1972

Silent Running

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Silent Running. Universal 1972.

Before watching the movie:

I have seen a portion of this movie before. I think it was accidentally recorded off the air as the lead in to what was actually supposed to be on the tape. I try not to directly spoil the movies I review here so I will not describe the turn of the very very last scene that I saw, but it was so disturbing, especially without context, that I vividly remember it  even now, decades later. Any readers who have seen this movie will understand what I’m referring to. The little I’ve learned since has only reaffirmed my understanding of it as a very melancholy, very 70s movie.

However, my striking personal memory only made me more determined after starting this blog that it had to be one to review here eventually. I came to that ending without context and it was distressing but also very confusing, and much like the less spoiler-averse people in my life, even knowing where it ends, I want to see how it gets there.

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Man of La Mancha

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Man Of La Mancha. United Artists 1972.

Before watching the movie:

I think this is the way most people have experienced Don Quixote.  I’ve read some of the book, but despite the new translation I was using, the stilted nature of it still sometimes overpowered the comedy, which itself sometimes felt a little too much like “mental illness is funny!” It’s at the same time amazing how modern it feels at over 400 years old and yet how basic the storytelling can be at times, because it’s had 400 years to become part of the way we always tell stories.

But the grandeur of the way Man of La Mancha interprets the book is enticing and accessible. Everyone has heard at least a few bars of “The Impossible Dream”. It’s a classic showtune ballad. The romance is probably more feel-good in this take as well.

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1776

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1776. Columbia Pictures 1972.
1776. Columbia Pictures 1972.

Before watching the movie:

Grill some hamburgers, butter some corn, …load some muskets? warm up your singing voice? A brief look and page turn at your calendar will point out that next week is Independence Day. And what better movie to mark the event with than 1776? Okay, there are better choices, but I’d seen most of the ones that came to mind and/or couldn’t get them on short notice.

I can see the potential for the War for Independence to be a musical epic, but no individual major events really suggest songs to me. The writing and signing of the Declaration will probably have centerpiece song(s), but beyond that, I have no idea.

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The Godfather

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The Godfather. Paramount Pictures 1972.

Before watching the movie:

Everything I know about this movie comes down to atmosphere and a few lines that get parodied frequently. I don’t even remember the plot of The Godson or the tribute episode of Quantum Leap, so I’m not sure if I’ve come across anything more substantial about this movie than Marlon Brando’s mushmouthed Italian and the wedding day favors. It probably concerns a rival family, tensions within the family, or both. I think I can expect Don Corleone to die by the end of this, because he’s clearly not in the sequels.

This movie is probably to organized crime what Wall Street is to disorganized legal crime stock trading, though I think I’ve heard that Italian-American mobsters often don’t like what it’s done to their image.

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