All Small Towns Offer Is Sex, And Hanging Out At The Local Luncheonette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Believe me, darlings, I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Not that sex is limited to small towns.  It is what its citizenry is limited to.  But if one moves to the city, the possibilities are endless.

                                           Few films exemplify this better than Peter Bogdanovich's masterpiece, 1971's "The Last Picture Show."  What fascinated me about this viewing was the character I expected to spend the rest of his life in town--Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges) -- is the one who actually leaves town and makes a life of his own.  You just never know, darlings.

                                            From the first to last tracking shots, influenced by Welles' "Touch Of Evil," this film chronicles the misery, beauty and ennui in such a dismal environment as Anarene, Texas.    And with pros like Ben Johnson, Ellen Burstyn, and Cloris Leachman to serve as guides, the acting meter cannot get better.  Take note; this is the only good film performance Cybill Shepherd gave, not because she was young, but because the character fit her limited range to a tee.  But you have to give her credit.  When Bogdanovich's Selznickian attempt to make her into another Jennifer Jones tanked, she licked her wounds, rallied and returned to TV, where she was discovered to have a surprisingly comic range.  More power to her.  But one can see here how Bogandanovich might have been entranced with her.

                                            As for Bridges and Bottoms, who were young and promising, what happened to them, especially Bottoms?  I could not dismiss from this viewing that there some subliminal homosexual feelings between Duane (Bridges) and Sonny (Bottoms) that impeded their growth toward stable relationships with women.

                                               Robert Surtees, one of the last great cinematographers, is responsible for making beauty out of isolation.  And Verna Fields is the one who edited it all superbly.

                                                 This film is underrated in the cinema canon because of Bogdanovich's plunge.  It should stand on its own, and does, as a masterwork.

                                                     Just think, when I first saw this film in my hometown at 16, I thought I might end up as Genieve, (Eileen Brennan).

                                                      See what can happen, girls!????????????????????????????

                                                     Now listen to me and experience the splendors and pleasures of a true film masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!