A Bridge Too Far (1977)
DIRECTOR: Richard Attenborough
CAST: Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Kruger, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, Liv Ullmann
REVIEW:
From producer Joseph E. Levine and director Richard Attenborough comes this unwieldy but sporadically impressive “war epic” making the strange choice to throw up a boatload of money and effort portraying in grandiose, The Longest Day–style one of the Allies’ biggest fiascoes of WWII, the ill-conceived Operation Market Garden. Adapted from Cornelius Ryan’s 1974 best-selling book chronicling the operation in comprehensive detail from compiled interviews with both Allied and German participants and Dutch civilians (The Longest Day was also based on Ryan’s book covering the D-Day invasion), A Bridge Too Far was self-importantly touted as “one of the most expensive war movies ever made!” (costing $26 million, an impressive sum in 1977) but was only a modest box office success and received mixed critical reviews. Perhaps this is partly because watching a big, lavish, star-studded movie about an Allied defeat is too much of a downer for audiences expecting some “rah rah” flag-waving, but also the movie lacks the drive and focus to maintain consistent interest over its formidable three hour runtime. It’s overlong, muddled, ponderous, and overbaked, though not without scattered impressive moments. For WWII buffs, it’s worth watching as the kind of epic “classic” they don’t make this way anymore, but for anyone without a strong interest in the subject matter, it’s likely to be a slog. Continue reading
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
DIRECTOR: George Lucas
CAST: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice)
REVIEW:
Out of the innumerable films that have been released since the late 1800s, not many stand out as trailblazers that changed the entire cinematic landscape, but George Lucas’ Star Wars (the rest of the title wasn’t added until later) is inarguably an example. Not only is it a rousing adventure in its own right, but it revived science fiction as a major movie genre that could attract a large and passionate following, kickstarted a special effects revolution (giving birth to Industrial Light and Magic, the dominant special effects company of the 1980s and 1990s which contributed to everything from Star Trek to Jurassic Park) and arguably gave raise to the modern blockbuster (and things that come with it, like merchandising, mass marketing, and collectible action figure mania). It’s impossible to estimate the full pop culture impact of Star Wars. Even casual fans or virtual neophytes know phrases like “may the Force be with you” or know who Darth Vader is.
Continue readingMarathon Man (1976)
DIRECTOR: John Schlesinger
CAST:
Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, Marthe Keller, William Devane, Fritz Weaver, Richard Bright, Marc Lawrence
REVIEW:
‘Is it safe?‘ No one who has viewed John Schlesinger’s gritty thriller Marathon Man will soon forget those three simple words, or look at dentists the same way again. Continue reading
The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
DIRECTOR: John Sturges
CAST:
Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, Donald Pleasence, Larry Hagman, Treat Williams, Jean Marsh, Anthony Quayle, John Standing, Sven Bertil-Taube, Siegfried Rauch, Michael Byrne, Joachim Hansen, Maurice Roeves, Wolf Kahler
REVIEW:
The Eagle Has Landed is not your typical war movie. Those looking for a more serious meditation on the costs of war should look elsewhere. Based on the book by espionage and international intrigue writer Jack Higgins, The Eagle Has Landed is intended as suspense-thriller escapism, but, while mildly entertaining in a goofy sort of way and with some bright spots, isn’t quite the twisty-turny potboiler it aspires to be. Continue reading
Jaws (1975)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
CAST:
Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
REVIEW:
Dun dun. dun dun. dun dun dun dun dun dun. So begins Jaws, with the instantly recognizable, singularly ominous score from the prolific John Williams and one of the most chillingly memorable prologues in movie history. Continue reading
The Godfather Part II (1974)
DIRECTOR: Francis Ford Coppola
CAST: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg
REVIEW:
A companion piece in the true sense of the word and regarded as arguably the best sequel ever made, The Godfather Part II (which was greenlit before the first movie was even released) only further deepens and enrichens the characters and themes from its predecessor while Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo weave an even more ambitious web. Like The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are less a film series than one combined continuous story rightfully taken as a whole.
Continue readingThe Odessa File (1974)
DIRECTOR: Ronald Neame
CAST: Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell, Mary Tamm, Maria Schell, Derek Jacobi
REVIEW:
The Odessa File follows 1973’s The Day of the Jackal as another adaptation of one of Frederick Forsyth’s international thrillers (like the previous film, The Odessa File is based on Forsyth’s best-selling novel of the same name), and while it’s not up to its predecessor’s level when it comes to potboiler intrigue (though really neither was its source material), it’s a sporadically effective little 1970s thriller that occasionally feels a little dated and silly but also features some effective moments and some interesting underlying themes.
Continue readingThe Sting (1973)
DIRECTOR: George Roy Hill
CAST: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
REVIEW:
The Sting is a sort of grandfather of movies like Ocean’s Eleven; a slick glossy piece of entertainment with a twisty-turny crime caper plot and populated by some popular and photogenic movie stars getting back together and having some fun. Reuniting co-stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill from 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and written by screenwriter David S. Ward, inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Men, The Sting is an entertaining and enjoyable cinematic exercise that goes on its tangled way with slick assurance and panache, serving up plenty of “keep you guessing” twists and turns and reveals along the way.
Continue readingThe Day of The Jackal (1973)
DIRECTOR: Fred Zinnemann
CAST: Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale, Tony Britton, Derek Jacobi, Cyril Cusack, Ronald Pickup
REVIEW:
Fred Zinnemann’s The Day of The Jackal, adapted from Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel of the same name, is a masterfully executed piece of filmmaking methodically setting all its many pieces in motion like a fine watch. Its dry, almost documentary style and slow burn pace might not be appreciated by modern viewers demanding something flashier and more action-oriented (while this is considered a suspense thriller, it’s not an action movie and those who go in expecting such may be disappointed and bored), but for those to whom this kind of movie appeals, it’s hard to imagine this material being more masterfully executed, or an assassination plot and the investigation opposing it being written with more meticulous logic.
Continue readingThe Godfather (1972)
DIRECTOR: Francis Ford Coppola
CAST: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, John Cazale
REVIEW:
Has any other motion picture defined a genre the way The Godfather did for the gangster film? Since its release in 1972 (receiving ten Oscar nominations and winning Best Picture), it has represented the gold standard to which all other mob movies are held. Yet The Godfather, adapted by Francis Ford Coppola from the novel by Mario Puzo (who also wrote the screenplay), is no mere gangland shoot-em-up (in fact, violence comes in short, jarring bursts, few and far between). What really grants the film its distinction is the core themes of family, an underlying character arc that ultimately resembles a Shakespearean tragedy, the careful technical accomplishment of the entire production, and the richness of Puzo’s script carefully weaving myriad subplots into a cohesive whole. Non-fans of the gangster movie genre might not be enthralled, and the nearly three hour runtime and slow burn pace represents a sizable commitment of time and attention, but for mob movie aficionados, this is as good as it gets, and skillful cinematic craftsmanship by any objective standard.
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