1974

I won't lie, this is one of my favorite years simply because of the top three films. Chinatown and The Godfather Part II are both in my all time top ten list so I had to put this year in almost by default.Throw in one of the great paranoid thrillers, Mel Brooks's best comedies, my favorite Godzilla movie and the last great Ray Harryhausen creature-feature and how could I resist this treat of a year. It had everything!

The Top Three
Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation

Simply put this is the best written movie ever. Robert Towne's script is the measuring stick for screenwriters and none have matched the high water mark. Every line, every plot twist, every action is so crafted down to the most perfect detail that only in hindsight can the true beauty of what unfolds onscreen be appreciated.On top of the phenomenal script is one of the best performances of Jack Nicholson's and Faye Dunaway's respective careers. Their chemistry together and the way they play off each other is like an acting clinic. It's the example you show to others and say, "This is how you do it". The other important ingredient in the magnificence of this film is the utterly loathsome villain in the film, Noah Cross as portrayed by John Huston. I want to take a shower just thinking about him. Yeeuuck. What makes the film work for me mostly is the true sense of mystery surrounding the events with which Nicholson is presented. The audience follows the detective through every scene so that we know what he knows. This method of storytelling is extremely satisfying for grand revelations and the putting together of information. Even the poster (above) is my favorite for any film. When you sum it all up, you get one of the greatest films ever made. 

Speaking of greatest movies ever, here is another. The Godfather Part II is the best sequel in the history of cinema. The reason for this is it is a pure continuation of the original story and not a rehash of the first film with a different plot, as most sequels tend to be. In many ways, Part II is the better crafted film. Coppola uses the interweaving story lines of Vito Corleone's rise to power with Michael's assertion of power to maximum effect and the dichotomy between the two (as well as the similarity) is both romantic and tragic at the same time. Truly a masterstroke of filmmaking. Pacino's reserved, calculated performance does not get enough recognition but he turns in some of his best work here. Likewise, John Cazale uses his screentime to maximum effect and provides a much deeper, more sympathetic portrait of Fredo than was seen in the first film. Every scene brings you deeper and closer to the character of Michael, even as he pulls away from everyone and everything around him. The film is at the same time, a generations spanning epic and an intimate character study of a man who no longer trusts anyone, even those he loves the most. Most assuredly, this is one of the all time greats.

Words have never been more important, nor as closely studied than they are by Gene Hackman in The Conversation. This is the kind of film that could be made in any decade with respect to the plot but it was uniquely meant to be in the 70's.There's a feel of pessimism and a weight throughout the film that I attribute to the way the film was shot, the wardrobe and the lethargy of the movement on screen. All of this is directly influenced by the time period. Nothing moves fast, there's no flash anywhere on this film. Instead you get a tense, cloying type of paranoia centered around a bit of recorded audio, the topic of which Gene Hackman cannot come to terms with. The progression of events continues to heighten the suspense and the plot twists are really great. This is a film that much like Chinatown was not nearly as great upon it's first viewing as it was upon each subsequent viewing. I think my initial expectations were off from what I was presented and that threw me a bit. However, I was curious to see the film again and that's when I totally got immersed. One of Hackman's best roles and a film that should never be glossed over or forgotten.

Best of the Rest
Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Murder on the Orient Express, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

There were a number of other great films this year, most notably the two Mel Brooks comedies, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Both are comedy classics and the classic scenes/moments are too many to list here. Then there's a nice thriller with Pelham and a classic murder mystery on a train (is there anything better than a murder mystery on a train?) with Orient Express. You also have the Golden Voyage of Sinbad, which is one of the better Sinbad films. John Phillip Law plays the titular hero though I will always know him as Calgone from Space Mutiny. The best part of the film is Ray Harryhausen's fabulous creatures and that glorious stop motion animation.The only thing better than stop motion animation is a man in a rubber dinosaur suit, destroying a miniature version of Tokyo. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is my favorite in the Godzilla canon, mostly due to the fact that Godzilla "dies" at the beginning of the movie and then doesn't show up again until the finale to kick some serious metal-fake-imposter-Godzilla ass. In between there's a lot of gloriously terrible dialogue from the usual stable of Godzilla actors, scientists, aliens that turn into gorillas when wounded, a mythical statue, ancient prophecy...well you get the idea. It's sublime.


Other Films of Note
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Odessa File

Overall, this year is one that I have to see more films from in order to fully get a grasp on it. However, the films I have seen from this year stack up with some of the best of all time. I'm very excited to see what the rest of 1974 has in store for me.