1970s Wrap Up

Movies took several turns in the 1970s. Profanity and other adult content littered almost every Best Picture in the decade. The body count was very high as well and the blood flowed in most of the films. The decade also lacked a feel good movie too. We walked away from each movie with a very sober feeling.

On the upside, this decade brought new special effects and the action in the movies was cranked up several notches. Also, movies became "modern" more closely resembling movies today than the films in the previous decades.

We will also think of this decade as the era of the great actor: De Niro, Hoffman, Duvall, Streep, Nicholson, Pacino. Each film was another clinic in acting.

The movies were raw. The movies were masculine. The movies were tremendous. The 70s have been the greatest decade for movies so far.

1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer: "You can't get rid of me that easy"

1979 Best Picture

Premiered December 19 1979

Budget N/A

Gross $106 Million

This was a very gripping movie. It is sweet and heart breaking at the same time. The movie did a great job of drawing the viewer in by giving them characters that they can relate too. It brings an interesting close to the 70s which was filled with macho he-man type movies. The decade shows that not only can men work in the mob, cheat people out of money and represent the hard working guy in a huge boxing match but men can also raise kids as a single parent. 

Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep were great in the movie. It is interesting that the story is essential type same concept as a future Oscar winner Rain Man, that also stars Hoffman.

Callie

Favorite: The actor that played the little boy did a great job.

Least Favorite: We started seeing the family unit dissolve.

Joel

Favorite: I connected with this movie as a Dad myself. It shows that kids need a father in their life.

Least Favorite: It is interesting that this movie is rated "PG". It had one scene that should have made it rated "R". It could have done without that scene.

1978 - The Deer Hunter: "A deer's gotta be taken with one shot"

1978 Best Picture

Premiered December 8, 1978 in LA

Budget 15 Million

Gross N/A

We have had many movie center around war. From All Quiet On The Western to Mrs Miniver to Best Year's Of Our Lives to Patton. This movie takes all of what we seen about war and post war America and throws it away. This was a hardened look at torture and the PTSD that the GIs experienced. The movie centers around Russian Roulette. The Americans were forced to participate as POWs but they continue to play after they escape. The movie is tragic and heavy. It leaves the viewer feeling depressed. It does show why so many soldiers came back from Vietnam with so many personal issues.

Joel

Favorite: I enjoyed watching the guys escape from the prison and their attempt to get back to safety. It was suspenseful.

Least Favorite: Godfather pushed the limits on violence and hard content. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest pushed the limits on foul language. This movie saw the line and went WAY past it. It was the most disturbing, violent movie I have ever seen and in some scenes, every other word is a profanity  One character only uses profanity the entire movie.

Callie

Favorite: It opened me up to a whole different cultural world. 

Least Favorite: It was so hardcore that it left me feeling so heavy with nothing redeemable about it.

1977 - Annie Hall: "I'm very shallow and and empty and I have no ideas and nothing interesting to say"

1977 Best Picture 

Premiered April 20, 1977

Budget $4 Million

Gross $39 Million

It was a very artistic movie. It was classic Woody Allen. The hand held camera shots and the documentary type approach were progressive. However, the story was boring. The script did not draw us in and the movie had a chance to stand for something but it didn't. It was actually quite tragic without meaning to be.

Joel

Favorite: I liked the style of Woody Allen acting as the main character and as the narrator, talking directly to the viewer throughout the movie.

Least Favorite: I did not like the message of the movie. It was very depressing.

Callie

Favorite: It was intriguing seeing Annie Hall's clothes. They had such an 80s look to them. It set the tone for where fashion would go in the years after the film's release.

Least Favorite: It had such an opportunity to pull the viewer in to connect with the characters but it never did. Instead, it made you cringe at how pathetic the characters were.

1976 - Rocky: "Adrian!"

1976 Best Picture

Premiered November 21, 1976

Budget $1 Million

Gross $117 Million

Rocky is ultimate underdog movie. It personifies the blue collar, Rust Belt tough guy who finally gets his shot.  The story makes you want to stand up and cheer. Rocky is the ultimate iconic movie. Everyone can identify the soundtrack and everyone has seen the scene where he runs up the steps in Philly. The only knock on Rocky is the fact that they made too many of them and the latter films were sub par. However, the first movie is excellent.

I did not realize that Stallone had written the movie until I saw the his name in the credits. He did a great job writing a story that hard working Americans could relate to. It is the movie with the best ending of any in the 70s.

Joel
Favorite: I like the soundtrack. It is one of the greatest soundtracks of all time (only Jaws and Star Wars can compete).
Least Favorite: In an era that features films with Nicholson, Pacino, Keaton, Streep and De Niro the acting in this movie is not on that level. However, the acting is not bad it just isn't timeless.

Callie
Favorite: The underdog story and the fact that in the end, the goal was not to win the fight but to do something that had never been done before.
Least Favorite: It was hard to get to know Adrian. She was hard to root for. 

1975 - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: "There is an Easter Bunny"

1975 Best Picture

Premiered November 21, 1975 in New York & LA

Budget $4.4 Million

Gross $112 Million

This movie is very unique. The premise and the plot were unlike anything we had seen up until then. The film held our attention until the very end and we were totally blindsided by the ending. Jack Nicholson did a great job with his very quirky character. 

The movie came very close to getting three popcorn bags but the high volume of cursing and crude language knocked it down. That was the only drawback for us. 

Joel

Favorite: The movie is a drama but it is very funny. I didn't expect all of that humor.

Least Favorite: Lots of profanity. Definitely the most cursing of any film so far. It was quite possibility the most profanity laden movie I've ever seen.

Callie
Favorite: I enjoyed seeing a young Jack Nicholson and thought he did a great job with the role he played. All the characters pulled me in.
Least Favorite: I did not like the ending. I wanted a an ending that did not leave me wondering. 

1974 - Godfather Part II: "I don't have to feel that I have to wipe everyone out...just my enemies"

1974 Best Picture

Premiered December 12, 1974

Budget $13 Million

Gross $57.3 Million

The saga continues with an experience that is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather. We trade Marlon Brando for Robert De Niro which is an even trade. Al Pacino and Robert Duvall are at the top of their game and Diane Keaton plays a more elevated role this time.

We get the opportunity to both see how Vito came to power and the way that power corrupts Michael. The story is a step below the first film but only a step below. 

Joel

Favorite: I enjoyed seeing Vito's ascension to power and the honor he showed (in a murderous sort of way)

Least Favorite: I hated to see Michael get deeper and deeper into the mob lifestyle. I want to root for him but found it harder to as the movie progressed.

Callie
Favorite: I liked the flashbacks. The director did a good job of tying the past with the present.
Least Favorite: The characters lost some of the honor that was in the first movie. Vito had honor but Michael did not have that honor.

1973 - The Sting: "If this thing blows up, the Feds are the least of our problems"

1973 Best Picture Winner

Premiered December 25, 1973 in New York & Hollywood

Budget $5.5 Million

Gross $159.6 Million

If this movie would have come out in 1970 or 1971, it would have gotten 3 popcorn bags. However, The Godfather would make just about any movie look pedestrian. This was a well done movie that had fun twist and turns. We were kept guessing until the very end. 

Joel

Favorite: It had the most plot twists and turns of any movie so far.

Least Favorite: I was not a big fan of the titles that set up each section of the film. 

Callie

Favorite: The twist at the end of the movie.

Least Favorite: It seemed a little hokey and cheesy at times. 

1972 - The Godfather: "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse"

1972 Best Picture

Premiered

Budget $6 Million

Gross $135 Million

We both agree that this is the best film to date. It is a film that was ahead of its time in the genre and in the storytelling. We were both on the edge of our seats for the entire 177 minutes. The cast was the best cast of any movie, Marlon Brando was outstanding, Robert Duvall made Tom the character that I enjoyed the most and Al Pacino turned it a stellar performance also. Francis Ford Copella directed a movie that came together to make one of the great films of history. It is a film that sticks in your mind for days to come.

Joel

Favorite: I loved the way that Michael started so pure and turned to become the most hardened Don in all of New York.

Least Favorite: The blood really flows in this movie. Some of the killings looked "cool" but some were flat at gory and disturbing.

Callie
Favorite: The actors did a great job drawing you in to the mafia culture. It was very intriguing.
Least Favorite: I didn't have a least favorite. Surprisingly, I loved the movie. 

1971 - The French Connection: "I'm sittin' on Frog One"

1971 Best Picture Winner

Premiered October 7, 1971 in New York & Hollywood

Budget $1.8 Million

Gross $51.7 Million

This movie had a relatively low budget and it was evident. However, they did a lot a lot with the little budget that they had. The police drama was entertaining and Gene Hackman did a good job. Also, this movie moved film making forward with the pyrotechnics and stunts that the producers used. Overall, it is a good watch for anyone who is a fan of movies.

Joel

Favorite: I like the car chase scene. It was not hokey or fake, it looked real and they used the right amount of stunts (not too few and they didn't overdo it with a stunt every few seconds)

Least Favorite: The ending was good but a few changes to the script would have made it great.

Callie
Favorite: I liked the pace of the movie. I was engaged the whole way through.
Least Favorite: It seemed dated at times, specifically the music and the vocabulary. 

1970 - Patton: "Americans traditionally love to fight".

1970 Best Picture

Premiered February 4, 1970

Budget $12 Million

Gross $61.7 Million

From a historical perspective, it was an interesting movie. We enjoyed seeing the life that a World War II General may have led. However, overall it was slow and Patton was a tough character to root for. We went into the movie with high hopes but the movie did not deliver the home run that we were hoping for...it was more of a long fly ball to left field. The acting was good and the script was decent but the execution of if it all didn't do it for us.  

Joel

Favorite: George C. Scott did a great job as Patton. We have entered a new era where many of the movies to come have great actors.

Least Favorite: The script used a lot of profanities. There's already a big difference in the films before 1969 and the ones after 1969.

Callie
Favorite: I enjoyed seeing World War II from a different perspective.
Least Favorite: Trying to decide if Patton was the protagonist or the antagonist. He was tough to root for.

1960s Wrap Up

The sixties were a roller coaster ride. We experienced the bizarre (Tom Jones & Midnight Cowboy), the dull (Lawrence of Arabia & A Man For All Seasons), the plea for racial harmony (West Side Story & In The Heat Of The Night) and the exceptional (My Fair Lady & The Sound Of Music). The decade began with a black and white film and ended with an X rated movie.

One positive about the decade in the context of film was the character development. For the first time, the audience began to feel for the characters. The plots were not all that strong but the emotional connection between the viewer and the hero were very strong. As we watched the movies, we felt a bond with Baxter, Eliza, Maria, Sir Thomas, Tibbs and even Joe Buck.

Overall, it was a decade that I am glad to have behind us. We are looking forward to the next decade.

1969 - Midnight Cowboy: "All I'm good for is lovin'"

1969 Best Picture

Premiered May 25, 1969 in New York

Budget $3.6 Million

Gross $44.7 Million

It's like movie makers figured out that they could be successful if they injected foul language and nudity into their movies. This film has more foul language in the first 5 minutes than the other films we've blogged about combined. 

The story is very depressing. The story centers around sex but it does not show it to be glamorous at all. It shows that sex outside of marriage leaves those involved feeling empty. The main character tries to "sell" himself to women, and then eventually to men but does not find meaning until he reaches out to a crippled man (played by Dustin Hoffman). In summary, it broke morality barriers and showed the star power can create a movie that stands out. However, the film making and script were very weak.

Joel

Favorite: Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight did a great job together. It was the best actor/supporting actor duo of any movie thus far. 

Least Favorite: There's a long drawn out scene at a party filled with people in drug induced stupors. It didn't make any sense and did not add to the movie.

Callie
Favorite: I liked the opening song.
Least Favorite: The raunchiness of it all.  

1968 - Oliver! "Once a villain, you're a villain to the end!"

1968 Best Picture

Premiered December 10, 1968

Budget $10 Million

Gross $16.8 Million

This was the first Oscar winning movie with an MPAA rating. It was rated "G" but would probably have a PG or even PG-13 rating today because of violence. It shows how times have changed on both ends of the decency spectrum. 

We had an interesting experience with this movie. It was a double sided DVD but we didn't realize that. We watched the last half and were scratching our heads when the film was over after an hour. We finally figured it out and watched the first half second.

The story is good, the acting is ok and the music was decent. This movie did not do much to advance the art of film. It was just another musical in an era overflowing with musicals. 

Joel

Favorite: I liked the song "Boy For Sale". The subject matter was very haunting, the tune was beautiful and Harry Seacombe has a great voice.

Least Favorite: I did not like the actress who played Nancy. She was not a good actor and her singing voice was not very good.

Callie

Favorite: I liked the story. It would be great to see on the stage.

Least Favorite: I did not like the ending. 

A Summary of the first 40 years of Best Pictures

I, Joel, wanted to rundown the best and the worst of the first 40 years of Oscar Best Picture winners. It has been a lot of fun to see movies evolve from year to year and to see what people were watching in that time in  history.

Top 5 movies so far:
1. The Sound Of Music
2. My Fair Lady
3. Ben-Hur
4. Casablanca
5. It Happened One Night

Worst movies so far:
1. Tom Jones
2. Cavalcade
3. How Green Was My Valley
4. Hamlet
5. Cimarron

Biggest surprising movies that we liked: Rebecca and the Life Of Emile Zola.

Movies that were all hype but failed to deliver: Gone With The Wind and From Here To Eternity

Best decade so far: The 1950s

The worst decade so far: The 1940s

The best performance by an actor: Sidney Poitier in In The Heat Of The Night

The best performance by an actress: Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady

Best Director: Alfred Hitchcock in Rebecca

Best Quote: "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!" from In The Heat Of The Night

1967 - In The Heat Of The Night: "They Call Me Mister Tibbs"

1967 Best Picture Winner

Premiered August 2, 1967 in New York

Budget $2 Million

Gross N/A

This is the first movie with a strong social message. It took a firm stand against racism and it got its point across. The movie held our attention for the entire duration and we were kept guessing until the very end of the movie. We were pleasantly surprised by the entire experience.

Joel

Favorite: I thought that Sidney Poitier did a great job as Tibbs.

Least Favorite: The music was very sixties-ish. It prevented the movie from being timeless.

Callie

Favorite: It had a feeling of suspense thriller that was fun.

Least Favorite: There was a hokey vibe about it: the music was bad and some of the acting was a little hokey.

1966 - A Man For All Seasons: "I Know A Man Who Wants To Change His Woman"

1966 Best Picture Winner

Premiered December 12, 166 in New York

Budget $2 Million

Gross $25 Million

The sixties roller coaster ride continues with A Man For All Seasons. As a play, it would be quite good but as a movie it misses the mark. The film is dull and is disjointed in a lot of places. Characters appear and disappear and then reappear a lot later without filling in the blanks. The movie is also very slow.

Joel

Favorite: I liked Robert Shaw as Henry VIII. He did an excellent job portraying an insane monarch. 

Least Favorite: I knew that I was supposed to root for Thomas but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He was righteous but he was so pious that it hurt the effectiveness of the character.

Callie

Favorite: The story line was intriguing. It emphasized integrity and honor.

Least Favorite: The acting was bad and every decision the director made made the movie worse.

1965 - The Sound Of Music: "I Wonder What Grass Tastes Like"

1965 Best Picture Winner

Premiered March 2, 1965

Budget $8.2 Million

Gross $163 Million

We are discovering that the sixties were an up and down decade in terms of film. It is refreshing to have two top notch movies in a row. 

The Sound Of Music is as close to a "perfect movie" as we have come so far. The film is fantastic from the opening camera shots from the air, to the music, to the acting, to the story up until the suspense filled climax. We were both very familiar with this movie but it adds to impact of the movie to watch it in the context of its Best Picture predecessors. 

Joel

Favorite: The end is suspenseful and compelling. I knew the ending but I will still nervous that the Nazis would find them.

Least Favorite: My only beef with the movie is the fact that Maria and Liesl appear to be the same age. Charmian Carr was 23 and Julie Andrews was 30 but their makeup made them both appear to be 25. 

Callie

Favorite: I've seen this movie before and I loved it this time. It is timeless and purely enjoyable all around.

Least Favorite: Sometimes the way that Capt. Von Trapp says his lines is annoying. 

1964 - My Fair Lady: "You expect me to get in there and well myself all over?"

1964 Best Picture Winner

Premiered October 21, 1964 in New York

Budget $17 Million

Gross $70 Million

We go from the worst Best Picture winner (Tom Jones) to the best movie we've seen so far. Everything about My Fair Lady exudes quality and class. Audrey Hepburn is the best actress that we have seen so far. Her performance was amazing and timeless. Rex Harrison also did an excellent job as the professor. The music is timeless and the humor is very funny and right on the mark. The movie is 50 years old but it is still funny, compelling and moving. 

Joel

Favorite: The scene where the professor agrees to work with Eliza is the best single scene of any movie so far (barely edging out the chariot race scene in Ben Hur). The onscreen chemistry between Hepburn and Harrison is an example that should be held up for future screen actors to aspire to.

Least Favorite: The only drawback for me was the fact that Audrey Hepburn was dubbed during the songs. I don't believe that a producer would make that decision for a film today that was expected to compete for an Oscar. 

Callie

Favorite: The witty dialogue. I was entertained throughout the entire movie.

Least Favorite: The ending: I wanted more closure at the end. 

1963 - Tom Jones: "I had the misfortune to know who my parents were"

1963 Best Picture Winner

Premiered October 6, 1963

Budget $1 Million

Gross $50 Million

No, it's not a mistake, we did not forget to rate this movie using our popcorn bags. It did not earn any popcorn bags because it is the worst film we've seen so far. The script, acting, morals, makeup and directing were awful. The movie was supposed to be a comedy but there was nothing funny in the film whatsoever. I am not sure what the members of the Academy were thinking in 1963.

Joel

Favorite: When the words "The End" came up on the screen.

Least Favorite: It was the first best picture winner to use sex to elicit humor. It was offensive and not funny at all. The movie is a waste of time!

Callie

Favorite: There was no favorite.

Least Favorite: It was supposed to be a comedy, but we never laughed. The entire plot was disgusting and not entertaining.