TEXASVILLE

US, 1990, 120 minutes, Colour.
Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Annie Potts, Randy Quaid, Cloris Leachman, Eileen Brennan, William Mc Namara.
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

The Last Picture Show is considered one of the classics of American cinema, especially of the 1970s, winning a number of wards, including Oscars for Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman. It marked the high point in the career of director Peter Bogdanovich who was to go on to make What’s up Doc and Paper Moon, but his career declined and for almost 40 years made comparatively few films.

In 1990 he made this sequel to The Last Picture Show, taking up many of the characters and exploring what happened to them in the 1980s. Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd, Annie Potts, Randy Quaid, Eileen Brennan and Chloris Leachman reprised their roles.

The film is not as interesting or as arresting as the original, but many audiences familiar with the original will want to see what happened to the characters as they grew older, into middle age, the difficulties, fidelities and infidelities, families, business success…


1. A sequel to The Last Picture Show? The acclaim for the original? A sequel set decades later? The same place, same characters? Different issues? The 1980s? Different generations?

2. The opening, the look of the landscape, and the location, the town, flat, harsh landscape, also a landscape of the mind and emotions? Homes, office, apartments, the lake, the celebration of the festivities? The musical score?

3. The title, its tone?

4. The work of Peter Bogdanovich, the original film, his coming back to the material decades later? The adaptation of Larry Mc Murtry novels?

5. Duane as the focus, Jeff Bridges, in the earlier film, young, relationships, with Jacy, his character? Middle-age, promiscuous relationships, the change in his character? His marriage, Karla, the children? Permissive attitudes towards his children? Loving his grandchildren? Working with Ruth, her checking on him? The friendship with Genevieve? The long friendship with Sonny, his mental state, blocking out reality, his own inner movies, Duane saving him, looking after him, yet puzzled because of his financial success and being the mayor and one’s own bankruptcy? Friendship with Lester, Lester’s wife leaving him, the deals with the bank and bankruptcy, his visit to him in hospital? Flirting with the wives? Dick and his fiancée, the pregnancy? The discussions about Jacy, his memories from the past?

6. Karla, her age, the use of marriage to Duane, her sometimes-strident manner, her own love affairs, tolerant of her husband, her concern about her children, her tensions, her friendship with Jacy, their meetings, discussions, a strong friendship, sharing ideas and feelings?

7. Dick, sexual behavior, pregnant fiancée, his father’s permissiveness, advice, challenges?

8. The daughter, her fiancé, her tantrums and weeping, throwing the baby into the pool to learn to swim, her father’s reaction, her weeping at the table, a spoiled brat?

9. The twins, their fighting, at school, the festivities and the throwing the eggs?

10. Ruth, her past relationship with Sonny, working for Duane, letting Sonny live with her, her looking after him, her compassion? The crises with Sonny, the final rescue?

11. Sonny, in the earlier film, relationships, Ruth, Duane, Jacy? His mental state? The shop? His inner movies and their becoming reality? Sitting on the roof by himself? Fear about his madness? Relying on his friends? At the end on the grandstand? The group saving him and bringing him down?

12. Genevieve, from the first film, her place in the town, old, disabled?

13. Lester, his wife leaving him, in hospital and his concern, his being dunked at the festivities, the banker, financial discussions with Duane, issues of bankruptcy? A new girlfriend?

14. Jacy, and the earlier film, her life, an actress in Italy? Her child and its death? Her grief? Coming back home? Swimming and encountering Duane, talking with him, the flirting, teasing him, going to the other town and staying in the motel, Duane giving her his dog, her friendship with Karla, confiding in her, taunting Duane, in love with him or not? Eve at the festivities? Her joining the life of the town? The finale with Duane, her love but letting him go?

15. The town celebration, the meeting in preparation, passing the laws instantly, the religious man and his insistence in voting against all laws? His being pelted with eggs at the celebration?

16. Any resolution for the characters? For Duane? His future? Love for Karla?

17. How much insight into the characters, or merely glimpsing them at a particular stage in their lives?