The Candidate (1972)

Bill McKay, though son of a former governor, has no political ambitions but is hand-picked by a strategist to run for senate. Rather than winning, the goal is to simply shake up the race, giving McKay freedom to be bold. Welp, boldness works a lot better than expected.

The acting is strong and the pseudo-documentary style works, but it's too dated to be anything other than a time capsule at this point. What was probably groundbreaking and audacious when it came out simply cannot retain that now that we're so used to unqualified, unpolished everymen running for office and winning.

C+

The Godfather (1972)

I believe I first saw this in my 20s and, though I gave it an "A+" rating, all I had retained were a dozen or so visual memories (e.g. Michael dropping the gun as though it had burned him,  Sonny trapped at the toll booth, Kay's defeated face as a door shuts her out of the room). I was fully expecting to drop the rating upon rewatch, but found that I was just blown away -- probably even more impressed this time around than I was the first. There's simply nothing to fault here.

One of the most surprising discoveries is that it feels as though it could've been made this year. The storytelling and cinematography is timeless rather than dated. And, even at nearly 3 hours, I was never waiting out the clock. I was engaged and impressed for its entirety.

A+

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Diana Ross is not a good actress. But it doesn't really matter much because this movie is not good either. The best way I can describe it is "basic." There's no richness or depth. 

D

The Getaway (1972)

“Doc” (McQueen) doesn’t make parole, so he asks his wife (the blank Ali McGraw) to pass on the message to the big cheese on the outside that he’s for sale. Next thing you know, he’s out and has a job to do: rob a bank with the gang the big cheese has chosen for him. Things go sideways, of course, so Doc and his wife spend the rest of the film trying to get to Mexico… by following the path everyone expects them to take. If there was a reason for that, it went over my head.

The whole endeavor both confused and annoyed us in equal measure. Nothing made much sense and everything had a film of “yeccch” on it. There was a whole b-plot about one of the gang members chasing after Doc with a couple (and their tiny kitten) in tow -- against the husband's will but very much in tune with the woman’s will. That trio has an in-car BBQ rib fight at one point because why not? Absurd in almost every way.

D+

Young Winston (1972)

So. Very. Boring. It was like listening to a story told by a doddering old man who can’t keep the narrative straight and has lost all ability to discern what may be of interest only to those in his immediate family. Excruciating.

D

Sounder (1972)

Poor black family in the early-’30s south is happy despite their poverty. Out of desperation at his children’s hunger, the father steals some meat from a nearby smokehouse and gets sentenced to a year of hard labor. The mother and her three children have to “crop” in his place and keep their spirits up in the process.

The power of the story is all about time and place.  Blacks were less than whites, women were less than men.  There’s not a whole lot of character development here, but it’s affecting despite its sparseness.

B

Travels with My Aunt (1972)

Bursts onto the screen with the promise of great fun, but kind of fizzles out once the set-up’s done and we get going with the "travels."

Maggie Smith is great, but I think they were going for a bit of a bawdier Auntie Mame feel and they fell quite short.

C+

And Now for Something Completely Different (1972)

Though it has some of Monty Python's most well-loved bits incorporated (Dead Parrot, Wink-wink Nudge-nudge, and The Lumberjack Song), the pacing is off. I think it may be that there are far too many animated bits -- I've never enjoyed the style/humor of these -- and it winds up feeling as though it just goes on and on.

C+

Across 110th Street (1972)

Tough little movie about three black men ripping off some mob loot. Race struggles within the police department and on the street contribute to the messiness of the chase.

Basically, this is a pretty solid core dressed in some laughable '70s affectations and "effects."

C+

Murmur of the Heart (1972)

This is less a story than a series of vignettes with a throughline.

Laurent's the youngest (14) of three boys in a well-to-do family. His brothers are a bit wild and eager to usher their sibling into manhood, mocking and torturing him along the way, as brothers do. The mother dotes on all three, but especially her little sickly Laurent.

Mom and son wind up spending several weeks at a sanitorium to treat his heart murmur. While there, he begins to see his mother in a new light.

Probably the most disturbing thing about this film is that things which should horrify me seemed rather natural. Most of the time I was watching with my nose wrinkled. I hate that I came away from this feeling like a prude, even though I knew what I was seeing. It wasn't beautiful or inevitable, despite the attempt to make it seem so.

C

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Divided up into seven chapters, each answering a question.

The most successful segment is the last -- "What Happens During Ejaculation?" -- which lets us peek inside at the little people running all of the centers of the body, including a priestly conscience attempting to prevent erection. There were a couple of chuckles in the rest of the movie, but most of situations were straining hard. And, apparently, Woody Allen believes that "sodomy" means "bestiality." I understand that one can sodomize a beast, but...um...nevermind.

The least amusing Woody Allen comedy by a wide margin. And yes, I've seen Celebrity.

D

Fat City (1972)

Ends with an effective scene that blends pity, despair, and kindness seamlessly -- a truly stunning 5 minutes or so. It’s a shame that the film leading up to this effective finale is amateurish at best. The acting is clumsy and the dialogue repetitive...Bridges and Keach do what they can, but it’s just no use.

D+

What's Up, Doc? (1972)

As fun today as when it first came out. Just a crazy romp with Streisand in top form. Best scenes: the "Burnsey" banquet & the climactic chase.

B+

Butterflies are Free (1972)

Way too long to have to endure Goldie's amateurish acting and unbelievable flightiness. The movie doesn't even merit viewing until Eileen Heckart arrives (at a bit past the halfway point). She livens things up a bit, but not enough. Albert is good enough that I checked to make sure that he isn't actually blind, but that doesn't make the draggy story worth watching.

I wish I could get that damn "Butterflies Are Free" song out of my head!

C