Scorsese, del Toro, Coppola, and More Remember Peter Bogdanovich
Update: Martin Scorsese shared a statement reflecting on the passing of Bogdanovich on Sunday: ““In the 60s, at a crucial moment in the history of the movie business and the art of cinema, Peter Bogdanovich was right there at the crossroads of the Old Hollywood and the New. Curator, critic, historian, actor, director, popular entertainer…Peter did it all. As a programmer here in New York, he put together essential retrospectives of then still overlooked masters from the glory days of the studio system; as a journalist he got to know almost everybody, from John Ford and Howard Hawks to Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant. Like many of us, he made his way into directing pictures by way of Roger Corman, and he and Francis Coppola broke into the system early on: Peter’s debut, ‘Targets,’ is still one of his very best films.
“With ‘The Last Picture Show,’ he made a movie that seemed to look backward and forward at the same time as well as a phenomenal success, followed quickly by ‘What’s Up Doc’ and ‘Paper Moon.’ In the years that followed, Peter had setbacks and tragedies, and he just kept going on, constantly reinventing himself. The last time I saw Peter was in 2018 at The New York Film Festival, where we appeared together on a panel discussion of his old friend Orson Welles’ ‘The Other Side of the Wind’ (in which Peter gives a great performance, and to which he dedicated a lot of time and energy throughout many years). Right up to the end, he was fighting for the art of cinema and the people who created it.”
Earlier: Cybil Shepherd shared this statement: “Having Peter Bogdonavich as my first acting teacher in my first film, ‘The Last Picture Show,’ was a blessing of enormous proportion. There are simply no words to express my feelings over this deepest of losses. May Peter live long in all our memories.”
“What’s Up, Doc?” star Barbra Streisand tweeted, “Peter always made me laugh! He’ll keep making them laugh up there too. May he rest in peace.”
Meanwhile, Cher, with whom Bogdanovich clashed on the set of 1985’s “Mask,” tweeted, “I’m Proud Of The Film (mask) We Made Together, & In The End I’m Sure He Must Have Been As Well. He made Some Very Memorable Films,& Discovered amazingly Talented artists.”
Earlier: Hollywood has come out to mourn the death of filmmaker, actor, and all-around movie maverick and historian Peter Bogdanovich, who passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday at the age of 82. Bogdanovich remains one of the standard-bearers for the New Hollywood, as well as a raconteur and champion of the Golden Age of Hollywood, with films like the Larry McMurtry adaptation “The Last Picture Show,” screwball comedy “What’s Up, Doc?” and Depression-era Oscar winner “Paper Moon” to his name.
One such New Hollywood contemporary is Francis Ford Coppola, with whom he pacted with Paramount Pictures in the 1970s to produce and direct films carte blanche, splitting a share of the profits.
“Oh dear, a shock. I am devastated. He was a wonderful and great artist. I’ll never forget attending a premiere for THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. I remember at its end, the audience leaped up all around me bursting into applause lasting easily 15 minutes. I’ll never forget although I felt I had never myself experienced a reaction like that, that Peter and his film deserved it. May he sleep in bliss for eternity, enjoying the thrill of our applause forever,” Coppola said in a statement shared with Deadline.
In an Instagram post (below), “Paper Moon” star Tatum O’Neal wrote, “Peter was my heaven & earth. A father figure. A friend. From ‘Paper Moon’ to ‘Nickelodeon’ he always made me feel safe. I love you, Peter.”
Fellow filmmaker and friend Guillermo del Toro wrote on Twitter (see below), “He was a dear friend and a champion of Cinema. He birthed masterpieces as a director and was a most genial human. He single-handedly interviewed and enshrined the lives and work of more classic filmmakers than almost anyone else in his generation.”
He continued, “He became a close friend and was active and brilliant to the end. He was working on a beautiful screenplay and to talk about the craft and ideas for it was delightful. A pure cinephile — Please watch ‘Paper Moon’ tonight. Or ‘The Last Picture Show,’ or ‘What’s Up Doc?’ or ‘Targets’…so he can stay alive in them, and to remember all he achieved as a filmmaker. And if you can, please read his beautiful books: Who The Devil Made It, Who The Devil Is In It, Movie of the Week, etc, etc for they are love letters to Cinema — to its scale and ambition.”
Finally, del Toro said, “It was my honor to meet Peter and to share time with him. If you know his work, please honor him. If you don’t, please get acquainted with it.”
Director Rod Lurie wrote, “He was a brilliant director (‘Saint Jack’ is the masterwork you may not know) and also a marvelous film critic and author. In many ways, he was the North Star of my career. RIP.”
See more social media tributes below.
Peter Bogdanovich passed away. He was a dear friend and a champion of Cinema. He birthed masterpieces as a director and was a most genial human. He single-handedly interviewed and enshrined the lives and work of more classic filmmakers than almost anyone else in his generation. pic.twitter.com/hL08ORCilN
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) January 6, 2022
#PeterBogdanovich has passed away at the age of 82. He was a brilliant director (SAINT JACK is the masterwork you may not know) and also a marvelous film critic and author. In many ways, he was the North Star of my career. RIP. https://t.co/RbBFcDjYJm
— Rod Lurie (@RodLurie) January 6, 2022
One of my favorite comedies of all time and the movie that made me want to make people laugh when I was a kid, “What’s Up Doc?”, was made by the great Peter Bogdanovich. So sad to hear of his passing. Thank you for all you did for film, sir. RIP Peter. https://t.co/H1QbHRfMt7
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) January 6, 2022
I loved Peter Bogdanovich. He was easy to love. Exceptionally easy to laugh with. And he helped me so much…
— Ben Mankiewicz (@BenMank77) January 6, 2022
Peter Bogdanovich loved the movies. Making them, watching them, analyzing them, talking all night long about them. “Paper Moon” and “What’s Up Doc?” are two of the most entertaining films of all time. Put on an ascot and watch them tonight. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/ZRD53i7FY6
— Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) January 6, 2022
We are saddened to hear about the passing of prolific director and a dear friend of ours, Peter Bogdanovich. A leading voice of ’70s Hollywood and a champion of Classic Hollywood, his passion inspired generations of filmmakers.@THR remembers him here: https://t.co/gKBTKfD9TZ pic.twitter.com/M5QXkUImXc
— TCM (@tcm) January 6, 2022
Peter Bogdanovich was a legend like no other. I wanted to tell Polly Platt’s story in part because I am such a huge fan of the movies she and Peter made together, but I also love a lot of his later movies–yes, even At Long Last Love (this poster is in my kitchen) pic.twitter.com/je09xeU4Sm
— Karina Longworth (@KarinaLongworth) January 6, 2022
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