1972: Movies Pt. 1

Here are the previous installments in my trip through 1970's Cinema:

1970 - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.



The Getaway

This is an action film starring the quintessential 60's and 70's cool guy, Steve McQueen.  McQueen was the perfect tough guy for a generation that no longer looked up to older icons like John Wayne.  He was an avid racer, and sometimes performed his own stunts.  He was also a massive smoker, drinker and drug user.  He was the perfect tough guy for that era. 

Since he died in 1980, he was one of those actors that I was aware of as a kid, and knew his name was synonymous with cool, but never I never saw any of his films when I was growing up.  In fact, that wasn't rectified until I finally got around to watching The Magnificent Seven a few years ago.  It was instantly apparent why he had that reputation - all you had to do was look at that gaze of his and know that this was one guy that you didn't want to fuck with.  The same was true with The Getaway.

The Getaway is the quintessential caper film - a crime that is supposed to run smoothly, doesn't.  From the time the back robbery goes awry, the movie is a roller coaster ride of double-crosses, car chases and shootouts that doesn't let up until the end.  You don't really need to know much more about the plot than that.  Throughout the whole film, no matter what happens, McQueen is still the same - exuding a steely, calculated resolve that seems to day, "No matter what happens, I got this", without any of the sly smirking that seemed to be a quality of a lot of the action stars that came after him. 



The Poseidon Adventure

Now, this was much more along the lines of what I was expecting when it comes to 70's Disaster films.  The Poseidon Adventure doesn't take nearly as long to set up the disaster as Airport did.  Hell, the first seen of the movie launches right into the "I warned you!" confrontation between the captain of the ship and the corporate suit that are typical for these types of films (the captain is played by Leslie Nielsen, although he doesn't stick around long enough to make much of a mark on this film past the opening scene).  Once the disaster hits, and its a much better one than a combination of too much snow and a bomb on a plane (check out the trailer below), the film is a non-stop progression of the survivors being faced with peril after peril as they make their way  to the bottom (now the top) of the ship.  Some are more tension filled than others - the scene where they are climbing the ladder in the narrow tunnel was particularly good - and there is just enough stupidity among the survivors to cause friction (Ernest Borgnine's character seems solely to exist to fight with everyone, even a small kid).  Overall, it works.  Throw in the typical cast of has-beens (Borgnine, Shelly Winters, Red Buttons), and you have great example of the type of movie that was everywhere, both in the theaters and on TV, back in the 70's. 



Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex - Coming Soon
Aguirre, the Wrath of God - Coming Soon
Last Tango in Paris - Coming Soon
Pink Flamingos - Coming Soon
What's up Doc? - Coming Soon


Other notable films that I have already seen -Godfather (although, I might add this one on for a re-watching, since I have been wanting to view it ever since I watched the recent documentary on John Cazale), Deliverance, Last House on the Left.

Notable films I am skipping - Cabaret (much like Love Story for 1970, I know its famous, but I really have no desire to watch this - if I want to see something with Liza Minnelli, I'll watch her episodes of Arrested Development)