Summer Seventies Cinema (70s)

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Product:	70s
Date:	26/07/02 (85 review reads)
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AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) This film, nominated for Best Picture, set in the summer of 1962 is a nostalgic piece with a soundtrack running throughout by artists of the day such as Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino. There?s not so much a plot here, as a night in the life of four California teenagers (Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Charles Martin Smith) on their last hurrah of the summer before one of them heads to college. Wolfman Jack appears as himself, along with a short stint by mysterious blonde in a T-bird Suzanne Somers.

CARRIE (1976) Sissy Spacek, who plays shy, socially inadequate Carrie White, and Piper Laurie, as her zealot mother, were both nominated for Best Actress for their performances in this film, based on Stephen King?s first novel. Once a struggling writer, King had been unhappy with the thriller and tossed it in the trash. His wife saw its potential however and fetched it out; the rest is history. Carrie is relentlessly teased in high school. When she?s invited to her senior prom, she thinks she?s finally been accepted by her peers. A cruel prank at her expense unleashes a fury of telekinetic powers in Carrie that results in one killer prom night!

DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975) In the dog days of Brooklyn?s summer of 1972, real-life Sonny Wortzik was desperate for cash to fund his lover?s sex-change operation. Al Pacino lights the screen on fire as a frenzied Sonny. The script won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. This film is like a roller coaster ride of emotions from hilarity to tragedy. The strong character studies set along side the explosive situation make this movie shine.

GODFATHER: PART II (1974) Playing with a different set of family values, this sequel is often said to be even better than the first. The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director Francis Ford Coppola, and Best Supporting Actor Robert De Niro. The rise and fall of the Corleones is masterfully intertwined between scen
es of the dawn of Don Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in Sicily and New York where the saga of the crime family begins, and scenes of Al Pacino?s Michael Corleone expanding the family business in Cuba and Vegas. Timeless themes of high hopes and dashed dreams amidst family betrayal and violence make this film more than just one crime family?s story. Another captivating performance by Al Pacino.

THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977) Marsha Mason plays single mother Paula McFadden trying to raise her young daughter in New York City. Everything was going her way until she comes home one day to find her most current boyfriend, an actor, has left her a Dear Paula note and taken a job elsewhere. Enter another actor, eccentric Elliot Garfield, (Richard Dreyfuss, Oscar winner for Best Actor) and it?s just a matter of time before uncordial dislike turns to heart-felt devotion in this delightful Neil Simon romantic comedy.

JAWS (1975) Hot sand isn?t the only thing nipping at your heels on Amity Island beach. A sheriff (Roy Scheider), an oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and an old grizzled sea captain (Robert Shaw) team up to close those JAWS of death once and for all before anymore of the local citizens find themselves staring into the Great White abyss. The well-known theme song from this Stephen Spielberg directed fright fest nabbed the Oscar for Best Original Musical Score. Gives you reason to pause before wandering too far out on your next ocean swim.

KLUTE (1971) Jane Fonda?s turn as a tough-on-the-outside yet vulnerable call girl named Bree is anything but cheesy. She scored a Best Actress Oscar for the subtlety she brings to the part. Donald Sutherland is inspired as John Klute, a small-town detective trying to solve the disappearance of a friend. His only clue is a letter his friend sent to Bree in New York City. The two develop romantic feelings for one another amidst a backdrop of danger and intrigue, as Bree is being stalked by an unhappy former cust
omer.

KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979) A custody battle over little Billy (Nominee for Best Supporting Actor Justin Henry) ensues between Ted Kramer (Best Actor Dustin Hoffman) and his wife Joanna (Best Actress Meryl Streep) after Joanna leaves her husband and son to try to find herself. The touching relationship that develops between father and son is the true discovery and is what makes this movie a keeper.

THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975) While not a classic by any means, this movie never fails to send shivers down my spine as each wife in the small suburb of Stepford goes from strong, vibrant woman with her own needs to mindless robotic nymph programmed to please. Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss are friends Joanna and Bobbie who begin to suspect evil intentions about their husbands? joining the neighborhood male-bonding club. Long before the human cloning debate, this movie was ahead of its time. Tina Louise has a small post-Gilligan?s Island role as one of the mechanical wives.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977) John Travolta makes disco look cool as he beats the Brooklyn heat inside a local dance club to escape his otherwise ordinary existence. Travolta (Nominee for Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe) plays Tony Manero, hocking nails in a hardware store by day, nailing dance moves on the floor boards by night. Travolta brings a sincere earnestness to the role, as well as an arsenal of nimble dance moves. Tony falls for Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), his snooty dance partner, as they team up to participate in a dance contest. The Brothers Gibb were nominated for Best Original Scoring of the movie and for their song "How Deep is Your Love".

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