It’s 2020 now. Peter Bogdanovich‘s film ‘The Last Picture Show‘ was made in 1971. The action of the film takes place in 1951 and 1952. It was, therefore, a historical re-enactment of a period from which almost two decades had passed. During this time not only America had changed radically, but also the art of cinema. The sentimental or heroic productions of the 1950s left place to directors’ movies in the second half of the 1960s, and a generation of formidable young film directors had emerged, a generation that would dominate the American dream industry for the next half century. Peter Bogdanovich was one of them, and ‘The Last Picture Show‘ was the second feature film after a promising debut with ‘Targets‘, or the third if we count the oddity called ‘Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women‘. The achievement is impressive. Bogdanovich not only makes a film about the early ’50s but also directs the film in the style of the early’ 50s. We could say that it is a radical homage brought by the young director to the classic genres and style in American cinema.
The story takes place in Anarene, a tiny town in Texas, probably founded during the oil boom, which begins to experience, in the early ’50s the decline caused by the passing of the peak of this economy of exploitation of finite natural resources. Winds and dust dominate the landscape. The main institutions of Anarene are a restaurant, a billiard room and the cinema hall, all owned by Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson), who is also a kind of model and mentor for the local youth. The three main heroes, two boys and a girl, students in the last class of high school live their coming of age with the first loves and first sexual experiences, and especially with many questions about their future that include escaping the atmosphere of the dying city. We accompany them for a year, a year in which their destinies are decided, a year in which the town’s institutions disappear, the last being, symbolically, the cinema where the heroes embodied by Jimmy Stewart or John Wayne appeared on the screens and where the first kisses were stolen.
The use of black and white film was an aesthetic choice in 1971, but for director Peter Bogdanovich specifically it was an aspect of his decision to use the cinematic tools of the era in which the story in the film took place. The universe of the Texan town, a whole universe with its landscapes, houses, objects are reconstructed with meticulousness, respect and attention to essential details. Each character is credible and many of the performances are exceptional. The youth trio consists of Timothy Bottoms as Sonny, probably one of the best roles of his career, Jeff Bridges as Duane, the first consistent role of a brilliant career, and Cybill Shepherd at her debut, who as the girl which all the boys in his promotion dream of is unforgettable. Ben Johnson plays the key role of Sam the Lion, and Cloris Leachman the role of a mature woman, who compensates for her limited and failed life with a hopeless relationship with one of the young boys. Both received well-deserved Academy Awards for supporting roles. The remarkable soundtrack of the film is composed of tunes of the period, played by prom orchestras, by jukeboxes in the billiard room or in the restaurant, by car radios. On this occasion I found out that the song ‘Blue Velvet’ did not appear for the first time in David Lynch‘s 1986 film! Viewed from the perspective of 2020, ‘The Last Picture Show‘ is a snippet of history in history, the history of America and the history of its cinema. For today’s spectators it is a trip in time with two stations. Highly recommended!