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Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780767842693
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Original recording reissued, Special Edition, NTSC
ISBN: 0767842693
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Release Date: November 16, 1999
Running Time: 118 minutes
Sales Rank: 20590
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: October 22, 1971
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
Like Easy Rider, Bonnie and Clyde, The Wild Bunch, and The Graduate, The Last Picture Show is one of the signature films of the 'New Hollywood' that emerged in the late 1960s and early '70s. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry and lovingly directed by Peter Bogdanovich (who cowrote the script with McMurtry), this 1971 drama has been interpreted as an affectionate tribute to classic Hollywood filmmaking and the great directors (such as John Ford) that Bogdanovich so deeply admired. It's also a eulogy for lost innocence and small-town life, so accurately rendered that critic Roger Ebert called it 'the best film of 1951,' referring to the movie's one-year time frame, its black-and-white cinematography (by Robert Surtees), and its sparse but evocative visual style. The story is set in the tiny, dying town of Anarene, Texas, where the main-street movie house is about to close for good, and where a pair of high-school football players are coming of age and struggling to define their uncertain futures. There's little to do in Anarene, and while Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) engages in a passionless fling with his football coach's wife (Cloris Leachman), his best friend Duane (Jeff Bridges) enlists for service in the Korean War. Both boys fall for a manipulative high-school beauty (Cybill Shepherd) who's well aware of her sexual allure. But it's not so much what happens in The Last Picture show as how it happens--and how Bogdanovich and his excellent cast so effectively capture the melancholy mood of a ghost town in the making. As Hank Williams sings on the film's evocative soundtrack, The Last Picture Show looks, feels, and sounds like a sad but unforgettably precious moment out of time. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Excellent product
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.
Rating: - Outstanding movie
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, ... Read More
Rating:  - 3 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:
Although a bit slow, The Last Picture Show is a rewarding character-based drama which features a number of fine performances and elegant direction.
Rating: - Cinema in Paradise
So, was Cinema Paradiso in part inspired by Bogdonovich's masterpiece? Well, Analene, Texas sure aint Paradise. But it's a fabulous, timeless piece of art that doesn't wear, inspite of, or because of its tender appraisal of universal themes. I know the personell involved proceeded to further work, but how many of them could profess to anything superior? Certainly not Bottoms or Bogdonovich. The special features film tied to this edition under review, with its in-depth focus on a refective director, expresses ... Read More
Rating: - The Peyton Place of the South
Anyone who buys the Mayberry image of Southern small town life will be greatly shocked after watching this movie. Anarene is definitely no Puritan utopia. The town's residents include adulterers, sex-obsessed teenagers, and even a pedophile, who happens to be the minister's son. This film just goes to show that you cannot always believe what's on the surface. Few films expose small town hypocrisy better than this one, while at the same time treating the characters with respect. This difference is what sets ... Read More
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