The Last Picture Show (1971)
Genre: Drama
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Starring Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepperd
Nothing much happens in the Texan town of Anarene, well nothing very different from thousands of other small towns scattered across America. But that’s the beauty of this film it’s the quintessential uniformity and conformity that makes space for the growth of the quirky characters and the retelling of events in a certain place at a certain time, a snippet of history like any other, yet absolutely different.
Sam owns the town’s only picture house, the Royal Theatre, and this is the hub of much activity, not least the attempted seduction of Jacy Farrow by the local adolescent boys. What the boys don’t realize is that girls like Jacy take advantage by letting the boys take advantage and she is well aware of her sexuality and the way in which to use it to best further her plans. Two prospective beaux are friends Sonny and Duane who are typical of high school boys across the generations in their predominant interest in cars and girls, but neither of them really has a genuine chance with Jacy who is on the lookout for her meal ticket.
As the time slips by and life plods along in Anarene, the event of note is that the picture house is closed, rendered superfluous by the influx of the television set. In a town noticeably void of action or incident this in itself represents a changing era as people become more insulated and housebound. |
