Texcentric Cinema
A portrait of our state, in film.
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THE LAST PICTURE SHOW
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich; with Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybil Shepherd, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms, and Randy Quaid. 1971
Definitely a contender for all-time best Texas film, The Last Picture Show captures a time—the fifties—and a locale—small-town Texas—so well that it has become legendary. The opening scene, where a solemn Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson) makes a futile attempt to sweep his pool hall just as a fierce wind kicks up the dust in the streets and under his broom, becomes a metaphor for the entire film. High school pals and football teammates Duane Jackson (Bridges) and Sonny Crawford (Bottoms) grow up, get girls (Cybil Sheperd in her first feature performance, and Cloris Leachman who is exquisite in her role as the wife of the basketball coach), get married, go to war, and return to the sameness of home; lives intertwined under a hopeless Texas sky. The film also expresses a true and simple understanding of state culture: high school football, dance halls, and movie theaters, all framed in dazzlingly stylized black and white cinematography.
LONE STAR
Directed by John Sayles; with Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Morton, Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Mendillo, Frances McDormand, Stephen Lang, Ona Faida Lampley, Eleese Lester, Joe Stevens, Clifton James, Gonzalo Castillo, Tony Frank, and Miriam Colon. 1996
That would a roundup of quintessential Texas films be without a border movie? John Sayles’s works are known for their incredible sense of place, and this is no exception—the Eagle Pass location provides such flavor that the border almost takes on a life of its own. Sam Deeds (Cooper) is the town sheriff who, after the discovery of human bones in the desert, is forced to investigate the possibility of an age-old crime involving his late father, which had been spoken of only in whispers until then. Newly-discovered Texas son McConaughey plays the righteous and much-loved sheriff Buddy Deeds; Kristofferson is maniacal as the racist sheriff Charlie Wade who rubbed the whole town the wrong way and then turned up missing. Still, nothing’s that black and white at this culture-crossed point on the map. Fine characterization, rich subtext and a natural pace (though most of the story is told in flashback) also add dimension to Sayles’ compelling mystery.
LOVE AND A .45
Directed by CM Talkingon; with Gil Bellows, Renee Zellweger, Peter Fonda, Rory Cochrane, Jeffery Combs, Jace Alexander, and Michael Bowen. 1995
Another in a long line of lovers-on-the-lam movies (each one after Bonnie and Clyde growing more violent and deranged than the next) Love & a .45 is uncannily reminiscent of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. But trailer trash couple Watty (Bellows) and Starlene (Texas actress Renee Zellweger) would definitely not want to meet Mickey and Mallory in a dark alley, as this pair’s more mild-mannered crime spree consists of robbing convenient stores with unloaded weapons and trying to avoid murdering people in cold blood. Actually, the film was completed before (but released after NBK) and has plenty of violent scenes of its own. Rory Cochrane plays an insanely scary villian with a shoddy tattoo that covers his bald head entirely (the attached scene is a disturbing one), and Peter Fonda has a cameo as an aging hippy who speaks through a hole in his throat. The film was shot on location in East Texas where director Talkington grew up.
THE NEWTON BOYS
Directed by Richard Linklater; with Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Julianna Margulies, Dwight Yoakam, and Charles Gunning. 1998
A true-life historical account of four outlaw brothers raised in Uvalde who robbed banks all across the States and in Canada and were responsible for one of the biggest train robberies in the country, The Newton Boys doesn’t offer many surprises but it is a stylish and diverting jaunt nonetheless. With a cast of heartthrobs and some nice directorial moments, it seems this film was more about getting the Newton’s story to celluloid than reaching any cinematic heights. The twist in this 20s western is that instead of ending with the typical fatal shootout, our personable outlaw protagonsists live to tell their story. In fact, the film is worth sticking out just for the credits, over which play an 80s Johnny Carson segment featuring Joe Newton, and a portion of an interview with gang leader Willis Newton from an earlier documentary. Austin-based director Linklater has already proven loyalty to his home state with previous films, and this, his latest, also enlists local Austin alterno-blue grass band, the Bad Livers who create a refreshing score.
NORTH DALLAS FORTY
Directed by Ted Kotcheff; with Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Dayle Hadden, Bo Svenson, Steve Forrest, Dabney Coleman, and Guich Koock. 1979
The way Texans feel about football one would think they wouldn’t be very happy about how the game is portrayed here: North Dallas Forty is based on Peter Gent’s book about labor abuse in the NFL, depicting the sport as a giant corporation more interested in money and success than in the human beings that battle it out on the field. Nick Nolte as a recently-benched wide receiver and Mac Davis, the personable star quarterback, are the conscience for the entire team, and at times are reduced to cynical, limping messes who pop pain killers like candy and are scolded like wayward children. Still, this film heralds the start of Dallas Cowboys’ long tenure as “America’s Team,” and if it doesn’t offer a romantic view of the gridiron, it does direct audience sympathies to the toll such a weekly beating takes on our professional athletes. Though much has changed in the NFL since North Dallas Forty was released, a state so devoted to the sport should know about this stuff, not to mention all the partying going on.
PARIS, TEXAS
Directed by Wim Wenders; with Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clément, Hunter Carson, Natassja Kinski, and Bernhard Wicki. 1984
A little long in the tooth but keen on scenery, this Sam Shepard-penned flick is a surreal maelstrom of emotion. Harry Dean Stanton (who already has a telling face like a rodeo cowboy or an outlaw) meanders silently on foot through the Texas desert. We find out he’s been lost for four years, having left behind a young son in the care of his brother, and a wife (Kinski) who has not been seen since. Vowing to piece his past life together, he goes on a quest to Houston where he finds her employed at a peep show; the scene where he speaks to her through the glass is one of the most heart-wrenching in movie history. As are all of Shepard’s works, Paris, Texas is theatrical; symbolism and western myth abound. Shepard’s love for this part of the country mixed with Wenders’ vast direction and cinematic eye makes for exceptionally passionate filmmaking. Plus, the Ry Cooder soundtrack is unforgettable.
PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE
Directed by Tim Burton; with Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger, and Judd Omen. 1985
Dottie: Pee Wee? Where are you calling from?
Pee Wee: Texas!
Dottie: Huh?
Pee Wee: Honest! I’ll prove it! [singing] The stars at night are big and bright…
Passersby [singing and clapping]: … deep in the heart of Texas!
The search for Pee Wee’s stolen bike doesn’t take place solely in Texas, but the sequences filmed in San Antonio are so memorable that it deserves to make the cut. After Madame Ruby predicts his beloved bike is being held in the basement of a famous Texas landmark, Pee Wee sets off on an adventure that crosses paths with a motley assortment of over-the-top characters. The live-action cartoon is sure to help non-Texan fans to never forget the Alamo, and at the same time remember it doesn’t have a basement. Hilariously scripted by Paul Reubens and the late Phil Hartman, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure shouldn’t be tossed-off as a low-brow comedy—I recently came across the theory that the film is director Tim Burton’s tribute to the Italian classic The Bicycle Thief.
A PERFECT WORLD
Directed by Clint Eastwood; with Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther, Keith Szarabajka, Leo Burmester, Paul Hewitt, and Bradley Whitford. 1993
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