lois Farrow: You like company?
• Abilene: Well, I thought I'd drive out, see how my well was coming.
• Lois Farrow: Drill hard. You're better at oil wells anyway.

Sustenance

The only (decent) American beer in Tescos.

I need to get an American Variety Pack

Future Inspiration 

Three obvious ones;

The music of Hank Williams runs throughout the film. I know The The's Matt Johnson did a cover version, which may be more accessible than Hank's caterwauling.

There is a sequel - Texasville - with much the same cast and director. Set 33 years on, this is a must watch to see what happened to the next generation.

Both the Last Picture Show and Texasville are written by the same author, Larry McMurtry, The film is so complex, the book deserves consideration.