Review: The Last Movie
Blu-ray: The Last Movie (1971)
Dennis Hopper, straight off the back of Easy Rider in 1969, was Hollywood’s new wonder kid. So the studio (run by old, studio system remnants) gave him a million dollars and free reign to make whatever the hell he wanted, with NO interference.
Two years, and a long sojourn in Peru later, he delievered The Last Movie; a tale of a small Peruvian village gone mad once the actors and filmmakers have gone back to LA.
Featuring cameos by everyone who was anyone in 1970 (Sam Fuller, Kris Kristofferson, Toni Basil, most of the Mamas and Papas, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn) the studio was convinced that the smash-hit success of Easy Rider would continue with this film. It wasn’t to be. Universal didn’t know what to do with it and it was hardly seen.
The story concerns a crew shooting a western about the death of Billy the Kid, using locals as extras. Dennis Hopper directs and stars as Kansas, a horse stunt man who stays behind having moved in with a local woman after the shoot is over and the Hollywood folk have all gone home.
This must have been such a confusing film for contemporary audiences. The narrative swings back and too, giving us future glimpses (possibly for the first time in film, almost like Christopher Nolan in a kaftan…oops hippy joke) and this adds to Hopper being the witness to something very strange. The local people have given into this sort of group hysteria, and re -enact the making of the film. They adapt their existing Christian pageant of carrying the crucified Christ through the streets into a new ritual of carrying twig models of cameras and sound booms. Drunk and dangerous they stage real fist fights. The making of the film, then the crew leaving has caused this strange, aching void in everyone’s lives including Hopper’s.
It is, all in all an odd film, and I was genuinely surprised at how watchable it is. Knowing Hopper was off his tits during the whole process made me think that it would be completely bonkers but The Last Movie hangs together rather well.
Here’s a great piece about the making of the film: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a23287946/the-last-movie-dennis-hopper/
SPECIAL FEATURES:
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4K restoration from the original negative
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Original mono audio
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The Guardian Interview with Dennis Hopper (1990, 91 mins): archival audio recording of the filmmaker and actor in conversation with critic Derek Malcolm at London’s National Film Theatre
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Dennis Hopper Video Introduction (2007, 2 mins)
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Scene Missing (2012, 50 mins): documentary directed by Alex Cox on the making of The Last Movie
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Some Kind of Genius (1986, 30 mins): Paul Joyce’s documentary portrait of Dennis Hopper
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Postcards from Peru (2018, 32 mins): new interviews with members of the Peruvian cast and crew
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8mm On-set Footage (1970, 10 mins, silent): rare and previously unseen material shot on location by actors John Phillip Law and Victor Maymudes
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The Dick Cavett Show (1971, 7 mins): extract from the popular US chat show, featuring an interview with Hopper
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Restoration Demonstration (3 mins)
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1971 product reel
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Original 1971 theatrical trailer
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2018 UK re-release trailer
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Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
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New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
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Limited edition exclusive 80-page book containing extensively researched new writing by filmmaker Alex Cox, rare archival photography, and full film credits
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Limited edition exclusive double-sided poster
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UK premiere on Blu-ray
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Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
You can buy The Last Movie by clicking HERE. ALL money raised by purchasing from Amazon via our website is given back to our listeners and followers in upcoming competition prizes. The more people buy, the bigger our prizes.
Review by Tina (co-host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.
