America Lost & Found: The BBS Story
Sonny and his friends come of age in Anarene, a small Texas town, in the early 1950s. Over the course of several years, their lives intersect with the rest of their town as it slowly crumbles around them. Stars Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybil Shepherd, and Ellen Burstyn. Written by Larry McMurty and Peter Bogadanovich, and directed by Bogadanovich. 1971.
I've been noticing a common thread amongst the BBS movies I've seen so far, and it's that the plots aren't really about any one thing, and tend to be observational pieces revolving around a character over a certain period of time. The Last Picture Show is a contemplation of friendship, growing up, and life in a dying community. It's one of those movies that reads like a book. Shot in the style of a fifties teen romp, it undercuts the fluff and happy-go-lucky rebellion characteristic of those films by showing teens growing up and facing realistic problems that the people around them can't recognize nor resolve. The Last Picture Show never tells or shows us what is driving this town to ruin, and ultimately it's unimportant, because the characters don't try to save it, and occasionally beg the question if it deserves saving at all. An all round exemplary cast never overdoes it, playing scenes in a very organic and conversational manner. Touching, bittersweet, full of a very human aimlessness.
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