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The Last Picture Show (1971)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 5/08, 6/15, 12/19

LastPicShow
5/08: The Last Picture Show is a haunting picture about growing up in a small Texas town that's devoid of rich culture and is at the verge of disappearing forever.

It's also everything that The Graduate is not. Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd (in her feature film debut), Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, and Eileen Brennan are all outstanding. The first two, they did it for me. Randy Quaid also makes his motion picture debut.

All in all, The Last Picture Show is powerful.

6/15: The Last Picture Show is one of those timeless classics that gets better every time I see it.

Although Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman are both great in their own way, I never thought they deserved Oscars. Instead, it's Timothy Bottoms and Cybill Shepherd who steal the show by playing complex characters, and they're fascinating to watch. Jeff Bridges is excellent whenever he shows up and lends a supporting hand. That's why his career lasted so long in Hollywood. Ellen Burstyn and Eileen Brennan step up to the plate and make a lasting impression. My favorite aspect is Robert Surtees' cinematography as the introduction and the ending define what the film is about.

All in all, Peter Bogdanovich should be proud of The Last Picture Show which is a bleak, haunting picture about transition to the adult world from high school in a Texas small town that's devoid of rich culture.

11/19: Brilliant and haunting, The Last Picture Show is a timeless motion picture about individuals growing up in a dying Texas town.

The most lasting impression is Robert Surtees' black-and-white photography. Then, there's the ensemble: old-timers and newcomers who'll be famous. Two Oscar winners are Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson while the six others are Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Cybill Shepherd, and Randy Quaid.

Let's be clear: The Last Picture Show is not Jeff Bridges' but Timothy Bottoms' picture; therefore, he should've been Oscar-nominated. The latter is the one who made the film work from the story's perspective. However, all the credit goes to Peter Bogdanovich.

All in all, I can watch The Last Picture Show over and over but will never get over how good it is.