In my post about 1971, I referred to 1972 as "an abundance of riches". Truthfully, I can say that about quite a few years from that decade...but 1972 is among the best of the best.
I am giving you my top 10, plus four Honorable Mentions but to give you an idea of how epic of a year this will be in my eyes, this top 10 contains a whopping SEVEN films that would net a 5-star rating from me.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
THE DEVIL
Perhaps one of the most mentally exhausting films ever made, The Devil takes on the idea of moral corruption to a whole new level. Made by Andrzej Zulawski, who would go on to make his masterpiece with Possession, this shows so much promise for what we would see from him. The lead character of Jakub more or less sells his soul...though perhaps it might have been a bit lighter if it was Milhouse van Houten that took it.
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REMINISCENES OF A JOURNEY TO LITHIUANIA
I talked Lithuanian American filmmaker Jonas Mekas in my 2000 post with his film As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty. He was known as the grandfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema and had been a highly influential mentor to filmmakers and writers alike. This outing, which was his 2nd diary film, consists of him and his brothers returning to the Lithuanian village they were born 27 years after leaving, and it is a deeply personal and moving piece of work.
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WHAT'S UP DOC?
In a complete departure from The Last Picture Show, Peter Bogdanovich manages to make the banal and infuriating Ryan O'Neal a bit more charming when he pairs him with Barbra Streisand in this delightful screwball comedy with a 70s slant. I will say that the ending is pure gold!
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THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
I still think it's crazy that disaster films like Airport and The Towering Inferno slipped into the Best Picture races in their given years, whereas the finest of the 70s Disaster films was not able to do so. There is certainly a stronger emotional resonance in this one compared to the others, plus it certainly doesn't hurt when you have one of the greatest actors of all time, Gene Hackman, leading the way.
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#10 - LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON
Written & Directed by Eric Rohmer
I mentioned this when I wrote about Eric Rohmer back on my 1996 list, but of all the French New Wave directors, he was the last of the group to get established. However, that wasn't due to any kind of struggle on his part; he was busy working as the editor for the legendary Cahiers du Cinema publication where some of his proteges were Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.
Despite his later start and being about 10 years older than a lot of the French New Wave directors, Rohmer would end up having the most sustained and consistent career out of all of them...unless you want to count Godard in that group, but he was far more abstract as the years went along.
Love in the Afternoon was the last of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales and it was likely the best of the six. The thing about Rohmer that I always notice is that he almost seems less concerned with the confines of making a film. At a couple of points, you see the boom mic dip into the shot and even one of the cameras...but it somehow enriches the experience in a charming way.
We meet Frederic (Bernard Verley), who is married to Helene (his real life wife Francoise) happily. While at work, Frederic does often fantasize about other women but never dreams of the idea of stepping out on his wife. However, a mistress of a colleague, Zouzou as Chloe, shows up at the office and the two strike up a friendship that Frederic intends to keep a friendship...until Chloe presents the idea of an affair to him.
Rohmer's works may often be a little quieter and rough around the edges, some may even border on one-note, but Love in the Afternoon is one of his best.
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#9 - SOUNDER
Directed by Martin Ritt
Written by Lonne Elder III
Sounder was such a welcomed and resounding success that even the bitchy and vile John Simon couldn't help but praise it. If you are familiar with the writing of John Simon, look him up and be thankful that the man ended his life writing for a penny-saver out of Yonkers.
Set in 1933 Louisiana, we follow the lives of the poor sharecropper Morgan family, led by Cicely Tyson as Rebecca and Paul Winfeld as Nathan Lee along with their 3 kids and the family dog named Sounder.
A lot of the tension comes from when the local sheriff arrives to arrest Nathan for stealing a ham from a nearby smokehouse, to which Sounder chases after the car. One of the deputies tries to shoot Sounder until the eldest son David (Kevin Hooks) intervenes by kicking at the gun. Unfortunately, Sounder is still injured and runs away.
Here's the thing about Sounder that I love: this was at a time when a lot of the films coming out about the black community were essentially blacksploitation. This was a film that was made with such care and dignity and doesn't (spoiler alert) end with any kind of tragedy.
There is a sense of hope and pure love radiating from the screen, and a lot of that comes from the truly luminous Cicely Tyson, who is so freaking good in this. The scene in which Nathan returns home, and Rebecca runs to him (as evidenced above) was so beautifully acted by Tyson that when Martin Ritt asked cinematographer John Alonzo if he got the shot, he couldn't confirm because he was too busy crying.
While they didn't win, I love that Tyson and Winfeld received nominations for this. I also love that the film also received a Best Picture nomination.
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#8 - CABARET
Directed by Bob Fosse
Written by Jay Presson Allen
I feel like Cabaret is a film that I should hate with a passion and yet I don't. There was a time when I considered Cabaret to be my favorite musical, and it is clear that aspects of this film adaptation differ rather severely from the stage.
For starters, the Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz subplot is gone, and also it is kind of evident that if you're casting Liza Minnelli to play Sally Bowles, who is supposed to be British and a relative no talent when it comes to singing, you are going off in a different direction.
What makes me be able to accept Cabaret as a film is that it is just simply its own separate beast. Sure, it has elements that are clearly from the stage show...and you even have the original emcee Joel Grey there as well...but I can't deny that Fosse's kinetic style of directing translates so well to the screen. Considering how bad a lot of stage directors do when they tackle film (Harold Prince and Susan Stroman), it isn't always a guarantee they will be successful.
Cabaret is famously the film to win the most Oscars without winning Best Picture, and for a time, I actually felt it should've won.
However, as you will learn later on, I suppose I had to finally admit that a certain other film became impossible to refuse.
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#7 - AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD
Written & Directed by Werner Herzog
While more known these days for his documentaries and popping up in various projects with his distinctive voice being so instantly recognizable that it makes me smile every time I hear it, Werner Herzog did have some narrative features under his belt. While I am pretty fond of his Nosferatu adaptation that did make my 1979 list, I think that Aguirre, the Wrath of God might be his best work.
Led by the legendary Klaus Kinski (father of Nastassja no less) as the titular Lope de Aguirre, the film follows him and his conquistadores as they trek down the Amazon in search of El Dorado.
A lot of the film is very minimalist when it comes to its script, but the actual scenery manages to sweep you up in awe as Herzog basically throws us into the trenches with them. There were a lot of visually stunning films in the 70s, I always name Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and Malick's Days of Heaven among them...but there is almost something about Aguirre that feels worthy of being added to that list.
Sure, it is rougher around the edges in some ways, but that is what the film needs. It comes off like some brutal painting come to life, and while Herzog may throw us in the trenches, there is also a bit of a distance too. I feel like it is not a film that is presented with any ambiguity, but not every film will need to be an existential crisis.
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#6 - THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISE
Written & Directed by Luis Bunuel
Co-written by Jean-Claude Carriere
Uh oh! Chaos is happening amongst the 1%!
Francois and Simone Thevenot (Paul Frankeur and Delphine Seyrig), with her sister Florence (Bulle Ogier), are on their way to a dinner party being hosted by their friends Alice and Henri Senechal (Stephanie Audran & Jean-Pierre Cassel). In tow - they are bringing Rafael Acosta (Fernando Rey), an ambassador to France for the fictional South American country Miranda.
All this group would like to do is dine together and yet, the universe just doesn't want these people to eat, drink, and be merry. In addition to this, we have an assassination plot by a Maoist terrorist and multiple dream sequences from different characters.
There is no real logic to it, but in this world, the bizarre events are accepted with a level of normalcy amongst this group...but perhaps the most fascinating thing was that despite the fact the film was embraced by critics and even won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for that year, Bunuel grew to resent the response the film got as he felt critics got everything wrong with it.
Could the fact that it was seen as his most "accessible" work be something that he didn't take to? Perhaps, but whatever the case may be, this is a truly bewildering film in the best way.
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#5 - THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT
Written & Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
The 1970s were the peak time for Queer German filmmaker Rainer Werne Fassbinder, and this is perhaps one of his best works. It was also a strong year for him as he went the Ingmar Bergman route by diving into the world of TV miniseries with the stellar Eight Hours Don't Make a Day.
As for The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, it stands out as it is a film that truly dives in full-on with a female perspective to the point that the entire ensemble is made up of women.
Petra (Margit Carstensen) is still deeply mourning the death of her husband Pierre that occurred while she was pregnant. A lot of the film deals with her desperately trying to make connections with the women around her, including aspiring model Karin (Hanna Schygulla).
I could see some compare this to Jeanne Dielman in how it seems to feel rather stationary in its setting, but Bitter Tears is certainly far more stifling considering we are as trapped in the bedroom setting just as Petra is trapped in her own crumbling psyche.
Fassbinder is never exactly a filmmaker known for finding the joy in life, which one could argue that he may fall under the category of LGBTQ+ people living in a constant state of self-pity and loathing...but I consider his works to be very rewarding and groundbreaking for their time.
In the end, it is shame to have to watch someone self-sabotage in this manner as Petra does, but if someone is going to guide us masterfully through the emotionally charged existential crisis of a Queer person, Fassbinder is your leader.
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#4 - THE NEW LAND
Written & Directed by Jan Troell
Co-written by Bengt Forslund
And now it's time to check in on everybody's favorite 19th Century Swedish immigrants!
We had The Emigrants in 1971, and I did mention that the follow-up The New Land would be appearing here, and frankly, both films are on par with each other to the point that I think The New Land is an unsung as being one of the best sequels ever made.
This outing focuses primarily on the early days of the Nilsson family settling in Minnesota that happens just as the Civil War is beginning to rage and societal discontent is at its highest peak.
Considering it is 3.5 hours long, The New Land might seem like it would be a slog to sit through, but I would say that what Troell achieves here is absolutely riveting. Sure, it may be depressing and bleak, but I think the one thing here that does stand out in comparison to the work of fellow Swede Ingmar Bergman is that it goes more for the jugular in terms of the emotional punch.
No surprise, both Liv Ullman and Max von Sydow are magnificent here and their work must always be treasured. I came across a quote by the late author Philip Roth talking about the film where he felt he "actually believed in the life and death of the characters". There is something truly so real about this family that makes the story all the more difficult to watch in terms of their tragedies.
Also - the portrayal of the Native Americans in this can be perceived as a bit dark, but honestly, by that point in history leading up to the Dakota War, I don't think we can truly blame their actions.
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#3 - CRIES & WHISPERS
Written & Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Well, if any of you are in the market for watching genital mutilation, I suppose I would question what you want out of life, but if that is the case, might I recommend Cries & Whispers?
Granted, that isn't what the film is about, so don't get repelled too fast!
Cries & Whispers is perhaps Bergman at his most bleak in a lot of ways, which is frankly quite the statement considering how frequent his works are dripping with dread and melancholy. He is someone whose style was often poked at for being too dreary, but the truth is, the man was a master and he managed to find a way to make you compelled in ways that are rather surprising.
Here, we have three sisters who are currently suffering as the fourth sister is dying of cancer. One of the servants of the family is closer to the dying sister than the others, including two: Maria and Karin (Liv Ullman and Ingrid Thulin) who are struggling with emotionally connecting to one another.
Karin is the one who actually does the mutilation to herself as a means to prevent her Fredrik from touching her as she seems to not even want physical contact from another person. To be completely upfront, I was a bit gob smacked when I saw this scene for the first time so I can't even imagine how it must've been for audiences of 1972 to see it.
I have always considered this to be Bergman's ode to legendary playwrights Anton Chekhov and August Strindberg but with a clear boldness that neither of those writers could've dreamed of in the era that they conquered the stage.
With its sumptuous set design of reds, golds, blacks, and whites, Cries & Whispers manages to make you bask in such a rich and vibrant bloody beauty while feel as they you are drowning in the sorrow of this family struggling with so much grief and repression.
God, I love Bergman.
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#2 - SOLARIS
Written & Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Co-written by Fredrich Gorenstein
While Sci-Fi filmdom fanatics will battle between Star Wars and Star Trek, I can't say I am necessarily a big fan of the genre. Having said that, my battle is between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris.
To be fair, both are a bit different, but I do adore Solaris pretty much on the same level as I do 2001. I feel like it at least has a stronger emotional resonance compared to 2001's moodier simplicity which Tarkovsky actually didn't care for and called Kubrick's work "shallow".
The main premise begins with a psychologist named Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) who is sent on a mission to observe an old space station that is orbiting the oceanic planet known as Solaris. He has to determine whether or not they should still continue their research as the small crew has begun to experience an emotional breakdown...only for him to suddenly fall under the same spell.
When I wrote about both Mirror and Stalker in 1975 and 1979 respectively, I made a comment that I don't think I could even truly begin to properly analyze the work of Tarkovsky.
I know that the original critical response was a bit more mixed, with some critics like Roger Ebert bemoaning its slow pace despite admiring it only for him to add the film to his Great Movies list 30 years later saying "No director makes greater demands on our patience" which is a statement I can understand completely.
Tarkovsky himself once considered Solaris to be a failure and that he eventually did the genre up right in Stalker. Honestly, he may be right that Stalker might be better (I personally prefer Mirror), but Solaris is nowhere near being a failure.
This is a truly deep and profound film, and I don't think anything I can say can truly do it justice.
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#1 - THE GODFATHER
Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Co-written by Mario Puzo
This little-known film deserves to be seen!!!!
All kidding aside, this is the most anti-climactic and predictable selection...and I am sure the title of this post only added to that.
To be honest, there was a time when my thought process behind The Godfather was not truly understanding its appeal. I felt cool because I had a different opinion than what the general consensus was. It was like I was Peter Griffin saying that film "insists upon itself" and everyone else was the Lois Griffin stand-in asking, "What does that even mean?"
I do closely associate the Godfather trilogy with my Nan, who passed way in 2024. The first two were her favorite films of all time, although she did technically prefer Part II, but we will get to that soon.
I do recall she would like to watch them if they were ever on TV, plus she owned them on VHS. I distinctly remember she would do rewatches around the holiday season, so you could say that The Godfather was one of those films that was a frequent presence in my life and yet I seemed willing to run away from it as something I would be considering as "canon".
It wasn't until just a few years ago that I sat down to watch both Part I and II (I highly doubt I will ever revisit Part III) and it was as if something clicked for me that weirdly avoided me for decades. I found myself drawn in and intrigued by the saga unfolding and while I would argue that Part II is a bit more entertaining to me, I do love the careful plotting and build of this first installment.
Of course you have Marlon Brando there and he's a legend for a reason, but I think it is truly incredible to watch Al Pacino in this knowing how much the studio hated him when watching the dailies.
Pacino is known for being one of those actors who is very loud and abrasive in how he approaches his roles, which actually makes watching him in this film a masterclass in reservation. The Michael Corleone we meet here is essentially a blank slate, practically a boring everyman of sorts, but we slowly watch that empty vessel get filled with the blackest of souls.
I just don't think there is anything I can really say other than the fact that I feel a tad embarrassed it took me nearly 20 years between first watching and finally realizing what a masterwork this film actually is.
I know some do love to latch onto Citizen Kane when dishing out this hyperbolic title, but I might proclaim The Godfather (especially when paired with Part II) as the Best Film to come out of the Hollywood film system.
The opening monologue by Bonasera pulls you in right away.
The allegories, even the obvious ones like Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes", are sublime.
The horse's head.
"Leave the gun, take the cannoli"
The baptism scene is fire.
The final shot with the door closing on the late great Diane Keaton? Iconic.
And that's just small tip of the iceberg.
To quote Chris Griffin: "It has a valid point to make, IT'S INSISTING!!"
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FINAL THOUGHTS:
I will say that despite me talking about how strong American cinema was in the 70s, it seems that 1972 is another year that is international top heavy with 7 of the top 10 films not being in the English language...but...we got The Godfather and that has to account for something.
As I stated when I started the 70s, I already tackled 1973 which you can read here.
So that means I will be making my way to 1974 next, and I must say that if you thought I was waxing rhapsodic about 1972, you might not be prepared for the epic roster ahead of us.
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