1977 films
Related: film - 1977 - 1970s - 1970s films
Films: Eraserhead (1977) - A Special Day (1977) - Demon Seed (1977) - Saturday Night Fever (1977)
More films
- Rabid (1977) - David Cronenberg [1 DVD, Amazon US]
Cronenberg's tale of a viral driven apocalypse pulls the viewer into a world of death and contagion. RABID, along with other early Cronenberg films, deals with the horror from within our own bodies. The story centers on the birth of a disease, which eventually spreads to a large city and causes social breakdown. With its odd storyline, dreary landscapes and creepy music, RABID stands out from other horror films of the 70's in that it has Cronenberg's "body conscious horror" philosophy behind it. Originally released on Warner home video in the 80's and on a hard to find import laserdisc from Japan, this DVD of RABID is the best the film has ever looked. The image exhibits little grain, the colors are strong (for early Cronenberg), and the sound is clear. It is presented here in full screen (1:33:1), which is possibly what the film was shot in. Also included on the disc is the full-length theatrical trailer. If you're a fan of 70's horror, Rabid is required viewing. - Bob B Wray for amazon.com [...] - Woody Allen - Annie Hall [1 DVD, Amazon US]
Annie Hall is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. When the two meet, the sparks are immediate--if repressed. Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious "is-this-person-someone-I'd-want-to-get-involved-with?" conversation. As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: the likes of "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in the flush of their new romance. Allen's antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy's childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster. His boisterous Jewish family's dinner table shares a split screen with the WASP-y Hall's tight-lipped holiday table, one Alvy has joined for the first time. His position as outsider is uncontestable he looks down the table and sizes up Annie's "Grammy Hall" as "a classic Jew-hater."
The relationship arcs, as does Annie's growing desire for independence. It quickly becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, as what was once endearing becomes annoying. Annie Hall embraces Allen's central themes--his love affair with New York (and hatred of Los Angeles), how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. But their balance is just right, the chemistry between Allen's worry-wart Alvy and Keaton's gangly, loopy Annie is one of the screen's best pairings. It couldn't be more engaging. --Susan Benson [...] - Suspiria (1977) - Dario Argento [Amazon US]
Outside of devoted cult audiences, many Americans have yet to discover the extremely stylish, relentlessly terrifying Italian horror genre, or the films of its talented virtuoso, Dario Argento. Suspiria, part one of a still-uncompleted trilogy (the luminously empty Inferno was the second), is considered his masterpiece by Argento devotees but also doubles as a perfect starting point for those unfamiliar with the director or his genre. The convoluted plot follows an American dancer (Jessica Harper) from her arrival at a European ballet school to her discovery that it's actually a witches coven; but, really, don't worry about that too much. Argento makes narrative subservient to technique, preferring instead to assault the senses and nervous system with mood, atmosphere, illusory gore, garish set production, a menacing camera, and perhaps the creepiest score ever created for a movie. It's essentially a series of effectively unsettling set pieces--a raging storm that Harper should have taken for an omen, and a blind man attacked by his own dog are just two examples--strung together on a skeleton structure. But once you've seen it, you'll never forget it. --Dave McCoy, Amazon.com - Outrageous (1977) - Richard Benner [Amazon US]
It sounds like a joke: a bashful drag queen and a young schizophrenic bring out the best in each other. Robin (Craig Russell) is a hairdresser who hasn't quite gathered the courage to get on stage and do drag. But when an old school friend named Liza (Hollis McLaren) appears at his door in a robe and nightgown, having just run away from a mental hospital where she was voluntarily committed, her manic energy gives him the strength to act on his desires. He in turn gives her a stable, loving home--until he goes to New York to audition for a drag show and his spot-on impressions of Bette, Barbra, Carol Channing, and Mae West make a splash. But as Robin's star rises, a pregnant Liza spirals into misery and madness. Outrageous may sound melodramatic, but in fact it achieves a rare realism. There's no Hollywood gloss on any aspect of their lives, from Robin's sex life to Liza's insanity, which is depicted sympathetically but not as anything easily overcome. Made in 1977, this Canadian cult film is admittedly a bit of a period piece--one look at Robin's audiences, filled with very '70s mustaches, will take more than a few gay men back to their heady, pre-AIDS-awareness days. But Outrageous remains heartfelt, and its sincere and charming performances make it worth seeing today. --Bret Fetzer for Amazon.com - The American Friend (1977) - Wim Wenders [Amazon US]
A thriller that's nearly devoid of thrills? That's not a complaint--it's what makes The American Friend one of the most stylish (and, at the time, most expensive) films to emerge from the New German Cinema of the 1970s. Loosely adapting Patricia Highsmith's mystery novel Ripley's Game, director Wim Wenders shifted priority from plotting to character, emphasizing a richly colorful and atmospheric approach to locations in Hamburg, where a picture-framer (Bruno Ganz) is lured into an assassination scheme involving a mysterious Frenchman (Gerard Blain) and the titular American friend, Tom Ripley (played by Dennis Hopper, a far cry from Matt Damon's portrayal of the same character in The Talented Mr. Ripley). The plotting is vague to the point of irrelevance; Wenders prefers to maintain the aura of mystery, as opposed to generating any conventional suspense, and expresses his affection for American movies by casting favorite directors Nicholas Ray and Samuel Fuller in pivotal supporting roles. The result is an intoxicating example of cinematic cross-pollination. --Jeff Shannon for Amazon.com - Citizens Band (1977) - Jonathan Demme [Amazon US]
Another rumination on the importance of and difficulties in communicating with the people who are closest to you. For which CB radio was the perfect medium in the 1970s. Paul Lemat is earnest to the point of being irritating. Candy Clark is pile of confusion and lust. You have to love them. --Eric Janik for amazon.comAlthough the characters of the movie are "amplified" somewhat, the movie gives a pretty good idea of how CB had taken hold of the average citizen in "bubbaville" USA. I found it nostalgic, and my only complaint is that all the radios used for the movie were supplied by Radio Shack (I was hoping to see some old favorites). END --Brian Woodbury for amazon.com [[...]