Bogdanovich leaves stylish film legacy
For film lovers, Peter Bogdanovich was always a welcome sight, with his ubiquitous glasses and ever-present ascot. And his films were just as stylish and timeless as the director’s fashion sense.
Bogdanovich, who died Jan. 6 at age 82, was as much a movie fan as any hardcore cinephile, starting out as a film critic and working as a film programmer in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art in the 1960s. But coming up alongside such luminaries as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Bogdanovich also carved his own path in a career that stretched across six decades and included one uncannily good three-movie run in the ’70s.
For those wanting to honor a true Hollywood original, here are six essential Bogdanovich films to watch:
‘Targets’ (1968)
Bogdanovich had an auspicious debut with the crime thriller, produced by B-movie legend Roger Corman and featuring horror icon Boris Karloff in one of his final roles. It’s also a film that’s still quite relevant, about a film actor (Karloff ) disillusioned with real-life violence who decides to give up his craft before his life converges in a deadly way with that of a Vietnam veteran (Tim O’kelly) on a mass shooting spree.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play
‘The Last Picture Show’ (1971)
Filmed in black and white, Bogdanovich’s poignant 1950s-set coming-ofage masterpiece about high school kids growing up in a poor small Texas town earned the filmmaker two Oscar nominations for writing and directing. Cybill Shepherd had her Hollywood debut in the film as one of the central youngsters – alongside Jeff Bridges in one of his earliest roles – while Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman each won supporting actor Academy Awards.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon
‘What’s Up, Doc?’ (1972)
Not only was it an homage to oldschool screwball comedies, Bogdanovich even named the flick after Bugs Bunny’s cartoon catchphrase. In addition to introducing the world to Madeline Kahn, the film hilariously brings together Ryan O’neal’s nerdy musicologist and Barbra Streisand’s carrot-chomping eccentric sprite for various hilarious high jinks through San Francisco as well as a charming love story.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon
‘Paper Moon’ (1973)
O’neal and Bogdanovich again teamed for this Depression-era comedy, and child star Tatum O’neal became the youngest competitive Oscar winner ever at age 10. Father and daughter play a couple of traveling con artists who hatch a Bible-selling scam and other grifts on various rubes until they run afoul of the law and an eccentric carny (Kahn) threatens to drive a wedge between the hucksters.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Prime
‘Mask’ (1985)
Based on the real-life story of Rocky Dennis, Bogdonavich’s inspirational biopic starred Eric Stoltz as a teenager with a rare disease that disfigured his cranium who tries to live a normal life. He and Cher (who played the youngster’s
no-nonsense biker mom) both earned Golden Globe nominations, the film won the best makeup Oscar and the director crafted a tear-jerking and hopeful story without being overly maudlin.
Where to watch: DVD
‘The Cat’s Meow’ (2001)
Before David Fincher revisited the golden age of Hollywood with the fictionalized “Mank,” one of Bogdanovich’s highlights in his later years was this historical drama based on the mysterious death of movie mogul Thomas Ince. A deadly cruise in the 1920s is the setting for this darkly comic exploration of celebrities from a certain era that only a film geek could pull off, led by Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies and Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin.
Where to watch: Vudu, Amazon, Tubi