Review: The Last Picture Show

I am always open to older films, but sometimes you get one that's just too dated or outlandish to have any connection with... The Last Picture Show is most likely a very accurate tale of a tiny Texan village in the 1950s, but that also makes it one of the most drawn-out, depressing and irksome film experiences I have seen.
The story is based in a small, virtually deserted, town in Texas and the close-knit community that lives there. More than close-knit; the film follows the virgin antics of the town's young people, with love triangles between everyone and the broken hearts provided.
This makes for a relentless experience; the first hour at least shows little to no redemption for any of the characters, they merely slog through the endless troubles and hardships (some of which they cause themselves) that are piled upon them.
The film was quite controversial upon release; nudity and sex become major themes, juxtaposed with the early messages of "sex before marriage is a sin". Making the experiences all the more vexing and uncomfortable (not to mention twenty-something's sleeping with forty-year olds).
I'm sure for a realistic look at lifestyle history it is compelling to some, but I simply couldn't tolerate the relentless barrage of melodrama, angst and claustrophobic discomfort every character was subjected to. Just not my sort of film.