The Last Picture Show - Sam's monologue
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2008
- Clip from Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show.
NOTE: I will remove comments that purport to give links to the full movie. This clip is provided as a tribute to the film and Ben Johnson. If you want to watch the full movie, it's easily available for rental or purchase. 
Кино
As one gets older, the wistfulness of this scene really hits home. Gettin’ old
You read different things into this scene as you age. I’m in my 60s now and I see an inevitable truth in this that I didn’t see when younger. A time when you realize you have a lot less time in front of you then behind
I'm in my 60s also, the way I look at is one day I will 80 and will give anything to be 60 again. I'm in my mid 60s thank God I'm not 80. Put a positive spin on it.
@@doug3819right
Ben Johnson brought sincerity and authenticity to every role.
It's not the old days that we miss. What we miss is being young.
Exactly. It's like all downhill after we became adults.
Matt H: Never thought of it that way, but I think you're right.
Exactly.
I don’t know-
In these ...”ever changing”- “new normal” ...times.....
I’ll take the old times.
Being young is overrated.
This and Cloris Leachman telling off Sonny at the end... Two of the greatest performances on film.
Both deserved their Oscars.
💯
R.I.P. - Peter Boganovich. A very underrated director. This is one of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite films.
Took a lot of persuasion to get him to take the part
“I loved Sam….” 👌
So many great films and I loved his style. We lost a good one- shine on Peter
I love the way the camera slowly pulls in on Johnson and then back out again
"Being crazy about a woman like her is always the right thing to do." Would not have the impact it has without Ellen Burstyn's magnificent performance to make it real.
I teach film acting and I always show my students this scene as the ultimate in screen acting. There's no sense whatsoever he's saying written words in a script. He comes across as honest, genuine, wistful. A beautiful performance. It doesn't get any better than this.
+JohnWesley Downey I never get tired of that scene. I never get tired of the film. I feel that it's one of a small handful of very important films of the last half century.
Ben Johnson has a quality that can't be taught. When you see or hear him on the screen, you are drawn to him like a magnet, he commands attention without ever raising his voice.
Boy, you have got that right, JohnWesley Downey. This is my favorite scene in this movie and one of my favorite scenes in any movie I have ever seen in my life. Ben Johnson just plain nailed it.
This is the scene that got Ben his Academy Award. In his speech he said "There's not an actor in this room can't act circles around me but I can play Ben Johnson better than anyone else can.
This scene, and the death of vito corleone in the Godfather, are my favorite movie scenes. It's not just the acting, it's the quality of the writing and the way it was filmed.
This has to be one of the Ten Greatest Scenes in motion picture history. It doesn't get any better than this. Nothing but perfection.
I agree.
Incredible writing...this is how REAL people really talk to one another.....and such natural acting......what a great, great film.
colderbeer @
Maybe in 1971. Certainly not in 2020
@@paleo704 The film was set in 1951.
Ellen Burstyn was hot as hell in this movie. Imagine what Sam is remembering.
@@paleo704
It was a time piece made in 1971.
Ben (Son) Johnson was from my home town, Pawhuska, OK. He was always our special actor, and the entire town was very proud of "Son." Pawhuska still has an annual "Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping" named for his dad. We once had a three-day film festival devoted to Son's movies, showing at our own Last Picture Show, the Kihekah Theater. He will be remembered with love.
Sam the Lion has to be one of my favorite movie characters of all time
Mine too. It's so sad that he died.
The songs of Hank Williams help to add to the loneliness of the place. Went to see it about seven times when it came out. Still cannot forget it. My favourite movie of all times.
This is why he won an academy award for this movie
This film is from '71 ------------now at 75 y/o, I can say for certain, it ALMOST worth it to be old today, just to have been young, back then. I was 24 y/o when this film came out , & it was all ahead of me.
Pure genius. I am a writer the the power of the line "It was after my wife lost her mind and my boys were dead" is off the scale on its underrstated impact...wow what a line...a whole story hidden in a few words.....I saw this movie when I was like 10 and knew even then I was seeing something very special
Yes, his lines hit you like a hammer. And they are delivered just as an ordinary man would say them, Ben Johnson was one great actor to pull that off.
@@tommytruth7595really does hit ya
Yep. When I first watched this movie -- and this scene -- that haunting line really packed a punch. It sat me right down in my seat and my attention was totally focused on the rest of the monologue.
I grew up right around where this was filmed. I have fished and swam in many a stock tank. Every time I watch this scene I can feel the warm Texas sun and cool breeze blowing across the water, I can smell the aroma of mud, moss, and cow manure with a faint hint of raw petroleum being pumped from the ground. You can still find places like that today, things in that part of the country are slow to change.
Maybe the best film. Ever.
Ben Johnson was an absolute legend. What a beautiful piece of acting. Superb film. Glad he got his Oscar. As a Western fan, he was the real deal.
His performances were as good as they get.
His performance was naturally perfect.
like an old bear he know his days were coming to an end! funny how when you get older you think about the good times you had ( or you feel were good times)!Mr. Johnson has played in some fine roles in his acting career!
RIP Peter Bogdanovich
when he describes how the tank was barren with no masquite trees and prickly -pears 20 years ago, you can feel how it changed as he had changed. Just simply a great piece of natural dialogue in an already great film. Ben Johnson - Oscar win in those 3 min
He should have got two or three of them for that performance.
It's New Years' Eve 2018 and I decided to watch The Last Picture Show after reading an interview with Jeff Bridges. The last time I watch this was probably 25 years ago. This scene and the one where Sam talks to the two boys (Bridges and Bottoms) just before their trek to Mexico (and the last time they will see him alive) struck me as the most poignant scenes of the movie. Amazing.
"Being crazy about a woman like that is always the right thing to do."
I know exactly what he is talking about this part in the movie always takes me back to one of the best times in my life
Flawless performance by Ben Johnson! Brilliant speech! 😊
I was a great scene I never forgot . It's so true.
Thumbs up!
Mr Ben Johnson was one heck of a cowboy. The real deal. But, I gotta say he was even a better actor. This scene is seamless. It's how people talk when they are honest. It's a rare thing in a movie. The last thing John Ford told Ben Johnson was to keep it real. It's like John Ford as well as Peter Bogdanovich was directing. When I watch movies, it's so easy to see that they are all "acting" and not "being". Ben Johnson had become that character, and that made Sam The Lion one of the most compelling characters in film.
Look when the sun goes behind a cloud at 2:34. It's not a lighting effect -- it just happened. Like God was a cinematographer, it's so damned heartbreakingly beautiful. No one has ever written or acted better the story of having once long ago been young and reckless and in love.
I remember that effect. I saw this in 1971 first release. I was 19. It completely changed how I looked a movies. This one scene is etched in my heart forever.
RIP to Peter Bogdanovich. Thank you for this wonderful film.
I just found out that Larry McMurtry has passed on. He wrote the stories that led to 3 of my favorite movies. The Last Picture Show, Terms Of Endearment and Hud. He really touched a lot of peoples lives with his writing and I am very sad to hear of his passing. God-Speed Larry. Job well done.
And now Peter Bogdanovich has died, but what a legacy they've left behind.
One of the best character actors ever. RIP
Gosh how I would love for that wild, young girl to reappear in order for her and Sam to go swimming in the river for just one last time. A beautifully moving speech. Ben Johnson is the raw essence of realism and the Oscar he win was richly deserved! We simply don't get this type of superb, understated acting in Hollywood films anymore! A great performance. Brava!!
As he's giving his monologue, camera pans in slowly, you can see the sun break on his left cheek. Effulgent contrast to the shadow under the brim of his hat on right temple. Double entendre golden moment.
And not by accident.
I have no idea what your point is, but it sounds interesting nonetheless.
@@johnperrigo6474 I was getting ready to say the exact same thing you did! So you are not alone!
One convincing, moving, powerful monologue with zero pretense delivered to perfection by the real deal - no "method" on earth could touch this.
One of the best low-key, dialogue only scenes in any movie.
One of the top 10 scenes in movie cinema
One hellova' movie. Ben Johnson was the real deal. I miss old times too, just like Sam.
I'm looking for a time machine, myself.
Now that's how you shoot a monologue! Great acting as well. His words felt so real!
There were many screen Western heroes in the Great Western Age........but none like BJ; there was something about him, an evocation of the time, the original Man of Few Words. This clip is timeless and crosses every nostalgic boundary, be it Western or real life.........and nobody but nobody could ride a horse like him!.....BJ and a horse become one living thing of beauty.
"........I bet she's still got that siver dollar....."
I saw this film yesterday for first time
this scene is amazing, I had to make an effort not to cry.
these words are so deep.
RIP Sam the lion and Ben.
You, Ben Johnson really deserve the oscar you won for this.
Such a fantastic performance. It's not just the words he says, it's the weight and history behind them. When I first read the novel I pictured Sam differently, chubbier and more jovial with long hair and beard like a lion's mane, but in many ways Ben Johnson's dignified and wise take on the character is more perfect and affecting than anything I could have possibly imagined.
Pitch-perfect in performance, script, and direction. Bogdanovich dollies in to close-up of Ben Johnson exactly at the most poignant moment of the monologue. Ben Johnson had no formal actor training--he started out as a horse-wrangler, stuntman, and bit-player--but his acting is all the better because he has no fancy "actor" mannerisms.
Never claimed to be an actor. It was just that no one was better at being Ben Johnson than he was.
TM Rezzek it was said that he really did not want to do the movie at all simply because he didn’t want to say any of the lines. Amazing how natural he makes them in the film.
The best part of the movie. It isn't even acting for them, it is so natural.
Scenes like this are why I watch movies.
Just saw this film for the first time, and I immediately knew this was the best scene. Great film, can't wait to watch again.
OMG what a scene:... how brilliant the acting, writing, cinematography, everything.about it absorbs one's attention and nourishes the soul....speechless now except to say "how beautiful, beautiful"
what john downey said..the best screen performance ever...so three dimensional...My fav line in the whole movie " I guess the reason i drag you out here is that I'm just as sentimental as the next guy when it comes to old times...old times" Everything in this scene is perfect. the black and white , the direction, the way there bodies are spaced, tim bottoms listening...you know everything about this character in these 3 minutes, you lets you into his mind and you can see that girl , the horse , the half dollar..the whole scene..and all of a sudden the camera pulls back and you and he are in the present again.
david W
That scene is flawless. It is one of the best of any movie ever made in this country.
RIP, Ben Johnson------------an actor's actor.
A very great American film, comparable to the best of any period. How great to have Ben Johnson in this role- he was perfection and Timothy Bottoms - he showed that he was indeed a very fine actor- Bogdanovich pointed out that for an actor to listen in a scene is the most difficult acting- and how beautifully Timothy Bottoms listened- in all of his scenes! A heartbreaking, tragic film. thank you for posting!
Matthew Mosca I've seen it at least 20 times. I never get tired of it. Many brilliant performances. And Bogdanovich had the good sense to film it in glorious black and white. I consider this, Midnight Cowboy, Atlantic City, In Cold Blood and To Kill a Mockingbird to be five of the most important films of the last half century or so.
amazing scene- the lighting changed mid way then changed again- saw this 1st time at 12 yrs old- made big impression
As the old saying goes, ''it is better to have loved and lost,than to have never loved at all''....
Always so it is!
Joe L No need for this movie to show so much sex though.
I love Laura.
@TheJbach I'm 55 too. No, 55 isn't old, but like Sam the Lion said, it's "getting old." Huge difference! Yes, in some ways we are in our prime. But still, as Sam the Lion said so powerfully, "we're getting old.' That's what makes this scene so powerful; the contrast between late middle age and youth. 10- 15 short years from now, we won't be getting old: we will be old! At 55, you should be a realist. Enjoy your life my friend! Time is so very fleeting!
A really moving scene and yet I have yet to see it on any of these "Greatest Monologues" lists.
Pure piece of americana from an actor that can convey that in no uncertain terms.Splendid
Sam-the-Lion reminisces like he exhales his rolled smokes, nice 'n easy, with Sonny listening intently, knowing he's in the presence of greatness, and not a Super Bowl ring in sight, halle-frickin-lujah. A top ten western, it is peerless with Oscar®-caliber acts all around. And Red River (Hawks) for Royal finale is a nice touch. Thank you Peter & Co., Larry, Sal Mineo, Orson Welles, Polly Platt, Columbia Cufflinks (Steve), BBS, Archer City ("Anarene"), the District Court, Jandy and the State of Texas.
What's funny, ironic is, Sam wouldn't want us all makin' such a fuss, but it's what we do today.
The wisdom of years. This is such a great scene! Timeless thoughts, memories of anyone who has lived a life.
one of my favorite scenes.
Ben Johnson had to be coerced into doing this movie.
Although hes only in the movie for about 10 minutes, he still felt he had too much dialogue.
Yet, one always remember Ben's contribution, so did the Academy as he won an Oscar for best supporting actor.
Little did I know when I first watched this film as a teenager in 1971, that what Sam said would fit me exactly 45 years later. And Ellen Burstyn's looks & attitude reminds me so much of her too.
The best part of the movie. Everyone have reflected back on their lives and said when they were young, those days were better; more importantly, in this segment is telling the story of that one especial time in ones life that last a lifetime. Ben Johnson performance was outstanding throughout this movie. Great movie.
And many times they were.
More "best part(s)" than the big bucket at Kentucky Fried Chicken (gulp): The early morning chill at the pool hall and later, Sonny standing in the doorway, wind whipping through the emptiness; every Cloris Leachman scene; Sam's water-tank testament; the speechless, toothpickin' cafe patron standing over the boys in digust after their football fiasco; the little girl rescued who almost gets let behind as they haul off the twisted teen and the old guys just keep jawing; Lois letting Sonny back into the cafe and Sam happily signing on. Not enough digits on my hands and feet to count all of the beautiful moments, human, humorous and heart-warming.
It is a good depiction of the real Texas that is rapidly being lost as time goes on-----except for all the promiscuity. That did no go on at that level in the 1950's.
@INTERNETWORK That's a good one (Sam reads the riot act). And later, in his confused, post-Sam state, Sonny does something similar when he chides the old ne'er-do-wells hovering and making cold commentary over Billy's corpse, he having just been killed by a truck in the road.
Oh, people have been promiscuous since we crawled out of the ocean to live on the land. What's missing today is the discretion and the privacy of it. You might be running around on your spouse or getting wild with the local football hero, but nobody knew about it. Nobody said anything, nobody looked into it to find out.
Now... Is that a good or a bad thing? You'd say at first it doesn't seem like a positive change, since everyone's sexual activities are now everyone else's business. But, with the decrease in being discreet came an increase in being accountable. Abusive and manipulative situations were identified and help could be given. Children, especially, could find someone to talk to about their issues. The LGBT community were more free to assert themselves without having to conceal a huge part of who they were. Sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behaviors could be discussed, identified and mitigated in professional and occupational settings, opening opportunities up for everyone to pursue a satisfying career that wasn't limited by your willingness to "cooperate" with those already in positions of power.
It's a mixed bag, to be sure. It's also given us ridiculously politicized sexual identity issues that are, much of the time, entirely unnecessary. It's made private sexual behaviors a matter of public consideration in areas where it should be entirely irrelevant. It's used by those across the entire spectrum of political ideologies to divide, alienate and manipulate the public into supporting or opposing various positions.
We'll figure it out in the end. We always do. Some new issue, some new socio-political philosophy will come along and make our current debates seem silly and irrelevant, the same way we view controversies like "women with bare calves at the beach" from 100+ years ago. To the people around at that time, that WAS a big deal. They weren't dumber than us, or inferior or some sort of less advanced species. One day, it'll be 2123, and all of our hand-wringing over our "big issues" will seem just as silly and comical to the people living in that future.
The one thing we can count on is that every single person (from ancient high priests consulting with volcano gods to the finest scientific leading academic researchers) who has predicted the "end of the world" or the "collapse of society" has been wrong... and they always will be. Ancient Sumerians were wrong. Great Thurnberg is wrong. Tomorrow, some political guy is gonna pop up and tell you if we don't vote for the X Party, society will collapse or the nation will crumble. No, it won't. He's wrong, too.
Humanity is forever. We are the universe experiencing itself. We adapt, we overcome, and we conquer... Every single time.
Having spent a small part of my childhood and by that extent the late 90s IN archer city, we were indoctrinated young to the classic bookstore on the square and the stories of mr McMurtry. As an adult now, this scene is the most powerful connection I have to that small part of north Texas...a largely forgotten part of the state and one of the most most important in all of American literature. I well up inside every time I see this scene thinking about a small part of my past that was lost long before I was born.
McMurtry grew up in the area.
No one writes movie scenes like this anymore. The silence in the scene makes it ring true.
I had the pleasure of working with Ben Johnson as an actor in Hollywood towards the end of his career, and he was a joy to behold. Kind, thoughtful and a real genuine individual. He had this wonderful way about him of including you in his life... Hollywood could take a lesson.
Ben had a thrilling reality about him that you seldom see in Hollywood.
“I bet she’s STILL got that silver dollar…”
I saw this movie just last night. When I first saw it I was 18 years old and had stayed a number of times in small Texas towns where my father grew up. Now that I am 67 years old, and have had some of the same experiences Sam had, I relate more to his character.
Whenever I watch this scene I'm always reminded of the Guy Clark song "Desperadoes Waiting for A Train."
Sadly boys today seem to know men they can learn from and respect, too many "men" now days still want to remain juvenile and irresponsible.
Ben Johnson was more than a great actor; he was the real thing: cowboy, stunt man, exceptional horseman, and tough guy.
Another of his many wonderful performances was in "Bite the Bullet" with Gene Hackman, James Coburn, and Candice Bergen; his character was identified only as "Mister," but what he did with that role was magical.
Perfect cinematography by Robert Surtees. What a genius!
Exquisite it is!
Ben turned down this role 3 times. Bogdanovich got John Ford to call Ben and talk him into it. How lucky for us all.
Ben Johnson... One of the greatest!
Great movie scene , the older you get the more you can relate to it
Short and sweet......but one of the great screen monologues where every word is important, full of life and regret...and pathos. Notice how Sam peers sightlessly into the distance, seeing things we all see; seeing things we all feel. Only the magnificent Sam the Lion could deliver this fine piece of writing.
The film is a must to watch........turn everything else off; hide the smartphone....and enjoy!!
My mom's family lived in the area that the story of the movie was based on and near the town, it was made in. My granddad said those same words to me that there weren't any trees or prickly pear there when he first moved there and that was long before the movie was made.
I think that Ben Johnson is one of the most underrated actors of his time. He should have had far more accolades than he did. He always reminded me of the uncle who raised me. This scene reminds me of the stories my uncle used to tell me about his youth. Today I started watching all the movies I can find that Ben Johnson was in. He was a damn good actor.
I heard he didn't want to do the movie but was talked in to it by his agent. Glad he listened
Ben Johnson was such a good actor.
Sam the Lion faceds dearh with self humor and irony in the extreme!
I wish men still did.
Few films have such a wonderful and evocative musical soundtrack emulating the fifties.
Typically, Oscar loves a ham, but is one of those rare times when someone underplayed his way to one.
Two of the best American films ever made, The Last Picture Show and Papermoon. Haunting. bleak, unforgettable.
A Paper Chaste
To speak and to speak well, are two things. A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks.
Weigh the meaning and look not at the words.- Ben Jonson's couplet
ONE OF THE BEST MOVIE,GREAT!!!
Movies have been my life since 1979. If there is one performance I'll always remember in motion picture film, it has to be this Ben Johnson scene from Bogdanovich's TLPS.
This scene, and the one where Don Corleone dies in the garden with his grandson, are my 2 favorite movie scenes - ever.
The writing and the acting are just off-the-charts good.
One of my top favorite scenes in this classic.
I love this movie and this particular scene
This film is life. Time changes everything (sadly, not always for the best).
Just superb. Depth, simplicity.
I couldn’t agree more about fish ! Ben Johnson was the best
I rewatch this scene every now and then. Sums up the journey of life. And Bens performance is brilliant: simple, no actors tricks, just completely real summation of a life lived well as seen thru the rear view mirror of advancing age
I've seen a lot of Ben Johnson's movies, from his early day with John Ford to "Breakheart Pass". He was always completely natural, like he'd wandered on to the movie set by accident after putting his horse in the corral. Never any method acting nonsense, never any stunts like putting on weight or going on steroids or living a few days or weeks with the kind of people he was trying to portray in order to learn how to play them. No vanity to him either; he never had a facelift; just let all the wrinkles come. Only one other actor I can think of had that naturalness; Joel McCrea. I highly recommend McCrea's last movie "Ride The High Country" 1962. Had this movie been made in 1972, Johnson could easily have played McCrea's part.
"I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar." Just magnificent.
Sam the Lion in Last Picture Show and Grandad in Hud are the very voice of the land.
And the real Texas.
Both characters created by Larry McMurtry, who also wrote Lonesome Dove and Terms Of Endearment.
And many more. His books that depict Texas back in time are outstanding.
poetcomic1 Homer Bannon, Granddad in Hud, spoke words that ring true to this very day.
Ben Johnsom was multidimensional, Melvyn Douglas was humorless and too pious and martyred for his own good.
Great movie, great story and great actors and I believe that filming it in black & white was a fantastic idea. Scenes filmed in the town look like they could have been anywhere from the 1930s up to the 1950s where colour would have modernised it too much.
Breath taking..............................this scene stands the test of time.
One of the most graceful movies of the American dream.
Great book, great movie. So real and honest.
But the promiscuity was greatly exaggerated in that movie, maybe the book, I will have to read it. It did not go on at that level in the 50's. Not at all.
awesome!!!
One of my favorite movies!
One of my all time favorite scenes in film.