Welcome reader to part 2 of Musea's fairly complete, chronological movie guide to the best films of all time. 1963 Zapruder Film of the Kennedy Assassination. Probably the most important 26 seconds of film in history and the most notable of all time.
8 1/2.* Real director, Fellini directs Mastroianni as director trying to set up his film - in the film.
The Great Escape. Best escape-ism.
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. * Epic comedy is really a chase for the treasure. Tons of stars in the race.
High And Low. Kidnappers nap the wrong kid. Kurasawa directs.
Hud. * Paul Newman plays this small town troublemaker, based on a Larry McMurtry novel.
BOOKS TO MOVIES: No modern day writer has more of his fiction turned into fine movies than Larry McMurtry. Look for his name in a number of upcoming classic films.
Contempt. (Fr.) A film about making a movie or movie un-magic! Jean Luc Godard directs.
DIRECTOR: His films seem rough, raw, and badly edited - OR brilliant . You judge. Jean Luc Godard.
Nutty Professor. * A comedy to watch with your mouth open. No laughs but intriguing Dr Jekyll (lab scientist) and Mr. Hyde (cool nightclub performer) story, and my favorite Jerry Lewis.
The Birds. Hitchcock horror with birds ganging up on humans.
Winter Light. (Swe.) Small town pastor in crisis.
Not On Your Life. (Sp/Ital) Retiring executioner needs a replacement.
To Die In Madrid. (Sp.) Documentary on Spanish Civil War.
Bye Bye Birdie. Musical of teen idol, Conrad Birdie - mania. "Kids, why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way..."
The Prize. Best Nobel Prize caper, with Paul Newman.
Jason And The Argonauts. Ray Harryhauser special effects masterpiece with Jason on a mission.
1964 (Beatles and Brits invade film)
A Hard Day's Night. * This day in the life of the Beatles is pure Beatlemania with great songs and clever fun, directed by Richard Lester. An all time fab fav. Of mine.
Mary Poppins. * Great kids musical of flying Nanny, Julie Andrews.
Seven Up. * British TV documentary looks at class of 7 year olds. Then re-visits every 7 years for an update.Talk about reality TV! Michael Apted directs. Sequels: Seven Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up.
Dr. Strangelove. * (Brit.) Kubrick's ultra dark comedy about nuclear war. Peter Sellers in multi roles.
A Shot In The Dark. Peter Sellers as inept inspector. Henry Mancini score. Blake Edwards directs.
Seance On A Wet Afternoon. (Brit.) Best seance drama.
Goldfinger. (Brit.) My favorite of the 007 series with Sean Connery as definitive Bond, stirred but not shaken.
Kiss Me Stupid. Wife swapping for showbiz break! Dean Martin as crooner. Billy Wilder directs.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg. (Fr.) Catherine Deneuve in beautifully filmed romantic drama.
Man's Favorite Sport. Romantic comedy with Rock Hudson as fishing expert with no experience fishing!
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians. (x) So bad and low budget , Santa and kids get hijacked to Mars, that it's a gem to watch, and I love the title song!
1965
Repulsion. Roman Polanski directs. Deneuve goes crazy.
Sound O f Music. The hills are alive with the sound of a musical with the Von Trapp family trapped! Music by Rogers & Hammerstein
. Cat Ballou. Western comedy stars Jane Fonda with dual role for Lee Marvin
. Shop On Mainstreet. (Czech) Tono takes over a little Jewish shop, then the Nazis...
A Charlie Brown Christmas.* TV special has become an annual favorite with CB looking for the spirit of the season. And note the great jazz background music.
The Train. War thriller. Burt Lancaster has to stop the Nazi train loaded with art loot.
How To Murder Your Wife. Cartoonist bachelor wakes up married. Jack Lemmon says,"Push that button!"
What's New Pussy Cat? One of the best sex romps since Tom Jones with Woody Allen script.
MOVIE MUSIC: 2 of the best composers in the genre are working during this time and deserve special attention. Henry Mancini does that lush and melodic orchestra music like Pink Panther Theme, or Charade,. Burt Bacharach, with lyricist Hal David does pop standards that range from What's New Pussycat? to Alfie and The Look of Love. Look for their music to make any film special.
1966 (More great British Films)
A Man and a Woman. *(Fr.) Best love story period. Best soundtrack period. Best date movie period. Claude Lelouch directs.
DIRECTOR: I count at least 3 of my favorite movies as directed by Claude Lelouch. A hit and miss director who really has no definable genre.
Blowup.* (Brit/Ital.) Photo shows murder? England swings in this Antonioni film. One of his best.
Alfie. (Brit.) Michael Caine is a rotten and lovable, or maybe just rotten, playboy.
Georgy Girl. (Brit.) Plain Jane Lynn Redgrave wants sex and commitment!
Marat/Sade. (Brit.) Insane asylum inmates do theater with Marque de Sade directing!
Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? 2 couple one upmanship contest, stars Richard Burton & Liz Taylor as the older couple.
How The Grinch Stole Xmas. * TV Dr. Seuss cartoon is a holiday treat.
What Did You Do In The War Daddy? US GIs take over an underwhelmed Italian town in WW2. Overlooked epic comedy directed by Blake Edwards.
A Fine Madness. Sean Connery as a rascally poet raising hell for his art. Another overlooked gem.
Man For All Seasons. (Brit) Sir Thomas More vs. Henry VIII.
1967
The Graduate. * Mother and daughter affairs. Mike Nichols directs Dustin Hoffman in his first role. Simon & Garfunkel music is first real use of rock as a soundtrack.
In Cold Blood. * Truman Capote's true tale of Kansas family murders. Robert Blake stars in this chilling film.
Bonnie And Clyde. *. They rob banks, bio starring Warren Beauty and Faye Dunaway
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. * Robert Morse climbs the corporate ladder in this under appreciated, out of Broadway, biz world, musical.
SPAGETTI WESTERNS. They're good, full of bad guys, and ugly with stylish violence and no real heroes.
A Fistful of Dollars. * (Ital.) Made Clint Eastwood a major star in this gunfighter against everyone western. Sergio Leone directs (64). Followed by For a Few Dollars More (65), and this year's, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Weekend. (Fr.) Jean Luc Godard directs this weekend in the country. Note the traffic jam scene.
President's Analyst. Dark and hilarious political satire. Everyone in the government is after James Coburn,the shrink who knows too much.
Wait Until Dark. Blind Audrey Hepburn held ho
stage by 2 thugs.
1968 **** (Note all the great sci-fi,fantasy, and horror classics. Maybe it's because the psychedelic drugs are kicking in, groovy!)
2001: A Space Odyssey. * Kubrick makes space look totally real. Computer HAL (IBM letters moved back a space) steals the second half.
Rosemary's Baby. Best demon child movie. Mia Farrow is the mom, and Roman Polanski directs.
War & Peace. * (Rus.) Tolstoy's epic comes to the screen in this 373 minute movie. Big in every way. Sergei Bondarchuk directs.
Yellow Submarine. * The Beatles dive down and rescue Pepperland in this psychedelic cartoon musical.
Charly. * Retard turns genius in science experiment. Cliff Robertson stars in an overlooked sci-fi masterpiece.
Brilliant Hand. * (Rus.) Comedy of broken arm bandaged with loot!
The Producers. * Ploy: make a play "Springtime for HitlerÓthat is so bad it closes first night , then collect backers money. Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder tries it. Mel Brooks directs.
Shame. (Swe.) Man and wife violinists cope with civil war on Gotland. Bergman directs.
Stolen Kisses. (Fr.) War vet re-unites with his girl. Francois Truffaut directs.
Bullitt. Steve McQueen as detective. Note incredible San Francisco car chase!
The Lion In Winter. (Brit.) Peter O'Toole as Henry II deciding on his successor.
Faces. John Cassavetes directs one of his best, a drama of middle aged mate swaping. His style is experimental and gritty. You love it or hate it.
The Swimmer. Weirdest premise of a movie (from a John Cheever story), of Burt Lancaster going home by swimming from private pool to pool!
Thomas Crown Affair. The most stylish cat & mouse romantic m
ovie of them all. Steve McQueen, masterminds heist and Faye Dunaway wants to convict.
Planet of the Apes. Future world is topsy-turvy and humans are not top primates!
Barbarella. (Fr/Ital) Jane Fonda in sci-fi sex adventure.
Night Of The Living Dead. Black and white zombies attack their lunch barricaded in a farm house in this horror classic.
Wild In The Streets. Teen idol becomes president and targets anyone over 30. This movie gets drive-in movie respect, but deserves better. Even the music is notable
Head. Monkees (the TV show rockers) film is like their TV music, much better than one would expect.
1969 (Lots of Buddy films)
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. * Outlaw bio stars Robert Redford & Paul Newman.
Midnight Cowboy. * 2 NYC hustlers trying to survive the city. Best X rated film.
Easy Rider. Underground classic with 2 hippies driving their bikes to New Orleans.
The Wild Bunch. Director Sam Peckinpah updates the western with stylish violence. 2 old outlaws decide on one last robbery.
They Shoot Horses Don't They. Worst dancing on film. Dance marathon during the depression.
Satyricon. (Ital) Fellini does ancient Rome.
The Milky Way. (Fr.) 2 pilgrims on the road. Bunuel directs.
Monterey Pop.* First and one of the best Rock festivals: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, and more.
The Sterile Cuckoo. So-so college love story has one of the movie's most powerful scenes with Liza Minnelli in a phone booth.
Bambi Meets Godzilla. Very short cartoon. Crunch!
1970
Woodstock.* Peace, love, rain, and hippie music fest.
MASH. Medical doctors in the Korean War. War is hell and stupid. Robert Altman directs.< br> DIRECTOR: Altman films never fit any formula. At his worst dialogue and plots ramble, at his best his characters seem to be real people not actors.
Patton. George C. Scott plays tough battle winning WW2 general Patton.
Little Big Man. West as remembered by 121 year old survivor played by Dustin Hoffman. Epic film.
Garden of the Finzi-Continis. (Ital) Wealthy Jewish family ignore the Nazi threat too long.
Conformist. (Fr/Ital/Ger) Man goes with the Nazi flow.
The Cruise. (Pol) Stowaway comedy.
Let It Be. Beatles disintegrate as a group and end up with a roof concert that passes the audition.
Gimme Shelter. The dark Woodstock at Altamont. Rolling Stones and more.
Three Sisters. Olivier directs the Checkov play.
Claire's Knee. (Fr.) 5Th of 6 "Moral Tale" films by director Eric Rohmer.
DIRECTOR: The key to all Eric Rohmer movies is relationships, relationships, relationships.
Owl & The Pussycat. George Segal is poor poet (in both ways) and Barbara Streisand, at her funniest, is the goofy call girl.
1971
The Last Picture Show. * Peter Bogdanovitch directs this Larry McMurtry tale of small Texas town teens who can't wait to leave.
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. * Contest winners visit a most unique candy factory. One of the best kids movies.
A Clockwork Orange. Kubrick film of misfit sadist in future nice-nice world.
The French Connection. Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle, detective after drug smugglers. Note the car chase!
Two English Girls. (Fr.) Writer loves both sisters. Truffaut film.
Duel. Dennis Weaver battles a killer semi! This tv drama is the break out project for director Steven Spielberg.
The Sorrow & The Pity. (Fr.) 4 1/2 hour documentary on France during WW2
Harold & Maude. A May and way-past-December romance. He's 20, she's 79.
Psychorama. (Bri) British bikers come back from the dead. Now who can stop them?
1972
The Godfather. * Mafia family and feuds. Brando shines as the Godfather.
What's Up Doc? Comedy of mix-ups with many look-a-like suitcases. Streisand irritates music nerd, Ryan O'Neal. Peter Bogdanovich directs.
Deliverance. 4 guys on nightmare canoe trip. Note the duelling banjo-guitar song.
Solaris. (Rus.) Sci-fi where the planet is the creature!
The Heartbreak Kid. On his honeymoon the man falls for another woman. Neil Simon wrote it, Charles Grodin stars, and Elaine May directs.
Cabaret. Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in wild, pre WW2 Berlin.
Sleuth. 2 star cast of cat and mouse murder? Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine.
Sounder. Small farm, family drama.
Ruling Class. Peter O'Toole's convinced he's Jesus, then it gets even stranger!
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. (Fr.) More Bunuel bizarreness.
Fritz The Cat. First underground comic made into a mainstream movie about a very hep, (and X-rated) cartoon cat.
1973 ****
American Graffiti. * Graduation night: teens, music, and cruising. A blast! George Lucas directs.
DIRECTORS: Between the two: George Lucas (American Graffiti, Star Wars) and Steven Spielberg (E.T., Jaws) they will captivate the audiences of the 70's. Their best work (early on) is enchanting magic. There worst (80's & 90's) is often self indulgent corporate filmmaking at it's worst.
Paper Moon. * Real father, Ryan O'Neil and daughter Tatum, play 30's scam artists to perfection. Another Bogdanovitch classic.
Money, Money, Money. * (Fr.) Gang of thieves aims higher and higher until they decide to kidnap the Pope! A Claude Lelouch comedy.
The Sting. * Redford & Newman set up a fake bookie sting. Note, this film renewed public interest in Scott Joplin's great ragtime compositions.
Day For Night. (Fr.) A lite movie about movie making from Francois Truffaut.
The Exorcist. Possessed girl frightens everyone!
Last Tango In Paris. (Fr./Ital) Widower, Brando falls for beautiful stranger. Bernardo Bertolucci directs.
Enter The Dragon. * Kung Fu classic from Bruce Lee.
A Touch Of Class. Cheating husband, George Segal, and lover,Glenda Jackson. Funny and sad.
1974
The Conversation. * Technical snoop, Gene Hackman hears too much through the hidden mikes.
Godfather Part 2. * Al Pacino, son of the Godfather, takes over the family. As good as the original!
DIRECTOR: Both of the above film classics were directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He specialized in beautifully filmed, dark epic tragedies. And like his tragic heroes his career seemed to falter and collapse with an "Apocalyse" (see later).
Chinatown. Jack Nicholson as gritty, 30's detective that uncovers the seemy side of LA. Roman Polanski directs.
Young Frankenstein. Best Mel Brooks comed of Frankenstein for laughs.
Lenny. Bio of Lenny Bruce.>
That's Entertainment. * The first of a series of anthology movies that spotlight the best of MGM musicals and comedy.
Amarcord. (Ital.) 30's Italy from Fellini.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Horror movie. I 'saw' this, did you?
Andy Warhol's Frankenstein /
Andy Warhol's Dracula. 2 films from the 'factory'. Art house gore.
The Lords Of Flatbush. Best 50's teen film introducing Sylvestor Stallone and Henry Winkler, both as gang members. Check out the comic ring-buying scene.
Pippi In The South Sea* / Pippi Goes on Board* (75)/ Pippi On The Run* (77) (Swe.) A trio of classic kids films about the amazingly strong and bright Pippi Longstocking played by Inger Nilsson.
1975
One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest. * Crazy like a fox, Jack Nicholson stirs up the mental patients to rebel. Based on the Ken Kesey novel.
The Passenger. *(Ital.) Another great Jack Nicholson performance. Here he takes on the identity of an Englishman in Africa. But why? Puzzling drama from master Michelangelo, Antonioni .
Hester Street. * Turn of the century story about immigrants who land in America and begin a tough life at the bottom. Carol Kane as the wife. A film about the people that made this country great.
Dog Day Afternoon. * True tale of bank robbery that goes bad and turns into a media event. Riveting drama directed by Sidney Lumet .
French Connection 2. Popeye Doyle continues the fight against drug smugglers. The ending is one of the best in all action films!
Swept Away. (Ital) Sailor and rich woman are marooned on an Island. Turnabout and now he is in charge. Lina Wertmuller directs.
Rollerball. Sci-fi action at it's best. The future sport of choice is the only violence allowed in the non violent world. James Caan stars.
Barry Lyndon. Ryan O'Neal stars in Kubrick's long version of Thackeray's novel about the adventures of an 18th century scamp.
Shampoo. Hairdressers get all the women! Warren Beatty stars.
Nashville. Robert Altman's tale of 24 characters, and how their lives and stories interconnect. One of his best.
Jaws. "Oh that shark bites, with his teeth dear. Scarlet billows start to fall..."
Rocky Horror Picture Show. Midnight movie fav is campy horror to the max.
Stepford Wives. Best sci-fi feminist film about robot dolls replacing the wives.
The Story Of 'O'. Erotic S & M and 'O' that final branding scene.
1976 **** (and look at the variety )
Rocky.* Sylvestor Stallone's story of a rags to champion boxer. Still packs a punch.
All The President's Men. * Reporters unravel secrets that'll bring down the Nixon administration.
Network. * TV ratings insanity.
Second Chance. *(Fr.) Catherine Deneuve wants to pass her time in prison by having and raising a baby! Claude Lelouch directs. Talk about turning your life around!
Marquise of O. * (Fr.) 18th century virgin wakes up pregnant! But who is the father? Best low -key romantic drama. Eric Rohmer directs.
Seven Beauties. * (Ital.) Giancarlo Giannini, as a nobody trying to survive WW2. Lina Wertmuller's best film.
The Man Who Fell To Earth. * David Bowie as the alien who is scarcely noticed and has a drinking problem. Very original sci-fi.
Small Change. (Fr.) Truffaut film about the joys and struggles of some children in a small French Village.
Taxi Driver. Hero or gun nut? "You talking to me!" Scorcese directs Robert De Niro as the cabbie.
DIRECTOR : Martin Scorcese best films are yet to come. The greatest have a chilling quality due to their ultra realism. Gone is the plastic screen violence and the upright hero of standard fare. They are replaced by disturbing characters in a mean world. See these films at your own peril!
Kings of the Road. (Ger.) Film equipment repair man and buddy on the road. Another Wim Wenders film.
Silver Streak. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor on an action comedy train ride.
1977
Star Wars.* Sci-fi trilogy with ground breaking effects and cult following. Saturday morning serial at it's best! George Lucas directs.
Annie Hall.* Woody Allen and Diane Keaton have issues. One of Allen's most successful film.
DIRECTOR: Woody Allen started as a gag man. But soon his philosophical and against ridden autobio films have an added touch of pathos to the laughs.
Saturday Night Fever. Disco mania with the best disco soundtrack (Bee Gees and others) and glitter ball dancing by John Tavolta who's trying to cross the bridge into a better Manhattan life style.
Man of Marble / Man Of Iron (81) 2 films about a Polish filmmaker on a search for the truth..
Julia. Lillian Hellman's story of how she helped a friend avoid the Nazis in the 30's. Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave star.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The first aliens land and they're friendly, and like music; sci-fi epic .
That Obscure Object Of Desire. Bunuel's last film has two actresses playing the same part in his usual brand of surreal love story.
Smokey And The Bandit. Cartoon like chase movie is pure entertainment. Burt Reynolds stars as the runaway.
The Turning Point. Beautifully photographed film of ballet life starring Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLane.
Demon Seed. Robert Vaughan as the voice of the 2nd meanest computer since HAL.
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