The Last Picture Show

Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show is the story of a group of teens who deal with their lonely surroundings as they also meet aging souls as they would contemplate their own future. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich and screenplay by Bogdanovich and McMurtry, the film is a look into a world where the old values of America starts to fall apart as it’s set into a small town in the middle of Texas circa 1951. Starring Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Ben Johnson, Randy Quaid, and Clu Gulager. The Last Picture Show is an entrancing yet somber film from Peter Bogdanovich.

Set in this small yet lonely Texas town in the early 1950s in the span of nearly a year, the film explores the lives of three teenagers as well as various adult figures dealing with their environment in a world that is changing around them. Leading the pack is a high school senior in Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) who is unsure of what to do after high school as he spends much of his time hanging out at a pool hall, a diner, and other places in his small town with nothing to do. With his friend Duane (Jeff Bridges) and Duane’s rich girlfriend Jacy (Cybill Shepherd), Sonny spends nearly a year trying to figure things out where he has an affair with his coach’s lonely wife Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) while Jacy is eager to lose her virginity to Duane while her mother Lois (Ellen Burstyn) warns her about being with someone like Duane. All of which plays into a world of uncertainty in this small town that is just dying.

The film’s screenplay by Peter Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry explore this world where even though it is set in nearly a year from October of 1951 to September of 1952. It feels like a film that is set into a very different time period where much of the loose morality of the 1960s and early 1970s come into play as Sonny, Duane, and Jacy would all deal with growing pains as they’re eager to leave the small town they’re in. Especially as there’s a world that is filled with so much change that these three want to be a part of but Sonny is still attached to the small town as he is guided by the town’s local figure Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson) who owns the diner, the pool hall, and movie theater that the people often go to. With Duane in tow, Sonny would often get into mischief as it showcases their lack of direction where their friendship would get complicated to do Duane’s immaturity which eventually played into his break-up with Jacy who wanted more.

The script also plays into the role of peer pressure as Jacy is eager to be with the crowd as she would skinny-dip while wanting to lose her virginity so that she can be with a popular boy in school. It would play into her own development as a young woman as she is guided by her mother Lois about the trappings of love affairs and such as well as being with someone like Duane. Yet, Lois is a woman that is lost in her own marriage and affair as it reveals that she did love someone and has regretted leaving that man while Ruth is a woman in an unhappy marriage as she deals with loneliness where Sonny helps her out and lead to their affair. Ruth, Lois, and Jacy are three of four women who play into Sonny’s life as the other is the diner waitress Genevieve (Eileen Brennan) who is a weary observer, like Lois and Sam, that has seen a lot in the small town and knows what is going on as she would also guide Sonny into finding his way. Even if it means leaving the small town that he has lived for all of his young life.

Bogdanovich’s direction opens and ends with this eerie image of the small Texan town where it feels like a ghost town with hard winds being heard and tumbleweeds passing by. It sets the tone of a film where it has this feel of aimlessness but also something that is quite entrancing where it is set in a crucial moment in time where everything is black-and-white with little contact of the world outside of this small town. Bogdanovich creates some unique shots to play into this emergence of a new world of sexuality that is emerging where Jacy is quite hesitant in some parts of the film but is also eager to fit in with the crowd such as the skinny dipping sequence. There’s also some very chilling scenes where Sonny, Duane, and their friends try to get the mute boy Billy (Sam Bottoms) to lose his virginity to a prostitute as it starts off comically but ends up being very somber where Sonny and his friends feel bad about what happened with Duane not owning up to his mistake.

Much of the direction is shot with some unique wide shots and some medium shots plus a few close-ups to play into the drama that is unfolding as Sonny deals with growing pains and temptation as it concerns Jacy. Especially as things become much grimmer in its third act as parts of this small town is starting to die while the sense of uncertainty starts to loom. Much of it would include some revelations about the town and the people that Sonny has known where he isn’t sure if he has to escape or just be part of it for good. Overall, Bogdanovich creates a very haunting yet intoxicating film about a group of people living in a desolate town in the middle of Texas.

Cinematographer Robert Surtees does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it has this very timeless look to the film where it plays into that sense of a ghost town in its location in Texas as well as some unique lighting schemes and such to play into the mood of the drama. Editor Don Cambern does excellent work with the editing as it features bits of stylistic uses of jump-cuts and dissolves to play into the sense of dramatic energy in the film as well as the sense of aimlessness.

Production/costume designer Polly Platt and art director Walter Scott Herndon do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the town in its desolate setting as well as the pool hall and movie theater while the costumes are terrific to play into the personality of the characters. Sound editor James M. Falkinburg does superb work with the sound from the way wind sounds to some of the moments in the film’s locations along with the film’s music as much of it is played on location as it features pieces by Hank Williams and other artists in country and pop music of the times.

The casting by Ross Brown is fantastic as it features some notable small roles from Sharon Taggart as Sonny’s girlfriend Charlene early in the film, Bill Thurman as Ruth’s husband, Gary Brockette as the popular senior Bobby that Jacy wants to be with, Sam Bottoms as the mute boy Billy that always hung around Sonny and Sam the Lion, Clu Gulager as Lois’ lover Aibilene who would later meet Jacy in a very haunting moment, and Randy Quaid as a rich kid named Lester who would take Jacy to the skinny-dipping party. Eileen Brennan is excellent as the kind-hearted waitress Genevieve who often serves Sonny and the other locals as she would help Sonny around and give him some guidance and food. Ellen Burstyn is superb as Jacy’s mother Lois who tries to warn her daughter about dating someone like Duane as she is embroiled in an empty affair of her own as she comes to term with her own regrets and what she doesn’t want her daughter to do.

Ben Johnson is amazing as the town leader Sam the Lion as this old man that had seen everything as he also displays some sentimentality about how simple things were in the past as he is aware of changing times as he guides Sonny into doing what is right. Cloris Leachman is radiant as the lonely housewife Ruth Popper as this middle-aged woman who has been neglected and depressed as she finds solace in the company of Sonny as there is a moment at the end of the film that is just astonishing as she is just riveting to watch. Cybill Shepherd is brilliant as Jacy Farrow as this young woman who is eager to fit in with the rest of her classmates as she is in love with Duane while becoming frustrated with her lack of prospects as she tries to come to terms with what she wants to do with her life.

Jeff Bridges is superb as Duane as an aloof young man who likes to party and such as he has very little idea into what Jacy wants while being forced to grow up and think about his own future. Finally, there’s Timothy Bottoms in an incredible performance as Sonny Crawford where Bottoms brings a boyish quality to a young man unsure of what to do as he begins an affair with a middle-aged woman while dealing with the tasks he’s given as well as temptation as it’s a truly mesmerizing performance from Bottoms.

The Last Picture Show is a tremendous film from Peter Bogdanovich. Featuring a brilliant ensemble cast as well as an astonishing look and presentation, it’s a film that explores a world that is truly American but cut-off from the rest of the country. Especially in a world that is changing where the youth of this small town is forced to make decisions about what to do with this new world that is emerging. In the end, The Last Picture Show is a phenomenal film from Peter Bogdanovich.

Peter Bogdanovich Films: Targets - (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women) - (Directed by John Ford) - (What’s Up Doc?) - Paper Moon - (Daisy Miller) - (At Long Last Love) - (Nickelodeon) - (Saint Jack) - (They All Laughed) - (Mask (1985 film)) - (Illegally Yours) - (Texasville) - (Noises Off) - (The Thing Called Love) - (To Sir, with Love II) - (The Price of Heaven) - (Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Women) - (Naked City: A Killer Christmas) - (A Saintly Switch) - (The Cat’s Meow) - (The Mystery of Natalie Wood) - (Hustle (2004 film)) - (Runnin’ Down a Dream) - (She’s Funny That Way) - The Great Buster: A Celebration

© thevoid99 2014

Elephant

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/11/05 w/ Extensive Revisions & Additional Edits.

Written, edited, and directed by Gus Van Sant, Elephant is a film about an ordinary day in Portland, Oregon where kids in an otherwise, typical school day have their lives change when two fellow classmates come and terrorize the school. Inspired by the Columbine school shootings in 1999, the film is a fictional account about what might've happened as well as what motivated two kids into killing other people in school. With a cast of largely unknown young actors including a couple of veterans in Matt Malloy and Timothy Bottoms. Elephant is a harrowing, psychological drama from one of American cinema's most enduring storytellers.

A young student named John (John Robinson) is late for school as his father (Timothy Bottoms) tries to get him to school despite being intoxicated. After a lecture from the school's principal Mr. Luce (Matt Malloy), John hangs out with his friend Eli (Elias McConnell) who is doing a portfolio while a student named Michelle (Kristen Hicks) is going to the library to help out. When John steps outside of the school, two kids named Eric (Eric Duelen) and Alex (Alex Frost) appear carrying long bags and wearing black gear as they tell John to not re-enter the school. Earlier that day, Acadia (Alicia Miles) takes a class session about homosexuality while Nathan (Nathan Tyson) and Carrie (Carrie Finklea) are enjoying the day. While three girls in Jordan (Jordan Taylor), Nicole (Nicole George), and Brittany (Brittany Mountain) make comments about Carrie, their day of gossip would end.

For Eric and Alex, they would make plans of their own the day before the shootings as Eric plays Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, No. 2 Moonlight-Adagio Sostenuto for recreation as they make plans. On the day of the shooting, they wreak havoc while a kid named Benny (Bennie Dixon) watches in horror as do many of the kids in school.

Now for a film that serves as a response to Columbine, the idea would've been to make a long film like the 2002 film Home Room with Erika Christensen, Busy Phillips, Victor Garber, and Agnes Bruckner about the aftermath of a school shooting. Gus Van Sant's approach in is response to Columbine leaves more for interpretation by not giving answers or any kind of explanation. In this minimalist approach, Van Sant prefers to let the audience get to know the characters instead of what is going to happen. In this short, 81-minute film, Van Sant profiles each character for a brief period of time while some things begin to happen all at the same time.

Like his previous effort Gerry, which had a largely improvised, minimalist script by himself, and the film's stars Casey Affleck, and Matt Damon. Elephant is also improvised but the script structure is non-linear in some areas since the film goes back and forth to let the audience know about the characters. The story takes its time to profile each person and their situations with the third act being the actual killings. In that third act, we get to see a moment that could've been heroic but Van Sant chooses to convey tragedy on top of tragedy. Plus, the characters in the film is set in a high school. Now a high school story would've been filled with many stereotypes and for a while, there are a few stereotypes like the characters of Jordan, Brittany, and Nicole who all act like the typical mean girls of high school. Then once we get to know them, the stereotype is thrown out of the window.

Van Sant's minimalist approach to writing is also shown on the directing by using a very small film crew with cinematographer Harris Savides as his main cameraman. Van Sant would film a scene a few times in different perspectives, and that is in the perspective of the characters in the film. For example, the scene where John is being photographed by Eli while Michelle passes by. There's three different versions of that entire scene in the film. Plus, being an improvisational director, Van Sant lets the kids be themselves for a bit giving them a chance to have their moment shine. Plus, the camera sequences would run in long takes where the camera follows whatever characters and the actors feel relaxed and confident enough to be improvisational or just play a character in the right way. This is an example of what real directing is.

If there's an idea of how Van Sant works, it's like this. He's a writer first and then, he direct. During post-production, he edits the film himself with very few assistants around him so he can have an idea on how he'll have a scene go and stop and how to move on the next. In its 81-minute time running, Van Sant brings a nice, engulfing editing style that isn't slow or isn't fast. It's nicely paced while its non-linear structure gives the film a nice rhythm that isn't hard to follow but gives the film a comfortable feeling.

Like his colorful work in Gerry, Harris Savides brings a natural, realism to the film in its color schemes with his camera while in many of the school's exterior scenes. He captures the blandness or ordinary look of its lights and look of the school. Even when using blue-green filters for the a few scenes at night in the home of Eric and a shot of the sky. The cinematography in the film is some of the most real and colorful camera work in the film and Van Sant has made a great decision in choosing Savides as his cinematographer. Art director Benjamin Hayden helps Savides in capturing the bland look of the school from its carpeting to walls and lunch room chairs that helps the look. In the sound department, Leslie Shatz and Felix Andrew do a great job in capturing the sound which sounds like real conversations of schools and the quietness of it.

Then there's the music of the film. Van Sant for years had been known for using pop music in all sorts of moments like previous efforts like My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, and Good Will Hunting. When he did Gerry, he chose the classical work of Avro Part, notably Spiegel Im Spiegel for the musical background. In this film, he uses the piano sonatas of Beethoven to convey the dooming melancholia that surrounds the mood and what is going to come.

Then there's the cast which could've been different if Van Sant used real, more seasoned professional actors. Instead, Van Sant goes for unknowns which helps with the exception of Matt Malloy as a stern but caring principal and Timothy Bottoms as John's drunken yet melancholic father. There's some fine performances from the female cast like Alicia Miles, Brittany Mountain, Nicole George, Jordan Taylor, and Carrie Finklea but it's Kristen Hicks who really stands out as the gawky, quiet Michelle. A character that could've been part of the trouble that's to come but she's the one that has morals and an understanding that makes her more human and it's the one many can relate to.

Bennie Dixon, Nathan Tyson, and Elias McConnell all bring in great performances but it's John Robinson who really stands out as the fresh-faced innocent performance as John. He's like every kid we know, smart, good, and knowing what to do while Robinson brings in a great performance when he knows danger is around. The performances of Alex Frost and Eric Deulen are also in their brooding stature as they try to convey the trouble side of themselves and showing their sick side during the killings.

The Region 1 DVD release that includes two cinematic specifications of the film whether in its original 4:3 full-screen format or the 16:9 widescreen presentation. Along with its 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS sounds along with French and Spanish audio/subtitles. The DVD doesn't really include much except for the film's trailer and a promotional spot for HBO films. The only real feature that is shown is a 12-minute Behind the Scenes segment in which the films shows the actors playing around and talking about high school and their characters with Van Sant and his crew working on the film while he gives a glimpse of what he does in the editing room using an old editing machine as opposed to the computer that some use nowadays.

Elephant is Gus Van Sant's most fulfilling and captivating work since 1991's My Own Private Idaho. Of his films, this ranks as one of the best as well as creating a film that is more about what might've happened with Columbine rather than why did it happen. It is not an easy film to watch but certainly has a subject matter that cannot be ignored. In the end, Elephant is an entrancing yet hypnotic film from Gus Van Sant.

Gus Van Sant Films: Mala Noche - Drugstore Cowboy - My Own Private Idaho - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - To Die For - Good Will Hunting - Psycho (1998 film) - Finding Forrester - Gerry - Last Days - Paranoid Park - Milk - Restless - Promised Land

The Shorts & Videos of Gus Van Sant - The Auteurs #4: Gus Van Sant

(C) thevoid99 2011