Top Ten Movies of the 1970s

#7
Dog Day Afternoon

1975

Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Written by: Frank Pierson
Cinematography: Victor J. Kemper
Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, and Chris Sarandon

This has long been one of my favourite movies. Dog Day Afternoon is based on a true story about a Brooklyn bank robbery that was so unbelievable it sounded like it came from a movie. Naturally then, it was made into a movie. Two men rob a bank, well three initially. They are Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and his friend Sal (John Cazale). They cops come to the scene and it goes from a bank robbery to a hostage situation. As the movie proceeds it becomes more eccentric. It turns out that Sonny was robbing the bank mainly to get the funds to pay for his husband's (Chris Sarandon) sex change operation. This aspect is also handled in a very respectful way, which is rare for movies of this time period. Another thing I love about this movie. Anyway, from the beginning every thing goes wrong. The results are both comedic and tragicat the same time. This is one of those rare movies that can pull that off. It's always an incredible feeling to want to laugh and cry at the same time. It's the characters in this movie as well as the actors who portray them which make this possible. Take a look at the opening scene of the robbery and you'll see what I mean:



I laugh so hard at this scene, it's the tiny detail which make it work. The frustration Sonny shows at how difficult it is to get his gun out, him and Sal trying to find each other through the pillars in the bank, and Sonny's pleading at the failed bank robber Stevie to take the subway home and not the car. Great stuff. It's still hard to believe that this is based on a true story.

Al Pacino is often called the greatest actor of his generation (it's either him or De Niro anyway). I think this is him at his best too. Watching him really makes you wish he would stop making such crap and wish that he didn't ruin his vocal range with the cigarettes. He's so intense as Sonny and really has the character down perfectly. John Cazale is also amazing in his supporting role as the introvert, pitiful psychotic Sal. This following scene is one of the most famous from the movie and shows Sonny taunting the police officers trying to negotiate the hostages release. It shows just how great the acting is I think:



He certainly shouts 'Attica' a lot. For those of you who are unaware (I was before I saw this movie) 'Attica' was a prison where there was a riot in the early 70s. The prison was taken over by the prisoners who were demanding better living conditions and the removal of the cruel superintendent. In the end, the police were sent in with 39 causalities suffered in taking back the prison. Ten of these people were workers at the prison and other civilian employees. Sonny's yelling this to get the crowd on his side. He constantly warns in the movie that this could be another Attica. It works as you can see, he become a sort of hero to the crowd.

The reason that a bank robber so easily becomes a hero of this crowd speaks to the hard times. The United States was in the grips of a recession. This had largely been brought about by the Oil Crisis of 1973. What happened was the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) had placed an oil embargo on the US in response for their military support of Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Basically they restricted output and raised prices. This sent shockwaves through the economy. Oil supplies shrank, transport was halted, products could not be manufactured, factories closed down, and people lost their jobs in massive numbers. The Stock Market collapsed later that same year. It was the official end of the post-WWII economic boom. Until that, the west had largely experience prolonged economic growth. We still see the effect of this today in our government policies.

Sonny was a victim of this recession. He explains in the movie his trouble at finding a job with decent pay. Most likely, those in the crowd and watching on TV are experiencing the exact same thing. There is massive discontent with the economy on the brink of near collapse. Sonny exploits this anti-establishment feeling perfectly.

There is even more to this previous scene. The last shot shows a point of view from a TV News helicopter. This type of occurrence was being broadcast a massive scale. At the time the media was becoming far more pervasive. This is shown humorlessly in this next scene:



I love how excited Sonny gets seeing himself on TV. The fact is that people were watching a lot more news, and were being fed more information. The media could even somehow obtain that close-up shot of Sonny in the bank. Information like this would not have been known to the wider public eighty years prior to this. Yet people were aware of the bank robbery and Sonny. The tragedy at Attica was well known and became a rallying point for the crowd in the earlier scene. And just as likely, the effects of the recession and its causes were being shown every night on the news. Information is power. And this story takes place way back in 1973. Advances in communications technology allows us to now receive information from all over the world. The movie forecasts the role that access to information would play in future social movements as it is now. Sonny got the crowd going and it's now possible to do this on a much wider scale.

But the fact remains that Dog Day Afternoon is also great just based on it's entertainment value. It's a great story, has great direction and incredible acting. It's funny and tragic. Without giving away too much I will just say that the ending is not consistent with the rest of the film's tone. Above all though, it's a movie that I think appeals to everyone. This is a movie that everyone will like.

For capturing the hardship faced by many during the end of the post-war economic boom, and showing it as both humourless and tragic, Dog Day Afternoon is in my opinion the 7th greatest movie of the 1970s.

Top Ten Movies of the 1970s

#8
The Long Good Friday

1979

Directed by: John Mackenzie
Written by: Barrie Keeffe
Music by: Francis Monkman
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Derek Thompson, and Eddie Constantine

British Gangster movies are some of the best out there and The Long Good Friday might just be the best one. The story centres on London underground mobster Harold Shand (an amazing Bob Hoskins) as he tries to make the move from mobster king to legitimate businessman. The 1988 Olympics were forecast to be in London and he is attempting to get a piece of the construction rights. Unfortunately for him, his enterprises become the victim of mysterious bombings which he cannot trace. As the film progresses it becomes clear that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) are behind it due to a mix up involving his right hand man Jeff (Derek Thompson). Of course a staple of the gangster movie genre is that the protagonist is a stubborn bastard who believes that he is untouchable. This always leads to his downfall, and The Long Good Friday is no different in this respect.

What makes this movie special is how it presents Britain in the late 1970s. It was made in 1979, the year that Margaret Thatcher came to power. Britain had been in perpetual decline as a world power since the end of WWII. Harold however was having none of this. It's his strong belief that Britain is still the greatest power the world has ever seen and his belief in his country is matched only by his belief in himself. The opening scene goes a long way to showing this:



It's a short clip, but I think it's a great one to show his confidence. The British Airways jet flies by and cut to a shot of him strolling through the airport, perfect. In the clip he was just returning from a trip to the United States where he was setting up a joint venture deal with the American Mafia to help him with his rebuilding project in London. The next clip is another one of my favourites. It's a sort of pitch to the visiting Americans about his vision for Britain's future and his obsession with Britain's past. The only clip I could find was an extra long one so feel free to cut the clip at the end of his short speech:



The setting is perfect with the iconic image of London's Tower Bridge in the background while he's making his speech. As he said, he's a businessman with a sense of history. His speech clearly shows the ambition that he has for London and he sees himself as the only one who can mastermind the 'New London'. It is in this way that he resembles a large segment of the country at this time. People were eager for a change. People had an intense nostalgic feeling for the days when the sun never set on the British Empire and London was the most important city in the world. It was this feeling that Thatcher capitalized on to win her first term and then again her second term through the patriotic feeling generated by the Falklands War.

Britain was one of the newest members of the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the European Union) at this time too and there was a feeling in the country that due to its prestige it should be one of the leading members of it. Harold mentions London as the gateway to Europe in speech, so he certainly believes that things are looking up for Britain. Membership in the European Economic Community comes with perks for some segments of the population as well as responsibilities which cannot be neglected. If you want to be a part of Europe, you must also accept it's joint decision-making mechanisms and be willing to make concessions. Anti-European Union sentiment is probably the highest in Britain though and concessions are often seen as unacceptable. Much like the stubbornness of good old Harold.

The violence and chaos that follows this speech in the movie though was a warning to the people who thought that Britain could regain it's world renowned status without serious soul searching. As the film shows, there were serious matters that could not be covered up or forgotten. Chief among these were 'the Troubles' that were plaguing Northern Ireland. It had pretty much been in a state of war since 1970. All of this within the United Kingdom itself. The IRA gets involved and Harold wrongfully thinks that he can brush them aside without too much trouble. With this confidence he only angers the powerful IRA which leads to his downfall. In addition to this his deal with the Americans falls apart. Both of these come to a head in the final scene of the movie. A great one, but possibly a spoiler so watch the next clip with caution:



Harold's prestige took a hit in this clip when the mafia lawyer referred to Britain as a 'Banana Republic'. From here his rant is great and sums up pretty much everything I've been talking about. His confidence in himself and in his country turned out to be his downfall. Released the same year as Thatcher's election, this movie is a warning that progress can only happen with addressing fully the nation's problems. That long-shot of Harold's face in the car with the gun pointed at him is a perfect ending too. What was going on inside his head when a young Pierce Brosnan was pointing his gun at him? Fear, anger, acceptance or maybe admiration? And that theme song, incredible stuff. Classic gangster film.

For being showing perfectly how uncomfortable the state of affairs were in 1979 Britain, The Long Good Friday is in my opinion the 8th best movie of the 1970s.

Top Ten Movies of the 1970s

#9
Husbands

1970

Written and Directed by: John Cassavetes
Starring: John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, and Peter Falk

John Cassavetes is the master of cinéma vérité style. Now for those of you who do not speak good French or are not a movie buff, it translates into truthful cinema. Overlooking the somewhat pretentious name of the genre, it is the kind of movie which is shot in a documentary like way. So in a feature film this would include long takes, a great deal of improvisation of dialogue, and characters directly addressing the camera and audience. In this way, the movie just comes off as more realistic and 'truthful'. Husbands is a great example of the use of this style, and is a movie where it is employed to the greatest possible use. In the end it is this technique which makes you identify with the characters and story so much. Just take a look at the opening scene:



It may be just the splicing together of home photos and a killer bass-line but it starts the movie on the right track and sets the mood. From it we learn that here are four typical, suburban husbands doing things that suburban families do on nice summer weekends. Of course this is posing in front of the camera and flexing to impress their wives. Typical of the cinéma vérité style it's simple but effective.

So the movie tells the story of a quartet of friends which has recently become a triforce (don't think that's the right word, but it sounds nice). From the funeral of their friend the three remaining friends Gus (John Cassavetes), Harry (Ben Gazarra) and Archie (Peter Falk) go on a two day bender of drinking, sleeping on subways, playing basketball, and basically talk about where they are in their lives and where they wish they were. From their they have some more mid-life crises talks which leads them to strange places. It's these discussions, largely improvised, that makes you connect with the characters and all of their faults. In one of the best scenes of the movie, the three of them are in a bar judging an impromptu singing contest and not holding back at all:



Congratulations if you made it through that entire clip. It's a long one but you would have been rewarded. It's not the easiest movie to watch at times. The way the three of them hound that one girl for her plasticity is embarrassing to watch. But that's what a Cassavetes movie is like and what makes them special. He has been called one of the pioneers of American independent cinema. He may have been a successful actor in the Hollywood system but his movies were anything but successful. Husbands in particular was panned by American critics upon its release. It's unlikely that Cassavettes would have cared though. In this clip, the ridiculing of that poor singer might have been Cassavetes taking out his grievances on the whole American movie industry. Harry yells at the woman that she is 'terrible', 'un-real' and has 'no passion'. This was at a time that the industry was pumping out love stories starring the likes of Robert Redford and Ryan O'Neal too. Husbands is a refreshingly real and honest movie and so deserves to be called one of the most important movies ever made. It's possible that independent cinema wouldn't be the same if it were not for Cassavetes and this movie in particular.

The movie has been criticized severely for only showing the masculine viewpoint and not properly representing women. From that clip we see how they tore apart that one woman. In another scene Harry gets into a violent fight with his wife before all of them take off to London for a weekend of debauchery. This movie even influenced the feminist electro-pop band Le Tigre to write a song entitled 'What's Your Take on Cassavetes'. The way I see it though, Cassavetes is not to blame for this. He is merely trying to show us his idea of a honest picture of male suburban life. Later films of his (especially A Woman Under the Influence) can even be called empowering and a warning to misogynists. The fact is that Husbands, because it's aim is 'truthful' cinema is likely to offend many people. Whenever someone claims they are representing the truth, they are always controversial. The artistic merits of this movie speak for itself though. In the end, the characters are terrible people, but you can't help but connect with them and this is the source of the movies great emotional impact. This film's got feeling.

For it's huge contribution to American independent cinema, in my opinion Husbands is the 9th greatest movie of the 1970s.

Top Ten Movies of the 1970s

#10
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

1975

Directed by: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones
Written by and starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Pahlin.

Of course I had to put Monty Python and the Holy Grail on my list. The story follows the quest of mythical English King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table on their quest to seek the holy grail in the name of God. It's one of the funniest movies of all time. Every scene is a gem and can be quoted at length by one hundred percent of the British population, sixty percent of the Canadian population and thirty percent of the American population. Monty Python have a knack for absurd dialogue and situations.

One of the things that makes them so unique and ahead of their time is their self-reflexive style. They're masters of breaking the fourth wall, which is when the audience is addressed directly or something else happens on stage which intentionally breaks the viewer's suspension of disbelief and makes them realize they are only watching something fictional. This can be done in a serious way to make the viewer question why he is watching something for their entertainment but it can also lead to great laughs and it's used for this latter purpose several times in the movie. The next scene is a great example of this:



There were funding issues during the production of the movie and so they could not afford to hire horses for some of the scenes. All for the better though as it creates one of best gags of the movie! I love how it's embellished so much in this scene, stressing how cheap the production really was.

Their absurdest style is also put to use perfectly to satirize the legend of King Arthur. Taking on and deconstructing one of the most treasured myths in the English psyche is, in a way, also an assault on national myths in general. These myths are central to the founding of national communities and help unite people and trick them into believing that they share more common traits with other members of their community than they do with those outside of it. The King Arthur myth creates an 'imagined community', in the words of Benedict Anderson. Arguably, these myths most often lead to feelings of nationalism and into conflict with other nations.

If religion is the opiate of the masses, then nationalism can be thought of as the stimulant of the masses. People can be riled up to do anything if they are tricked into believing its for the national good. Hence we see people march off to war after being lied to and told their way of life is in danger. Hence we see people accept deteriorating living conditions and social services because supposedly their country's economic health equals their nation's power and it can only come from sacrificing those at the bottom of the social-economic ladder. Hence we do not see the common international bonds that unite us due to an intense patriotic blindness. It is difficult to argue however that a woman making minimum wage and feeding her kids through social assistance shares a common bond with some guy from the highest income bracket. This is idea is brought up cleverly and hilariously in one of my favourite scenes from the movie:



"Who are the Britons?" the old woman asks. "We all are, we are all Britons and I am your king," replies King Arthur. Some people no how to play the nationalist card to their advantage and that has been a major block to humankind's progress. What I love about Monty Python though is how they can address serious issues like this without getting bogged down in the serious implications of the discussion. What they do instead as point out the utter absurdity of the way things tend to be. This in turn causes us to think harder about it. The members of Monty Python are brilliant and enjoy making references to philosophers to stress (and possibly to show off) their level of education. I'll finish this post with this next scene, which is another great one from the movie and a great epistemological study.

For being one of most absurd movies ever made, and also one of the funniest, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is in my opinion the 10th greatest movie of the 1970s.