Best Films of the '70s

by Ari, Jose, and Pete

Part One

Ari

Cries and Whispers - Ingmar Bergman:

Is Cries and Whispers the greatest work of Bergman’s extraordinary career? Maybe. It certainly makes a strong case for his most accomplished film - a peerless work of visual storytelling and emotional depth. I’ve seen many Bergman films, as he’s recently become one of my very favorite filmmakers, up there with my admiration for Scorsese or Woody Allen or John Cassavates. Of the 13 or 14 Bergman films I’ve seen, not one of them is lacking. While I may not revisit Wild Strawberries or Winter Light as often as Hour of the Wolf or Smiles of a Summer Night, I still can’t deny their mastery, or even find fault in what they mean to accomplish. Persona, for instance, is an extremely difficult film to fully process (especially on one viewing), but that complexity is exactly what makes it so fascinating, and ultimately, worth further viewing. Cries and Whispers is just as emotionally complex and difficult as Persona, even more dour and shattering, and arguably his most visually striking achievement. Bergman’s visual sensibilities were never below astonishing. All of his films were impeccably shot, from his earliest works to his late career masterpieces. But with Cries and Whispers, his command for visuals is beyond even the epic visions of The Seventh Seal, the horrifying atmosphere of Hour of the Wolf, the meticulous framing of Persona, the violent and immediate intensity of Shame, or the sexual and provocative tones of The Silence. His use of sharp color in Cries and Whispers, most notably his use of red, is as spellbinding as anything I’ve seen in film. The way the colors mark the shift in mood and character is astonishing. Like many of his films, Cries and Whispers delves into familiar Bergman themes of death and meaning, family relationships and psychological torment. It’s a cold and distant film at times, with only one character that really represents heart and soul. Is Cries and Whispers an entertaining movie? God no. But is it a profound work of art that displays the deepest levels of cinematic expression? Oh yes.

 

Vengeance is Mine - Shohei Imamura: There’s a reason I continue to focus on Shohei Imamura for each of these lists: he’s one of the great Japanese filmmakers, and also one of the most underrated (at least here in America). Vengeance is Mine, like Cries and Whispers, is not fun. In fact, this is perhaps one of the most disturbing character studies film has seen - a dark exploration into the damaged mind of a famous Japanese killer (portrayed by the exceptional actor Ken Ogata). It’s also Imamura’s finest work. Vengeance is Mine is a perfect example of the gritty realism and artistic freedom that was allowed during this fascinating decade in film history. Imamura holds nothing back with this film, but at the same time the extremes you see are handled with a maturity and sophistication that prevents the material from becoming excessive or meaningless. Violence in film today (and especially this genre) is mostly useless, stylized to the point of fantasy, or completely gratuitous. Vengeance is Mine is an extremely violent film, but the violence never falls into any of those categories. Imamura expresses realistic violence, which is always, always terrifying. I’ve read some dissenting opinion on the portrayal of Ogata’s killer, some even calling him sympathetic. I disagree strongly with this criticism, not just because this man’s self-destructiveness is so unnerving, but because it undermines Imamura’s accomplishment of making you understand the character. You’re supposed to understand Ogata’s Iwao Enokizu, but understanding him doesn’t mean you should sympathize with him. In understanding the character, you see just how damaged and horrifying he is. This is an incredible film, easily one of the best of the decade.

 

That Obscure Object of Desire - Luis Bunuel: Bunuel’s surreal masterpiece on obsession and lust presents his signature touches for dark comedy and piercing drama. That Obscure Object of Desire is upsetting, hilarious, and mesmerizing, with another classic performance by actor Fernando Rey. This film is most definitely confusing for an unprepared viewer (as it was for me being my introduction to Bunuel), but I can’t think of another filmmaker who uses the surreal this beautifully. The two excellent actresses who play Conchita - Carole Bouquet and Ángela Molina - beautifully symbolize the exotic extremes of male desire that Bunuel so bitingly satirizes. The film may be as bizarre as it gets, but it’s also an example of storytelling at its most purely emotional.

 

Sleuth - Joseph L. Mankiewicz: Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine face off in an elaborate game of twisted theatrics. Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. Nuff said.

 

The Long Goodbye - Robert Altman: Elliot Gould as Philip Marlowe in perhaps Altman’s most entertaining film. Altman and Leigh Brackett’s ambitious adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel portrays a very different Marlowe than the one previously seen in the form of Humphrey Bogart. But Gould’s cool, mellow performance as the famous Private Eye fits the relaxed, deliberate tone of Altman’s film. Bogart is Bogart, and no one will ever replace him, but The Long Goodbye is my favorite film featuring the iconic character and one of Altman’s finest hours. One of the great American films of the ‘70s.

 

THX 1138 - George Lucas:

One of the best directorial debuts in film history. This visionary film by George Lucas presents a very different side of the filmmaker everyone knows as the creator of Star Wars. THX 1138 is an adult work that proves how sophisticated and intellectual science-fiction can be in the hands of a true original. At this point it seems bizarre to even mention avant-garde and George Lucas in the same sentence, but avant-garde is the exact definition of what he did with this film. The debate continues as to whether Lucas has delivered on the promise of this early triumph. On the commentary for this film, Lucas mentions his desire to return to experimental, adult storytelling. I sincerely hope he does, not because I’ve disliked his recent work, but because I feel like he still has so much potential as an artist. Lucas is a true visionary, and THX 1138 still remains his most fascinating achievement.

 

Cross of Iron and Pat Garret and Billy the Kid - Sam Peckinpah Cross of Iron is one of the most important anti-war films ever made, with one of the best endings I’ve seen. It's my favorite Peckinpah (just edging out The Getaway, which Lons will discuss) - a forceful, brutal, uncompromising look at the reality of war. James Coburn (in his best performance) is a decorated German soldier who fights for himself and the men in his company, critical of his country and the entire situation he’s forced to take part in. Cross of Iron is extremely intense, even vicious at moments, but Peckinpah’s vision has never been this commanding, this engrossing, this immediate. Highly, highly underrated. Pat Garret and Billy the Kid is not the most accessible Western, definitely not the best introduction to the genre, but certainly one of the greats and easily among the most original. James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson are excellent as the two respective leads, and Bob Dylan co-stars with a very peculiar performance both awful and mesmerizing. You get all your Peckinpah trademarks here, but in a far more adventurous form than usual. It’s not for everyone, but I sure as hell love it.

 

Shampoo - Hal Ashby: This is a brilliant film in every respect. Hal Ashby’s darkly amusing comedy blends a sharp commentary on sexuality with a sly satirical edge to create one of the poignant, genuinely refreshing films of the decade. It’s no secret that Warren Beatty and Julie Christie had beautiful on-screen chemistry, but their work here is truly immaculate. Shampoo is one of the most smartly written films there is, pure and true, hilarious and devastating. Ashby had a great streak in the 70s (The Last Detail is also worth noting), but no film struck me as powerfully as this one. This is one of the greats.

 

Husbands and Opening Night and A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes: Cassavetes is one of my top five favorite filmmakers. His movies, while not easily accessible, are completely singular; written and directed by a filmmaker who understands how to recreate the messy, disjointed, and chaotic immediacy of life. I love the freedom of his craft, the sense of complete artistic control, the daring and ambition of doing things his own way. Husbands is a great film that follows three married friends who suffer from mid-life crises after the death of their friend, eventually traveling to London to drown their sorrows and confusion, only to create further problems that threaten their comfortable lives at home. It’s probably Cassavetes’ most amusing film, but also one of his most heartfelt and insightful. It stars Cassavetes, Peter Falk, and Ben Gazzara in three exceptional performances. What I previously wrote about Opening Night still stands. The film is an emotional powerhouse, sharing many similar themes with A Woman Under the Influence. However, while Opening Night is alive and entertaining, A Woman Under the Influence is plain horrifying. Gena Rowlands gives an extraordinary performance; raw, ugly, and tragic. It’s not an easy film to watch, but it’s certainly one of his greatest.

 

The Hospital - Arthur Hiller: Brilliantly written comedy by the great Paddy Chayefsky (Network), starring the legendary George C. Scott as an emotionally unstable doctor contemplating suicide at the same time a mysterious figure goes on a killing spree at the hospital where he works. It’s hilarious and entertaining at the same it’s elusive and distant, a strange amalgam of ideas and themes that’s provocative and captivating. Vintage ‘70s cinema, with excellent performances from everyone involved.

 

The Tin Drum - Volker Schlöndorff: Impossible to describe in brief, but let me say this is one of most astonishing, fascinating works of cinematic art released during the 70s - a complex piece of literature adapted with the full potential of the medium to create a wondrous and crushing allegorical epic about Germany during World War II.

 

Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic - Jean-Pierre Melville Two of the slickest crime films of the decade, both starring the great Alain Delon. Le Cercle Rouge is the superior of the two films (and considered by many to be Melville’s finest), but the underrated Un Flic is no lesser effort. It co-stars Catherine Deneuve (one of cinema’s great beauties) and features sequences of classic Melville suspense, even if some of the visual effects don’t necessarily hold up today. Delon is as cool as ever in each film, playing the criminal in Le Cercle Rouge and the titular cop in Un Flic. It doesn’t get much better than this double-feature.

 

Turkish Delight - Paul Verhoeven: This wild, unhinged Verhoeven triumph is his best film. For those not familiar with Verhoeven’s early works, consider this a fair warning: this movie pushes the limits in every conceivable way. Now Verhoeven has always been a fearless and brash storyteller, even during his time in Hollywood, but this film in particular showcases his extreme sensibilities. Basically what I’m saying is that Turkish Delight is unlike any love story I’ve seen, and requires a certain level of patience. It’s not a tedious film (far from it), but the explicit nature of the characters is definitely (and I mean definitely ) not for everyone. Rutger Hauer has never been better. Amazing performance.

 

Sympathy for the Underdog - Kinji Fukasaku: Explosive Yakuza crime thriller by the king of explosive Yakuza crime thrillers. At this point Fukasaku is best known in America for Battle Royale. It’s a great film but he’s done better. Sympathy for the Underdog manages to capture everything great about his Yakuza Papers series in one single film. It’s a brutal, engrossing tale of Yakuza rivalry and bloodshed, with one intense, ferocious ending I can guarantee you’ll never forget. It also has Tomisaburo Wakayama (of Lone Wolf & Cub fame) as the one-armed Yakuza boss from Okinawa. What more do you need?

 

The Mackintosh Man and The Man Who Would Be King - John Huston: Two great films by John Huston, one famous, one obscure. Everyone knows The Man Who Would Be King - the excellent adventure epic with Sean Connery and Michael Caine about two British soldiers who pay the price for playing God in a remote location in India. It’s a hugely entertaining story with two legendary actors in top form. “Detriments you call us? Detriments? Well I want to remind you that it was detriments like us that built this bloody Empire AND the Izzat of the bloody Raj. Hats on.” The Mackintosh Man, however, is not so well known or admired, and I’m not exactly sure why. It’s a great thriller starring Paul Newman involving political intrigue and espionage and all the rest of the excitement the genre provides. It’s smartly written and fairly uncompromising, well performed (has Newman ever been anything but great?) and expertly directed. Underrated film.

 

Jose

Sebastiane - Derek Jarman, Paul Humfress: Ravishing account of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (Leonardo Treviglio). After being betrayed by the emperor, he is exiled and sent to live with a group of soldiers where he indulges in his awakening Christianity, while the others engage in homoerotic activities. Spoken completely in Latin, Derek Jarman's debut film is a thought provoking essay on the discovery of faith and its place in our world. Highlighted by a strong sense of humanism (its fascination with the beauty of the male form is marvelous), it becomes an ambiguous piece that exposes, but never battles, all the range of emotions that exist inside everyone. Things change for Sebastian when he becomes the object of Severus' (Barney James) love/lust, because then, Jarman makes his points all the better as both characters prioritize what it is they need the most. For Sebastian it might as well be God's solace (which reaches a beautiful anthropomorphism) but Severus never really knows how to deal with himself and the conflict between obligation, love and rejection leads to an ethereal, haunting conclusion.

 

In the Realm of the Senses - Nagisa Oshima: A former prostitute (Eiko Matsuda) begins a passionate affair with the owner (Tatsuya Fuji) of the business she works in. Fascinatingly, the film evades the social implications of their relationship (he is married, she is his employee) and tackles the very essence of their love. Beautifully composed and shot by Nagisa Oshima, the film concentrates on the sexuality of its characters. There is barely a moment when they are clothed, but the film evades pornography as well, by somehow invading your inner thoughts. Watching sex in such an open way allows the audience to identify with it and instead of being shocked, and one becomes strangely moved. Based on what was quite the scandal in Japan, the film’s finale as well provides us with an absolutely fascinating, almost animalistic take on human relationships and the everlasting game of power.

 

Interiors - Woody Allen: Thorough examination of an elderly couple's (E.G Marshall and Geraldine Page) divorce and how it affects the lives of their three daughters (Mary Beth Hurt, Diane Keaton and Kristin Griffith). Self consciously taking on the Ingmar Bergman universe, Woody Allen directs a film ruled by containment. Page is remarkable as the mother on the verge of a breakdown, while the wonderful Maureen Stapleton in contrast injects the film with the only "real" life it has (she's often dressed in bright colors while the others are drowned in beiges). One character remarks that all she's really known are contained feelings and Allen makes the most out of it by mostly limiting his scenes to interiors, where the characters are usually peeking out (at the world they're so afraid of living in perhaps). As usual, the filmmaker tackles the subject of mortality, and he excels at creating a claustrophobic effect by framing the actors and making them deliver complicated dialogue (usually about art and philosophy) that forces us to see how horrible and self centered these people have become and literally giving us no escape from them.

 

Solaris - Andrei Tarkovsky: Apparently the “space race” also went into the movies, as this is usually regarded as the Russian response to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s true that both were set in outer space and were arguably the most important science fiction works done in their respective countries at the time. But that’s where all the similarities stop. Analogous to the rest of films he did (especially Stalker with which he closed the decade) Tarkovsky touches themes for which the setting is practically inconsequential in contrast to the inner search that springs from them. In this case, the story turns around Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) a scientist who travels to a space station located over planet Solaris where strange occurrences have led the crew to become distant and secretive. Soon after that he discovers that the planet has the ability to materialize elements from your mind and in his case it brings his dead wife (Natalya Bondarchuk) back to life. Smoothly paced and extremely meditative, the film has us questioning our nature to a point where the mysteries of the universe might be more reachable than those of the human heart.

 

El Topo - Alejandro Jodorowsky: Alejandro Jodorowsky creates one of the most extraordinary films ever made. He stars as a mysterious gunman traveling the desert in search of a band of outlaws. When he finds them and is about to avenge the people they murdered, they ask him who is he to do such a thing, he simply answers “I am God”. This antihero's journey plays like one which resembles the cycle of life most religions deal with, with the idea of forgetting one's self playing one of the most influential parts. Combining Christian thought with Buddhist imagery, the film somehow avoids cynicism or becoming overstuffed with tongue in cheek references, instead feeling like the way this man found of dealing with all the currents of thought that were shaping who he was. Movies rarely get as odd and beautiful as this surrealist tale that avoids any logical explanation and plays like a stream of consciousness western. An exclusively allegorical film, every scene is filled with symbolism whose meanings might remain secret from their very own creator; therefore it's no use we even bother and try.

 

Picnic at Hanging Rock - Peter Weir: Peter Weir's oneiric costume drama takes place in 1900 Australia where four women vanish in the title rock during a school picnic. What could've easily become a detective film instead becomes an evasive account of how the event affects others. Rachel Roberts is terrific as the school's headmistress, who is more worried about the missing students' tuition fees than their safety. What results so remarkable about the film is how Weir builds events that never occurred, but which you somehow end up believing. What's even more surprising is that Weir, in full Antonioni mode, never bothers in solving his story which makes the film even more enigmatic. Based on a bestseller which ends in similar fashion, the mystery was solved in a chapter which was released after the author’s death. But reading it might be spoiling the essence of a film which I prefer to think of, as perhaps a metaphor about our return to nature, Victorian sexual repression or simply something beautiful to watch. It's hard getting this one out of your head.

 

Cabaret - Bob Fosse: Cabaret might just be the most influential movie musical ever made. Directed by the legendary Bob Fosse, this film marks the first time that musicals dared to be dark and moody. After musicals had ruled through most of the 60s; the 70s, which is arguably the most violently forceful decade in film history, were so revolutionary, that a nun singing atop a mountain would’ve resulted out of place. Therefore; here we have Sally Bowles (the splendid Liza Minnelli) a cabaret artist in Berlin who becomes involved with a bisexual British student (Michael York), while the Nazi party begins its rise to power. Things turn ugly, personal problems arise and even while politically, the country is becoming more and more unstable, the people never seem to take any action. The ending is one of those moments so gripping and subtle that it can take you a while to digest its full perversity. Minnelli gives one of the greatest female performances of all time, while Joel Grey as the creepy emcee, somehow makes this decadence seem inescapable. But the true master of ceremonies is Fosse, who aptly translated Broadway to the silver screen, breathing new life into the film musical genre, without which, it surely wouldn’t have survived to our days.

 

Fellini Satyricon - Federico Fellini: It’s not a matter of chance that the opening credits feature the phrase “free adaptation of Petronius’ classic”. In this film, visionary director Federico Fellini creates one of the most arrestingly beautiful films ever made, by recreating fragments of the novel, which was already fragmented and incomplete, only to satirize and maybe try to grasp the parallels between ancient Rome and the time he was living in. Highlighting the decadence, hedonism and free love ideologies of the time, the story follows Encolpius (Martin Potter) who after losing his lover descends into a world that includes orgies, suicide, hermaphrodites and the Minotaur himself. Done in magnificent sets, with sumptuous costumes and makeup, every set piece featured in the film will take your breath away. Even if it’s style over substance at its purest, one can’t help but love the way in which Fellini never took himself seriously. While most people wouldn’t have dared “play” like this with a classic, Fellini injects it with passion, picaresque elements and relevance which instead of letting it become “La Dolce Vita B.C”, turns it into a seminal work that allied a director’s unique vision with his rich cultural background.

 

Pink Flamingos - John Waters: John Waters' seminal trash film about two families battling to get the title of "Filthiest People Alive". Of course, to do this, Waters just had to go ahead and do the filthiest film of all time! Includes chicken sex, baby buying lesbians, transsexual streakers, a singing anus (literally), fellatio from Divine (who is gloriously campy in the lead role), an overweight woman living in a playpen and yes, the infamous feces meal. At first the whole film is quite shocking and you begin to wonder what exactly was Waters' point in filming it. But as the insane plot gives way to more insanity you end up forgetting all about the cinematic rules you may be accustomed to and just end up giving in to all that Waters has to show. Bad taste rarely had felt so delightful.

 

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul: - Rainer Werner Fassbinder:

Paying homage to his hero, Douglas Sirk, Rainer Werner Fassbinder updated All That Heaven Allows and transformed its basic premise into a bittersweet look at prejudice and isolation in 1970s’ Germany. Brigitte Mira gives a moving performance as a lonely widow who falls in love with a Moroccan immigrant (El Hedi ben Salem). They consequently marry, setting everyone they know against them. Despite this, they remain together, facing this as two people who perhaps aren’t in love but whose loneliness cancels anything else. Fassbinder pays great attention to details (out of the colors and shapes, his aesthetics create pure bourgeoisie poetry) and without overusing his manipulative elements, avoids extreme sensibility, instead creating a portrait of bittersweet hope that makes us wonder if there is any way in which we can be truly and completely fulfilled.

 

Grease - Randal Kleiser: It’s hard to believe that this film became such a pop culture landmark considering it’s basically a series of vignettes with adults passing as oversexed teenagers and uses musical styles that had gone out of fashion decades before. But watching it, it’s almost impossible to avoid being uplifted by the nostalgic energy of almost every element in the film. John Travolta is flawless as the tough guy trying to hide the fact that he has a crush on the “goody two shoes” exchange student (played by the luminous Olivia Newton-John). It is obvious how everything will turn out in the end, because Greas” has inspired almost every teen flick that came after it, but this doesn’t mean that the experience is less fresh or joyful. With songs such as “Summer Nights”, “You’re the One that I Want” and the title theme, after all these years Grease is still the word.

 

Bed and Board - Francois Truffaut: The fourth film in the Antoine Doinel series has our hero (Jean-Pierre Léaud) married to Christine (Claude Jade) and trying to make a living for when their baby arrives. As usual in these films director Francois Truffaut seems to be working without a specific aim, instead letting the events flow and the characters reveal themselves. This doesn’t make it a plotless movie, but actually a charming portrait of life. Truffaut has a joy following Antoine and catching Léaud’s remarkable expressions as he encounters things he thought he would never go through, like the temptation of cheating on his wife. Truffaut would finish the Doinel series nine years after this, with the equally brilliant, but vastly underrated, Love on the Run and truly nothing else can be said other than the fact that watching these films feels like a privilege. Why Truffaut chose to extend this character’s run past the marvelous The 400 Blows should feel like mere vanity, but once you get a taste of the joy, the melancholy and the self-discovery these movies radiate, you realize that Antoine never really overstayed his welcome.

 

McCabe and Mrs. Miller - Robert Altman:

Robert Altman has been perhaps the only director whose movies seem to have no beginning or ending, they feel as if they were slices out of something bigger, which Altman just happens to capture. The way he creates such interactive universes always results thrilling and miraculous. In this revisionist Western he has Warren Beatty playing a charming antihero who decides to build a brothel in a mining territory. Along comes Julie Christie as a madam who wants to help and almost imposes herself. Before long they have a town built around their business, until a big corporation tries to take over. It is here when Altman relishes in creating a cynical view of progress as he merely observes how these people either hold on to their traditions or give in and try to run away. Deconstructing what is the American genre by excellence, he has Vilmos Zsigmond shoot everything as if they were postcards from an era that still feels contemporary. It is a joy to see how he layers his microcosm and how every character matters; this film includes what is perhaps one of the greatest "cowboy" duels in film (set on a bridge of all places) and produced characters so marvelously complex, they could only inhabit the Altman universe.

 

Salò or the 120 Days of Sodom - Pier Paolo Pasolini: Throughout the 70s, visionary director Pier Paolo Pasolini had made film versions of Arabian Nights, The Tales of Canterbury and The Decameron; all of them made in their original settings and seemingly just to provide picaresque entertainment. Which is why, when he decided to adapt the Marquis de Sade’s macabre The 120 Days of Sodom and set it during the peak of Italian fascism, waves of shock and disapproval were released, that, to this day, have made this perhaps the most controversial film of all time. The plot revolves around four powerful, nameless, men who kidnap a group of young men and women, take them to an isolated mansion and use them to satisfy their sexual desires. This was after all a de Sade adaptation and the acts involve everything from torture, coprophagia and eventual murder. It has to be stated that this film completely de-erotizes and even dehumanizes the idea of sex, which is why any arguments that label this as pornography (which, ideologically, has arousing properties) should instantly become invalid. Absolutely no one gets pleasure out of what goes on in the screen, in fact not even the perpetrators, who always remain cold and detached, seem to be “enjoying” this; other than for the fact that they’re exercising the unrestricted, almighty power bestowed upon them by their political ideology. A completely allegorical film that speaks through clear metaphors; this is a one of a kind work that isn’t afraid to express its anger, inconformity and bitterness. It really comes as no surprise that Pasolini was murdered shortly after finishing this. His assassination, when seen as a way of silencing him, couldn’t send a clearer message about the way that human kind, itself, is perhaps freedom’s biggest enemy.

 

Amarcord - Federico Fellini: The greatest love song to a place that perhaps never existed, Federico Fellini pays tribute to the seaside town of Rimini, where he grew up and what became one of his most essential creative sources. Spanning a year in the lives of its townspeople, the plot doesn’t follow a specific character, or storyline, instead it’s composed of a series of episodes in which we get glimpses of life in a small town under the fascist regime. Populated with colorful characters and anecdotes, Fellini makes us see how limited this universe was (since they have almost no influence from the outer world, other than special events and of course new films) but at the same time, he infuses every moment with yearning and respect. Every single scene is memorable and there are some that will haunt you forever, like the arrival of a luxury transatlantic which the townspeople expect merely to watch it pass by. The title can be roughly translated as “I remember”, then again Fellini was a self professed liar; therefore, everything in Amarcord is fabricated, but, like the essence of cinema itself, this doesn’t make it less powerful, instead it makes its surprising nostalgia all the more breathtaking.

 

Stalker - Andrei Tarkovsky: Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece takes us on a journey with Stalker (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), a man who has the ability to enter a forbidden area outside his city called “The Zone”. Perhaps created by extraterrestrial influence or a strange natural phenomenon, The Zone, remains guarded and those who enter it are under the risk of being imprisoned or vanishing. Here, it is said, exists a room, which has the power to fulfill your innermost desires; Stalker’s job is taking people there. This time, he’s leading two men, a writer (Anatoli Solonitsyn) and a professor (Nikolai Gringo) who lead Stalker into an existential crisis that has him doubting the very essence of what he does. Visually enveloping; the film mostly recurs to austere images that might represent a million different things to whoever is watching them. Tarkovsky was a director who was obviously not scared of alienating his audience; this isn’t a particularly easy film to watch, since it’s here where he epitomized his theory of “sculpting time” and truth be told, the power of the images is such, that from time to time you almost feel them materialize and obtain physical density. As science fiction, Stalker never has any sort of visual effects, in fact, we never even know the time or the exact place where the story unfolds. Despite the fact that the film sounds too cerebrally threatening, it’s ironic that one of its biggest influences is none other than The Wizard of Oz, which basically follows the same plot and which also made film color set moods. Both films explore the purity of childhood and the metaphysical consequences that originate from our subconscious, but while Dorothy got her ruby slippers, Tarkovsky leaves us with ideas that not only make us question our beliefs, but also the need itself to believe in something.

 

Last Tango in Paris - Bernardo Bertolucci: Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider play a couple who find sexual solace in each other while remaining completely anonymous. We learn that he is a widower, coping with his wife’s suicide and the discovery of the secret life she was leading, while Schneider is a free spirited young woman engaged to a filmmaker (Jean-Pierre Léaud). Quite scandalous when it was released for its raw depiction of “unconventional” sex, what has remained with the passing of time is a completely bare account of how love is both redemptive and punishing. Vittorio Storaro’s camera captures a Paris that often feels like a concrete jungle which can be both beautiful and menacing, while Gato Barbieri’s penetrating score will haunt your memory forever. Bernardo Bertolucci’s capacity of making his actors open themselves is remarkable, especially with Brando, whose performance has become legendary for its groundbreaking use of improvisation. Watching him move like a wild animal, while also being able to convey the deepest sadness is overwhelming, but the essence of his performance lies in its own cinematic qualities which can be summarized when he asks Schneider “how do you know I wasn’t lying?”. And it is perhaps this ambiguous feeling that makes this film so flawless as it pays homage to both reality itself and cinematic conventions. It is no coincidence that Schneider’s character plays a part in her fiancé’s movie, as she is also playing a part under Brando’s direction, leading the almighty hunter to eventually become the prey.

 

Pete

Jeremiah Johnson - Sydney Pollack: Sydney Pollack's 1972 revisionist piece (based on a real man named John Johnston) follows a Mexican-American War veteran (Redford) as he journeys into the Colorado Rocky Mountains to live in the wild amongst the Indians. It is an engrossing, humorous adventure film that has several memorable performances from the great Will Geer as Johnson's old mentor "Bear Claw" Chris Lapp, Stefan Gierash as a crazy man named Del Gue and a new actress named Delle Bolton as Jeremiah's Flathead Indian wife. The film was co-written by John Milius (Magnum Force). It was filmed in and around Utah, the state where Robert Redford later started the Sundance Film Festival.

 

Coffy - Jack Hill: Pam Grier is Coffy, a sexy nurse who goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge to get back at the drug dealers who got her sister hooked on heroin. I know, I know -the premise is very simple, but Pam Grier's vengeful personality mixed with her natural sexiness drives this movie over the top. This is probably Jack Hill's most famous film and Hill again manages to weave a great Exploitation story with great characters, action and depth. Watch for an appearance by Hill regular Sid Haig as one of the villain Vitroni's thugs. This film is the definition of Exploitation. It has everything, especially the over-the-top violence that just gets your adrenaline going.

 

Phantom of the Paradise - Brian De Palma:

After making his first psychological horror-thriller Sisters (1973, director Brian De Palma decided to do something different. He wanted to make a film commenting on the entertainment industry as well as the rock scene of the 1970s. What he created was a darkly funny satire based on Phantom of The Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust, as well as Glam-Horror Rock like Alice Cooper and David Bowie. Thus, Phantom of The Paradise was born. De Palma uses the story as an exercise in filmmaking. He utilizes title cards, fast speed silent movie sequences, incredible camera work including split screens (look for the great Touch of Evil tribute sequence), and highly charged musical numbers featuring three groups: The Juicy Fruits, The Beach Bums, The Undeads, who are all played by the same three actors (Archie Hahn, Peter Elbling, Harold Oblong). For the films finale, De Palma also went back to his roots and used ideas from his documentary Dionysus in 69, featuring performers who interact with the audience making everyone a participant. Phantom showcased De Palma's brilliant ideas and gave audiences a taste of what would become his signature visual style. This was a very unique film for its time and even 30 + years later it remains a special cult movie. Many viewers will notice that it rings of another famous cult movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Phantom was actually released a year before Rocky Horror and didn't do especially well, but only a few years later it began screening on double bills with Rocky Horror. In the years since its developed a huge cult following.

 

Carrie - Brian De Palma: Brian De Palma's big screen adaptation of Stephen King's novel is a work of pure cinematic bliss. De Palma's continously creative and daring visual ideas, trademark black humor mixed with the overt religious imagery/sexual themes make this one of the classics of the 70s Hollywood cinema era.

 

The Chinese Boxer - Jimmy Wang Yu: With The Chinese Boxer we get to witness the first open hand kung fu film that was made in Hong Kong. Before this film, the Hong Kong films were almost entirely sword/weapon fighting films. In Chinese Boxer we also get the first student avenges master storyline that became heavily reused over and over throughout the 70s and 80s. Jimmy Wang Yu injects a unique mix of different martial arts styles ranging from kung fu to samurai to karate that are put together into one big explosive blend. It also has its roots in the 60s Spaghetti Westerns, which you can see influenced the stand- offs and the quirkiness of the films visual style. TCB is overflowing with energy. A standout cinematic piece from the 70s Shaw Brothers kung fu studio era.

 

Il Boss - Fernando DiLeo:

What I enjoy most about the late Italian genre director Fernando DiLeo's films is the honest depictions of Italian underworld characters and the light and dark humor that runs through his work. He wrote and directed some of the best works in the polizioteschi genre. Films like Milano Calibre 9, La Mala Ordina, I Padroni Della Citta, and Il Boss give viewers a very clear look into the mafia life in Italy in the 1970s. Il Boss is one of DiLeo's very best films. It has extreme violence and extreme humor mixed into a cocktail that will seriously blow your mind.

 

I Spit on Your Grave -Meir Zarchi: I Spit on Your Grave is an infamous film. Ever since I was a young kid I heard my friends talk about how terrible it was. When I saw it myself in the 80s, I was as stunned as everyone else but the cut I had originally saw of the film was edited with most of the graphically violent scenes deleted. Years passed and I hadn't seen the film again since. When I rewatched the film on the Millennium Edition DVD from Elite Entertainment I was very pleased to know that the film had been completely remastered and was uncut. After watching this version of the film, I consider I Spit on Your Grave aka Day Of The Woman to be one of the best cult films ever made. It's right up there with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Coffy (1973) and other gems of the 70s Grindhouse era. The film not only packs a solid punch of Exploitation, but is very well directed and acted. The film has almost no music in it, there's only 5 main characters, it takes place entirely in a quiet country setting, and it's about a brutal rape and eventual revenge a woman takes on the scum that ruined her life. On the back cover of the DVD there is a quote asking: is it really "just another Exploitation film to be dismissed?" or is it "truly a masterpiece of cinema?". I consider this film a masterpiece. Back when the film was released in 1979, critic Roger Ebert and his then partner Gene Siskel felt this film was utter trash and that it should be thrown away so no one could see it ever again. As a reader of Ebert's reviews myself, I'm shocked that someone as open-minded as Roger would try to ruin a film's reputation like that and not just let people judge it for themselves. Ironically many female critics felt exactly the opposite, considering the film to be a well told, realistic morality tale. If Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel only knew the story behind what inspired Meir Zarchi to create this film, maybe they would've seen it differently. Meir Zarchi created a masterpiece of Exploitation cinema with this film and didn't relent on any of the disturbing sequences.

 

My Name is Nobody - Tonino Valerii: The late Henry Fonda stars in this comedic spaghetti western about an aging gunman and his biggest fan, a mysterious drifter named Nobody (Terrence Hill). The film has a wonderful spirit and charm. It could be called a "slapstick spaghetti western" following the tradition of Hill's They Call Me Trinity films. Hill and Fonda make a quirky, entertaining team and Tonino Valerii's precise, imaginative direction is beautiful. Director-Producer Sergio Leone is said to have phantom directed several scenes including the funhouse sequence. This is one of the last great films of the Spaghetti Western era.

 

Switchblade Sisters - Jack Hill: Jack Hill's drive-in cult classic Switchblade Sisters is really one-of-a-kind in the world of Exploitation cinema. The film takes place in a sort of parellel universe. Hill actually envisioned the film to have a sort of a post-Nixon era apocalyptic atmosphere. The acting in the film is really well done for a low budget drive-in picture and Jack Hill really does have a unique style as an Exploitation autuer. He also manages to combine elements from several Grindhouse subgenres into the film including women in prison and blaxploitation films. If you go through his filmography you will pick up that Hill always injects his work with a certain level of intelligence and depth. They are definitely Grindhouse fare, but at the same time, much more.

 

Lone Wolf and Cub: Babycart to Hades - Kenji Misumi: When this film was released in America in the 1970s it went by the colorful title Lightning Swords of Death. One of the lines in the US trailer was "They threw an army at him and he threw it back, one piece at a time!". That line says it all. Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) is a legendary character in Japanese cinema and he gets even more down n' dirty with his Dotonuki sword in this film. Along with his baby son Daigoro, wherever Ogami travels, he leaves a very bloody mark. Babycart To Hades aka Lightning Swords of Death combines deep emotional Japanese drama with eye-popping, blood-spurting, sword-slashing action. The film also flows perfectly with great acting, scenery, direction and visual fx.

 

Rolling Thunder - John Flynn: This film could be seen as a sort of exploitation film version of Scorsese's Taxi Driver. Director John Flynn, and writers Paul Shrader and Heywood Gould crafted a powerfully captivating, slow building drama/character study. The film tells the story of a newly returned Vietnam POW, Major Charles Rane (William Devane) and his family. Throughout the film, we get glimpses inside Rane's psyche which is slowly crumbling underneath his calm demeanor. When Rane and his family are robbed, his hand cut off and his son killed, its time to hit back. Rane and his best friend/fellow vet Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones) track down the robbers and get their much needed violent catharsis. It's a bloody massacre that rivals the climax of Taxi Driver.

 

Bird With the Crystal Plumage - Dario Argento: With his first film, Dario Argento utilizes all kinds of great camera tricks. The use of POV shots, bright and muted colors, shadows, freeze-frames and zooms add a dynamic which really makes the film pulse with energy. You can see the influence of Hitchcock's thrillers as well as Antonioni's Blow Up (1966) , one of the most influential films on the Italian gialli genre. Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is a brilliant debut. The film is directed masterfully and the creative, fluid camerawork is incredibly exciting to watch. The music by Ennio Morricone is perfect. It has an eerie, childlike sound which gives an extra thrill to the sequences its featured in.

 

The Losers - Jack Starrett: Throughout the 1970s Director-Actor Jack Starrett (Cleopatra Jones, Hollywood Man, Race With The Devil) was one of Exploitation Cinema's finest auteurs, working in a variety of genres, but generally known for his exciting, action-packed biker films. With The Losers, Starrett took on a very controversial subject at the time, the Vietnam war. (NOTE: Most film viewers know Jack Starrett from his role as the cruel policeman Art Gault in the action-thriller First Blood (1982) and as Gabby Johnson, the drunk old codger in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy masterpiece Blazing Saddles). What I liked about The Losers was the fact it wasn't just some simple Exploitation film; it was a solid commentary on the war itself. It also has two love stories in the middle of the out-of-control action. There's great humor as well, so what happens is that instead of it becoming another shallow B-film, it feels really well rounded and complete. You can see the big influence Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969) had on this film through the social commentary, the comraderie between the men, as well as the intense slow-motion action sequences (featuring tons of bloodspurting gunshot wounds) which are really well done. I was really surprised by The Losers on first viewing; I didnt expect such a well-made, well-written Exploitation film. Now this is definitely one of my top favorites from the era. It combines the War and Biker genres and it also has great heart and charm. William Smith (Hollywood Man, CC & Company), Adam Roarke (Dirty Mary Crazy Larry) and Paul Koslo (Vanishing Point) are excellent.

 

The Streetfighter - Shigehiro Ozawa: Sonny Chiba is the Anti Bruce Lee. In this cult classic, Chiba plays the infamous Terry Tsurugi, assassin for hire. This is an amazing piece of 70s Japanese martial arts cinema, with over the top, exploitative fight sequences. Witness bones snapping, skulls being crushed (one in X Ray vision), throats ripped out, balls ripped off, teeth punched out and lots of fake blood squirting all over. See Terry Tsurugi's chi distribution technique in which his super scratchy breathing reinvigorates his energy! If you want brutal Grindhouse Japanese karate fighting, The Streetfighter series is for you.

 

Duel - Steven Spielberg: Steven Spielberg's 1971 cult classic starring Dennis Weaver as a henpecked schlub traveling up the coast of California on business when suddenly out of nowhere is stalked by a mysterious trucker. This film combines elements of paranoia, comedy, and action - and foreshadows ideas we would see a few years later in his breakthrough hit Jaws (1975). Duel was released in the US as a TV movie but was released in Europe theatrically. It still holds up 30 plus years later as an exciting road thriller.

 

Bound for Glory - Hal Ashby: David Carradine (Kill Bill) gives an amazing performance as the legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie in this Hal Ashby directed biopic chronicling Guthrie's time living through the Depression. We join him as he makes his way from Texas to California, riding the rails, meeting fellow kindred spirits and finding fame.

Continue to Part II