Peter Bogdanovich
The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, What's Up Doc?
The Film Scholar Leo
Peter Bogdanovich was the most intellectually prepared director of the 1970s New Hollywood movement — he had already written books about John Ford, Orson Welles, and Howard Hawks before stepping behind the camera. The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon are American art films disguised as genre entertainment. His Leo admiration for the masters was matched by his talent for surpassing them.
Leo Legacy
- The Last Picture Show: 1971 — Oscar nominated for Best Picture and Best Director
- Paper Moon: 1973 — Tatum O’Neal won Oscar as youngest ever Best Supporting Actress
- What’s Up Doc?: 1972 — Barbra Streisand screwball comedy, brilliant homage to Hawks
- Film scholarship: Books on Ford, Welles, Hawks established him as cinema’s premier scholar-director
Bogdanovich’s Leo love for cinema history was so genuine it became the foundation of his art.
“The movies are the only art form invented in the 20th century.”