In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 19 wins & 22 nominations total
- Charlene Duggs
- (as Sharon Taggart)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt 9 minutes and 54 seconds, Ben Johnson's performance in this movie is the shortest ever to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
- GoofsWhen Lois Farrow makes a telephone call from her home she dials a seven digit number. In 1951 a telephone number would have been at the most five digits in the small town of Anarene, Texas.
- Quotes
Sam the Lion: You boys can get on out of here, I don't want to have no more to do with you. Scarin' a poor, unfortunate creature like Billy just so's you could have a few laughs - I've been around that trashy behavior all my life, I'm gettin' tired of puttin' up with it. Now you can stay out of this pool hall, out of my cafe, and my picture show too - I don't want no more of your business.
- Alternate versionsSpecial edition includes seven minutes of footage not included in the original release.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Last Picture Show Re-Release Promo (1971)
- SoundtracksCold, Cold Heart
(uncredited)
Written by Hank Williams (as Hank Williams Sr.)
Performed by Tony Bennett
There is no musical score in this film in the normal sense. The only time you hear music is when a radio is on or a phonograph is playing in the background. This lack of a musical score dubbed over the film enhances the illusion of reality. Another aspect of this sound editing is the choice of music that is being played by the different characters. Bogdonavitch uses song and artist selection to subtly comment on the character of the person or people who are listening to it. In the case of Sonny the music he selects is always Hank Williams and it alludes to the hardscrabble life and down to earth quality of his character. In contrast at JC's home, the manipulative teenager played by Cybil Sheppard, you hear a cover of a Hank William's song that has all of the life sucked out of it, similar to a Pat Boone cover of an Elvis Presley song. It is a direct comment on JC and her family; her family has grown wealthy by owning oil wells and they pretend they are still the same people as before. It is obvious they are not just by this simple musical selection. It is eloquent in its simplicity.
The center of the film and the major theme should you listen to your heart or your libido if the two don't combine in the same person? Perhaps the saddest comment in this film is that too often these two halves to a whole do not come together as a package and people are forced to chose. None of the characters are particularly happy with their mates. Everyone is on the prowl for that perfect person they know they will be happy with. Time and again they think that they've found the perfect person based on their sexual attraction but when they begin to show their authentic selves are then rejected. Those in long term relationships with an emotionally compatible mate but with no sexual interest face an equal dilemma a lack of excitement and joy and are destined to be the ones that reject. It exposes both sides of this human dilemma, a duality that can become split and non-integrated, and does it in a sophisticated and lyrical way. Most people experience this split at some time and in this film, as in life, there are no easy answers. That's why I love this film.
And there is Billy, the boy who continually sweeps the street in a hopeless gesture to turn back the inevitable, representing that demented and futile longing for a past that was never quite as good as you remember it. He represents that longing for an illusion that disappears just as we are about to grasp it and the sadness of that. The broom that is never fast enough for the blowing dust of time.
Everything New on Prime Video in October
Everything New on Prime Video in October
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- La Última Película
- Filming locations
- 605 South Ash Street, Archer City, Texas, USA(high school)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $29,133,000
- Gross worldwide
- $29,146,255
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1