1971-1980

  • Krsto Papic – Tajna Nikole Tesle AKA The Secret of Nikola Tesla (1980)

    1971-1980ArthouseDramaKrsto PapicYugoslaviaYugoslavian Cinema under Tito

    Quote:

    Life and times of Nikola Tesla, famous scientist whose inventions were stolen, but whose greatest contribution to mankind remain a mystery to this day.

    A bewitching film about Nikola Tesla (Peter Bozovic), one of the world’s most gifted but unknown scientific discoverers, the genius who ushered in the age of electricity, who was born in 1856 in the village of Smiljan, in the province of Lika, Croatia—then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Tesla’s inventions were stolen but whose name nevertheless remains legendary for his overwhelming scientific contributions. He is quoted as saying “Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.”Read More »

  • Gordon Willis – Windows (1980)

    1971-1980DramaGordon WillisThrillerUSA

    Emily is the subject of a perverse obsession by a gay neighbor, Andrea, who not only is in lust with her but hires a rapist in order to get audio tapes of her moaning. Andrea turns peeping tom and watches Emily with a telescope as she begins a love affair with Detective CorteseRead More »

  • Mel Brooks – Blazing Saddles (1974)

    1971-1980ComedyMel BrooksUSAWestern

    Synopsis:
    The Ultimate Western Spoof. A town where everyone seems to be named Johnson is in the way of the railroad. In order to grab their land, Hedley Lemar (Harvey Korman), a politically connected nasty person, sends in his henchmen to make the town unlivable. After the sheriff is killed, the town demands a new sheriff from the Governor (Mel Brooks). Hedley convinces him to send the town the first Black sheriff (Cleavon Little) in the west. Bart is a sophisticated urbanite who will have some difficulty winning over the townspeople.Read More »

  • Peter Weir – The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)

    1971-1980AustraliaComedyHorrorPeter Weir

    Synopsis:
    A small town in rural Australia (Paris) makes its living by causing car accidents and salvaging any valuables from the wrecks. Into this town come brothers Arthur and George. George is killed when the Parisians cause their car to crash, but Arthur survives and is brought into the community as an orderly at the hospital. But Paris is not problem free. Not only do the Parisians have to be careful of outsiders (such as insurance investigators), but they also have to cope with the young people of the town who are dissatisfied with the status quo.Read More »

  • Howard Alk – The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971)

    1971-1980Amos Vogel: Film as a Subversive ArtDocumentaryHoward AlkUSA

    Quote:
    Chicago native Howard Alk helped found Second City in 1959 and made a name for himself in the ’60s and ’70s as a documentary cinematographer, editor, and director. His debut feature, American Revolution 2 (1969, codirected by Mike Gray) looked at the Black Panther Party in Chicago; this follow-up, a profile of Panther leader Fred Hampton, unexpectedly turned into a true-crime story in December 1969 when Hampton and another Panther were fatally shot during the Chicago Police Department’s notorious raid on a Panther crash pad in West Town. The documentary (1971) presents Hampton as a charismatic figure given to violent revolutionary rhetoric, but after his death the focus shifts to Cook County state’s attorney Ed Hanrahan, whose report exonerating the police department was treated as gospel truth by the Chicago Tribune but belied by a wealth of physical evidence at the scene of the crime. As a first draft of history, this is invaluable, though its topical relevance has hardly diminished.Read More »

  • Jack Smight – Airport 1975 (1974)

    1971-1980ActionJack SmightThrillerUSA

    Synopsis:

    When the pilot of a small aircraft has a heart attack and crashes his plane into the cockpit of a Boeing 747, several members of the flight crew are killed and the pilot is blinded. Miraculously, the 747 stays in the air on auto-pilot with flight attendant Nancy Prior at the controls. Ground controllers, including her boyfriend Alan Murdock, try to teach her the basics but they soon realize they will have to get a trained pilot into the cockpit. Their first attempt fails and Murdock realizes he will have to do it. Meanwhile, various passengers have their own problems including a young girl who is destined to a life saving operation.Read More »

  • Joseph Sargent – The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

    USA1971-1980CrimeJoseph SargentThriller

    Synopsis:
    Right under everyone’s noses, a determined gang of four colour-coded and armed-to-the-teeth criminals manage to take over New York City’s Pelham 1-2-3 subway train. In a confined metro rail coach crammed with eighteen helpless passengers, the ruthless criminals threaten to start killing one hostage a minute, unless a massive one-million-dollar ransom in cash is delivered within an hour. Under those circumstances, a frenzied race against time begins, as the gruff Transit Authority police lieutenant, Zachary Garber, tries to outwit his cunning adversary, Mr Blue. However, above the surface, chaos reigns. Will they deliver the money in time before the first man dies?Read More »

  • Claudia Weill – Girlfriends (1978)

    1971-1980Claudia WeillComedyDramaThe Female GazeUSA

    Aspiring photographer Susan Weinblatt (Melanie Mayron) and would-be poet Anne Munroe (Anita Skinner) are best friends and roommates in a fivie-flight walk-up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. But one day Anne decides to marry and move out. When the best friends go their separate ways, Girlfriends focuses on what happens to the one left behind. It’s about valuable, delicate, and complex ties that bind people–girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, and lovers. Producer/director Claudia Weill captures the offbeat charm and edgy moments of city life, as well as a gem of a performance by Mayron in her first starring role.Read More »

  • Richard Lester – The Four Musketeers (1974)

    1971-1980ActionAdventureRichard LesterSpainSpanish cinema under Franco

    Synopsis:
    D’Artagnan has become a Musketeer. Protestants hold La Rochelle, and the Queen loves Buckingham, who’ll soon send ships to support the rebels. Richelieu enlists Rochefort to kidnap Constance, the Queen’s go-between and D’Artagnan’s love. The Cardinal uses the wily, amoral Milady de Winter to distract D’Artagnan. But soon, she is D’Artagnan’s sworn enemy, and she has an unfortunate history with Athos as well. Milady goes to England to dispatch Buckingham; the Musketeers fight the rebels. Milady, with Rochefort’s help, then turns to her personal agenda. Can D’Artagnan save Constance, defeat Rochefort, slip de Winter’s ire, and stay free of the Cardinal? All for one, one for all.Read More »

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