The movie Bret Easton Ellis calls a “masterpiece”
The literary works of Bret Easton Ellis have been controversial and successful in equal measure, particularly his famed 1991 novel American Psycho. There’s a deep satirical element to Ellis’ prose, though, employed in many of his works, including Less than Zero and The Rules of Attraction.
Ellis’ later work began to delve into metafictional narratives, particularly 2005’s Lunar Park, which saw the author weave himself into the story. Ellis also has a strong link to the film industry, and his debut novel Less than Zero was adapted into a movie in 1987 starring Andrew McCarthy and Robert Downey Jr.
So too was the author’s sophomore effort, The Rules of Attraction, made into a film version in 2002, directed by Roger Avary, starring James Van Der Beek and Shannyn Sossamon. The best known of Ellis’ novel adaptations to film, though, is undoubtedly American Psycho, helmed by Mary Harron, starring Christian Bale in the lead role as the psychotic Wall Street banker Patrick Bateman.
In a feature with Criterion, Ellis once picked out his ten favourite films of all time, and within that selection, he drew attention to a Peter Bogdanovich movie that he considers a “masterpiece”. It’s the 1971 coming-of-age drama The Last Picture Show.
Discussing the film, Ellis said: “A masterpiece and one of the key achievements of 1970s New Hollywood—maybe only behind the Godfather films. Its mix of loving classicism, European influences, and ’70s permissiveness is jolting and desperately real.”
Bogdanovich co-wrote the film with Larry McMurtry, who’d written the 1966 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. It stars Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn and Ben Johnson, among others, and garnered eight Academy Award nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’.
Narratively, the film tells of the residents of a small northern Texas town between November 1951 and October 1952, particularly the story of two high-school seniors, Sonny Crawford (Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Bridges), who have been best friends for several years.
Expressing his admiration for the film’s narrative and acting, Ellis added: “American small-town life has never been rendered with such empathy, unapologetic frankness, sadness, and despair. Timothy Bottoms’ performance is the most wrenching portrayal of male adolescence ever.”
Bogdanovich’s film was a commercial success, as well as a critical one, and grossed nearly $30million from a $1.3m budget. Revisit the trailer below.
