Known as one of the defining members of the “New Hollywood'' era, Peter Bogdanovich was an auteur that placed an emotional core at the center of all of his films. Bogdanovich’s movies range through a variety of genres, but all hold a distinct and singular sense of heart. As a director, his legacy lives in the generations of filmmakers inspired by his storytelling including Edgar Wright, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino, who Bogdanovich lived with for a short period of time.
Here are 5 films to revisit and watch to celebrate Peter Bogdanovich's life and impressive career.
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Adapted from the novel of the same name, The Last Picture Show was the first film that launched Peter Bogdanovich’s name as a director. The film is a coming of age story that takes place in the small town of Anarene, Texas in the 1950s. It follows a group of high school students who are hungry for lives greater than the sleepy surroundings they call home. Anarene is the type of town where nothing really happens and nothing really will, its inhabitants resigned to its reality. Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges) are best friends and in their senior year at school. Duane is dating the rich and high school beauty queen, Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd) while Sonny starts an affair with Ruth Popper(Cloris Leachman), the much older, middle-aged wife of his football coach. As they begin to develop relationships, discover their sexuality, and more, the teens realize that they are at a crossroads in their lives and need to make choices that will deeply impact their future.
The film is not only about the loss of innocence but also the loss of a certain type of clean “American life” in the 50s and introduces a shift in youth norms.
What's Up Doc (1972)
An overnight bag mix up goes awry in this high-powered comedy! Dr. Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal) is a musicologist who travels to San Francisco for a music conference alongside his controlling fiancée, Eunice (Madeline Kahn). They check into their hotel for their stay, Hotel Bristol and meet Judy (Barbra Streisand), who immediately is infatuated by Howard. Also staying at the hotel is the wealthy Mrs. Van Hoskins (Mabel Albertson) and the secretive Mr. Smith (Michael Murphy). All four parties are staying on the same floor at the Hotel Bristol and all of them bring four identical bags for their stay. Each bag contains important personal items inside and keeps getting switched throughout the duration of the night. As the film progresses this leads to increasingly zany and eccentric situations.
Paper Moon (1973)
Based on the novel Addie Pray and shot in black and white, Paper Moon takes place in 1930s Kansas and follows Moses “Moze” Pray (Ryan O’Neal), a charming con man. He meets Addie Loggins (Tatum O’Neal) at her mother’s graveyard ceremony and there are whispers that Addie is his actual daughter. Moze is given the task to take Addie to her aunt’s house in St. Joseph, Missouri. Begrudgingly, he agrees, but not before getting $200 from the brother of the man who killed Addie’s mother. While the $200 was supposed to be for Addie, Moze uses it instead and makes a deal to pay it all back to her. Addie and Moze embark on a scam artist road trip to gather the money and the two develop a close bond. They go through a series of close calls where their hustle is almost ruined but meet their match with a local sheriff. The sheriff beats Moze up and robs them of their savings. Penniless and down on spirits, the pair finally reach Addie’s aunt's house in Missouri and Moze drops her off. As he makes his way back onto the road, Addie surprises him by rejoining him claiming that he still owes her $200.
The brilliance of Paper Moon lies in the chemistry behind the real life father-daughter pair and Tatum O’Neal’s fierce acting. Tatum was only 10 years old when she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Oscars – the youngest winner in any category since.
Mask (1985)
Cher stars as Florence “Rusty” Dennis in this biopic about Roy Lee “Rocky” Dennis (Eric Stoltz). Rocky had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a rare disorder that causes calcium to build up in the skull and disfigures the skull. His mother and her boyfriend, Gar (Sam Elliot) embrace him with love and try to give him the most normal life possible in 1970's Azuza, California. Still, they can’t protect him from everything. At an annual check up, a doctor lets them know that Rocky has about six months left to live.
He doesn’t believe the doctor and later finds romance in the form of a girl named Diana Adams (Laura Dern). Diana is blind and can’t see Rocky’s deformities. While the two grow close, Diana suddenly leaves and Rocky becomes lonelier than ever. Mask is carried by its melodrama and message of acceptance and bravery in the face of adversity.
Runnin’ Down A Dream (2007)
This documentary places the American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers front and center. Runnin’ Down A Dream uses archival concert footage, tour clips and interviews to tell the story of this iconic band. The film starts with a concert in Gainesville, Florida in September 2006. In the dark, crowd of fans holding lights look like stars in the night, bonded by the mutual love for the band. In the documentary, Tom Petty talks about his musical influences, like the impression that The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show made on him as a young teen. Petty also discusses his legal fight to get back his recordings after a publishing deal went bad. He set an industry standard by filing for bankruptcy as a way to get his music back, and this time period would inspire a number of songs including Century City.
Bogdanovich weaves these stories with intimate details from Petty and the band. Clocking in at about four hours, the documentary also features interviews from musicians like Stevie Nicks, George Harrison, Dave Grohl and more.