The Last Picture Show
Dir: Peter Bogdanovich
1971
*****
Peter Bogdanovich's American classic 'The Last Picture Show' is a combination of two things; the end of childhood and the death of the Western. The film is set in the 1950s and Bogdanovich quite wisely filmed it in glorious black and white, giving the film a dreamlike feel which helps the viewer see it as a memory, which it is, as it is based loosely on Larry McMurty's autobiography. It is based in a depressed small town just north of Texas and shows the hardship and struggle and overall lack of prospect that a typical small western town had to offer. A harsh truth that contradicts what most people associated with the area, thanks in general to the optimistic Hollywood Westerns made at the time. Ben Johnson's character represents a sympathetic version of the old school ethos of the area, thanks to the fact that he built his career as the silent Cowboy in many a classic Western. He plays it Cowboy here too, he fought with Peter Bogdanovich a fair bit to have less lines and you can see why as he is one of these amazing actors who can say so much more without the need of a script. His Oscar for supporting actor was well deserved. The whole cast is perfect, each actor bringing their best performances. Timothy Bottoms gives a wonderful performance too as he adopts Johnson's silence and plays cheeky teenager perfectly. I think it is Cybill Shepherd who impressed me most though, as the siren of the town who is conniving but also a victim of her own surroundings. She is sultry and poisonous but with an air of innocence. A real femme fatale. The Last Picture Show is the epitome of what an American classic is and should be.