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I'm only asking since I recall a rule where on could vote for a single short from an omnibus film, although that may have just been for the shorts list.

Cold Bishop wrote:I'm only asking since I recall a rule where on could vote for a single short from an omnibus film, although that may have just been for the shorts list.

That's certainly happened before, so if the omnibus is listed as 1979, go ahead. I guess this means you can vote for it in the 1970s and again in the 1980s list, if you want to be perverse.

And an update:

9 lists in, which gives us the magic number of exactly 100 eligible films (out of 261 nominated), so we have a list, even if everybody clams up now. American films figure heavily, but a different kind of American cinema for each voter (big Hollywood, little Hollywood, indie, underground) so there's still a huge amount of diversity. Our current top film is well ahead of number 2 and it's only appeared on 6 of the lists submitted (but top 20 in all of them). I don't think any other film has appeared on more than four. It's definitely not Hollywood, but it references Hollywood.

As for the rest of the top 10, it's half American with the remaining four from four different European countries (number one comes from a fifth, and a sixth accounts for number 11). Asia and the rest of the world are faring pretty badly! There are five first names featured in the titles of the current top ten films, and three placenames.

zedz wrote: It's definitely not Hollywood, but it references Hollywood.

Assisted by a Criterion release since the last 70s list?

GringoTex wrote:

zedz wrote: It's definitely not Hollywood, but it references Hollywood.

Assisted by a Criterion release since the last 70s list?

I'm guessing the film you're thinking of Spanish, but the one that came to my mind is German. We might both be wrong.

Oooh...is it too late to add a film to my list?

sidehacker wrote:Oooh...is it too late to add a film to my list?

Ditto, I stupidly missed something off my list. The question is can I go through the pain of letting my number 50 fall off?

I understand why zedz isn't using names, but why are the rest of you pussyfooting around your guesses?

Spanish: the Spirit of Beehive
German: Some Herzog movie
Proper Names: Jeanne Dielman, Wanda, Claire's Knee, Celine and Julie Go Boating, the Marriage of Maria Braun, several Herzog films

Instead of having me redo a list, zedz can just add a bunch of points for Alexander Kluge's Part-time Work of a Female Slave.

A quick run through of the most impressive and highly recommended films that I managed to view in the last couple of months would include:

Jeanne Dielman by Chantal Akerman. I woke at 1.30 in the morning on Monday night, and could not get back to sleep, and then sat down to view this film without any real background knowledge. And, I guess the great test for me was that at that early hour I managed to be absolutely glued to the screen for 190 minutes, as Jeanne went about her daily routines in her small apartment, including amongst other things the peeling of potatoes, the seemingly interminable waiting for a package from America, the habitual visits from her clients, and the walking through grey Bruxelles city streets in search of a particular type of button. As I came to the end of Jeanne’s voyage into the night, the first pale light of day filtered into my flat, and I felt that I had really seen an extraordinary film that was so specific in its depiction of one woman at a certain time in a certain place, but at the same time it was a powerful image of a life so like my own, and most other people's I know. Naturally I then lifted myself out of my chair, boiled water for coffee, ironed a shirt, checked emails, took my shower, and so on.

I have adored every film that I have seen by Masaki Kobayashi, and We Give Our Lives For Nothing/Inn of Evil was no exception. Telling the story of a nest of smugglers and thieves, who, after many years of successful operations feel the noose tightening around their necks, and decide to go all out in a final act of honor, the film bears resemblance to Harakiri, and is generally almost as captivating. Shinoda’s Silence – truly amplified by the beauty of MoC’s transfer – was another Japanese film that impressed me a lot. My reading experience of Shusaku Endo’s literature is limited to a few books, but I felt that this film translated the author’s world and sentiments to the screen with rare accuracy and sincerity. And, probably somewhat less impressive than the other two films, Kinji Fukasaku’s Under the Flag of the Rising Sun nonetheless came across as a strong film on an important Japanese topic, with its exposé of the collective Japanese suppression of World War II atrocities, elegantly and entertainingly told through the investigation by the wife of a dishonored soldier into the fate of her husband, in an attempt to have his name cleared of charges of cowardice.

Of European films, Wim Wenders’s Im Lauf der Zeit and Alice in den Städten are films that I have looked forward to seeing ever since I began to really view films seriously. The American Friend, Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire were early discoveries for me while still a teenager, and at that time there was no way that I could find of seeing the director’s earlier work. Both of these early Wenders films are road movies, and very different from each other in pace and structure, although there are also many similarities – both are beautifully filmed in black and white, and both films carry the same sense of world-weariness, infatuation with places, and understanding of the frailty of human bonds. Francesco Rosi on the other hand is a very recent discovery for me, and from the seventies I had the opportunity to see Lucky Luciano and Illustrious Corpses. Like Salvatore Giuliano and Hands Over the City, both of these films are told in the “investigative” manner that is Rosi’s trademark, leaving the viewer with the sensation that the director has briefly offered a glimpse behind the historical socio-political machinery of Italy.

I saw the astonishingly lovely Spirit of the Beehive, and I loved its depiction of childhood, of course! I saw Antonioni’s The Passenger, which I merely thought was “good” Antonioni; that is, up until the final ten minutes, which transformed the film into another “great” Antonioni film for me. I saw three marvelous Hungarian films: Szinbad, Love and Red Psalm, and the superb Russian animated film Tale of Tales. All of these will almost surely end up on my final list.

There were a number of good American films, but somehow not many that I completely fell for. I saw The Hired Hand, as recommended by zedz many months ago in this very thread, and it is a wonderful downbeat and downplayed western just as promised. Two Lane Blacktop was also a real joy. The Long Goodbye and Night Moves may inch in at the very bottom of my 50 – Gene Hackman’s performance in the latter, and particularly his meeting with the dolphin-girl out in Florida, was very moving to me.

And, finally, I saw several excellent documentaries: Kazuo Hara’s Goodbye CP and Extreme Private Eros 1974 shocked my socks off with their blunt and uncompromising frankness (do not be scared off, Facets’ releases are fine in this case, really); Gates of Heaven is unbelievable (but I guess no longer eligible for the ‘70s); and Winter Soldier and Hearts and Minds were, well, heartbreaking; Kieslowski’s First Love was pretty near my favorite film that I have seen by this particular director; and, the pseudo-documentaries Punishment Park and WR: Mysteries of the Organism were very good, although for me they suffered slightly from the “high expectations” syndrome.

In total, I have seen about a hundred films from the seventies since January, and I have been constantly frustrated with not being able to find the time to see more. It is a constant source of joy to me these days, how there are almost no limits to the access to films (aside from funds and personal quality considerations). As usual, my time and ability to view films was quite outweighed by my ambition to see films, and thus I have not even made it through half the films that I had initially lined up for myself (literally, on the floor of my living room) to see before submitting a list. This unfortunate imbalance leaves at least a dozen Fassbinder films sitting abandoned on my Persian rug, unwatched, and kept company by Visconti’s Ludwig, Scenes from a Marriage and several other Bergmans, a number of Pasolinis and Altmans, a couple of Bunuels, a load of Chabrols, Truffauts, Rohmers and Godards, the early Greenaway films, Watkin’s Edvard Munch, Rivette’s Celine and Julie Go Boating, Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli and Klimov’s Agony, The Travelling Players, a number of Fukasaku pictures including the Yakuza Papers, and many Bavas, Argentos, Japanese pinky violence flicks, as well as Borowzcyk, Ruiz, Arabal, etc., etc. Those are just some of the ones that I have at hand (Mr. keyhip would have a field day with me and my unwatched piles of DVDs), and there are of course an ocean of worthy films that are out there and not in my little library. What a very different list mine will likely be, if and when we make another round of lists in a few years time.

zedz wrote:

Cold Bishop wrote:I'm only asking since I recall a rule where on could vote for a single short from an omnibus film, although that may have just been for the shorts list.

That's certainly happened before, so if the omnibus is listed as 1979, go ahead. I guess this means you can vote for it in the 1970s and again in the 1980s list, if you want to be perverse.

80s is fine by me, as it'll allow me to rank it higher, but you're the man with the rules.

Scharphedin2 wrote: Gates of Heaven is unbelievable (but I guess no longer eligible for the ‘70s)

nono, it USED to be listed as 1980 on imdb, it's now been corrected to 1978, so go ahead and vote for it!

domino harvey wrote:I understand why zedz isn't using names, but why are the rest of you pussyfooting around your guesses?

Spanish: the Spirit of Beehive
German: Some Herzog movie
Proper Names: Jeanne Dielman, Wanda, Claire's Knee, Celine and Julie Go Boating, the Marriage of Maria Braun, several Herzog films

my guesses:

names: Celine, Julie, Jeanne Dielman, Annie Hall, Barry Lyndon (it didn't say five FILMS with proper names, just five names.. although Ms. Braun could be a contender)

places: Nashville, Manhattan, Amrcord? Grey Gardens? Hanging Rock?

I can't believe I forgot about Annie Hall. In my defense, though I love Allen it's never been more than an average film to me (I'm not the only one mystified by its popularity, as the man himself agrees with me), so it's not even on my list. I much prefer his work from the 80s-on, so only Love and Death and Play It Again, Sam place for me on this list.

Mikeohh got all the first names, but only one of the placenames. Two more lists in now, so it's probably all changed anyway.

Hilarious about the Eros Plus Massacre thing. I'm glad at least I can put it on THIS list. *slaps forehead*

I'm running hot and cold lately. I keep throwing on "old favorites" and just hating them and purging my list. Two Eustache films in my top ten and all of a sudden I just can't even bare to look at them (will I change my mind? probably.) Finally done though (til the last minute debating whether to put Watership Down on the thing or not).

Zedz, don't forget that Saturday my time will be Sunday your time. My list will be coming...

denti alligator wrote:Zedz, don't forget that Saturday my time will be Sunday your time. My list will be coming...

I'm completely slack about the deadlines anyway. Maybe I shouldn't have said that here, though.

Just submitted my list - I suspect I'm the only one with Scream and Scream Again and From Beyond The Grave in my top 10. Love both of them - and I can make a good argument for them (or, at least, I can make an argument that got me my doctorate - which is not the same thing at all!)

And I suppose I should justify my name & avatar...

Quite horror heavy - several British entries in addition to the Amicus films. It's too long since I've seen Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell so I left it out - my suspicion is that it's an important entry for Fisher, not just because it was his final film.

Actually, there were several films I think should have been on the list, but it's so long since I saw them that I don't trust my memory. Maybe next time. Also, it's a decade where my non-English language viewing is VERY patchy...

Performance came top for me - best non-Powell & Pressburger British film of all time IMHO.

Dr Amicus wrote:Just submitted my list - I suspect I'm the only one with Scream and Scream Again and From Beyond The Grave in my top 10. Love both of them - and I can make a good argument for them (or, at least, I can make an argument that got me my doctorate - which is not the same thing at all!)

Scream and Scream Again is the film that (sort of) turned me into a movie fan, even though I now don't remember much beyond two big scares (but they were great scares, and I can still see them now).

Dr Amicus wrote:Just submitted my list - I suspect I'm the only one with Scream and Scream Again and From Beyond The Grave in my top 10. Love both of them - and I can make a good argument for them (or, at least, I can make an argument that got me my doctorate - which is not the same thing at all!)

Afraid I've not seen Scream and Scream Again, though I've heard good things about it. Your post reminded me that I didn't find a place for Asylum this time around (or Tales From The Crypt, Frightmare, The Legend Of Hell House, even Shivers, Rabid and The Brood!) #-o - I'll have to make sure I include them next time.

colinr0380 wrote:Asylum

Another film that gave me the serious willies as a kid (the first story with the freezer). But it definitely hadn't held up so well when I saw it again recently.

Double uh-oh, I forgot about Queysanne's A Man Asleep which would have been in my top five. Oh well, I doubt anyone else will vote for it...

sidehacker wrote:Double uh-oh, I forgot about Queysanne's A Man Asleep which would have been in my top five. Oh well, I doubt anyone else will vote for it.

I brought this up on page one but it didn't seem to spark an interest. I went and rewatched it and found it a bit less appealing the second time around, so it didn't make it on my list. I'll be sure and return to it.

I hate that I still have a ton of 70s movies I didn't get to in time-- every time I thought I'd seen everything I wanted to, I'd come up with a dozen more titles. Maybe in fifty years I'll make a really killer 70s List (pun?).

vivahawks wrote:but The Fate of Lee Khan, The Valiant Ones, and Raining in the Mountain are all criminally undersung, entertaining, and innovative films.

Where did you see these?

Dr Amicus wrote:Just submitted my list - I suspect I'm the only one with Scream and Scream Again and From Beyond The Grave in my top 10. Love both of them - and I can make a good argument for them (or, at least, I can make an argument that got me my doctorate - which is not the same thing at all!)

Damn! I could have swore Scream and Scream Again was 1969. It would definitely have placed on my list. I saw it in a university screening (an end of year fun choice by the lecturer) it was an amazing film to see projected and have returned to it quite a few times since. This round was particularly annoying for me, I held off until the last moment on the 60s list and didn't see anything from the 60s in the last two weeks up to the deadline (Death Line - another film I wanted to see) and in this instance I saw (and remembered) all sorts after handing my list in early!