After 1971’s Last Picture Show put him on the map, Peter Bogdanovich enjoyed a brief stint as a successful filmmaker – and a very brief one, as his run encompassed two more hit pictures. 1972’s What’s Up, Doc? turned into a major box office success, and 1973’s Paper Moon enjoyed both commercial and critical popularity.

Set in Kansas circa 1936, con artist Moses “Moze” Pray (Ryan O’Neal) meets nine-year-old Addie Loggins (Tatum O’Neal) at her mother’s grave. Everyone suspects Moses sired Addie, though he denies this.

Nonetheless, Moze agrees to transport the now-orphaned Addie to her Aunt Billie’s (Rose-Mary Rumbley) home in Missouri. Along the way, the two bond as they join forces to conduct various profitable scams.

Personal footnote: at the tender age of six, Moon became the first “PG”-rated movie I ever saw. Don’t expect me to remember specifics, though, so for all intents and purposes, this Criterion screening 52 years later turns into my initial experience with the film.

While I can’t say what I thought of the movie as a kid, it holds up well all these years later. Bogdanovich creates a film that evokes the styles of 1930s flicks but he doesn’t turn it into a slavish imitation.

That separates Moon from “cinematic experiments” like 2006’s The Good German. Steven Soderbergh is a more talented filmmaker than Bogdanovich ever was, but with German, he seemed more interested in the technical aspects of recreating period flicks than in the story or drama.

Although Bogdanovich does work hard to reproduce older cinematic styles, he still focuses on narrative and characters more than enough. As a result, this feels like a well-executed tale and not just some self-conscious clever-clever throwback.

It helps that Bogdanovich keeps matters largely unsentimental through Moon. Of course, the inevitable heartwarming conclusion offers some of the expected gooey material, but even those scenes don’t turn saccharine.

Moon comes with a hard-bitten vibe that suits the Depression era, and that connects to the cast as well. Tatum O’Neal won an Oscar as Addie, and she remains the youngest performer ever to win an Academy Award for acting.

Did she deserve it? Probably not, as I suspect the novelty of her youth helped put her over the top with voters.

Nonetheless, Tatum O’Neal does fine as Addie. She avoids the temptations to make her character cute and lovable, and that feels like a major achievement for a kid who grew up in show business.

Of course, we get her dad Ryan as her father figure – and possible actual relative – Moze. Ryan never was much of actor, but he holds his own, and his natural connection to Tatum makes both fare better.

With a “plot” that essential offers little episodes intended to further the Moze/Addie relationship, Moon doesn’t come heavy on story. The structure does allow the movie to boast a series of guests, and they add spark.

In particular, Madeline Kahn delights in her short turn as sexy traveling dancer Trixie Delight. Kahn earned her own well-deserved Oscar nomination and she brings flair to her brief time in the movie.

Moon comes with excellent photography. László Kovács gives the film a solid black and white sheen that aptly evokes the story’s Depression-era settings.

All of this leads to a pretty entertaining character journey. While it lacks the same form of social commentary found with the director’s Last Picture Show, it nonetheless delivers a lively little romp.

Paper Moon appears in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film came with a terrific presentation.

Sharpness worked well. The period vibe meant some gauziness at times but overall delineation felt accurate and appropriate.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects developed, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt natural and I saw no print flaws.

Blacks looked dark and deep, while low-light shots came across as smooth and well-developed. I felt highly pleased with the image.

As for the film’s LPCM monaural soundtrack, it seemed acceptable given its age and aspirations. Speech remained essentially natural and lacked edginess or other concerns.

Because the movie lacked a score, all the music came from 1930s vintage recordings. Inevitably, this meant they didn’t display range, but the mix reproduced them appropriately.

Effects didn’t become a major aspect of this chatty soundtrack, but they appeared accurate enough, even if they didn’t bring much dimensionality. Nothing here impressed, but the mix seemed satisfactory.

The Criterion release comes with a mix of extras, and we find a circa 2003 audio commentary from director Peter Bogdanovich. He provides a running, screen-specific look at the source and its adaptation, story/characters, sets and locations, cast and performances, photography, music, editing and connected topics.

While Bogdanovich tends to bore when he discusses the films of others, his commentaries about his own movies work well. This one follows that trend, as it provides an engaging and informative view of Moon.

Shot in 1989 for a laserdisc version of Moon, we find a nine-minute, one-second Introduction by Director Peter Bogdanovich. He gets into some production specifics and we also see outtakes in this solid little reel.

Keep Your Sunny Side Up goes for 25 minutes, 29 seconds. This one features Bogdanovich biographer Peter Tonguette.

This “video essay” examines various cinematic techniques and interpretation. Tonguette offers a nicely introspective discussion.

Under The Making of Paper Moon, we get three featurettes from 2003: “The Next Picture Show” (14:07), “Asking for the Moon” (16:32) and “Getting the Moon” (4:18). Across these, we hear from Bogdanovich, production designer Polly Platt, cinematographer László Kovács and associate producer Frank Marshall.

Across these segments, we learn about the development of Moon and the adaptation of the source, casting and performances, sets and locations, photography, costumes, and the movie’s release/reception. Some of the info repeats from elsewhere, but the added perspectives help expand the program’s impact, as do the outtakes from the shoot.

Shot after a 2002 Art Directors Guild showing of Moon, an Interview with Production Design Polly Platt goes for 18 minutes, 18 seconds. She discusses her work on the film in this fairly interesting chat, even if it inevitably brings back some notes from the prior programs.

From 1973, we get an 11-minute, 26-second Tonight Show excerpt that features Bogdanovich and actors Ryan O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal. Nothing substantial pops up, but it’s fun to see these three with Johnny Carson, especially since neither O’Neal appears elsewhere on the disc.

In addition to the film’s trailer, the disc ends with a 16-minute, 21-second Location Scouting compilation that involves narration from Frank Marshall. We get a good look at the places discovered for the shoot and Marshall offers a mix of useful notes about his work with Platt to find them.

A fold-out booklet shows a promotional image that replicates a music sheet for the title song and also includes an essay from critic Mark Harris. We also get a replica picture card that shows Addie on the paper moon at the fair.

A conscious throwback to the styles of the 1930s, Paper Moon offers a charming experience. With a nice mix of drama, sentiment and comedy, the film becomes a winner. The Blu-ray comes with excellent picture, appropriate audio and a very good selection of supplements. This turns into a quality release for an appealing film.