![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/l/lastpictureshow.jpg)
The Last Picture Show: Special Edition
There's not much to do in Anarene, Texas. There's a pool hall and a movie house, and a high school football team that doesn't know how to tackle. Peter Bogdanovich's influential movie about the death of this small, unhappy town is not so much a dirge as an autopsy. Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges star as rowdy teens with nowhere to go, and Cybil Shephard the aloof, manipulative vixen toying with their hormones. Considered quite groundbreaking in 1971, The Last Picture Show paints a depressing picture of how a small town's limited options for happiness lead invariably to bitterness, cruelty, mania, and disaffection. The cast is strong — especially Ben Johnson as the town's heart and soul, Sam the Lion — and the black-and-white images are stark and effective. However, due to its sullen tone, Bogdanovich's film drags a little. This director's cut from Columbia TriStar features eight minutes of new footage. Presented in a fine 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby 2.0 mono. Includes the documentary The Last Picture Show: A Look Back and trailers. Keep case.
—Gregory P. Dorr
