2016 Tarkovsky Prize 3rd Place: Jillian Lim
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW by Jillian Lim (14)
2016 Tarkovsky Prize, 3rd Place
“The Last Picture Show” takes place in a dying Texas town in November 1951. Based of the novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry, Peter Bogdanovich directs this tear-jerking, dramatic film about two best friends that are trying to decide their futures before graduation nears. This film will capture your attention with its expressive, striking, black and white scenes and it’s hardships of growing up. The film centralizes on the theme of loneliness, and the coming of age of two high-school seniors.
Sonny Crawford and Duane Jackson are high school seniors and best friends, and as the time to decide on their futures comes near, they both struggle to find a way to escape the dying town and build a better life somewhere else. Duane is in a relationship with Jacy Farrow, the prettiest and wealthiest girl in the town. As Sonny sees their ‘perfect’ relationship, he breaks up with his girlfriend. During Christmas time, he begins an affair with Ruth Popper, who is the depressed wife of his high-school coach. At this point in their lives, Sonny and Duane’s main goal is to be in a successful relationship.
Meanwhile, Jacy, Duane’s girlfriend, is invited to a naked indoor pool party where she meets a boy that states that he’s not interested in virgins, and she could come back after she has had sex. Jacy then realizes that she wants to lose her virginity and seeks the help of her boyfriend. After he fails to preform, Jacy seeks to encounter more men. Jacy is a spoiled girl who gets what she wants. She likes to think that she is in control of her dramatic situations and attempts to make many people as unhappy as she can. But although she has wealth and beauty, she is destined to remain a small town girl.
“The Last Picture Show” is shot in black and white, which helps creates a sense of dread, and melancholy, and gives a special flavor to the realistic atmosphere of the setting. It helps the viewer focus on the content of the story and what is in the frame. Traditionally, white and black can symbolize good and evil and shooting the film in black and white points out the contrasts and could show that there is still hope in all the despair.
It is ultimately a film that shows how a person has to push through different hardships and make the right decisions in order to reach maturity. The film also hints about how the younger generation has little to look forward to, because of their elder’s actions. The small town in north Texas is already dying and decayed and Sonny and Duane feel the need to escape. The film conveys the message that whatever we do now, affects the people in the future. From this film, people can learn to be cautious and know that what they do now will affect the future.
“The Last Picture Show” will capture the minds of people who love a dramatic, bittersweet, evocative film. Although in black in white, it paints a colorful picture in your mind. It will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes the tone of a scene is cheerful and bright, but then quickly changes to a desolate, depressing tone. Overall, the film was filled with impressive performances, and invigorating scenes. This film is filled with intriguing drama as the scenes pass by, and will have you reaching for the tissue box.
“The Last Picture Show” is a film worth keeping in your album.