"The Last Showgirl"

Welcome to Season 2 of The Film Dept. Podcast! We've got a new crew reviewing the latest films screening at The Beverly in downtown Las Vegas... and beyond.

This episode we take a look at the quintessentiallly Las Vegan THE LAST SHOWGIRL starring Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis.  Directed by Gia Coppola, THE LAST SHOWGIRL also features Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka and Billie Lourd. Written by Kate Gersten, the film is produced by Robert Schwartzman, Natalie Farrey and Gia Coppola.

Credits:
Email us: [e-mail]
 
HOSTS - Nic Patrick, Ani Rogy, L Villareal
 
Production Sound Mixer - Sydney Maier

Co-Producer/Editor - Lilly Richie
Assistant Editor - Byron Schnell Davis
Production Coordinator - Kayla Walgate


PRODUCERS - Tom Bjelic, Sam Decker

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY - Adam Paul, Roudi Boroumand 

To read the hosts' reviews, head over to substack.com/thefilmdeptpodcast
 
This semester, The Film Department has teamed up with the mad geniuses of The Beverly Theater. Imagined by The Rogers Foundation, The Beverly Theater brings cinematic connectivity, novel collaborations, live happenings, cultural portals, and a zest for independent spirits to DTLV. With a mission to stage uncommon cinematic, literary, and live experiences, The Beverly Theater is Las Vegas’ first and only independent film house, storytelling arena, and live music venue.
For the latest screenings and events at The Beverly, visit thebeverlytheater.com
 
The Film Department Podcast is supported by UNLV Film. At the film department of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, every story has a beginning.With degree programs for undergraduates and graduates, state of the art equipment and facilities, incredible professional internships around the world, and expert guest speakers, students discover the power and potential of cinema as they prepare for the film and television industry… and beyond.
 
Learn more at UNLV.EDU/FILM UNLV Film. Find your voice. Tell your story.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The Film Department is supported by UNLV Film.

(00:04):
At the Film Department of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, every story has a beginning.
With degree programs for undergraduates and graduates, state-of-the-art equipment and
facilities, incredible professional internships around the world, and expert guest speakers,
students discover the power and potential of cinema as they prepare for the film and

(00:24):
television industry and beyond.
Learn more at unlv.edu/film.
UNLV Film.
Find your voice.
Tell your story.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Welcome to the Film Department, the movie review podcast of UNLV Film.

(00:48):
This semester, we'll be discussing the film screening at our partner movie house,
the Beverly Theater.
Las Vegas is only independent film house and performance venue.
I'm Nick Patrick, a third year film major in your host for this episode, and I'm joined
by Annie.
Hi, I am a production designer, primarily.

(01:08):
And I'm L. I am a fourth year fifth, actually, Jay's.
But yeah, I'm coming up.
You're racking him up?
I'm racking him up.
This is a screenwriter, somewhat a film historian, but I'm happy to be here.
Oh, yeah.
Well, how are you guys doing today?
We're doing good.
We'll learn this.
Yeah.

(01:29):
Yeah, in a good way.
Oh, exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
How are you doing?
Yeah, I'm good.
I'm ready to talk about this week's film, The Last Showgirl.
But before we get into that, I want to bring up some-- I think it would be insane not to
bring up the Oscar nominations that we just-- we just got a few days ago.

(01:49):
Exactly.
How are you guys feeling?
I mean, there's some snubs.
There's some big wins and big misses.
There's big Ls, big Ws.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, where did the melee apprae has come from?
I did not hear about the movie until all of the nominations--
L, do you know what this movie is?
Of course I know what this movie is.
It just goes throughout my whole four-year page for, like, how weird it is in some--

(02:14):
Oh, we--
We're going--
You're watching the movie on-- on real--
Oh, no.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
just--
Just--
Just--
Just--
Just--
Mainly, like, how people are feeling about it?
Okay.
I didn't-- one for the music, or what was it?
I don't know, it's nominated for--
Is it a musical?
I think so.
Okay.
I think so.

(02:35):
Don't call me on this, because I'm obviously--
I'm a little bit out of the loop when it comes to lots of--
And when you speak of Oscar nominations,
I feel like a bad film major here, because I'm like, yeah, they're here.
Right.
But I'm-- so what did it get nominated as well?
Well, for Best Picture, we did get Amila Perez, which again came out of nowhere.

(03:00):
I didn't know about--
That's the team nomination as well.
At 13 nominations, yeah.
So it's up there.
It's up there for having the most nominations.
Anora, the brutalist, Dune Part 2, Conclave, Nickel Boys.
I'm still here, the substance, and wicked.
That's an interesting stuff.
So yeah, it's a good spread.

(03:21):
I'm really happy the substance is getting a lot of nominations.
I'm really surprised that the Academy was looking at it.
Yeah, same.
So that's big for Corley, you know?
So I'm pretty much about that.
Yeah, same.
What are you hoping for for the win?
For Best Picture?
Yeah.
Man, I'm going for brutalist.
I have to.
Yeah.
I have to.

(03:42):
You love the brutalist.
We've talked a lot about it.
We love the brutalist so much.
It's now my favorite movie, "Top 4 Letter of Bonds."
It's my number one now.
It's my number one.
It's my number one.
Oh my god.
Yeah, so very big fan.
Wow.
Fantastic.
Yeah.
I feel like I'm missing out.
Oh, you have a good seat.
I've got to go see it.
I was just kidding.
It's insane.

(04:02):
It's insane.
We're going to talk about it a little bit soon.
Yeah, we are.
We are.
I do want to bring up challengers, though.
Yeah.
No no-noms for challengers.
Not even score.
Not even score.
Not even score.
There is snow.
So that is a snow.
It's messed up.
Trent Rezzner and Adycus Ross killed it.
Yeah.
And yeah.

(04:23):
But it's okay.
Daniel Bloomberg for brutalist.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So I think that'll pull through.
That'll be it.
That'll pull through.
It's pretty amazing.
So there's big trombones?
Exactly.
Yeah.
Big trombones.
Also, I was looking up now.
I may have mixed mini press for another one.
My bad guys.
Oh, it's awesome.
So they have similar names.
No, I do think it is a musical maybe.

(04:45):
But again, I had no idea that it was out.
I didn't know anything about it until it started getting all of the nominations.
Yeah.
So I have no contacts at all.
Yeah.
Selena Gomez produced it, I think.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
Or I know she is a character.
Okay.
But, yeah, I don't know.
No, I'll have to check it out.
Yeah.

(05:06):
Because, you know, you can't talk smack on it.
Absolutely.
Yeah, yeah.
You're not going to watch it first.
Yeah, exactly.
So I guess you were all about.
On that place?
But yeah, I think we should keep talking about the Burdellist though, because recently there
was an AI controversy with the Burdellist.
The film's editor came out and mentioned that AI was used in the film to alter the speech

(05:31):
of Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones in the film, specifically when they're speaking Hungarian.
And Burdy Corbett came out and defended it and said that the entire process was done
in post, was done manually by the post sound team, and just kind of adjusted their vowels

(05:52):
and stuff in the Hungarian speech and stuff like that.
I mean, what do you guys think about that?
Does that destroy their performances?
Does that disqualify their nominations?
There's so many things to debate, I feel, because on one hand, at the end of the day, I think
AI at this point, as long as it's used as a tool because we can't get away from it anymore,

(06:17):
I think, and I think it just depends on the way that it's used.
So there's that, but there also is a little bit of controversy in terms of the production
design and the use of AI in this, unfortunately, but looking into it a little bit more, and
I didn't do enough research, but if you want to Jamie pull it up.

(06:37):
Yeah, they did say, Brady said that the production designer and their team did not use AI to create
a renderer, any of the buildings or any of the designs or anything, but all the images
were hand drawn by artists, but, and this is all via Hollywood Reporter, but in the end

(06:58):
scene, there was, there is, there's claims that the AI was used in some of the digital renderings
of those, those scenes in like the 80s, to make them look bad or stuff like that, you know.
For me, I'm a bit of a, a bit of a stickler, I'm not gonna lie.

(07:20):
I can understand that there are, you know, some benefits and uses to AI when it comes
you know, fixing things and posts and such, but to me, I can't get behind it. -Yes!
As speaking as both, someone who's in film but also who does art in terms of drawing,

(07:43):
and such... Well, it's funny because in my film theory last semester, I did a whole
paper on AI within film and one of the things that came to the conclusion through like our
tour theory and then coding and decoding is that if film is made with AI explicitly or

(08:05):
you know, there's... And it no longer becomes film because so much of it has specific intent
and I understand that mistakes needed to be rectified, but I think that's what makes film
so beautiful mistakes happen. -Yeah, yeah, I do understand that. I do think that one thing
to bring up though with the brutalist is the fact that it was all created with a $10 million

(08:27):
budget which is extremely cheap when you think about the scale of that film and not to...
And I'm still very much against AI when I say this, but in the context that they used
it in, I feel a little more forgiving, but I do think that at the same time it's not something
that should be praised or it's a big topic of debate, you know, for a reason.

(08:51):
-Yeah, it kind of brings up the question of, well, what next? -Yeah, yeah.
-But we'll just have to see, you know. I really hope that stuff like that isn't something
that filmmakers fall back on.
I want to talk about today's film, The Last Showgirl, and I know we all just saw it yesterday

(09:17):
or a few days ago. -Yes. -What would you guys think?
-It was really good and I really much enjoyed it. I went with my mother over to the Beverly
because she wanted to go see it and also wanted to see the Beverly itself and she enjoyed
a lot of aspects of it. It was so funny because while I was over here analyzing certain things,

(09:39):
I see my mom who's next to me just crying her eyes out during some sense, like, "Oh, okay."
And then I'm just like, "I'm going back to it." But I thought it was really cool. It was
really awesome to see a film in Las Vegas, you know, in a way that it was. What about you,
Anne? -I had a very similar screen experience. I took my Nana.
-I am. -It was very sweet. I think one, it was the first time she had ever been to the

(10:04):
Bev. So I was really excited to take her. But, yeah, very similar experience. We're both
crying at the end. I feel her start to quiver a little bit nights to me and then I start crying
more. But I think the thing that was just so surreal about watching it at the Beverly
in this moment of time was that I walked out and I realized, again, that everything was

(10:28):
the heart of the whole movie was downtown Las Vegas. So to me, especially, I don't know
if you're born and raised here, but yeah, yeah, yeah, growing up on the east side, always being
downtown, every place that they went to is a familiar place to me, which was surreal. It

(10:50):
struck me. -Absolutely. I remember being like, "I know where that is."
-Yeah. -I know exactly where that shopping place is.
-I know where that grocery store is. -I know where that angel statue is.
-I have so much to say about the angel statue here. -You had a fall I can't wait.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. -Like, what did you think?
-Yeah, I had a very different viewing experience. I went alone with two other people in the

(11:13):
theater. -Oh, wow. -I sat all the way in the back. Yeah, it was, I did not see it at the
Beverly, but I really wanted to. And you should see things at the Beverly. -Yeah, yeah,
it is, yeah. It's good. But, yeah, I watched it alone. And I enjoyed the film. I enjoyed
the film, but I don't think I had a very strong connection to it. But the thing is, I mean,

(11:36):
when you're talking about art, your identity and your background will dictate or influence
your connection to that art that you're consuming or viewing.
-Absolutely. -So, you know, when I was processing the film, I think it was just harder for

(11:58):
me to process some of the themes. And because it's, I'm a 21-year-old, you know, man.
Who's going to film school, you know? I'm the furthest thing away from Pamela Anderson's
character, Shelley. Who's a wonderful character? -Yeah. -I adore Pamela Anderson's

(12:19):
Shelley. But, I definitely didn't have a strong connection to the film. But I did have a good
time. -I will say, though, that even though you're not in the main demographic of it, one
thing that we can all, the three of us, connect on is the fact that we are Vegas locals to
grew up here. And this is such a beautiful version of Vegas that I don't think has ever

(12:42):
really been highlighted. And it's like the mundane reality of living in Las Vegas.
-And you know, that's so true. -Yeah, that's something that, for me, like, it means a lot
to me because I, that's one of the, like, my favorite themes in film is finding beauty
in the mundane. So when I saw them walking on Charleston in Fremont, and you know, like-- -Charleston
Shadow. -The Charleston in Fremont Shadow. Yeah, the Angel statue, which again, so much

(13:07):
symbolism for me on that. But, yeah, there's something so striking about seeing a version
of Vegas that felt real for the first time. And it wasn't in, like, a glamorous light.
-And you know what that's? That's the part that I really walked away with. The two sort
of words that stuck in my mind when I was thinking about it was glitz and hardship.

(13:31):
-Oh. -Thank you. Oh my gosh. I don't know what I say. But it's because, I mean, so much of
it shows the glitz, the glamour, the spectacle of what is Las Vegas. You know, you have, like,
the rhinestones on the headrests. You have the people-- you have the lights on somethings, but

(13:54):
there's also the hardship of it, of working in the industry, of being a part of the
air-entiment, because we're the air-entiment gap of the world, that way, that way. And it's
going back to that-- making it mundane. I-- when I was watching it, the one thing that
really stuck out to me, is that most films when we talk about Vegas, or they have a scene

(14:19):
of Vegas, they often put insert shot after insert shot of, like, hey, here's a casino. Hey,
here's some-- here's some ships. And hey, look, it's crazy. It's wild. But here, especially
when it comes to the strip itself, most of the time, I saw it in the background, or just
very-- it looked so obscured and blurry. You couldn't even tell what exactly casino it was.

(14:44):
And sometimes you know it did see the stratosphere. You did see, like, there was that one shot on
the rooftop where there was all of it, but most of the time, it's in the background, because
that's how it feels like it-- well, while we live here. Yeah, yeah. It's just something that
happens right over there, and we just kind of are here to exist.
It's just our jobs. It's just our daily life. And I think that that was, yeah, showcase
so beautifully in this. One thing I do also think that's really important, especially

(15:09):
when tying it into the Shelley characters, the fact that this is old Vegas. And it's
highlighting old Vegas by being downtown, by being on three months straight the entire time,
like, that in itself is Shelley's character. She's so tied to the old Vegas ideal of being

(15:30):
a showgirl and being in the glamour of everything. And I think when we see that as the background
for her, it's truly representative of her character throughout the entire thing. And it-- on
another note also kind of becomes the antagonist of it in general, where it is the thing that
is demoralizing her, but she's latching onto it the entire time. And she's trying to grasp

(15:56):
the Vegas and the old version of herself that she has always been kind of hidden behind.
And then when she begins to lose it, she begins to realize that there's so much to herself
that she neglected. Yeah, yeah. I wanted to bring up, because you brought up the city kind
of being an antagonist. And I saw that, but I was kind of hoping that Jicopla would push

(16:21):
that further, because I do think Vegas-- I love the mundane parts that are in this film,
because that is real Vegas. That is what we experience. And that is what her character
would experience on the day to day, just being in the grocery store and you're struggling
with the self-checkout. And you know, your best friend just smoking a cigarette in the store

(16:42):
because why not? But I wanted to see a stronger contrast between the mundane Vegas and the glitz
and the glamour, because Shelley is attached to that old Vegas. But I feel like whenever we
do see-- I feel like we never see old Vegas. We never see the big spectacles and again, the

(17:06):
glitz and the glamour. And I think it would have been really cool to see that contrast.
Yeah, I can see that. And it really only comes up in the ending of the film where the spotlight
returns to her and the ending is this subjective, like, just the moment for her, this final who
offer her. And you see, I actually think that was the most-- I think that was a very smart

(17:29):
decision, because I feel like when we see her on the stage, if we were to have moments where
we see her on the stage, they're at the whole film, it would be-- there would be as momentous
and it wouldn't feel so important. And I feel like seeing the backstage and seeing her daily

(17:51):
life, we can't cut in this whole thing of all her problems, of all of the experiences. And
then I kid you not, the moment that we see her on stage, I was like, wow. Because most of
the time, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I feel like when it came to the lighting of

(18:11):
her, that so much of the lighting was very much in the back, like, reverse key or like to
the side. And the moment, I think the only moment we see that fool on the light basking her
is that ending shot. And it looked like, I think it was done in such a way, because with
those other methods, the angles on the face become more harder and the wrinkles become

(18:36):
more noticeable. But having it like that, having it like that, it just, you see the spectacle
itself. You become the person that's in that, in that auditorium watching her, seeing her.
And I think, I think in that sort of way, we see the woman first and then we see the god

(19:01):
of her, the image, the spectacle of her. And that's the end. We don't know where she goes
from there. And I think that itself is very, very interesting.
This makes me really want to talk about the statue now. So the entire time, every insert
that they had of the blue angel was so striking to me, mainly because it's something I see

(19:26):
pretty much on a daily basis. But talking about the ending, I think that the representation
of her is perfectly symbolized in this statue. And for those who did not grow up in Vegas,
the blue, sorry, the blue angel motel was a Veda staple. It's a pillar. And it's protected.

(19:51):
This angel statue was protected by the state, but the actual motel is gone, completely gone.
Where's the statue?
It's on Charleston in Freeman. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So this statue is standing there right
next to a bus stop, but the actual motel itself has been completely gone just for the sake

(20:14):
of the street. And I feel like that is Shelley. That's Shelley at the end of the film, especially
because her entire structure, her foundation, her purpose is gone. But she still stands
there with her ripped wings, basting in the sunlight, becoming sunbaed by Las Vegas.

(20:34):
That's, that's almost to you. Amazing. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.
I didn't, I didn't realize there was the whole reason behind that. And that provides
so much to realize. I just was really like that symbol itself, just I needed to think about
that for a really long time afterwards. And yeah, I just, I think the symbolism of it being

(20:56):
a blue angel, her last outfit is blue, her ripped wings. Yeah.
It's the spotlight. I don't know. I feel like I was blind. I feel like I didn't even see
that. I didn't even see the, like, I was like, what was the angel? Man, what was the angel?
Yeah, I didn't see that. Now I feel blind. But yeah, I do think that that was a little bit
of a missed opportunity because if you don't know that hotel and you don't know the, the

(21:18):
history behind it, you wouldn't really see that. But it's also a little easter egg too.
Yeah. You know what? Speaking of that, then, one shot that did sort of, I catch my attention,
the next, the next similar way was I believe it was her daughter. It was her daughter walking
just some part of the strip. And then there was like destruction of like a building or something.

(21:43):
There was like, it was just like she was walking through ruins. And that, and to me, I was like,
wow, that's that's Shelley's life. Yeah. Yeah. Shelley's life is in ruins. And even more than that,
I think when we were talking about the antagonist of the film being Las Vegas itself, for me, I feel
like the antagonist in some similar vein is New Vegas. Yeah. New Vegas. Yeah. Yeah.

(22:05):
Absolutely. Yeah. Because old Vegas, there is this, I mean, I have like so much of my relatives
or people that I have like gone around like traveling with my parents and such. When they talk
about Vegas, they talk about how different it is now versus how it was back then that there was

(22:25):
this sort of feeling and distinction to it. And even more than that,
when we go to the idea of the show girl, I mean that that that that was like prestigious that.
And that's why I think when it comes to Shelley, she's a character that chases after prestige. Because
you know, I spoke about a little bit when it comes to her and her relation to the two other

(22:55):
dancers. I think one of them is Jody and Mary Ann. There it is. Jody and Mary Ann with Mary Ann,
you know, she sees this as just, you know, oh, this is a job. It pays real American dollars. I'm just
doing it such as that. And she doesn't really like that at all. Or at least that mindset behind it.
And when it comes to Jody, one scene that stuck out to me was when she was showing her the routine

(23:18):
for the other one. And you know, it's got like orangy movements and lots of people horrified.
I don't want to watch this anymore. Exactly.
Because what she sees herself doing isn't like a sex appeal-romgy thing. And it's art, it's prestige.
And it's having all of the, she wields these things like she wields the show girl like a title,

(23:41):
like a king, her, the headdress is a crown and the wings are her cape. And when it comes to
at least biggest in their attainment in general, if they, it entertainment deems you irrelevant,
they'll spit you out. Absolutely. They won't care. They won't care about you as a person. They
care about you as a product. Yeah. And so while she should be remembered, while she should

(24:05):
be someone who is celebrated for the history that she has and the, the, the era of which she exists,
she's not. Yeah. Because it's deemed as you're not pretty enough. You're, you're old.
Goodbye. Yeah. When that shouldn't be the case as when someone does art, especially when you're an

(24:25):
artist, because we're all artists. Yeah. We all have that sort of fear about the fact that whenever
what we ever said to do at the current moment, it could be relevant, it could be awesome. It could
be something that, but the moment industry decides, yeah, no. Yeah. It's just done. It's, it's really cool
because, because like that's a cool distinction to make because it is, it is an old Vegas versus

(24:52):
new Vegas thing. And you could see new Vegas as an antagonist or you can see new Vegas as just
inevitable. You know. And, and same thing, my family is always talking about old,
old, you know, back in the old, when the mob was here, you know, you couldn't, you know, but it,
it's really cool seeing how Shelley struggles with that and how she's latched onto this old

(25:14):
Vegas and she sees new Vegas as an antagonist, but characters like Jody and Mary Ann, even a net,
like even Jamie Lewis, Jamie, Jamie Lee Curtis is a net. They are more transitive. They're more
accepting of like, well, you just have to move on to the next thing. You just, you have to keep moving,
but Shelley's latched onto this, this, this grandeur, but the grandeur is still there. It's just

(25:38):
changing. Yeah. One thing with that as well is bringing up the different, the different relationships
between the characters. I do feel like Shelley antagonizes the new Vegas through the two younger
dancers when really the two of them are trying to support her the entire time. They're trying to latch
to her and look to her for guidance, but she's running away from it in the same way that she's

(26:01):
running towards the ideal of her life, you know. She pushes away the things that are there right
in front of her for the ideal of something. And I think ultimately does that make Vegas the antagonist
or does that make her the antagonist of herself? And you know speaking of that, those relations, you know,
it's so interesting because we have in this film a mother, a mother daughter, you know, both in the

(26:31):
sense of adoptive and biological relationship. And that itself is so interesting to me because
at least what I look at her relationship, Shelley and Jody's relationship, what I see,
it's it's the strange role of, you know, that they're, we're, you know, Jody calls her like her mom

(26:55):
and so it's, but at the same time sometimes I feel like it's Jody who acts like the mom and
Shelley the teenager because so much of her, of her is just feels so immature in some ways. Like she
is has this, you know, maturity of age, but I mean down to the way she sometimes she dresses and to

(27:15):
all the way the way that she acts when she, ever she encounters a hard situation, her first instinct is
to leave the room and to like just completely go away, which feels kind of like a teenager. And so
it's interesting to see them kind of with that. There's definitely such like a, it's an almost toxic
relationship between Jody and Shelley. And I was thinking about that, but yet Shelley is like the more

(27:41):
naive and more younger feeling character while Jody, again, we learn has been kind of like a
strange from her mother and has to kind of become more independent and kind of take on her own world.
And it's, again, it creates this toxic relationship where when Jody does come to Shelley seeking support,

(28:05):
Shelley turns, turns her away, you know, Shelley can't handle it. She can only handle so much at a
certain, at a given point. And it's a really cool relationship, but I do wish it was developed more.
I wish that we got to kind of see more of their relationship outside of the show. But maybe that
was a good thing. Maybe that was, that was something that we, that needed to happen. I do think that

(28:30):
we see the dynamic between them foiled with Hannah, her actual daughter. And I think that the
comparables between the two show that she's running away from someone who does actually see her as
a mother figure and she's neglecting her in the same way that she did to her own daughter when she
was chasing the show girl life. So I think it is ultimately a cycle. It's a pattern.

(28:53):
This is shown on film, which is somewhat of a rarity these days. You don't see a lot of everything
shut digital. That started happening in the early 2000s, especially pioneered by like David Fincher
and James Cameron and stuff like that. And it looks beautiful. It's beautiful. I mean, I'm,
I'm really happy that there are so many filmmakers and studios and even theaters that are

(29:16):
doing their best to keep this part of the art form, really the core of the art form alive.
And it keeps, it makes the image look alive. Then you don't really see that with digital. I mean,
there are beautiful digital films. Don't get me wrong, but film is the core of this. I mean,
that's why we call it film. Yeah. And I don't know. What, what do you guys think about,

(29:37):
think about the way it was shot with, with shot with film? And, and do you think this is an important
thing moving forward? Yeah. I mean, I think it's really important considering the fact that we're
now at a phase where technology is starting to become an antagonist to art. And it's
itself. I feel like there's now becoming like a wave of retaliation back to analog. And pretty much

(30:01):
every, every film that was super notable to me from this year, Anora, this, the brutalist,
they're all shot on film. And I think that's such a beautiful new direction and, and retaliation
and Renaissance that we're hopefully getting out of this. And especially if we're able to view

(30:22):
them on original film again in the same way that I felt, I feel so fortunate I was able to see the
brutalist in, in 70 millimeter. And after that, I was like, I don't think I ever want to watch a movie.
It's just different. Ever again. Yeah. It is, it is. It's so stunning. And I think with the
last show girl, it just, it works so beautifully because I think it creates such a perfect halo

(30:46):
around the entire thing. And the blues are so vibrant in it. And absolutely. Yeah.
I think that it's so, it is important, especially when it comes to film, because you know, that's,
of course, that's where we originated from in terms of how all of this came from the fact that
somebody looked at films like we could do something with this. And it's just, just, just sort of

(31:09):
related back to the last show girl for a second. I mean, in a sense, that's essentially what Shelley
feels. Yeah. Because in Shelley's mind, and how Shelley views the world while it is still like,
it can be considered older or it can be considered less convenient to do, it's stunning.

(31:30):
It's beautiful. And it's, and it's something important. And just because, you know, you could
take something digital and just shoot it. And by all means, go ahead. But there is this
form of really being in touch and tune with the roots of film and with an art itself. And so

(31:54):
I feel like it's important in all its ways. Yeah. And it serves the symbolism of the story
really beautifully for it to be shot on digital, on film versus digital, because, yeah, like you said,
like that is Shelley. And I don't think the glamour of being a show girl could be seen in anything
else besides that you would not get the sparkle that you do if it weren't for that. So.

(32:19):
This was shot on 60 millimeter film, which it just looks gorgeous. Yeah. It's, it, seeing Las Vegas in
that light is amazing. And you were talking about the lighting earlier and how it all leads up to this
grand moment in the ending where she's fully lit up and it's, it's just this gorgeous spectacle.
But the lighting is all like backlit and I think that is just so, it just feels so mundane. And I,

(32:45):
and I love that. I love the way they shot it. It just truly, it's amazing. Yeah. And your production
designer, what do you think about kind of the sets and the everything? The sets are beautiful. I,
I do love Shelley's house in particular. I do feel like it's this perfect representation of her
because it's all is, you know, glitz and glam, but at the same time it's trapped inside of a house

(33:09):
that's probably downtown Las Vegas from the location, you know. And I think that that's, it's her,
like it's her expression just kind of like spilling into her environment and she's able to control her
space in that way. And one thing that I find really interesting about the house itself too is that
she is constantly denying people like access to that house and like she, you know, in the very

(33:39):
beginning we see them all together in the, at the little dinner scene, but we don't see anyone
inside after that. And I think that representing that within her house is really interesting.
But on another note, obviously the showgirl looks are just stunning. They're so stunning. And
I really want to do more research into the designers of the time and see how they pulled reference

(34:04):
from that. I really want to know what fabrics and materials they used if they recycled anything
from previous, you know, previous use or not. I believe Hannah says a line where it's like
photography is hard or something like art is hard and Shelley like freaks out and she's like,
"No, art isn't hard work, no, no, no." So thank you, Geocopola. Yeah. Yeah.

(34:26):
It's not hard. You did it. You shot it on film and it looks amazing. And I thought the film was,
was a great experience. And it was really, really fantastic seeing my city on the big screen. And I
really hope we keep seeing my city on the big screen. Oh yeah. What are your guys's final thoughts
on the last showgirl? I think it's the perfect homage to all of those who grew up in the city.

(34:54):
Back when it was Old Vegas and to those who are currently now living in the New Vegas and had no
idea about the as much detail experience of the Old Vegas and how we as a new generation can come
to appreciate both, you know, the history of this great city and also being able to look at all of

(35:22):
this and know the fact that being and doing art, especially in a place like this, it has community,
you know, and to be in a community with one another as artists is is a beautiful thing. And I think
that's the reason why our house films itself, like our house movie theaters themselves,
are great places to go because it's community. And you know, that's the Beverly. You got good

(35:49):
such great sense of community. What about you, Annie? Shout out Pamela Anderson. Hey, shout out the
Beverly. Yeah. Yeah, I loved it. Keep it easy. Keep it simple. Keep it, keep it, keep it factual.
Well, I think that is it for this week's film department. We hope you enjoyed today's episode

(36:09):
and we'll like, subscribe and share wherever you're listening to. If you'd like to read our in-depth
analysis of the film, the last showgirl, you can head over to our sub-stack at the film department.
Thank you to the Beverly. Be sure to check out their latest programming at the Beverly.com,
including dates and times for the last showgirl. Thank you guys.

(36:34):
Imagine by the Rogers Foundation, the Beverly Theatre brings cinematic connectivity,
novel collaborations, live happenings, cultural portals, and a zest for independent spirits to
downtown Las Vegas. With emissions to stage uncommon cinematic, literary and live experiences,
the Beverly Theatre is Las Vegas's first and only independent film house, storytelling arena

(36:59):
and live music venue. Check out our event calendar at thebevelytheater.com.