Bogdanovich. At age 35 Peter Bogdanovich was on top of Hollywood and mentioned alongside Altman, Coppola and Scorsese as one of the most promising young filmmakers in the New Hollywood. His first five feature films all land in the archives and he was on a crazy run from 1971-1974 with four archiveable films in five years. The Last Picture Show is a big reason he’s on this list- it’s a top 500 film— and then he backed it up with Paper Moon two years later—two gorgeous black and white films that are very easy not only praise- but connect. Sadly, after Paper Moon in 1973 he’s never make another film that you really contemplated putting in the top 10 of its respective year.
Best film: The Last Picture Show. You may watch it the first time just to spot all the acting talent on display. Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman won Academy Awards for supporting performances but how about the first archiveable film for the likes of Jeff Bridges and Ellen Burstyn? A second and third viewing with leave you awestruck by Bogdanovich’s achievement in the world he’s created in 1960’s small-town rural Texas. Robert Surtees (14 time Oscar nominee including The Graduate) as the DP and Bogdanovich craft a true achievement in black and white photography.
total archiveable films: 6
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 1 (The Last Picture Show)
top 100 films of the decade: 1 (The Last Picture Show)
most overrated: Nothing. I’m 100 spots or so lower on The Last Picture Show but that’s not a big delta—Paper Moon is the only other film in the TSPDT consensus top 2000 right now and that’s at #950- a good spot for it.
most underrated : Nothing here either. I’ve yet to see Saint Jack– a 1979 Bogdanovich film starring Ben Gazzara- that has a good reputation.
gem I want to spotlight : Paper Moon. Unlike the sprawling ensemble of The Last Picture Show this is a two-hander starring Ryan and Tatum O’Neal (who famously won an Oscar for her performance as young child) set in the depression era. It’s easily accessible, entertaining, handsomely mounted by László Kovács and Bogdanovich. Rustic black and white rural photography yet again
stylistic innovations/traits:
- Like the French New Wave auteurs Bogdanovich was a renowned writer and film buff (his interviews with directors and actors may be of even more valuable than his films to most cinema lovers)—his appreciation and knowledge of cinema history comes through in his work- The Last Picture Show owes a great deal to John Ford and What’s Up, Doc? borrows heavily from Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby
- Nostalgia and loss– his best films are magnificently photographed black and white films set in rural areas
- Homages- like Tarantino he tried to bring back his heroes from his favorite films- instead of Pam Grier and David Carradine it’s Boris Karloff in Targets and Ben Johnson (who often worked with John Ford) in The Last Picture Show
top 10
- The Last Picture Show
- Paper Moon
- What’s Up, Doc?
- Targets
- Daisy Miller
- Mask
By year and grades
| 1971- The Last Picture Show | MS |
| 1972- What’s Up, Doc? | R |
| 1973- Paper Moon | R/HR |
| 1974- Daisy Miller | R |
| 1985- Mask | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
What do you value more?
A director who made great movies (wilder Stanton) or a great director who shows lots of promise, but never really makes too many good movies. (Bogdanovich perhaps)
Is your list ranked based on a mix of these 2 kinds of directors?
@Azman- I think résumé is the single biggest factor for sure
He almost directed these following Movies
The Godfather
The Way We Were
Chinatown
The Exorcist
The Long Goodbye
I’m missing one more movie and I don’t remember what it is
Quote from Bogdanovich during the making of The Last Picture Show:
“I hope I’m not repeating what happened to [Orson Welles]. You know, make a successful serious film like this early and then spend the rest of my life in decline.”
I’ll let you all make of this what you will, but, well, somehow I think we’re all going to come to the same conclusion here. Haha.
@Zane- oh wow- I’ve never seen this quote- thanks for sharing. Ouch.
Wow. That’s either a triumphantly ambitious aim (to expect be greater than Orson Welles right off the bat) or supreme arrogance.
I don’t mean to be rude but you could not have misunderstood Bogdanovich’s quote more.
He’s not saying he’s going to be greater than Orson Welles, or hell even aiming to be such. He’s comparing the debuts of his own film and Welles’, The Last Picture Show and Citizen Kane, and stating about how Citizen Kane was a big critical hit upon release and is still beloved to this day whilst the rest of his career was a decline after that (not that Welles didn’t keep making excellent films; he absolutely did), and lamenting that this happened to Welles, who was his mentor on the set of The Other Side of the Wind, and hoping that the same thing will not happen to him following the release of The Last Picture Show, which misfortunately for Bogdanovich, it did.
You are probably right. I’m sorry I misunderstood the quote. I must admit that I have never seen a Bogdanovich film, nor do I know much about him or his work. However, I don’t think I was completely off. By saying that he is hoping not to repeat the misfortunes of Welles, it seems that he is placing himself and his movie on the same plane as the great master and Citizen Kane in a way, if only slightly. Your conclusion from the quote – that what happened was exactly what Bogdanovich was hoping to prevent – is much more useful than mine.
At least Welles was still able to create a fabulous masterpiece more than twenty years after his unforgettable debut.
@Zane and @Graham– I think both readings of the quote can be right. I love Bogdanovich, have read several of his books, listened to podcasts, seen him give intros on TCM, etc– and to think there isn’t a ton of arrogance in that quote (comparing himself to what many consider the greatest filmmaker and his film to what many consider the greatest single film) would be an incorrect reading as well in my opinion. Still- he clearly had a ton of talent – sad he turned out not to be one of his generation’s greatest filmmakers.
A shame, one of the biggest cinephiles, only behind Scorsese, Allen and maybe Schrader.
One of the few directors that i like more for his personality than for his filmography together with William Friedkin.
He certainly got carried away by the impulse he had and couldn’t handle it.
I highly recommend his interviews and movie audio commentary if you can.
@Aldo- good stuff here Aldo- if you guys can get your hands on it this book is fantastic https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Made-Conversations-Peter-Bogdanovich/dp/0679447067