Set in rural Texas in the 1950s, the film follows the lives of two young men just leaving high school, Sonny and Duane (Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges), as they navigate a transitional period of life in their bleak little town. The film's cinematography is outstanding. The high contrast black and white and slow pans across empty streets create a hopeless, melancholy mix of dull nostalgia and a sense of profound boredom in a world almost totally devoid of dreams. Interestingly we see nothing about the boy's families, parents and home life. It's just not important.
The title, “The Last Picture Show”, refers to a run down theater that is one of the town's principle entertainments. "The movies", represent something to do for the young people, as well as a source of imagined opportunity and escape. Non of their imagined better lives pans out and more than their past did. And by the end of the tale, the theater closes.
"I guess if it wasn't for Sam, I'd have missed it, whatever it is. I'd have been one of them amity types that thinks that playin' bridge is about the best thing that life has to offer."
More reviews here on letterboxd:
No comments:
Post a Comment