best film: The Godfather from Francis Ford Coppola
- It’s certainly not hard to find aspects to praise even after ten viewings of the film
- The opening long take is an absolute stunner and certainly not something I appreciated when I first started getting into cinema

I think I may have referred to Fincher as “the master of darkness” on past posts but of course Godon Willis- the DP here- is that (he was NOT nominated for an Oscar here). Pakula films, Woody Allen films- but nothing better than this this collaborations with Coppola.
- So many dissolves in the editing style. I love it- one highlight is the ellipsis editing dissolve approach at the horse head scene- wonderful
- It’s just one dizzyingly beautiful set piece after another
- The ending montage is one of the greatest in film history
- This may also be the greatest pure narrative in the history of film
- There’s zero fat here- Enzo the baker and the undertaker at the beginning – both come up later
- There is real love here in the two scenes between Clemenzo and Pacino- one showing him how to cook and the other how to shoot.
- The greatest single scene in the film, and there’s a lot to choose from, is the train audio sound mix close-up of Pacino

yes, a beautiful frame within a frame doorway shot, but certainly it is as tied to the narrative as any doorway shot in cinema history as Michael shuts Kay out

a strong three field of depth shot here with the Statue of Liberty in the background
most underrated: This isn’t my official choice because technically the TSPDT agrees with me that it is a masterpiece, but Bergman’s Cries and Whispers at slot #150 from the consensus bothers me. I just can’t fathom choosing 149 films over it. Again, I’ll admit it is a nitpick but Bergman’s transcendent use of color is so obvious– just frustrating. I just laughed at the Academy’s miss of the cinematography of Gordon Willis- so it is worth noting the brilliant choice in 1973 (took an extra year to get to the US) for Sven Nykvist’s work here– it won best cinematography.

if you’re making a list of the greatest use of color in cinema– Bergman’s Cries and Whispers has to be on it

Bergman saturates the cinematic painting
Ultimately, it is Altman’s Images that is the most underrated film of 1972. It was a difficult film to find for years– but this is that stretch of time where Altman could do no wrong. Images is ambitious auteur cinema and should be somewhere on the TSPDT consensus top 1000 and is not.
- Altman’s only foray (maybe more like a toe in the water) into horror- a thriller, closer to Repulsion, Persona, (Altman himself mentioned Bergman’s masterpiece as an influence) or Mulholland Drive. It is challenging film but rewards- a strong formal work.
- In that vein, it makes for a companion piece to Three Women from Altman five years later in 1977
- It just adds to the early Altman 1970’s already legendary run of brilliant films– he’s the Godard of the 1970’s (churning out great film after great film), Altman made ten archiveable films from 1970-1977— I’m not sure if Images will make the cut yet but seven of those ten are among the 100 best film of the 1970’s– the most by any auteur in that decade
- based on Susannah York’s (main protagonist here) novel “In Search of Unicorns”. York reads aloud from it during the film in certain spots
- Altman’s trademark zooms are prevalent- eerie- a perfect match for the uneasiness in the entire film and York’s state of mind—we start with a zoom actually moving in from the outside of the window on an opening shot
- A series of disturbing phone calls—right away Altman questions the dependency of our narrator and York as our central narrative vehicle. Unreliable. He also sets the tone early with the motifs-there’s the object dancing on the car rearview mirror and obstructing the frame in her living room
- Like Polanski’s Repulsion (and unlike most of Altman) we have a central character- no ensemble here. Disturbed, schizophrenia (unlike Repulsion and the Deneuve character this word and awareness is in the text).
- Doppelgänger in the film- like Bergman’s Persona– – Altman names the young girl’s character (a loner who becomes York’s best friend and looks like her) Susannah (York’s name in real life) and vice versa with the girl actor. This doubling may imply different realities and time narratives going on simultaneously in the film, it may imply abuse (the father of the girl has his hands all over York) and be an explanation for her mental issues now as an adult. There are no concrete answers given in the text

a stand alone great shot- yes– but also– Altman names the young girl’s character (a loner who becomes York’s best friend and looks like her) Susannah (York’s name in real life) and vice versa with the girl actor. This doubling may imply different realities and time narratives going on simultaneously in the film

Triple mirror shot at 73 minutes- fracturing — not just a cool shot of course with what is going on with these two characters
- Roeg comes to mind- 1970’s Performance is about doubling, doppelgängers, almost all of Roeg’s work is about fracturing. Certainly Black Swan feels like a relative– hallucinations, Under the Skin maybe a second cousin
- York with her modified Jane Fonda Klute haircut—one of many in 1972 I’m sure- haha
- Altman’s camera glides through the staircase rails with this zooms
- Jigsaw puzzle reoccurring motif (and over the end of the film), the camera as well
- Experimental score by the great John Williams- a nod to Psycho and Herrmann in one scene in the shower with the shrieking violins (Stomu Yamashta doing work as well on sound design), camerawork by Vilmos Zsigmond—all-star crew
- At 49 minutes a character is talking to York, and her inner monologue is overlapping—wild—great Altman touch
- Ends with a dissolve on the puzzle and unicorn book (unicorn itself questioning the reality—which Blade Runner would do a decade later)
- York is superb- best actress winner at Cannes
most overrated – John Waters Pink Flamingos lands on the consensus top 1000 list at #899 and it isn’t a film that would land in my top 1000. Overall though, I want to applaud the consensus TSPDT list, there are very few problems with their list for 1972. It shares 9 of the top 10 with my list.
gems I want to spotlight: – If you want to see film form (as well as a funny film) Luis Bunuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a textbook example. The reoccurring and interwoven shot of the characters walking down the open road is brilliant. If you want to go off the top 10– I could watch Play It Again, Sam with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton (not actually directed by Woody) once a month and not get tired of it.

the brilliant formal connective tissue of Bunuel’s masterpiece — the long road to nowhere
trends and notables:
- 1972 is the year of The Godfather– it is a pillar of American cinema, it wins the most awards of 1972, is the box office champion of 1972, it is a major comeback for Brando and the grand announcement of all-time talents Francis Ford Coppola and Al Pacino.
- Talking box office— certainly there are flashes since The Godfather when good taste and the almighty dollar match up (The Dark Knight and Avatar in 2008 and 2009 come to mind) but we’re just in a stretch here from 1967-1972 where films like The Graduate, 2001, The French Connection and The Godfather are massive hits- either like #1 or #2 for their respective year– it is fair to look back nostalgically when art and commerce aligned
- The German New Wave or New German cinema fully arrives in 1972. I’ve seen the era traced back as far back as 1962 but with Fassbinder and Herzog both landing for the first time in the top 10 this year (they are the Truffaut and Godard of this wave) this feels like the true beginning.

from Fassbinder’s The Merchant of Four Seasons –a stunning Antonioni-like (he’d probably prefer Sirk-like) frame.

from The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant– Fassbinder would be a major figure in cinema for the next decade until his death in 1982

This is the first of five collaborations between Herzog and Kinski- Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), Woyzeck (1978), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982) and Cobra Verde (1987)
- They aren’t quite on the level of Herzog and Kinski but this is the first of four archiveable collaborations for Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford as well – Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Out of Africa (1985)
- Coppola and Gordon Willis cement the shadowy naturalism look of the era (Fassbinder has a similar look, ditto for a film like Cabaret- a dark musical), while at the same time Bergman and Sven Nykvist make a masterpiece with some of the most striking uses of color in cinema history

the naturalism in the era’s lighting isn’t just Gordon Willis– it touches other countries (Fassbinder for sure) and even historically lighter genres like the musical (Cabaret here)
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie makes for one masterpiece in each of the last three decades for Bunuel (Los Olvidados in the 1950’s, Viridiana in the 1960’s)

one of the best single frames of 1972 and from Tarkovsky’s Solaris— any Tarkovsky year is a special year (his last effort was 1966). His trademark high angle shot here as well- the ground/pond/reflection takes up over half the frame
- Three years in a row with an Altman film in the top 10– and we’re just getting warmed up
- regret it if you like, but the disaster film is a major subgenre during this era- Airport is 1970, The Towering Inferno is 1974– but 1972 with The Poseidon Adventure seems like as good a time as any to mention it. This genre has roots that go back farther, and still exist today– often with all-star ensembles and big budgets
- 1972 has some very notable artists getting their first archiveable works. I’ve already mentioned Coppola (this isn’t his debut, he has some rough drafts that may land in the archives with another look but for now this is still his first) and Fassbinder (two films in the archives here for him in 1972). Diane Keaton lands here with two films (The Godfather, Play it Again, Same), John Cazale (The Godfather), Liza Minnelli (Cabaret), Hanna Schygulla (in both Fassbinder’s films- The Merchant of Four Seasons and The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant),

the young and beautiful Hanna Schygulla here (foreground) in a strong Fassbinder composition from The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
best performance male There are four possible correct answers here. In no particularly order you have Klaus Kinski in Herzog’s masterpiece. Few actors (if any) historically can play mentally unhinged and dangerous as well as Kinski and this is his career best work. Al Pacino in The Godfather is the second correct answer for this category for 1972. Pacino hinted at his potential in 1971 but here he goes toe to toe with perhaps cinema’s all-time most talented actor (Brando) and arguably wins. The Godfather is really about Michael Corleone’s arc and transformation. The last two correct mentions for the best male performance of the year are both Brando. In most years either one, The Godfather or The Last Tango in Paris, would walk away with this category. It has been eighteen years since Brando has received a mention in this category so to do it with two films in one year is a truly remarkable comeback. Fernando Rey in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is fifth. Donatas Banionis is sixth for Solaris and though he didn’t deserve the best supporting actor win over Pacino in 1972, Joel Grey in Cabaret chews up every scene he’s in. Lastly, I could go on praising the entire ensemble for The Godfather. Part of me wants to give a shot out to Salvatore Corsitto as the undertaker with the opening monologue — but I won’t. I’ll agree with the academy here and give the love to James Caan and Robert Duvall. Not every masterpiece that is on or near The Godfather’s level (which we’re already talking about a very elite group of films) relies on the acting as much as this film. Four slots here in this category for 1972 is warranted.

I have this as Pacino’s third best performance and Brando’s second, but I think there’s a compelling case for this being the best work of both– and this scene together here, and this perfect frame, is special- capturing two great artists

great work in lighting from Bertolucci in The Last Tango in Paris

yet another example of Tarkvosky’s high angle shot– a great frame here- look at the skyline and how small of a percentage of the screen it takes up

Joel Grey only appears in the musical sequences that connect the forward-moving narrative. It makes him an almost elusive, mythic figure. It is a masterful stroke of genius from Bob Fosse
best performance female: If most of the great male acting performances of 1972 reside in The Godfather, than it is fair to say that most of the great female performances of 1972 are in Bergman’s Cries and Whispers. Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann are here front and center. I also think maybe a little further in the background is Kari Sylwan. So we’re already at four actors just talking about one film so far- matching The Godfather on this side. If forced to pick the single greatest for this category though it would tough to ignore Liza Minnelli. Liza’s work in Cabaret rivals the very best work of her mother Judy Garland. Maria Schneider‘s achievement isn’t on the level of Brando in terms of their respective importance to Bertolucci’s The Last Tango in Paris, but still- she’s deserving and here. Lastly, I’ll agree with Cannes and give a spot to Susannah York for Images. Again, I don’t love going this far down my year’s best films list to find the best performances but I probably owe York a half a mention for her work in 1963’s Tom Jones still.

Cries and Whispers is yet another feather in the cap for the great Liv Ullmann

Ingrid Thulin here- all of the actors in Cries and Whispers owe a debt of gratitude to Bergman for the wonderful close-ups

Maria Schneider foreground left here with Brando background right in The Last Tango in Paris
top 10
- The Godfather
- Cries and Whispers
- Aguirre, the Wrath of God
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
- Solaris
- Cabaret
- The Last Tango in Paris
- Deliverance
- The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
- Images

the indelible dueling banjos scene in Deliverance

a haunting final image as well from John Boorman’s Deliverance

Conrad Hall’s photography in Fat City

like Army of Shadows, Melville’s Un Flic is draped in a foggy blue/grey

Melville’s level of detail here in the set piece on display here- including blue paneling

a trench coat of course– it seems like every decade that goes by, Melville’s reputation improves

a very strong composition in Fellini’s Roma

The King of Marvin Gardens is a chance for Bob Rafelson to prove Five Easy Pieces is no one-hit wonder, and a chance for Nicholson to play against type early in his career. His performance here is so internal

another strong frame from Fosse in Cabaret
Archives, Directors, and Grades
1776 – Hunt | R |
Across 110th Street- Shear | R |
Aguirre, the Wrath of God- Herzog | MP |
Avanti- Wilder | R/HR |
Bad Company- Benton | R |
Cabaret- Fosse | MS |
Chloe in the Afternoon- Rohmer | |
Cries and Whispers- Bergman | MP |
Deliverance – Boorman | HR/MS |
Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex… – Allen | R |
Fat City- J. Huston | HR |
Frenzy- Hitchcock | R |
Images – Altman | HR |
Jeremiah Johnson- Pollack | R |
Junior Bonner- Peckinpah | R |
Last Tango in Paris- Bertolucci | MS |
Play It Again, Sam – Ross | R |
Roma – Fellini | R/HR |
Slaughterhouse-Five – Roy Hill | R |
Sleuth- Mankiewicz | |
Solaris – Tarkovsky | MS |
Sounder- Ritt | R |
Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me- Truffaut | R |
Super Fly – Parks Jr. | R |
The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant- Fassbinder | HR |
The Candidate- Ritchie | R |
The Canterbury Tales- Pasolini | |
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise- Bunuel | MP |
The Getaway – Peckinpah | HR |
The Godfather – F. Coppola | MP |
The Heartbreak Kid – May | |
The King of Marvin’s Gardens- Rafelson | R |
The Merchant of Four Seasons- Fassbinder | R |
The Poseidon Adventure – Neame | R |
The Ruling Class- – Medak | HR |
The Seduction of Mimi – Wertmüller | |
Tout Va Bien- Godard | R |
Ulzana’s Raid- Aldrich | R |
Un Flic- Melville | |
What’s Up, Doc?- Bogdanovich | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Great year for male performers
Kinski gives his best career performance
Pacino with (maybe)his best career performance (DDA and godfather part 2. He is also great in Heat though not at the level of his top 3 performances.)
Brando with one of his best performances (maybe his best)(on the waterfront, apocalypse now etc)
In a lot of years, Aguirre would be the best film or very close to it. It’s a cinematic gem.
However the godfather is just too good for Aguirre. As you mentioned, it’s one of the best narratives and one of the best gathered casts of all time. I have little doubt in my mind that if we could combine the godfather 1 and 2 (like sight and sound allowed a few years back), it would our greatest movie of all time.(in mine and your opinion I think) 2nd only to maybe 2001 for me and the searchers for you. Do you agree?
You combine all 10 parts of Dekalog as one(sight and sound didnt allow ebert or any other critic to include all of dekalog as 1 movie/entry). I know dekalog is very different(mini series) to the godfather series so I think Sight and Sound needs to update/change its rules since TSPDT borrows from sight and sound. What do you think?
Do you think James Caan topped his work in the godfather in thief?
No Way of The Dragon(1973)?I could watch that movie once a week.Has one of the greatest battle scenes ever filmed between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
@Drake I didn’t really agree with your comment about Pacino deserving the best supporting actor oscar. He is clearly a lead.
@Anderson- I don’t understand your comment. Joel Grey won Best Supporting actor in 1972 over Pacino https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1973
You say, “[Joel Grey] didn’t deserve the best supporting actor win over Pacino in 1972.” I understand both of your viewpoints. I would have nominated Pacino in the leading category like Anderson, but after he was already nominated in support, I would have voted for him despite the incorrect categorization due to the quality of his performance.
@Graham- exactly. And whether he’s better than Brando or not is up for debate, but he was going to lose to Brando for Best Lead Actor in 1972 when they voted on this.
No I said it’s wrong that Pacino got nominated in a supporting actor category in the first place. He should have been nominated in the lead category. If I am not wrong Pacino didn’t attended the oscars for the exact same reason. Another blunder by the academy.
@Anderson- fine- but he was definitely nominated for best supporting actor- and given that- he should have won. My original comment stands.
Hmm. Your comment is right. But Al Pacino himself, myself and a lot of other people prefer that he got nominated for best actor(and lose to Brando) rather than winning a supporting actor oscar.
@Anderson- so just to clarify, you think Joel Grey in Cabaret is superior to Al Pacino in The Godfather? Or do you agree with me?
Drake, I think Anderson is pretty clearly saying that of the three, Brando is best, followed by Pacino, followed by Joel Grey, and that Brando and Pacino should both have been nominated as leading actors and Grey as support.
@Graham- I assume so, too– just giving him a chance to clean up his comment
First of all I agree with you Al Pacino(The Godfather) is clearly better than Joel Grey(Carbaret). Maybe Al Pacino is superior to Brando or maybe not. But either way they should both have been nominated in the leading category and one of them should have won(I haven’t seen Kinski in Aguirre and Brando in Last Tango in Paris got nominated following year) . But nominating Pacino in a wrong category is a serious mistake. There can be a debate whether Samuel L. is a lead or supporting in Pulp Fiction but there can be no debate about Pacino’s lead man status in The Godfather.
@Anderson- disagree on this being a “serious mistake” and the results were the same. Whatever the Academy owed Pacino they made up decades later with a win over Denzel in Malcolm X that he didn’t deserve.
Hmm. Of course I would love to see Al Pacino winning an oscar for The Godfather, The Godfather Part 2 and Dog Day Afternoon. There can be a debate whether Nicholson in Cuckoo’s Nest or Brando in The Godfather is superior to Pacino. So Nicholson and Brando deserved their oscars and Pacino deserved those 2 oscars if he won as well vice-versa. But 1974 is pretty clearly his year. And no Al Pacino and a lot of people including myself prefers that he got nominated in the lead category regardless of the outcome. I’m with Pacino here. It’s an insult getting nominated for supporting.
@Anderson– the idea was that he’s going to get slaughtered by Brando in the lead category. So the idea behind it was to put him in supporting where he has a chance. It didn’t pan out- but that was the reasoning. This has happened quite often in the history of the Academy Awards. It ultimately doesn’t matter. It is just an award- he’s still spectacular in the Godfather whether he wins or not, or is lead or not or whatever else- not a big deal.
I hate to break it to you, but if Pacino got nominated against Brando for Best Actor, he would get absolutely slaughtered. Regardless of how good his performance is and how it is a genuine debate about whether he or Brando is better, the Academy would always vote Brando. Against Joel Grey for Best Supporting Actor, he at least had a chance (which might have itself been damaged by having Caan and Duvall on the ballot as well).
@Zane- this is correct
@Zane – it’s crazy that Brando was only 48 when he did the Godfather, I don’t know he just seems much older. I thought he was like 65 the first time I saw it.
You are right though Pacino, regardless of how great he was (he was amazing) would never have won.
@James Trapp – I’ll probably be going to sleep right after this so don’t expect a response at this moment, but Henry Fonda was 63 in Once Upon a Time in the West and I thought he was 20 years younger. Similarly, James Stewart was 49 years old in Vertigo, and like you with Brando, I thought he was in his mid-60s at the time. Brando, however, I would’ve guessed about 50, which is accurate to his age.
Could you tell that Cary Grant was 55 in North by Northwest? I certainly couldn’t.
Al Pacino was 53 when he did Carlito’s Way. He played and looked like a guy who was at least 10 years younger. Very unlike his other roles during that period.(Godfather Part 3, Scent of a Woman)
@Zane – wow about Henry Fonda, you’re right he looks really good for 63, I would have guessed he was in his mid to late 40s.
James Steward I would have guessed was early 40s in Vertigo.
Brad Pitt is 57 which means he was like 54/55 when filming Once Upon…Hollywood, of course modern nutrition and physical training is much better today but still It’s amazing what films can do with age
I personally would nominate Pacino is lead and give him the win and nominate Brando in supporting and give him the win. So according to me both of them should have won pacino in lead and Brando in supporting.
@M*A*S*H- I like that- I’ve never actually seen how many minutes Brando and Pacino are on screen for The Godfather. I dislike the supporting/lead debate though as a topic so I’ll let others chime in here if they like. When I do my “best of” for the years I just list the best performances- I don’t break it into lead/supporting categories.
Any year where Aguirre, the Wrath of God is only the #3 best movie (although personally I would switch # 2 and #3) is quite a year.
Godfather is my all time #1 and each subsequent view only reinforces this opinion. It’s probably the best cast ever assembled. 2 of the top 5 actors of all time in my opinion. So many great scenes and quotes.
Hilarious Family Guy Scene About The Godfather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pnwE_Oy5WI
@James Trapp- haha I love that Family Guy scene- hilarious.
Yeah, as much as I love Cries and Whispers – one of my favorites from Bergman – Aguirre, The Wrath of God is the #2 film of this year. That being said, I don’t think it’s an open-and-shut case; a year from now after revisits I could easily put Bergman’s film above Herzog’s.
Academy saw the Last Tango in Paris a year later. So surely Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger didn’t deserve to win best actor over Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris right?
@Anderson- for sure- this would be Brando here in 1973
1972 was spectacular wasn’t it? I feel that not enough people mention it when recounting the best years in cinematic history. I pretty much completely agree with your ranking of all the films here and just look at #1-7. It’s ridiculous how wonderful a year can be. And there is also great variety. Coppola, Bergman, Herzog, Bertolucci, Fosse, Fassbinder, Bunuel, Tarkovsky. Beautiful. I think the 60’s are unbeatable when it comes to cinema in general, but the 70’s were absolutely incredible. Late (or even early) 50’s (1959 feels more like 60’s than 50’s) are wonderful as well. I like your comment about Cries and Whispers – it’s much closer to Persona than the consensus gives it credit for and you couldn’t even call it an underrated film. That’s just how great it is, everyone loves it and it’s still underrated. I agree about the Godfather featuring some great writing and acting and owing much to it, and I believe that is the reason that so many more casual cinema goers sleep on it when it comes to cinematography. It’s absolutely gorgeous, though admittedly more low key and less showy than Cries and Whispers, which makes an absolute splash here. I also happen to think The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant looks great thanks to the marvelous murals in the background (suffice it to say, they aren’t exactly the show in a film written by Fassbinder, but they get their moments to shine). Hanna Schygulla stood the test of time far better than Irm Hermann and Margit Carstensen, but they are all astounding in this film, all playing (to nobody’s surprise) difficult, demanding parts. Power plays and everything. I don’t remember the specifics of it well enough, but I’m always at awe of Fassbinder’s writing and his willingness to go to the places he does. Last Tango in Paris is wonderful, poetic. Sadly wrapped up in controversy, because it is a colossal achievement for Bertolucci and Brando. I’ve talked excessively about Cabaret on your Fosse page, but I’d also like to point out that if one takes Cabaret and places at say some year in the 80’s (it is not as quintessentially 70’s as other films from that era) it would make it to #1 or #2 easily. Just goes to show what a blessing 1972 is. The update is wonderful by the way, and I really like your selection of images for this.
@Georg- thank you for the kind words on the page and the summation here. I agree with you about the quality of the year and the variety.
Does Cries and Whispers have a page?
@James Trapp- Not yet- I caught it again six months ago but the circumstance for taking notes wasn’t ideal– and I need to do a Bergman retrospective anyways so I decided to wait
@Drake – just watched for a 3rd time, it should be a tough watch with the ice cold characters, aside from Anna nothing but despicable characters, the pain of Agnes who Ebert describes as making sounds similar to wounded animals, and the slow pacing/lack of plot. Yet it’s so fascinating with the use of color and framing. No one better at capturing the faces of actors/actresses. Probably my favorite Bergman movie after Persona although I still need to see Fanny and Alexande.
@James Trapp- You’ll love Fanny and Alexander. I mean all of Bergman is worth seeing but don’t skip Autumn Sonata either- I revisited it recently (no post yet) and I have been underrating that one for years.
>In reference to that shot of Brando and Pacino
Two great artists captured by two great artists (Coppola and Gordon Willis)
@Zane- indeed- what’s crazy is the confidence of the four of them at the time. Pacino and Coppola had never done it before…. Willis was just getting started with only really Klute under his belt as a major achievement…. and it had been ages for Brando performing near that level.
Is Marlon Brando in The Godfather an acceptable answer to the question which is the greatest screen acting performance of all time?
Have you seen the Last House on the Left (1972)?
@RK – I have seen this one. You think it belongs in the archives? I could be wrong, it has been many years since I’ve seen it. I just remember thinking it was crudely made– and I”m not talking about the controversial content.
Yep, actually watched it last week, and yes, I agree it is cruelly made and it’s content is also very cruel. But still it was well made, acted and directed for a low budget film. And yes, I do think it belongs to archives, but it’s not in the years top 15 in my books (could see it fall down to somewhere near 25-20 range since I have some films of 1972 on my watchlist which I haven’t watched yet and it’s somewhere on spot 18-20 of 1972 on my books).
And sorry for possible bad English since it’s not my native langue.
@RK- Your English is very good. Thank you for the comment here. It sounds like we’re on close to the same page for The Last House on the Left.