#557. The Last Picture Show
- Year: 1971
- Country: USA
- Production: BBS, Columbia, 118m B&W
- Director: Peter Bogdanovich
- Producer: Stephen J. Friedman
- Screenplay: Larry McMurtry, Peter Bogdanovich, from book by Larry McMurtry
- Photography: Robert Surtees
- Music: Hank Williams, John Philip Sousa
- Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnston, Cloris Leachman, Cybill Shepherd, Clu Gulager
- Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actor (Johnson), Best Supporting Actress (Leachman)
- Oscar Noms: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Bridges), Best Supporting Actress (Burstyn), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography
- Blog Club Rating: 7.8/10
Abridged Book Description[]
An ardent formalist at a time when his early '70s peers were spending their time breaking rules, Peter Bogdanovich doggedly stuck to old-fashioned ideals and ideas when directing The Last Picture Show. In this sense, his adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel stands as a eulogy for the previous generation of master filmmakers (like Howard Hawks or John Ford) as a new generation of youthful pioneers steered filmmaking in a looser, more visceral direction... The film is like a wake for an entire era, ripe with tragedy and exuding a heavy pall of unmistakable sadness.