Underrated gems (and WTF films) of the 1970s
by Alberto-7 | created - 04 Feb 2017 | updated - 18 Jun 2021 | PublicSome lesser known films from the 1970s to discover. Most are terrific pieces of cinema and some are wonderfully bad but still need to be seen...or not.
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1. Saint Jack (1979)
R | 112 min | Drama
Jack Flowers, an American hustler in early-1970s Singapore, dreams of building a fortune by running a brothel and returning to the States to live a life of luxury.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Ben Gazzara, Denholm Elliott, James Villiers, Joss Ackland
Votes: 2,840
Tour de force performance by Ben Gazzarra and location shooting in Singapore are two of the reasons you should see this. The script is sharp and the direction by Peter Bogdanovich spot on. They do not make films like this anymore. Denholm Elliot is also great in this.
2. Husbands (1970)
PG-13 | 154 min | Comedy, Drama
After the death of a common friend, three married men leave their lives together, seeking pleasure and freedom and ultimately leaving for London.
Director: John Cassavetes | Stars: Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, Jenny Runacre
Votes: 7,345 | Gross: $0.78M
There are some moments at the beginning that are too long but the film comes alive in the second half. Ben Gazzarra, John Cassavetes and Peter Falk are fantastic. A true actor's film that is uncomfortable to watch at times but worth the effort. Gritty and realistic to the extreme.
3. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
R | 155 min | Drama, Romance
Although wife and mother Mabel is loved by her husband Nick, her mental illness places a strain on the marriage.
Director: John Cassavetes | Stars: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper, Lady Rowlands
Votes: 28,704 | Gross: $13.34M
Another John Cassavetes gritty masterpiece. Gena Rowlands is spectacular in this very difficult role. Peter Falk is amazing as well.
4. Alice in the Cities (1974)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama
A German journalist is saddled with a nine-year-old girl after encountering her mother at a New York airport.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Yella Rottländer, Rüdiger Vogler, Lisa Kreuzer, Edda Köchl
Votes: 13,237
Beautiful, haunting film with subtle direction by Wim Wenders. Great performances all around.
5. Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)
R | 104 min | Drama
Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC.
Director: John Sayles | Stars: Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau
Votes: 2,229 | Gross: $2.00M
Great ensemble piece with a sharp script and solid performances all around.
6. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
In the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Don Lope de Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra, Helena Rojo, Del Negro
Votes: 62,277
Werner Herzog's greatest film with a demented performance by Klaus Kinski. The South American locations are eerie and add a lot to the atmosphere of the film. The opening sequence is jaw-dropping. A film not to be missed.
7. Same Time, Next Year (1978)
PG | 119 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A married man and a married woman end up sleeping with each other, and decide to meet at the same place every year on the anniversary of their one night stand. As the years go by, they observe changes in each other and their relationship.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Alan Alda, Ellen Burstyn, Ivan Bonar, Bernie Kuby
Votes: 6,670 | Gross: $19.70M
Aland Alda gets a chance to flex his acting muscles in this tender, sad, beautiful film. Ellen Burstyn is perfect.
8. An Almost Perfect Affair (1979)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
A smalltime US filmmaker goes to Cannes to try to get his movie in the limelight. A wife of one of the producers there gets interested in his story and they begin an affair.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Keith Carradine, Monica Vitti, Raf Vallone, Christian De Sica
Votes: 363
Very funny film that takes place during the chaos of the Cannes Film Festival. A biting satire of the nonsense that goes on during film festivals. Monica Vitti is great in this.
9. Breezy (1973)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance
A young girl runs away from home and meets a grouchy older man who reluctantly takes her in. Eventually they develop a romantic and affectionate relationship.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: William Holden, Kay Lenz, Roger C. Carmel, Marj Dusay
Votes: 5,750
I was really surprised how great this film is. I was expecting something really schmaltzy but was impressed especially with the two leads, who are very good. Clint Eastwood's direction is unobtrusive and the story unfolds organically.
10. Gumshoe (1971)
GP | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Inspired by his love for Dashiell Hammett novels, nightclub comedian Eddie Ginley puts an ad in the paper as a private eye. The case he gets turns out to be a strange setup and as he digs to the bottom of it his life starts falling apart.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay, Janice Rule
Votes: 1,794 | Gross: $0.14M
Great hommage to film-noir of the 1940s with a winning performance by Albert Finney.
11. Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Billy Pilgrim has mysteriously become unstuck in time. He goes on an uncontrollable trip back and forth from his birth in New York to life on a distant planet and back again to the horrors of the 1945 fire-bombing of Dresden.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans
Votes: 13,910 | Gross: $0.57M
Amazing adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel. It is unlike anything you have ever seen before. Well worth your time.
12. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A newlywed man on his honeymoon has second thoughts about his marriage and falls for a different woman.
Director: Elaine May | Stars: Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin, Audra Lindley
Votes: 5,649 | Gross: $12.21M
Wow!!! Hilarious film with a terrific performance by Charles Grodin. Some moments will make you cringe but you will laugh out loud throughout. I can't forget to point out Jennie Berlin's great performance in a very difficult role. Avoid the remake with Ben Stiller and see this instead.
13. The Public Eye (1972)
G | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
When a strait-laced British accountant marries a free-spirited American, he starts trying to change her. His wife doesn't keep regular hours, so he suspects an affair and hires a detective ... See full summary »
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mia Farrow, Topol, Michael Jayston, Margaret Rawlings
Votes: 862
Topol and Mia Farrow are great in this but the real star is the city of London. Reviews were mixed for this film but I found it charming.
14. The American Friend (1977)
Not Rated | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Tom Ripley, who deals in forged art, suggests a picture framer he knows would make a good hit man.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Gérard Blain
Votes: 18,572
Wim Wenders thriller is unique in its form and content. Great performances all around.
15. The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 76 min | Comedy, Music
Charts the adventures of the prefab four, possibly the most famous band of all time.
Directors: Eric Idle, Gary Weis | Stars: Eric Idle, John Halsey, Ricky Fataar, Neil Innes
Votes: 6,946
Spot on satire of the Beatles with great cameos by Mick Jagger and Paul Simon. Eric Idle portrays many characters including one of the Rutles. Very, very funny.
16. The Day the Earth Got Stoned (1979)
PG | 73 min | Comedy
Using clips from old Republic Pictures serials, this spoof tells how an evil villain called The Lightning Bug attempts to take over the world by having rock music soundtracks played at a deafening level.
Director: Richard Patterson | Stars: Peter Bergman, Phil Proctor, M.G. Kelly, Jack Angel
Votes: 367
Using clips from movie serials from the 1940s, the filmmakers cobbled together a funny film about a villain(The Lightning Bug, baby!!) trying to get the world to listen to rock music! Very odd film but it works.
17. Beautiful People (1974)
G | 92 min | Comedy, Documentary
Hilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.
Director: Jamie Uys | Star: Paddy O'Byrne
Votes: 4,157
Hilarious documentary on animals living in the Namib desert. Funny narration coupled with spectacular footage elevates this film to another level. From Jamie Uys who later brought us The Gods Must Be Crazy.
18. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Sport
In the late 1930s during racial segregation, a star of the Negro League Baseball, Bingo Long, leaves his team and convinces other stars of the league to join him as free agent players touring the towns of the Midwest.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor, Rico Dawson
Votes: 2,162
Great baseball film that has an incredible feel for the 1930s. Billy Dee Williams is great but James Earl Jones steals the show.
19. Robert et Robert (1978)
105 min | Comedy, Drama
Two misfits meet at a dating agency and breakthrough in the social world in ways they never imagined.
Director: Claude Lelouch | Stars: Charles Denner, Jacques Villeret, Jean-Claude Brialy, Francis Perrin
Votes: 378
Funny, tender comedy from France about two unusual men trying to find love through a computer dating service who instead find friendship with each other. Charles Denner steals the show.
20. Stroszek (1977)
Not Rated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
In Berlin, an alcoholic man, recently released from prison, joins his elderly friend and a prostitute in a determined dream to leave Germany and seek a better life in Wisconsin.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Bruno S., Eva Mattes, Clemens Scheitz, Wilhelm von Homburg
Votes: 15,322
Another oddball Werner Herzog film that follows three misfits who leave Germany to settle in "Hicksville" Wisconsin to live the American dream. Instead, they implode. Very, very odd film with some jaw-dropping moments including a dancing chicken. Bruno S. is as odd a leading man as you have ever seen. Weird but worth seeing.
21. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama, Romance
A lonely widow meets a much younger Moroccan worker in a bar during a rainstorm. They fall in love, to their own surprise and to the outright shock of their families, colleagues, and drinking buddies.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Brigitte Mira, El Hedi ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, Irm Hermann
Votes: 23,848
Another odd German film, this one from Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The story: A young Moroccan immigrant has a romance with an elderly German woman much to the disgust of most of their neighbours. A touching film with remarkable performances.
22. Seven Beauties (1975)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The defense of honor, a strong value in Neapolitan society, and its effects on the life of everyman Pasquale Frafuso.
Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler, Elena Fiore
Votes: 6,486 | Gross: $0.01M
At times hilarious, at times horrifying, this is a film that will astound you. Giancarlo Giannini is amazing in the lead role. There are some moments that are hard to watch(especially the concentration camp scenes) but these are balanced out by scenes of incredible comedy. The scene where Giannini tries to seduce the camp commandant in an effort to survive, is one of the most awkward you have ever seen but it is quite funny, in a twisted sort of way. This is not for everyone but I consider it a remarkable film.
23. Days of Heaven (1978)
PG | 94 min | Drama, Romance
A hot-tempered farm laborer convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz
Votes: 62,743
A beautiful film that has spectacular cinematography (by Nestor Almendros). The direction by Terence Mallick is nuanced and the acting mostly first rate(unfortunately, Richard Gere is a little weak). Sam Shepard is a standout in this as is Brooke Adams. The locust swarm sequence is unforgettable. See this film if you get a chance
24. The Brood (1979)
R | 92 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman
Votes: 34,307
David Cronenberg's most underrated film. This is a raw, angry film that pulls no punches. I usually have a hard time with Oliver Reed but he is a standout in this. Samantha Eggar is also very good in this film. This is not for the squeamish but worth your time.
25. The Harder They Come (1972)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Wishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.
Director: Perry Henzell | Stars: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman
Votes: 7,033
Jamaica's first feature film is an unflinching look at crime and punishment in that country. Jimmy Cliff is no actor but he pulls it off here. There are moments of intense violence in this but overall the story is very interesting. The ending is sad but it fits the story well. The soundtrack is simply out of this world and includes some of the best reggae music ever made.
26. The Long Goodbye (1973)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Private investigator Philip Marlowe helps a friend out of a jam, but in doing so gets implicated in his wife's murder.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell
Votes: 37,256 | Gross: $0.96M
Philip Marlowe story as seen by Robert Altman. Totally wacky film with some very odd casting choices that are simply inspired. The ending has been changed for the better and Elliot Gould is great. Props to Sterling Hayden and Mark Rydell who are amazing. Look out for Arnold Schwarzenegger in a small role. A detective film like no other but be forewarned, there is one violent sequence that will make your jaw drop.
27. Walkabout (1971)
GP | 100 min | Adventure, Drama
Two city-bred siblings are stranded in the Australian Outback, where they learn to survive with the aid of an Aboriginal boy on his "walkabout": a ritual separation from his tribe.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Jenny Agutter, David Gulpilil, Luc Roeg, John Meillon
Votes: 27,344 | Gross: $0.02M
Wow, what a unique film. Not to be missed.
28. Gates of Heaven (1978)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
A documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Lucille Billingsley, Zella Graham, Cal Harberts, Dan Harberts
Votes: 6,289
This starts off as a documentary about a pet cemetery but it quickly becomes a film about people's hopes and dreams. Some beautiful moments balanced with some very weird stuff. Worth checking out.
29. Fata Morgana (1971)
Not Rated | 79 min | Documentary, Drama
Footage shot in and around the Sahara Desert, accompanied only by a spoken creation myth and the songs of Leonard Cohen.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Lotte Eisner, Wolfgang Büttner, Manfred Eigendorf, Eugen Des Montagnes
Votes: 4,089
Werner Herzog experimental/poetic documentary will either blow your mind or turn you right off. He shot for over a year in the Sahara and Sahel deserts(and all over Africa) and put it all together with hardly any spoken word and an occasional Leonard Cohen song. Some of the footage is spectacular but this is not for all tastes. I loved it.
30. Chariots of the Gods (1970)
G | 92 min | Documentary
Based on Erich Von Daniken's book purporting to prove that throughout history aliens have visited earth.
Director: Harald Reinl | Stars: Heinz-Detlev Bock, Klaus Kindler, Christian Marschall, Aleksandr Kazantsev
Votes: 1,744 | Gross: $25.95M
This film marked my childhood. In it, we are shown several places on earth where Aliens might have possibly visited (Nazca lines, Pyramids, Candelabra of the Andes etc.) hence the Gods of the title. I saw it a few years ago and realize that a lot of it is flimsy pseudoscience with some ridiculous statements. Still, it shows some amazing places on earth to discover, just don't think too much about what is being said. Then again, aliens might have visited us in the ancient world...or not.
31. Gizmo! (1977)
G | 77 min | Comedy, Documentary
Compilation of man inventing strange contraptions in the 30's through 50's.
Director: Howard Smith | Star: Milt Moss
Votes: 455
Absolutely fun compilation of newsreel clips from the 1930s,1940s and 1950s on Rube Goldberg style inventions including an alarm clock that whips off your blanket to wake you up.
32. Cocksucker Blues (1972)
93 min | Documentary, Music
Follow the Rolling Stones on their 1972 North American Tour and their first return to the States since the tragedy at Altamont.
Director: Robert Frank | Stars: Truman Capote, Dick Cavett, Marshall Chess, Chris Collins
Votes: 874
Notorious documentary that follows the Rolling Stones during their 1972 North American tour. The filmmaker had unimpeded access to the band and their entourage. The result is a poorly made, rambling documentary that includes some very disturbing scenes including people shooting-up and what certainly looks like the rape of a groupie. There are long moments of the band members sitting in their hotel rooms bored not speaking to each other. The Rolling Stones were horrified when they saw the final film and suppressed its distribution. It could only be seen in the presence of its director a couple of times a year. I thought it was downright awful with very little to recommend in it unless you like watching tired musicians sitting around doing nothing.
33. Hospital (1970 TV Movie)
84 min | Documentary
An intimate look at the daily activities of medical staff and patients in New York's Metropolitan Hospital.
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Stars: Eugene Friedman, Stanley Friedman, Robert Schwartz
Votes: 547
Brilliant Frederick Wiseman documentary that chronicles the daily activities of a hospital in New York City. Some sequences are quite uncomfortable to watch but the film is well worth your time.
34. The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)
G | 86 min | Documentary, Sport
This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain.
Director: Bruce Nyznik | Stars: Yûichirô Miura, Shintaro Ishihara, Taisuke Fujishima, Yukihiko Kato
Votes: 755
Oscar winning documentary on the 1970 Japanese expedition trying to bring skier Yuichiro Miura to the top of Mount Everest so that he can ski down the slope!! The beautiful images are enhanced by Douglas Rain's poetic narration. A wild film that must be seen to be believed.
35. Hardcore (1979)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama
A religious businessman from Michigan has to venture into the world of pornography in California, desperately searching for his runaway teenage daughter.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley, Dick Sargent
Votes: 13,809
Intense drama with a tortured performance by George C. Scott. A difficult film but worth seeing.
36. Silent Running (1972)
G | 89 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.
Director: Douglas Trumbull | Stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint
Votes: 31,462 | Gross: $0.69M
Cult sci-fi film with a spot-on performance by Bruce Dern. Worth your time.
37. Watermelon Man (1970)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Jeff Gerber, a racist white man, wakes up one morning to discover that he has become black.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Godfrey Cambridge, Estelle Parsons, Howard Caine, D'Urville Martin
Votes: 2,869 | Gross: $1.50M
What happens when a white bigot wakes up one day and finds out he is now black? A very well made film that tackles racism head on.
38. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
PG | 113 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
To treat his friend's cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall, Nicol Williamson
Votes: 5,097
Great Sherlock Holmes film has him meet Sigmund Freud in an effort to cure him of his cocaine addiction. Very well done.
39. Night Moves (1975)
R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Los Angeles private investigator Harry Moseby is hired by a client to find her runaway teenage daughter. Moseby tracks the daughter down, only to stumble upon something much more intriguing and sinister.
Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Edward Binns, Harris Yulin
Votes: 17,709
Layered, complex Arthur Penn thriller with a good performance from Gene Hackman. James Woods and Melanie Griffith are also in the cast. Worth seeing more than once.
40. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A couple of English tourists arrive on an island where all the children have gone crazy and are murdering the adults.
Director: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador | Stars: Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome, Antonio Iranzo, Miguel Narros
Votes: 8,026
Terrifying Spanish horror film is going to terrify you down to your soul. Not for the faint of heart.
41. Don't Look Now (1973)
R | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Votes: 62,319 | Gross: $0.98M
Great thriller that has many creepy moments but is so exquisitely put together. Haunting.
42. Harold and Maude (1971)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack
Votes: 81,839
Lovely, sad, funny cult film that shows that love is all we really need.
43. Rabid (1977)
R | 91 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A young woman develops a taste for human blood after experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into blood-thirsty zombies, leading into a city-wide epidemic.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Terry Schonblum, Joe Silver
Votes: 21,385
Early David Cronenberg horror film is quite gruesome but quite addictive. One of my guilty pleasures.
44. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Horror
Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor
Votes: 40,512
Werner Herzog makes a vampire film and it is nothing like any other vampire film ever. Dracula brings the plague to Western Europe. Slow but very engaging.
45. Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
G | 99 min | Drama, Family
A skilled flyer but very rebellious young seagull is kicked out of his clan. However, instead of being sad or lonely, he decides to enjoy and explore his newfound freedom.
Director: Hall Bartlett | Stars: James Franciscus, Juliet Mills, Philip Ahn, David Ladd
Votes: 2,326 | Gross: $1.60M
A lot of people found this pretentious but I was moved. Be forewarned that the film's main character is a seagull. If that doesn't bother you, the story will interest you greatly. Cinematography is spectacular.
46. Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Charles is a bored civil servant struggling through a harsh Utah winter. He spends most of his time reflecting on his romance with Laura, a coworker who left him to return to her husband, an A-Frame salesman.
Director: Joan Micklin Silver | Stars: John Heard, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Riegert, Kenneth McMillan
Votes: 1,652
Sad, nuanced film on unrequited love and obsession. The original release had a tacked on happy ending(not present in the original novel) and the film bombed. That scene was cut and the film was re-released and did better. Mary Beth Hurt is amazing in this as is Peter Reigert who is quite funny. John Heard is good as the lead and never veers into caricature. Although it is a sad film, it is never depressing.
47. Gimme Shelter (1970)
GP | 91 min | Documentary, Music, Thriller
When three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin | Stars: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts
Votes: 12,887 | Gross: $0.25M
Absolutely stunning documentary that follows the Rolling Stones in concert in the USA including giving a free concert in San Francisco(Altamont raceway) where the Hell's Angels provided security! That concert takes up about half of the film's running time and it is incredible. You simply can't keep from watching even though it is a catastrophe of biblical proportions. People are beaten up by the bikers (including one of the members of Jefferson Airplane), countless people jump onstage and, tragically, a man is stabbed to death. The looks on the members of the Rolling Stones as things deteriorate is one of genuine concern. Still, it makes for great drama(you will be riveted to your seat throughout). A masterpiece of documentary cinema with a great soundtrack to boot but it isn't for the faint of heart.
48. Hester Street (1975)
PG | 89 min | Drama, Romance
In 1896, a Russian Jewish woman immigrates to New York's Lower East Side to reunite with her Americanized husband, but has difficulty assimilating.
Director: Joan Micklin Silver | Stars: Steven Keats, Carol Kane, Mel Howard, Dorrie Kavanaugh
Votes: 1,877 | Gross: $5.00M
Beautiful film on Jewish immigrants in New York at the end of the 19th century includes a wonderful Oscar-nominated performance by Carol Kane. A thoughtfully made historical film full of magical moments. A must see.
49. The Canterbury Tales (1972)
NC-17 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, History
Pasolini's artistic, sometimes violent, always vividly cinematic retelling of some of Chaucer's most erotic tales.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Stars: Hugh Griffith, Laura Betti, Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti
Votes: 8,229
Probably the most WTF movie on this list. I was expecting bawdy humour with some funny moments. What I got was extreme titillation and tons of ridiculous characters. I don't understand how this won best film at Berlin. I realize that the original Chaucer poem was pretty risque but Pasolini leaves nothing to the imagination. Its a festival of nudity and scatology with one very disturbing scene (the Friar's Tale). Nothing sexy here, give it a pass unless you like dirt and grime on everything.
50. Yesterday's Hero (1979)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Music
A has-been, alcoholic former soccer star determines to make a comeback. He gets help from his former girlfriend, now a rock star, and her partner.
Director: Neil Leifer | Stars: Suzanne Somers, Ian McShane, Adam Faith, Paul Nicholas
Votes: 267
Absurd mishmash of sports movie and disco music. The soccer sequences are good. The music sequences will make you want to put wax in your ears. Definitely fits in the WTF category.
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