The last film you ever need to see...
Added 10/20/2009
Recently I've been working hard to compile my `Top 100 Films of All Time', a list that is completely subjective (I know) but one that is really important I think to any film lover. We all have our favorite films, those that reach us, move us and emotionally complete us. When constructing that list, one film made it fairly high; `The Last Picture Show'. The first time I saw this film I was stunned. I think a better way to say that is that I felt emotionally crippled. It was a polarizing film that spoke to me in ways I wasn't prepared for. The second time I saw this film I started to put a few things together and found myself moved to tears as apposed to merely frozen in the emotional shock of it all. I've now seen this film a few handfuls of times and have grown to appreciate it more and more for it's each and every perfected cranny.
There are not many films that I can say this about, but `The Last Picture Show' is utterly perfect. It's not `nearly perfect' or `perfectly flawed' but this is absolutely PERFECT.
`The Last Picture Show' is a delicately yet extremely precise telling of small town life through the eyes of a group of lost souls. At the center of the group is young Sonny Crawford. It seems as if everyone around Sonny is pulling at him, trying to absorb him in order to sustain their own survival. Whether it is a subtle drain, from the likes of Sam (who treats Sonny like a son) and Lois Farrow (who seeps into Sonny through her daughter), or a significant one, like that from the likes of Ruth Popper (who needs Sonny to escape her marriage) and Jacy Farrow (who craves attention so much she'd use Sonny to get it), the fact remains that Sonny is not his own person but a prop used by those around him at their convenience.
One of my friends mentioned his one grip with this film is that he felt it was `a bit too calculated to offer the perfect combo of nostalgia + criticism of a time' but I think I have to counter that with the thought that it is within that `calculation' that the nostalgia and criticism's can truly coexist. Without that slight calculation (at times I admit it is stronger than others) I feel that the film might have come across rather uneven. You have the warm feeling of `home' mixed with that cold feeling of `alienation' that needs to be read as sincere and earnest. With the calculation comes a sharp sense of detachment that actually creates within itself a beautiful sense of emotional collapse that helps breathe a life into both of these aspects of the film.
We understand the desperate desire to flee from the claustrophobic surroundings that trap and suffocate, but we also see and feel the fear of leaving such a place, for it is all these individuals know and, believe it or not, love.
To me, the best example of this is found within Lois Farrow (beautifully played by Ellen Burstyn). There is a scene where she speaks to Sonny about Sam, and you can see in that one scene very real layers of grief stripped away from her as she reminisces of the good times, with tears and smiles. It is such a natural and genuine performance (best in show and clearly should have won the Oscar) that sums up the soul of the film for me.
This is a story of the need to break free from all the binds, yet the need to remember all that kept one alive.
Across the board, the acting is fantastic. Aside from Burstyn there is Ben Johnson, who delivers such a beautifully sincere portrait of small town life. He is the powerful presence that reaches all whom he touches. Jeff Bridges is wonderfully used here, exhibiting all sorts of star-making bravado without ever once appearing to be an actor. Cybill Shepherd is not just a pretty face here, as some have claimed. Her quiet agony over the lack of love she receives from her family is seen in many scenes, and the joyous expression she wears when she seems to feel their love is just outstanding. A quiet and often overlooked performance is Eileen Brennan, who is just beautifully honest as Genevieve, and of course Cloris Leachman's Oscar winning performance is THAT GOOD (even if Burstyn was better). Her complete reclusion into her sadness is emotionally battering, and the way she controls such a dramatic presence is astounding for such a comedic firehouse.
Timothy Bottoms is the center of the film, and sadly because of that he becomes more of a canvas than a substantial force. He delivers beautifully, but he is more an observer and thus makes less of an impression than the supporting cast that engulfs him. His performance for me is reminiscent of Brad Pitt's in `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' in that respect, but he gives a fuller and more memorable performance than Pitt.
In the end, I have to urge you to see this film if you have not already. There are few films that can capture so much with such ease. Every time I watch this masterpiece I am brought to another place and time and given something new to chew on. The more I see it, the better it gets, and that's impressive for a film that really can't get much better!
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the myth of sisyphus
Added 5/14/2009
A great film yet troubling in its apocalyptic message; in the sense that its a haunting reminder of what life really is about.Like the mythical king of corinth whos attempt to capture the powers of the gods ended in his being punished in hell with the hopeless and meaningless task of pushing a rock up a hill to a ledge that does'nt exist! Its interesting to note that the teens neither the adults in the film every express any real desire to attain anything in life. This is the real haunting aspect of the movie. The french philosopher Paul Sartre desribes it as "existential suicide" where the individual faced with absolute freedom can find no worthwhile endeavor in life to direct it. Beings who are ever faced with "nothingness" before us.The film is pure Shakespearean tragedy
"to be or not to be" that is the question!Underneath its actually a film noir.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Classic American Cinema
Added 3/17/2009
Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show is a movie about the changing face of America as seen through the eyes of a small town. The film relates the happenings in Anarene,Texas from October 1951 to October 1952. America is changing. The cinema on the corner than had been the hub of life for the small town is giving way to the television age. Into this world comes the senior class of Anarene High School.
School friends Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges) yearn for more than the town has to offer. They also yearn for the prettiest girl in town Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepard). As their lives change we learn of the goings on of the citizens around them: there is Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson)owner of the cinema, the cafe and the pool hall; Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) the wife of the high school coach who wants more in her life; Lois Farrow (Ellen Burstyn) caught in a world in which she is alone with herself.
The film is episodic but makes its points with ease. The ensemble cast was justly praised and the film was awarded with eight Academy Award nominations. Director Bogdanovich never had a better film than this and the black and white photography by Robert Surtees is almost perfect.
The disc is the definitive director's cut which adds about eight minutes of previously deleted footage. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 as was the presentation print. The mono sound while not perfect does an adequate job with the dialogue filled script. The extras are the hour long documentary The Last Picture Show: A Look Back which features interviews with Bogdanovich and the cast; a short theatrical Re-release featurette and some talent files.
This film deserves to be on the shelf of any serious movie lover.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Excellent product
Added 12/21/2008
I really enjoyed watching this movie. It was in excellent condition and arrived in a timely manner. I had forgotten that Cloris Leachman was such a great actress.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Outstanding movie
Added 12/20/2008
In the dried-up old town of Anarene, Texas, there's not much for boys to do but chase girls and play pool. High school seniors Sonny (Timothy Bottoms), his best friend Duane (Jeff Bridges), and Jacey, the prettiest girl in town (Cybil Shepherd), start to grow up and make some decisions about their future.
I absolutely loved this movie. The windy, dusty town felt familiar and even cozy by the end of the movie, and the good ol' folks living in it seemed like neighbors. Bottoms, Bridges, and Shepherd are wonderful (and young!) as the kids, all of them giving sympathetic, memorable performances. Ben Johnson plays the nicest man in town and Cloris Leachman is a lonely married woman; they both won Best Supporting Oscars playing very real and vulnerable characters.
The movie is directed at a leisurely pace so we can absorb the small-town atmosphere; Anarene became full of interesting people with hopes and dreams. This is indeed a timeless classic that will appeal to those who like character-driven stories about ordinary people. Highly recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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The last film you ever need to see...
Added 10/20/2009
Recently I've been working hard to compile my `Top 100 Films of All Time', a list that is completely subjective (I know) but one that is really important I think to any film lover. We all have our favorite films, those that reach us, move us and emotionally complete us. When constructing that list, one film made it fairly high; `The Last Picture Show'. The first time I saw this film I was stunned. I think a better way to say that is that I felt emotionally crippled. It was a polarizing film that spoke to me in ways I wasn't prepared for. The second time I saw this film I started to put a few things together and found myself moved to tears as apposed to merely frozen in the emotional shock of it all. I've now seen this film a few handfuls of times and have grown to appreciate it more and more for it's each and every perfected cranny.
There are not many films that I can say this about, but `The Last Picture Show' is utterly perfect. It's not `nearly perfect' or `perfectly flawed' but this is absolutely PERFECT.
`The Last Picture Show' is a delicately yet extremely precise telling of small town life through the eyes of a group of lost souls. At the center of the group is young Sonny Crawford. It seems as if everyone around Sonny is pulling at him, trying to absorb him in order to sustain their own survival. Whether it is a subtle drain, from the likes of Sam (who treats Sonny like a son) and Lois Farrow (who seeps into Sonny through her daughter), or a significant one, like that from the likes of Ruth Popper (who needs Sonny to escape her marriage) and Jacy Farrow (who craves attention so much she'd use Sonny to get it), the fact remains that Sonny is not his own person but a prop used by those around him at their convenience.
One of my friends mentioned his one grip with this film is that he felt it was `a bit too calculated to offer the perfect combo of nostalgia + criticism of a time' but I think I have to counter that with the thought that it is within that `calculation' that the nostalgia and criticism's can truly coexist. Without that slight calculation (at times I admit it is stronger than others) I feel that the film might have come across rather uneven. You have the warm feeling of `home' mixed with that cold feeling of `alienation' that needs to be read as sincere and earnest. With the calculation comes a sharp sense of detachment that actually creates within itself a beautiful sense of emotional collapse that helps breathe a life into both of these aspects of the film.
We understand the desperate desire to flee from the claustrophobic surroundings that trap and suffocate, but we also see and feel the fear of leaving such a place, for it is all these individuals know and, believe it or not, love.
To me, the best example of this is found within Lois Farrow (beautifully played by Ellen Burstyn). There is a scene where she speaks to Sonny about Sam, and you can see in that one scene very real layers of grief stripped away from her as she reminisces of the good times, with tears and smiles. It is such a natural and genuine performance (best in show and clearly should have won the Oscar) that sums up the soul of the film for me.
This is a story of the need to break free from all the binds, yet the need to remember all that kept one alive.
Across the board, the acting is fantastic. Aside from Burstyn there is Ben Johnson, who delivers such a beautifully sincere portrait of small town life. He is the powerful presence that reaches all whom he touches. Jeff Bridges is wonderfully used here, exhibiting all sorts of star-making bravado without ever once appearing to be an actor. Cybill Shepherd is not just a pretty face here, as some have claimed. Her quiet agony over the lack of love she receives from her family is seen in many scenes, and the joyous expression she wears when she seems to feel their love is just outstanding. A quiet and often overlooked performance is Eileen Brennan, who is just beautifully honest as Genevieve, and of course Cloris Leachman's Oscar winning performance is THAT GOOD (even if Burstyn was better). Her complete reclusion into her sadness is emotionally battering, and the way she controls such a dramatic presence is astounding for such a comedic firehouse.
Timothy Bottoms is the center of the film, and sadly because of that he becomes more of a canvas than a substantial force. He delivers beautifully, but he is more an observer and thus makes less of an impression than the supporting cast that engulfs him. His performance for me is reminiscent of Brad Pitt's in `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' in that respect, but he gives a fuller and more memorable performance than Pitt.
In the end, I have to urge you to see this film if you have not already. There are few films that can capture so much with such ease. Every time I watch this masterpiece I am brought to another place and time and given something new to chew on. The more I see it, the better it gets, and that's impressive for a film that really can't get much better!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
the myth of sisyphus
Added 5/14/2009
A great film yet troubling in its apocalyptic message; in the sense that its a haunting reminder of what life really is about.Like the mythical king of corinth whos attempt to capture the powers of the gods ended in his being punished in hell with the hopeless and meaningless task of pushing a rock up a hill to a ledge that does'nt exist! Its interesting to note that the teens neither the adults in the film every express any real desire to attain anything in life. This is the real haunting aspect of the movie. The french philosopher Paul Sartre desribes it as "existential suicide" where the individual faced with absolute freedom can find no worthwhile endeavor in life to direct it. Beings who are ever faced with "nothingness" before us.The film is pure Shakespearean tragedy
"to be or not to be" that is the question!Underneath its actually a film noir.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Classic American Cinema
Added 3/17/2009
Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show is a movie about the changing face of America as seen through the eyes of a small town. The film relates the happenings in Anarene,Texas from October 1951 to October 1952. America is changing. The cinema on the corner than had been the hub of life for the small town is giving way to the television age. Into this world comes the senior class of Anarene High School.
School friends Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges) yearn for more than the town has to offer. They also yearn for the prettiest girl in town Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepard). As their lives change we learn of the goings on of the citizens around them: there is Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson)owner of the cinema, the cafe and the pool hall; Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) the wife of the high school coach who wants more in her life; Lois Farrow (Ellen Burstyn) caught in a world in which she is alone with herself.
The film is episodic but makes its points with ease. The ensemble cast was justly praised and the film was awarded with eight Academy Award nominations. Director Bogdanovich never had a better film than this and the black and white photography by Robert Surtees is almost perfect.
The disc is the definitive director's cut which adds about eight minutes of previously deleted footage. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 as was the presentation print. The mono sound while not perfect does an adequate job with the dialogue filled script. The extras are the hour long documentary The Last Picture Show: A Look Back which features interviews with Bogdanovich and the cast; a short theatrical Re-release featurette and some talent files.
This film deserves to be on the shelf of any serious movie lover.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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