|
Books
CINEMA OF
THE 70s:
101 ICONIC MOVIES
by John H. Foote
(London: Palazzo, 2023)
Illustrated.
224 pages.
Paperback.
$29.99.
ISBN: 9-781786-751331.
Review by Dr.
Kirk Bane,
Central Texas Historical Association
January 1, 2024 |
After
THE GODFATHER PART II claimed six Oscars, including Best Picture and
Best Director, in April 1975, triumphant filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
"packed up his family and headed for the Philippines to make the first
major American film about Vietnam. APOCALYPSE NOW was fraught with
troubles, such as replacing star Harvey Keitel…with Martin Sheen,
then dealing with Sheen's subsequent near-fatal…heart attack. But
Coppola just carried on shooting. Typhoons wiped out his sets; the
helicopters on loan from the Philippine militarily would routinely
be called away in the middle of a shot to fight the rebels in the
nearby hills; the heat was insufferable, and the rain came down with
a pelting force. Dennis Hopper was so wired on drugs he was barely
coherent, and then Marlon Brando arrived, hugely overweight and not
having bothered to learn his lines. He and Coppola huddled together
most days to discuss the character of Kurtz, rarely getting much done."
Despite numerous obstacles, the beleaguered, though persistent, director
managed to craft another "masterpiece." So observes film scholar John
H. Foote, former head of the Toronto Film School, in this opinionated,
informative, entertaining, and lavishly illustrated overview of 70s
cinema.
From PATTON to THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE WAY WE WERE to CHINATOWN,
JAWS to ANNIE HALL, TAXI DRIVER to STAR WARS, and ANIMAL HOUSE to
THE DEER HUNTER (and ninety-one more legendary motion pictures), Foote
succinctly, though perceptively, evaluates the decade's leading movies.
"Today, over half a century later, great films are measured by those
of the 70s," he contends. "Has there been a more impactful ten-year
period?"
Readers may not always agree with Foote's views, though he will surely
provoke their thinking! Consider, for instance, his harsh critique
of Mia Farrow, who starred as Daisy in 1974's THE GREAT GATSBY. "From
time to time," Foote asserts, "actors show who they really are beneath
the skin of the performance they are giving. Has Mia Farrow ever been
more truthful than she is in the closing moments of the film, smugly,
even blissfully ignoring what she has done, comfortable with the fact
that Gatsby (Robert Redford) is dead, and her life will go on without
a catch? One of the reasons I believe Woody Allen in the sickening
allegations Farrow made against him is that she portrayed that moment
so well here and in court." Moreover, Foote fails to examine several
truly important films from the decade, including Robert Altman's brilliant
revisionist Western from 1971, MCCABE & MRS. MILLER.
Readers will learn a significant amount of fascinating Hollywood trivia
along the way. For example, before Clint Eastwood was hired to play
San Francisco detective Dirty Harry Callahan, did you know that Dean
Martin, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and Jackie Gleason had all declined
the role? Or that studios considered such diverse actors as James
Caan, Burt Reynolds, and Ryan O'Neal for the part of Rocky Balboa?
Film enthusiasts will enjoy Foote's superb CINEMA OF THE 70s. Two
thumbs up!
Note: Foote has also authored two volumes in Praeger's Modern
Filmmakers series, CLINT EASTWOOD: EVOLUTION OF A FILMMAKER (2008)
and STEVEN SPIELBERG: THE DIRECTOR AND THE FILMS (2012). |
|
As an Amazon
Associate
we earn from qualifying
purchases through this link
Thank you for supporting Texas Escapes |
|
HOME
