The Last Picture Show (1971)

In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied West Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Larry McMurtry (screenplay), Peter Bogdanovich (screenplay)

Stars:

Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd

Won 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Bottoms	...	Sonny Crawford
Jeff Bridges	...	Duane Jackson
Cybill Shepherd	...	Jacy Farrow
Ben Johnson	...	Sam the Lion
Cloris Leachman	...	Ruth Popper
Ellen Burstyn	...	Lois Farrow
Eileen Brennan	...	Genevieve
Clu Gulager	...	Abilene
Sam Bottoms	...	Billy
Sharon Ullrick	...	Charlene Duggs (as Sharon Taggart)
Randy Quaid	...	Lester Marlow
Joe Heathcock	...	the Sheriff
Bill Thurman	...	Coach Popper
Barc Doyle	...	Joe Bob Blanton
Jessie Lee Fulton	...	Miss Mosey

Storyline

In tiny Anarene, Texas, in the lull between World War Two and the Korean Conflict, Sonny and Duane are best friends. Enduring that awkward period of life between boyhood and manhood, the two pass their time the best way they know how -- with the movie house, football, and girls. Jacey is Duane's steady, wanted by every boy in school, and she knows it. Her daddy is rich and her mom is good looking and loose. It's the general consensus that whoever wins Jacey's heart will be set for life. But Anarene is dying a quiet death as folks head for the big cities to make their livings and raise their kids. The boys are torn between a future somewhere out there beyond the borders of town or making do with their inheritance of a run-down pool hall and a decrepit movie house -- the legacy of their friend and mentor, Sam the Lion. As high school graduation approaches, they learn some difficult lessons about love, loneliness, and jealousy. Then folks stop attending the second-run features at the ...

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | texas | nostalgia | child molester | pool hall | 

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Taglines:

Anarene, Texas, 1951. Nothing much has changed...

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die letzte Vorstellung

Filming Locations:

200 S. Walnut Street, Holliday, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,300,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$29,133,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,BBS Productions,Last Picture Show Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 127 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #95 Greatest Movie of All Time. It was the first inclusion of this film on the list.

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Goofs

At the very beginning of the film, Sonny is having trouble starting the old rusty pickup truck. After getting it running he starts to drive off. The soundtrack has him changing gears, but we still see him with both hands on the steering wheel.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Radio announcer: President Truman'll be here tomorrow, so all you folks in Dallas turn out, chuh hear? This is Cowboy Rhythms on KTRN, Wichita Falls, here's Hank Williams' big hit tune, "Cold Cold Heart".
Sam the Lion: You ain't ever gonna amount to nothing. Already spent a dime this morning, ain't even had a decent breakfast. Gimme the chalk. Why don't you comb you hair Sonny, it sticks up, look like you smelled'm wolf. I'm surprised you had the nerve to show up this morning after that stomping y'all took last ...

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Connections

Referenced in Cinefile: Made in the USA (1993)

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Soundtracks

Rose, Rose, I Love You
(uncredited)
Written by Wilfrid Thomas (as W. Thomas), Chris Langdon (as C. Langdon)
Performed by Frankie Laine

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

A heartfelt, unbelievably frank film on teenage sexuality, it manages to capture the intensity and tumult of the feelings of its depicted young characters superbly well. The cast is excellent, playing each character out in a realistic and moving manner. Timothy Bottoms in particular displays one of the most earnest performances of all time, and the rest of the actors and actresses are so good in general that it is hard to single one particular one out. The film is superbly shot in black and white, which helps depict the entrapment of the characters' emotions, and to really purify the desire to express their feelings. Without doubt this is one of most honest character studies ever filmed, and it just gets better on a second viewing.