This has to be one of the most under-rated, and/or over-looked films of that era. Nicholson is excellent, his co-stars are also good, and the film carries a strong message. I would also suggest SAVE THE TIGER, and MINNIE AND MOSKIVITZ as under-rated 70's flicks, and given more time would think of others.
What other 1970's films are very under-rated?
I think "Lenny" from 1974 is underrated. Hoffman is brilliant in it. Woody Allen's "Sleeper" from 73 is fantastic. "Mean Streets" is better known but its not even in the top 250 so it is severly underrated. I think its one of Scorsese's best.
shareAmen to that. The Conversation (Coppola) is a magnificent film that nobody has ever heard about coz its been overshadowed by the godfather and apocalypse now
shareAssault on Precinct 13 great movie
shareAnother Hal Ashby film (among many) is Harold and Maude. It's a cult classic, but not regarded as quite possibly one of the legendary American classics. In the same league as Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, Psycho and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Possibly the subject matter and the fact that the industry has found it impossible to put it into one particular catagory (ie. Drama, Comedy, art film, ect.) has lead to its under-rating.
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The original Taking of Pelham 123
shareStraight time (Dustin Hoffman)
Scarecrow (Gene Hackman/Al Pacino)
Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds (Joanne Woodward)
Panic in Needle Park (Al Pacino)
Man I miss the 1970's my favorite decade for films.
Great list, Patchofblue65. Scarecrow and Panic in Needle Park are on my list, as are these:
Céline et Julie vont en bateau
Le Voyou
Opening Night
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Il Conformista
L'amour l'après-midi
Mikey & Nicky
Angst essen seele auf
Scener ur ett äktenskap
Par desmit minutem vecaks
The closest movies to my heart: http://www.imdb.com/list/2dvIwYpAmd4/
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Scarecrow
The Rain People
A Woman Under The Influence
The Friends Of Eddie Coyle
Whoa! big deal..... they have foreign names.
Pretentious much?
LOL! I didn't pick them for the names, at least not consciously. Consciously, I picked them cuz they're amazing. Seriously, you should check them out. Why on earth would you think that only movies that have English titles are good? Or are you putting me on?
By the way, 6 out of the 13 movies I mentioned have English titles. And I didn't even mention "Straight Time" or this movie, "The Last Detail", which would make it, 8 out of 15. Out of all of them, I think "Céline et Julie vont en bateau" and "Le Voyou" are the tops. And neither of them are the boring, sitting and frowning about what it means to be alive, kind of movies. The first is a wild dreamy trippy adventure full of fun, the second is the best and coolest crime movie and possibly the best movie ever!
My attempt to list the best movies of all-time: http://www.themoviecanon.blogspot.com
I totally agree...Effect of Gamma Rays....."My heart is full." Lots of amazing movies in the 70's.
Little Big Man
Man in the Wilderness
The Day of the Jackal is the one that comes to mind for me. Also mentioned before in this thread, The Conversation. I knew nothing of either before watching them and they blew me away.
shareBring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia!
Am I correct to think that the film has gained considerably increased recognition in the past decade?
Peckinpah in general has. I think the internet/Netflix has greatly helped people access great films that were overlooked by the establishment as it used to exist.
My personal underrated choices:
1. Love and Death (1975): Woody Allen film set in Tolstoy's Russia; often forgetten because it's right before Annie Hall.
2. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976): Cassavetes' 1976 film staring Ben Gazzara.
3. Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978): Yes, I think Terrence Malick is underrated even though his work appears on top 100 lists quite a bit. Far fewer people have seen these movies than, say, A Clockwork Orange or Jaws.
4. Being There (1979): This is a near-masterpiece of dry humor that often gets ignored on "best films" lists.
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For me its "The Rain People" by Francis Ford Coppola - magnificent!
shareAgreed. The Friends of Eddie Coyle and Fat City are two other extremely under-appreciated '70s films. As is Badlands, as someone previously mentioned.
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Husbands by Cassavetes
The Long Goodbye by Altman
The King of Marvin Gardens by Rafelson
Agree about The Conversation, I loved it but it's not a spectacle like Coppola's most succesful films were. Doesn't make it any worse though.