The Last Picture Shows

by Mike McGranaghan

There’s a cinema in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania called the Campus Theatre. It’s an independent, single-screen art deco theater, built in 1941 and still in operation today. I couldn’t tell you how many movies I’ve seen there over the decades. John Carpenter’s They Live, Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love, Y Tu Mama Tambien…heck, I even caught a revival of Billy Wilder’s Irma La Douce and an academic screening of Deep Throat there. Although I love going to my fancy local AMC, there’s a unique kind of magic that comes from visiting the Campus. Single-screen theaters are less prevalent than they once were, so I feel fortunate to have one close by.

Rustin Thompson’s documentary The Last Picture Shows - not to be confused with its namesake, Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 classic The Last Picture Show - celebrates cinemas just like it. He traveled 10,825 miles, across 10 states, to 123 theaters in the American West to eulogize the ones that didn’t survive and interview the operators of those that are still hanging on. Many are the only source of entertainment in their very isolated towns. We hear how Covid-19 impacted these venues, as well as how the major studios put the squeeze on them, forcing extended runs of movies that are disproportionate to the number of local residents. What emerges is a clear picture of how difficult it is for an indie cinema to survive in this corporatized world.

The Last Picture Shows doesn’t have a ton of traditional structure. Big sections of it are just shots of theater exteriors that allow us to take in the beautiful architecture and the positioning of the buildings in small burgs. For a handful, we get to go inside, which helps to convey the sense of community that often pops up. Several interviewees point out that movie theaters have the power to bring together disparate groups of people for a shared experience. In a time when the internet has made it easier than ever to do everything at home, that communal vibe is important.

Ross Melnick, co-founder of Cinema Treasures - a website that’s like porn for people who love movie theaters – appears throughout the documentary to put the importance of indie cinemas into perspective. He tracks their rise and fall, discusses how they have functioned in the American landscape, and details the challenges they currently face. Hearing his views together with those of theater operators provides a nice behind-the-scenes peek at the factors that go into exhibition.

The Last Picture Shows is a loving tribute to a piece of our collective history that it's vital to hold onto. It's undeniably geared toward viewers with a deep passion for classic theaters. I’m one of them. If you are, too, then this is a documentary you are definitely going to want to see – preferably in a cinema, of course.

Opening in NYC August 7th and in LA August 21 in conjunction with a national theatrical roadshow. Click here for play dates.