The Movie vs. The Book

            The Last Picture Show, the movie, was released in black and white in 1971, and it was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Timothy Bottoms played Duane Jackson, Cybill Shepherd played Jacy Farrow, and Ben Johnson played Sam the Lion. It was nominated for ten Academy Award, including Best Picture, Best Director, and four acting nominations.

            Larry McMurtry, the author of the book, wrote the screenplay, so the movie does keep many things the same. In the movie, the town’s weather and small-town, deserted feel is the same as in the book. The plot-line is also the same, but the movie does skip over several important or monumental scenes, such as Duane and Sonny’s trip to Mexico, basketball games, the bus rides and the subsequent interactions between Jacy and Duane, Mrs. Farrow and Sonny’s one-night stand, and the town’s rampaging bestiality.

            The movie was two hours long, and it was hard to follow without prior knowledge of the book. What made the book so great was the omniscient voice and the ability of the reader to understand the characters’ deepest thoughts. Without this, the movie was lacking, and it failed to capture the viewer’s attention. Without hearing the characters’ thoughts, it was hard to understand them or attach oneself to them. This made their actions seem meaningless and shallow, or even random and unconnected at times.

            The movie focused on the theme that life lacks meaning or purpose. The desolate setting was dramatized as a backdrop to the insignificant lives within the town. At the end of the two hours, just like at the end of the book, the mood was very sad and empty.

            Our personal opinion of the movie was that it was much worse than the book. We all loved the book so much, but we struggled to stay awake though the movie.