1970s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 3)

[matrixschmatrix]

I'll vote for New York, New York and A New Leaf if you will, so at least they won't be orphans

[Yojimbo]

I'll vote for New York, New York and A New Leaf if you will, so at least they won't be orphans

That's cool, Mat: as of today, I don't expect to be checking out Scorsese's latest - certainly not on a big-screen - but my biggest regret is that I never caught New York, New York on a big-screen, when I had plenty of opportunities to do so.

A New Leaf is - literally - a film that never fails to have me ROTFLMAO, no matter how often I watch it.

[matrixschmatrix]

I saw a double feature of New York, New York and Liza With a Z (along with Liza Minelli's episode of the Muppet Show) at the Brattle Theater in Boston a few years ago, which reminded me of why I love that theater so much. Also, I think it made me a little less heterosexual, which is always to the good.

[Yojimbo]

That sounds like a lotta fun; although I'm not sure I'd want to check out 'Lucky Lady' again!

[Yojimbo]

Ten films that I wanted to see for the project, but couldn't locate English friendly editions:
How Yukong Moved the Mountains (Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan Ivens)

Did you get a chance to view the portions included in Arte's English-friendly Joris Ivens set (DVD 4, 1968-1976)?

I had my English-friendly Joris Ivens set order cancelled, by the Belgian online seller whose mailing list I've been on for years
(and from whom I bought a Chantal Akerma set; and - I think - a Varda set)
As I recall it was a bargain price: I'm still interested in it, but I wouldn't buy it at full price - on principle.

[domino harvey]

Submitted my list. Twenty-one new titles from the last time we did this, though only a handful of those the result of specific list viewings. If we're giving last minute shoutouts to films we don't want orphaned or underrepresented, let me say:

I hope those who were taken with Starting Over, Wrong Move, and At Long Last Love remember to list it prominently. Du Cote D'Orouet should appear on every list regardless of if you've seen it or not. Sleuth was orphaned last time, let's not let that happen again shall we? Those looking for wry laughs could do no better than the Heartbreak Kid, A New Leaf, and 11 Harrowhouse, the latter of which I feel is destined to be orphaned though it's one of the best star vehicles ever created and the closest you can come to just voting for Charles Grodin the comic actor.

[Yojimbo]

Submitted my list. Twenty-one new titles from the last time we did this, though only a handful of those the result of specific list viewings. If we're giving last minute shoutouts to films we don't want orphaned or underrepresented, let me say:

I hope those who were taken with Starting Over, Wrong Move, and At Long Last Love remember to list it prominently. Du Cote D'Orouet should appear on every list regardless of if you've seen it or not. Sleuth was orphaned last time, let's not let that happen again shall we? Those looking for wry laughs could do no better than the Heartbreak Kid, A New Leaf, and 11 Harrowhouse, the latter of which I feel is destined to be orphaned though it's one of the best star vehicles ever created and the closest you can come to just voting for Charles Grodin the comic actor.

I might have a spot for Wrong Move, though I probably prefer Kings of the Road
Have never seen At Long Last Love, although I would like to make my own mind up about it, now that there's been a 'rowing back' from the critical panning it received upon its release.
I might also be able to squeeze in the Heartbreak Kid as I've always loved it.

Sleuth is a no-no, though; it's just not my kind of film.

[matrixschmatrix]

That's ok, I have Dom's back on that one.

[knives]

I bet it places even (despite being OOP).

[Yojimbo]

I bet it places even (despite being OOP).

Is that 'Sleuth'?

[knives]

Yeah, the old Anchorbay disc has been OOP for a while and fetches for a king's ransom.

[domino harvey]

And it was an ancient flipper! I have a nice R2 copy though

[Yojimbo]

Yeah, the old Anchorbay disc has been OOP for a while and fetches for a king's ransom.

I saw it on its original cinema release; might have been the first film I saw in a Dublin city centre cinema.
But I better know the kind of film I like now

[Yojimbo]

And it was an ancient flipper! I have a nice R2 copy though

If you can get me an 'At Long Last Love' disc in time, I promise to watch it before the closing date
(and I've got a brand spanking new all-region DVD player to play all types)

[domino harvey]

I will send you warm regards only

[swo17]

A few more lists in now, and I guess the thing that strikes me most at the moment is that there is already some weird, random consensus for a few titles that I can only imagine are assumed to be orphans by each of you that voted for them. Some of you will have to meet up after the deadline and exchange business cards/secret handshakes or whatever.

Not that you don't all have a billion orphans right now (one of you--not domino--presently has 37). I'm seeing a lot of votes for films I've never heard of before and that I don't believe have been brought up in this thread. You guys do know that these films don't just show up on other people's lists by magic, right?

[bamwc2]

Like most people who've already submitted a list, I suspect that Swo is speaking about mine. I haven't written about most of the items on my list in this thread, but I did vote for a handful of 70s documentaries that I wrote up in the genre thread.

[Yojimbo]

I will send you warm regards only

ok, that's cool
Maybe it will show up on network or cable tv

[zedz]

Spotlight #2: Duvidha (Mani Kaul)

Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't appear that this stunning film has ever been discussed even in passing on this forum. There is, however, a quite insightful thread about the film (including loads of great screenshots) over at Mubi. This is my first Kaul film, and perhaps many of them are like this, but it's unlike any Indian film I've seen before, made with a level of bold artistry that makes even Satyajit Ray look mainstream in comparison. (For example, note how the static shots from Charulata are used even more radically here.) It's not quite as bold as The Color of Pomegranates, though it does at least seem to have been filmed on the same planet.

I will definitely be finding some room on my list for this (but. . . how?) What an exquisite film.

That's probably the last new addition I'll be able to fit in before the deadline (though I will endeavour to see At Long Last Love, domino). Now to wrestle this list into submission. . .

[swo17]

I'm thrilled that Duvidha is gaining some fans, though I actually like my other spotlight title even more. Is no one willing to watch a full-length movie on YouTube? Did I not drop the names Tarr and Pasolini loudly enough?

Like most people who've already submitted a list, I suspect that Swo is speaking about mine.

Inhabitants (Artavazd Peleshian)

This is the sort of thing I'm talking about--an awe-inspiring collage of found animal footage that approximates Leviathan by way of Conner or Kubelka, and an instant contender for my own list. The only other time it appears that the film's been mentioned on this forum is 10 years ago by a member who no longer posts here. And the only reason I know about it now is that one of you quietly placed it at #2 on your list.

Finally, an administrative point: It's come to my attention that someone sent me a list late last night that I never received. If any of you submit a list and don't receive acknowledgment of this from me within 24 hours, I probably didn't receive it.

[knives]

Unfortunately I'm not going to be going for any Peleshian until the '90s (don't know the '80s well enough to speak on that). All of his work seems like one film stretched within many chapters as his style is so direct and consistent throughout they can be watched as a contained whole. Containing it to this decade though I actually think Four Seasons is the highlight and does a good job at verbalizing the concept of direct montage. It definitely is a must see even if it won't make every list.

[Tommaso]

I'm thrilled that Duvidha is gaining some fans, though I actually like my other spotlight title even more. Is no one willing to watch a full-length movie on YouTube? Did I not drop the names Tarr and Pasolini loudly enough?

Yes, you did, and I actually watched it. Without remembering what you said (sorry) my first thought was Tarr, too, at least for the first of these two mid-length segments. This also somewhat reminded me of Michelangelo Frammartino's "Il dono" (2003) in its almost dialogue-free depiction of some semi-archaic remote world. Your name-calling of Pasolini for the second segment is also to the point, but for me this felt rather derivative, not adding much to what we've seen in "The Hawks and the Sparrows", for instance. So, very good, all in all, and I enjoyed watching the whole thing thoroughly, but as I'm myself surprised about how rich the 70s turned out to be, I'm afraid it won't make my list in the end. Which is perhaps a shame. After all this was the first Romanian film I've ever seen.

"Duvidha" is currently on # 50 of my list, but I plan to watch another Indian film tomorrow of which I hear nothing but fabulous things, so I can't guarantee whether it might not perhaps drop... damn it...

[swo17]

I plan to watch another Indian film tomorrow of which I hear nothing but fabulous things

Please do tell.

[Tommaso]

"A River Called Titas". Those who've already seen it might start discussing it...

[knives]

I prefer Ray's films of the period (particularly The Chess Players) and even prefer my previous Ghatak experience with The Cloud Capped Star, but it is a magnificent film that uses the ebbs of time really well (though I think from the WCF I prefer the Kazakh Revenge over it).