#oscars 47

[pynkhues]

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974). With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organize a daring new heist.

A heist movie! I love this song! Haha, this one is pretty good. It’s not exactly a great film, but it is a pretty solid one, in no small part due to Jeff Bridges’ charismatic performance as the titular Lightfoot. There are some really beautiful shots in it too, and the way it swerves through the parched country gives it a decidedly western vibe that, during the film’s better scenes, is a hell of a lot of fun. It never quite leaps into itself though, meaning it’s a film that doesn’t linger in the ways you want it to. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Phantom of the Paradise (1974). A disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise.

God, this movie is...something else, haha. I went in completely unprepared for the chaos, but man, I had fun with it. Rock operas form this sort of magical, unhinged time capsule of the era, and Phantom of the Paradise really belongs right up there beside Rocky Horror. It’s loud, bold and really leans into the ludicrousness of it’s adaptive premise in a way that works more often than it doesn’t. It’s definitely not a movie for everyone (and probably not one I’d watch again without the right circumstances), but it really is an experience. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Claudine (1974). In the 1970s Harlem, garbage collector Roop feels intimidated by the idea of dating Claudine who is a single mother of six on welfare.

I’m generally fascinated by films that explore class, particularly the intersection between race and class, and this movie really has that in spades. Grounded by charismatic, rich performances from both Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones, it’s an empathetic movie that’s part romance part social commentary, and generally a pretty effective, affecting film. 7.5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Murder on the Orient Express (1974). In December 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.

I love a good mystery, and this is a pretty cozy one. Agatha Christie had a knack for peppering her stories full of interesting characters, and they’re pretty well realised in this adaptation of her iconic novel, but none more so than Albert Finney’s delightful Poirot. It’s a fun adaptation, and a solid film overall. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Little Prince (1974). A pilot, stranded in the desert, meets a little boy who is a prince on a planet.

This is such an odd little movie, but it’s actually one I quite enjoyed! The animation sequences are lovely, and it really commits to it’s overall weirdness and whimsy. It’s strange, and not a movie for everyone, but it’s also a pretty delightful way to spend 90 minutes if you’re prepared to lean into it. Plus! Gene Wilder! 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Blazing Saddles (1974). In order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.

It was a lot of fun to watch this smart, sharp satire after having watched so many westerns for this project. It really does a great job of harnessing tropes of the genre – the good, the bad and the eye-roll inducing – and adapting them into a really fun, scathing dismantle of the genre, particularly when it comes to race. Plus, y’know, it’s really funny. It’s not my favourite Mel Brooks film, but it’s a good one. 7.5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Towering Inferno (1974). At the opening party of a colossal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.

Another day, another disaster film, although this one does have the doubtless benefit of a golden-age cast. In that sense, it becomes a who’s-who of tinseltown, and it’s pretty fun to watch Steve McQueen face off against Paul Newman and Fred Astaire tend to the bar. For that alone, the movie’s worth the watch, but otherwise it really is yoour run of the mill action-disaster flick. 6/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Great Gatsby (1974). A Midwesterner becomes fascinated with his nouveau riche neighbor, who obsesses over his lost love.

It’s funny that such a quintessential novel can be yet to have a quintessential  adaptation. I actually do quite like the Baz Luhrmann version, but man, this one – even with a screenplay penned by Francis Ford Coppola and an incredible cast – is pretty awful. This film loses both the energy of the parties and the malaise of it’s major characters, spinning out into a dry, too long movie that doesn’t seem to really care about anything. Gatsby has always been about unlikeable characters doing unlikeable things, but where Fitzgerald captured that with charm – something I think Luhrmann actually adapted in a fun, different way – this adaptation just fizzles out. 4/10.