by Allan Fish
Best Picture Taxi Driver, US (10 votes)
Best Director Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver (12 votes)
Best Actor Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver (13 votes)
Best Actress Sissy Spacek, Carrie & Liv Ullmann, Face to Face (6 votes each, TIE)
Best Supp Actor Jason Robards Jr, All the President’s Men (4 votes)
Best Supp Actress Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver & Piper Laurie, Carrie (8 votes each, TIE)
Best Cinematography Vittorio Storaro, 1900 & Haskell Wexler, Bound for Glory (4 votes each, TIE)
Best Score Bernard Herrmann, Taxi Driver (15 votes)
Best Short Children, UK, Terence Davies (4 votes)
—
Moving on…
—
1977
—
Best Picture/Director
—
21 Up (UK…Michael Apted)
Abigail’s Party (UK…Mike Leigh)
Alambrista! (US…Robert M.Young)
Alice Sweet Alice (US…Alfred Sole)
The American Friend (West Germany…Wim Wenders)
Andy Warhol’s Bad (US…Paul Morrissey)
L’Ange et le Femme (France…Gilles Carle)
Annie Hall (US…Woody Allen)
The Ballad of Orin (Japan…Masahiro Shinoda)
Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture! (Japan…Noboru Tanaka)
Black Sunday (US…John Frankenheimer)
Le Camion (France…Marguerite Duras)
Camouflage (Poland…Krzysztof Zanussi)
Ceddo (Senegal…Ousmane Sembene)
The Chess Players (India…Satyajit Ray)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (US…Steven Spielberg)
Count Dracula (UK…Philip Saville)
Cross of Iron (US…Sam Peckinpah)
Death is My Trade (West Germany…Theodor Kotulla)
Demon Seed (US…Donald Cammell)
La Dentellière (France…Claude Goretta)
A Dirty Story (France…Jean Eustache)
Dog’s Dialogue (France…Raoul Ruiz)
The Duellists (UK/US…Ridley Scott)
11 x 14 (US…James Benning)
Emanuelle in America (US…Joe d’Amato)
Eraserhead (US…David Lynch)
Fairy in a Cage (Japan…Koyu Oharu)
Forbidden Love (Spain…Vicente Aranda)
France/tour/detour/deux/enfants (France…Jean-Luc Godard, Anne-Marie Niéville)
Genèse d’un repas (France…Luc Moullet)
The Getting of Wisdom (Australia…Bruce Beresford)
Grin Without a Cat (France…Chris Marker)
Group Portrait With Lady (West Germany…Aleksandr Petrovic)
Handle With Care (US…Jonathan Demme)
Hard Times (UK…John Irvin)
High Anxiety (US…Mel Brooks)
The Hills Have Eyes (US…Wes Craven)
Hitler: a Film from Germany (West Germany…Hans-Jürgen Syberberg)
House (Japan…Nobuhiko Obayashi)
I, an Actress (US…George Kuchar)
Iodo (South Korea…Kim Ki-Young)
Iphigenia (Greece…Michael Cacoyannis)
Je Suis une belle Salope (France…Gérard Vernier)
Jesus of Nazareth (UK …Franco Zeffirelli)
Julia (US…Fred Zinnemann)
Killer of Sheep (US…Charles Burnett)
The Late Show (US…Robert Benton)
Last Chants for a Slow Dance (US…Jon Jost)
The Last Wave (Australia…Peter Weir)
Looking for Mr Goodbar (US…Richard Brooks)
Maladolescenza (Italy/West Germany…Pier Giuseppe Murgia)
Man of Marble (Poland…Andrzej Wajda)
The Man Who Loved Women (France…Francois Truffaut)
Martin (US…George A. Romero)
The Message (Lebanon…Moustapha Akkad)
New York, New York (US…Martin Scorsese)
News from Home (France/Belgium…Chantal Akerman)
Night Journey (South Korea…Kim Soo-yong)
The Norman Conquests (UK…Herbert Wise)
Oh God! (US…Carl Reiner)
One Way or Another (Cuba…Sara Gomez Yera)
Opening Night (US…John Cassavetes)
Padre Padrone (Italy…Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani)
Peppermint Soda (France…Diane Kurys)
The Price of Coal (UK…Ken Loach)
Providence (France/UK…Alain Resnais)
Pumping Iron (US…George Butler and Robert Fiore)
A Quite Ordinary Life (Hungary…Imre Gyöngyössy)
Rabid (Canada…David Cronenberg)
Rape! 13th Hour (Japan…Yasuharu Hasebe)
The Revelation (Norway…Vibeke Lokkeberg)
The Role (India…Shyam Benegal)
Rolling Thunder (US…John Flynn)
Roots (US…Marvin J.Chomsky)
Saturday Night Fever (US…John Badham)
Soldier of Orange (Netherlands…Paul Verhoeven)
Sorcerer (US…William Friedkin)
Spoiled Children (France…Bertrand Tavernier)
Star Wars (US…George Lucas)
The Stationmaster’s Wife (West Germany…Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Stroszek (West Germany…Werner Herzog)
Suspiria (Italy…Dario Argento)
That Obscure Object of Desire (France/Spain…Luis Buñuel)
This Sweet Sickness (France…Claude Miller)
3 Women (US…Robert Altman)
Tomka and His Friends (Albania…Xhanfize Keko)
Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself With Tea (Czechoslovakia…Jindrich Polák)
Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano (USSR…Nikita Mikhalkov)
Utamaro’s World (Japan…Akio Jissoji)
Valse Triste (US…Bruce Conner)
Why Shoot the Teacher? (Italy…Silvio Narizzano)
Women in New York (West Germany…Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
—
Best Actor
—
Woody Allen Annie Hall
Omero Antonutti Padre Padrone
Richard Burton Equus
Art Carney The Late Show
James Coburn Cross of Iron
Robert de Niro New York New York
John Denver Oh God!
Richard Dreyfuss Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Richard Dreyfuss The Goodbye Girl
John Gielgud Providence
Rutger Hauer Soldier of Orange
Louis Jourdan Count Dracula TV
Harvey Keitel The Duellists
Marcello Mastroianni A Special Day
Jack Nance Eraserhead
Philippe Noiret Dear Inspector
Robert Powell Jesus of Nazareth TV
Jerzy Radzilowicz Man of Marble
Fernando Rey That Obscure Object of Desire
John Travolta Saturday Night Fever
—
Best Actress
—
Victoria Abril Forbidden Love
Anne Bancroft The Turning Point
Shelley Duvall 3 Women
Jane Fonda Julia
Annie Girardot Dear Inspector
Jessica Harper Suspiria
Isabelle Huppert La Dentellière
Krystyna Janda Man of Marble
Yun Jeong-hee Night Journey
Diane Keaton Annie Hall
Diane Keaton Looking for Mr Goodbar
Marsha Mason The Goodbye Girl
Jinko Miyashita Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture!
Irene Papas Iphigenia
Kathleen Quinlan I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Gena Rowlands Opening Night
Sissy Spacek 3 Women
Alison Steadman Abigail’s Party TV
Lily Tomlin The Late Show
—
Best Supp Actor
—
Bob Balaban Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Mikhail Baryshnikov The Turning Point
Dirk Bogarde Providence’
George Burns Oh God!
Peter Firth Equus
Jackie Gleason Smokey and the Bandit
Alec Guinness Star Wars
Jéroen Krabbe Soldier of Orange
Jason Robards Jr Julia
Maximilian Schell Cross of Iron
Maxmillian Schell Julia
Jack Shepherd Count Dracula TV
G.D. Spradlin One on One
Tim Stearn Abigail’s Party TV
Francois Truffaut Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Ben Vereen Roots TV
Michael York Jesus of Nazareth TV
—
Best Supp Actress
—
Joan Blondell Opening Night
Leslie Brown The Turning Point
Quinn Cummings The Goodbye Girl
Melinda Dillon Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Janine Duvitski Abigail’s Party TV
Teri Garr Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Teri Garr Oh God!
Angela Molina That Obscure Object of Desire
Susan Penhaligon Count Dracula TV
Vanessa Redgrave Julia
Tuesday Weld Looking for Mr Goodbar
—
Best Cinematography
—
Giorgos Arvanitis Iphigenia
Ralf D. Bode, Saturday Night Fever
Dick Bush and John M. Stephens, Sorcerer
Herbert Caldwell and Frederick Elmes, Eraserhead
John Coquillon Cross of Iron
Jack Hildyard The Message
Edward Klosinski Man of Marble
Laszlo Kovacs New York, New York
Edmond Richard That Obscure Object of Desire
Charles Rosher Jr, 3 Women
Philippe Rousselot Peppermint Soda
Douglas Slocombe Julia
Gil Taylor Star Wars
Frank Tidy, The Duellists
Luciano Tovoli Suspiria
Vilmos Zsigmond (et al.) Close Encounters of the Third Kind
—
Best Score
—
Georges Delerue Julia
Goblin Suspiria
Marvin Hamlisch The Spy Who Loved Me
Maurice Jarre Jesus of Nazareth TV
Maurice Jarre The Messenger
Tangerine Dream Sorcerer
Mikis Theodorakis Iphigenia
David Shire Saturday Night Fever
John Williams Close Encounters of the Third Kind
John Williams Star Wars
—
Best Short
—
The Absent-Minded Waiter (US…Carl Gottlieb)
Apaches (UK…John Mackenzie)
The Birth of Magellan: Cadenza I (US…Hollis Frampton)
Castle of Otranto (Czechoslovakia…Jan Svankmajer)
Dog’s Dialogue (France…Raoul Ruiz)
A Doonesbury Special (US…Faith Hubley, John Hubley)
The Magnificent Major (US…Nick de Noia)
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (US…
Powers of Ten (US…Charles Eames, Ray Eames)
The Sand Castle (Canada…Co Hoedeman)
Stigma (UK…Lawrence Gordon Clark)
Striptease (Italy…Bruno Bozzetto, Gudio Manuli)
The Vampires of Poverty (Colombia…Carlos Mayolo, Luis Ospina)
Best Picture: Hitler, A Film from Germany
Best Director: Woody Allen (Annie Hall)
Best Actor: Richard Burton (Equus)
Best Actress: Diane Keaton (Annie Hall)
Best Supporting Actor: Colin Firth (Equus)
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave (Julia)
Best Cinematography: Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep)
Best Score: John Williams (Star Wars)
The 1977 “honor roll” includes: HITLER A FILM FROM GERMANY, ANNIE HALL, KILLER OF SHEEP, SOLDIER OF ORANGE, JESUS OF NAZARETH, SUSPIRIA, IPHEGENIA, JULIA, STAR WARS, EQUUS, LA DENTELLIERE, PADRE PADRONE
All is all the year is one of the weakest on record, methinks.
That would be Peter rather than Colin Firth, would it not?
Yes indeed Arne, quite right, and thanks for pointing that out my friend. With me senility is moving in quite rapidly.
Short: Powers of Ten
With Hitler unseen, here’s my list:
Best Picture: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Best Director: Obayashi, House
Best Actor: Bruno S, Stroszek
Best Actress: Papas, Iphigenia
Supporting Actor: Lo Lieh, Executioners From Shaolin
Supporting Actress: Dillon, Close Encounters
Cinematography: Bush/Stevens, Sorceror
Score: Williams, Close Encounters.
Samuel…
All I got to say to your choices is this…
WAY TO GO ON CLOSE ENCOUNTERS!!!! Often seen as the bastard brother to STAR WARS, years will prove this the more substantial film of the two and many will come to realize the epic nature and scope that Spielberg so effortlessly pontificates.
Picture: That Obscure Object of Desire
Director: Luis Bunuel, That Obscure Object of Desire
Actor: Rutger Hauer, Soldier of Orange
Actress: Diane Keaton, Annie Hall
Sup. Actor: Jason Robards, Julia
Sup. Actress: Vanessa Redgrave, Julia
Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond, et al., Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Oh man…so many wonders. But only one deserves the top. One, one, one. Was it the one that influenced so many after it? Ummmmm. . .no (at least, not anyone outside of its director). But it was the one that was the best? Yep. It didn’t have lasers and fancy costumes (there was a tie and a vest) and it didn’t have toys galore. (And, man, I would like to see some toys from my top choices; I‘d so like to see a toy made after Ms. Keaton and Mr. Travolta). Still, many technical awards are given out to that film that’s so villified on this site. Anyway, here are my choices. They represent a ridiculously diverse amalgamation of artists. Oh, boy… A wild and strange year. . . and the REAL arrival of my favorite living director. . . can you figure out who it is? As always, the titles in caps are the ones not included in Allan’s brilliant collection. And, as for the songs…I had to leave off songs from SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and SLAP SHOT. You each should know…I so love the song category in these 70s and 80s years. Check them out, as, here, I have links for all of my song nominees.
BEST PICTURE: ANNIE HALL, followed by, in descending order: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Eraserhead, Abigail’s Party, 3 Women, Star Wars, That Obscure Object of Desire, Opening Night, The Late Show, Peppermint Soda, Hitler: A Film From Germany, Oh God!, Handle With Care, Padre Padrone, Sorcerer, Killer of Sheep, 21 Up, Slap Shot, Roots, Saturday Night Fever, The Duellists, BETWEEN THE LINES, Soldier of Orange, ROSELAND, The Last Wave, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, The American Friend, Cross of Iron, Julia, I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN, The Man Who Loved Women, Pumping Iron, Martin, Rolling Thunder, Stroszek, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, New York New York, First Love, Rabid, The Goodbye Girl, Suspiria, KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, SHORT EYES, Hausu, Andy Warhol’s Bad, A BRIDGE TOO FAR, TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING, ONE ON ONE, High Anxiety, DESPERATE LIVING, DEMON SEED, THE GAUNTLET, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, GREASED LIGHTNING, THE RESCUERS, SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER, PETE’S DRAGON, THE HILLS HAVE EYES
DIRECTOR: David Lynch, ERASERHEAD (2nd: Woody Allen, Annie Hall, followed by: Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Mike Leigh, Abigail‘s Party; George Lucas, Star Wars; Robert Altman, 3 Women)
ACTOR: John Travolta, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (2nd: Fernando Rey, That Obscure Object of Desire, followed by: Woody Allen, Annie Hall; Art Carney, The Late Show; Richard Dreyfuss, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Jack Nance, Eraserhead)
ACTRESS: Diane Keaton, ANNIE HALL (2nd: Allison Steadman, Abigail’s Party, followed by: Gena Rowlands, Opening Night; Shelley Duvall, Kathleen Quinlan, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden; Lily Tomlin, The Late Show)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: George Burns, OH GOD! (2nd: Ben Vereen, Roots, followed by: Bob Balaban, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; G.D. Spradlin, One on One; Tim Stearn, Abigail‘s Party; Francois Truffaut, Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melinda Dillon, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (2nd: Janine Duvitski, Abigail’s Party, followed by Vanessa Redgrave, Julia; Teri Garr, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Joan Blondell, Opening Night; Quinn Cummings, The Goodbye Girl)
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Herbert Caldwell and Frederick Elmes, ERASERHEAD (2nd: Frank Tidy, The Duellists; followed by: Charles Rosher Jr,, 3 Women; Gordon Willis, Annie Hall; Vilmos Zsigmond (et al), Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Luciano Tavioli, Suspiria)
SCORE: John Williams, STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (this is VERY MUCH NOT a tie: it is a VERY UNUSUAL AND ONE OF A KIND joint award) (2nd: Tangerine Dream, Sorcerer; Georges Delarue, Julia; David Shire, Saturday Night Fever; Goblin, Suspiria; Jack Elliott, Oh God!)
SHORT: POWERS OF TEN (Charles and Ray Eames), (2nd: Apaches (John MacKenzie)), followed by A Doonebury Special (John and Faith Hubley and Garry Trudeau); The Absent Minded Waiter (Carl Gottlieb); The Sand Castle (Co Hoedeman)
FURTHER:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, ANNIE HALL (2nd: Mike Leigh, Abigail’s Party, followed by: Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Robert Benton, The Late Show; Nancy Dowd, Slap Shot; Paul Brickman, Handle with Care)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Larry Gelbart, OH GOD! (2nd: Luis Bunuel and Jean-Claude Carriere, That Obscure Object of Desire, followed by: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Padre Padrone; Richard Brooks, Looking for Mr. Goodbar; Norman Wexler, Saturday Night Fever; Walon Green, Sorcerer)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: 21 UP (Michael Apted), followed by: Pumping Iron (George Butler and Robert Fiore); Who are the DeBolts and Where Did They Get 19 Kids? (John Korty); Gizmo! (Howard Smith)
NON-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FILM: HITLER: A FILM FROM GERMANY (Hans Jergen Syberberg) (2nd: That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Bunuel), followed by: Padre Padrone (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani); Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven); Hausu (Nobuhiko Obayashi); Stroszek (Werner Herzog); The Man Who Loved Women (Francois Truffaut))
ART DIRECTION: STAR WARS, Eraserhead, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Spy Who Loved Me, Hausu, The Duellists,
COSTUME DESIGN: STAR WARS, Julia, Annie Hall, The Duellists, New York New York, A Little Night Music
FILM EDITING: ANNIE HALL, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sorcerer, Slap Shot, The Late Show
SOUND: STAR WARS, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Eraserhead, Sorcerer, Saturday Night Fever, A Bridge Too Far
SCORING OF A MUSICAL/ADAPTATION SCORING: NEW YORK NEW YORK (2nd: Pete’s Dragon)
ORIGINAL SONG: “Stayin‘ Alive” from SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb) (2nd: “New York, New York“ from New York New York (music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb), followed by: “How Deep Is Your Love” from Saturday Night Fever (music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb); “High Anxiety“ from High Anxiety (music and lyrics by Mel Brooks); “Eastbound and Down” from Smokey and the Bandit (music and lyrics by Jerry Reed); “Nobody Does It Better” from The Spy Who Loved Me (music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager))
SPECIAL EFFECTS: STAR WARS (2nd: Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
MAKEUP: STAR WARS (2nd: Eraserhead)
ANIMATED FEATURE: THE RESCUERS
This has been a nutty week for me, and I did not manage to get the shorts ready in time. I hope to post them tomorrow, after which I may have to figure out something new.
Although to start with, the film Dean mentions is probably the most favorite short of the year, and very imaginative. It was shown repeatedly in science classes when I was growing up, but I didn’t realize until recently that it was an Eames film.
Powers of Ten:
Easily the weakest year of the 70′s IMO.
Best Picture: That Obscure Object Of Desire
Top Five: 1. That Obscure Object Of Desire 2. Eraserhead 3. Annie Hall 4. Suspiria 5. The Duellists
Five Almosts: Stroszek, The American Friend, The Last Wave, 3 Women, Killer Of Sheep
Feature: Star Wars
followed by:
2. Annie Hall
3. 3 Women
4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
5. Killer of Sheep
Short: Powers of Ten (until further notice)
Director: David Lynch, Eraserhead
Performance categories seem really weak this year.
Actor: Jack Nance, Eraserhead
Actress: Shelley Duvall, 3 Women
Supp. Actor: Alec Guinness, Star Wars
Supp. Actress: Teri Garr, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Cinematography: Luciano Tovoli, Suspiria
Score: John Williams, Star Wars
Screenplay: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman, Annie Hall
Editing: Nobuo Ogawa, House
Ensemble: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Annie Hall
Line: “May the Force be with you.” (Star Wars) – wanted to pick something from Annie Hall, but scanning quotes I realized most of the funny dialogue wasn’t one-liners but depended on context, delivery, and dialogue
Use of Music: Saturday Night Fever
Scene: Greetings from a little green man, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
If this had been any other year Steven Spielberg would have emmerged the Enfante Terrible with his ravishing, mysterious and totally under-rated (by todays naysayers) CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. However, as I wrote a full review for it for Sam’s comedy count, there is one film in 1977 that showed itself a gamechanger in its respected genre and the whole of cinema. One of the most influential films to show itself in the 1970′s
So…
PICTURE: ANNIE HALL
Top 5: 1. Annie Hall 2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind 3. Julia 4. That Obscure Object of Desire 5. Equus
Spielbergs CLOSE ENCOUNTERS should not be taken lightly. Mystical and mysterious, this was the Sci-Fi film of the 70′s that brought a realistic approach to what many considered light-hearteed fare and it’s embued with a kind of humane wonder that leaves the viewer in awe when it’s seen for the first time.
However, Woody Allen stomps in and crushes the competition with ANNIE HALL, THE film that changed the face of modern romantic comedy, and all comedy in general. Using a kind of style that Tarantino would emmulate over two decades later with PULP FICTION, Allen and Editor Ralph Rosenblum offer up a fractured time-line of events that sample the neurosis and crises that befall and destroy what seems to be the perfect romance. What, initially, seems simple, turns into a whirlwind of creative showstopping vignettes that not only leave evidence for the crumbling of the relationship, but effortlessly cross-cuts trial and tribulations with flashbacks and fantasy sequences that inform the viewer of the main characters roots in neurotic social behavior. Woody Allen shed the guise of master parodist and entered the ring as a true heavyweight with this, his most visually and creatively written film to date. ANNIE HALL is the model by which all screen comedy bows to today. Frankly, the film is too important to pass up as BEST PICTURE of 1977.
DIRECTOR: Woody ALLEN (ANNIE HALL)
Runners Up: Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Fred Zinnemann (Julia)
Speilberg is now slouch and his jumping from the personal crises of Richard Dreyfuss’s character with the globe-hopping investigations of SETI, inform the viewer that CLOSE ENCOUNTERS is not just a Science Fiction film, but an epic in the style of David Leans LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. What fascinates me most about the fledgling directors work here is that it’s light years removed from claustrophobic action/adventure feel that made his, earlier, JAWS so memorable.
But, Woody Allen is a man on fire and looking to make a point with his direction of ANNIE HALL. Gone were the typical machinations of the old Hollywood style of film-making in the Rom/com genre. Using an arsenal of creative devices to present ANNIE HALL as a carnival of ideas pertaining to the psyche of the neurotic main character, Allen invests a comics view on the fractured puzzle presentation of a mans life that Welles introduced 36 years earlier with CITIZEN KANE and uses the broken linear structure to make even deeper observations than most would even hint at with the standard, straight forward approach. It all pays off as ANNIE HALL is a juggernaut of classic comedy moments unlike anything the genre had seen in the decades prior. While he was always considered a very good film-maker prior to ANNIE HALL, he was forever considered one of the great American masters from this point on.
LEAD ACTOR: Richard BURTON (EQUUS)
Runners Up: Louis Jourdan (Count Dracula), John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever), Woody Allen (Annie Hall), Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Louis Jordan could, probably, be the definative Dracula in this BBC production. John Travolta was never better and became a star with his dazzlingly naturalistic turn as the king of the disco dance floors. Woody Allen defined the real Woody with his neurotically scathing turn and Richard Dreyfuss had the role of his career as a man mysteriously enlightened by forces from otherworldy sources.
However, the performance of the year has to be that of Burton who, as a psychiatrist perplexed by his most recent patient, actually begins to analyze himself when he sees the parallels of their two lives converge. The stark, blatant moments that find Burton in shadow and talking directly to the audience about his findings and the revelations he’s making about his case give Burton an almost Shakespearean grandeur that often elluded him in his more classical turns. This is a naked, brilliant and blistering turn by one of our very best performers and threatens to top even his own brilliant and blistering performance in WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLFE. For me, I think this IS Burtons best performance.
LEAD ACTRESS: Diane KEATON (ANNIE HALL)
Runners Up: Jane Fonda (Julia), Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl), Shelly Duvall (3 Women)
NO CONTEST!
Effortlessly screwball would be the best way that I can describe the quirk in Diane Keaton as the title character of ANNIE HALL. Fitting into the skin of the character as if she actually were Annie, Keaton was never more brilliant as she slowly peels away the sensible facade she fronts to reel in her future lover and reveals a neurotic on par with the worrier that her partner makes no bones about being. Scatterbrained and sexy at the same time, is it a wonder that so many actually fell in love with Diane Keaton because her creation of character was so complete. The moment between Keaton and Allen as they get out of the car after tennis is a comic tour-de-force of one-liner sparring that even master veteran comedians were envious of. Keatons turn has shades of the late, great Carole Lombard and Katharine Hepburn in it and is the comic turn by a female comic actress by which all after are measured.
Oscar got this one ABSOLUTELY correct!
SUPP ACTOR: Peter FIRTH (EQUUS)
Runners Up: Jason Robards (Julia), Francois Truffaut (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Naked both physically and emotionally throughout most of the film, Peter Firths tortured turn in EQUUS will leave the viewer both shocked and emotionally devastated by the time the end credits scroll. What’s amazing is is that the closer Firth comes to emmerging from the hermetically sealed shell he’s entangled himself in in the first half of the film, the more spiritually obsessed with his own alternate world he becomes. He emmerges from the rebirth of his analytical freedom a deeply wounded and deceived persona that no longer lives here in the real world. It’s really a stunning performance and one that many will miss if they let this film pass them by. Once seen, Firth is never forgotten.
SUPP. ACTRESS: Vanessa REDGRAVE (JULIA)
Runners Up: Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Quinn Cummings (The Goodbye Girl), Jenny Agutter (Equus)
NO CONTEST!
It’s almost not fair to the other women in this category to be in the running with Redgrave, one of the finest actresses to ever grace us with her presence on the big screen. There is an almost magesterially endowed presence to her that embues the character with a kind of brilliant halo of enlightenment and self awareness that so few ever get to know or understand in life. As the woman of great purpose in the life of writer Lillian Hellman (Fonda), Redgrave plays the title character the same way I’d imagine Christ was with his deciples before he was led up the hill of Golgotha and the eventual crucifixion.
PHOTO: Vilmos ZSIGMOND (CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND)
Runner Up: Gordon Willis (Annie Hall)
MUSIC: John WILLIAMS (STAR WARS)
Runner Up: John Williams (Close Encounters of the third Kind)
NO CONTEST!
While Williams uncanny musical “dialoque” is the showpiece of Spielbergs CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, it’s the Wagnerian inspired thunder of his score for STAR WARS that becomes one of the benchmarks for all of film composition. Epic in scope, each theme represents a character and when brought together, the characters themes become a musical symphony of high adventure, religious hymn and gangbuster action accompanyment. The really funny thing is, STAR WARS is STILL NOT his best score (that’ll happen in 1978). However, for 1977 (and as far as deeply influencing every composer ever to write for films from 1977 on), it’s one of the scores that defines what composition for film is all about.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
Is it any wonder why this man has “Oscared” in this category a whopping 5 times?????
Shorts have been added. Take your pick…
LOST IN SYBER(BERG) SPACE
THE CENTURY OF HITLER. THE CENTURY OF FILM.
Film: ‘Hitler: a Film from Germany’
Dedicated to Henri Langlois, a monumental pastiche/phantasmagoria/fantasia on the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler, the dream of a Hitlerian trial inspired by “the collective guilt of mankind” — Hitler, who (unlike Eichmann) never faced a trial for his monstrous crimes against humanity. Some of the witnesses: Himmler’s masseur; Hitler’s cosmologist or astrologer; his valet; his film projectionist and an SS bodyguard; and the cremator of Hitler’s and Eva Braun’s corpses in a ditch behind the Fuhrer’s bunker, a most unheroic, un-Wagnerian suicide for the man who fancied himself a titan among men.
This seven-hour illusion of Baroque aestheticism was made on a shoestring in approximately 20 days. Staggering and one-of-kind, a pinnacle of German cinema.
Director: Hans-Jurgen Syberberg
Actor: John Gielgud (‘Providence’)
Actress: Shelley Duvall (’3 Women’)
S. Actor: Jason Robards (‘Julia’)
S. Actress: Vanessa Redgrave (‘Julia’)
Photography: Herbert Caldwell, Frederick Elmes (‘Eraserhead’)
Yes, you could add up George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s entire careers and I’d rather have Hitler a Film from Germany than all of theirs put together. Votes for Star Wars or Close Encounters are just depressingly, predictably myopic.
Just looked up the production budget for the ‘Star Wars’ franchise — $420 million, a staggering sum for an un-staggering series vs. the .5 mil cost of ‘Hitler’. You can’t buy genius, Georgy boy.
I should just let the vote sit without comment, but it’s worth noting that “Star Wars” spawned a franchise and a blockbuster mentality, but it is essentially a homemade film the studio only greenlit as a reward to Lucas for American Graffiti (which they also didn’t think would be a hit). And, ironically, as part of the New Hollywood atmosphere of permissively letting directors express their vision with studio resources, the very mentality Star Wars would help kill despite being an example of what it was killing in one regard (the regard that was, of course, ignored by both boosters and detractors).
“Star Wars” the one-off auteurist film, the wacko pop-culture project, and a totally sui generis experiment needs to be distinguished from the rest of the series as well as the “genre” it spawned. As I noted when listing it among my favorites, right beneath Meshes of the Afternoon, it perfectly fuses childlike play and state-of-the-art effects without losing the spirit of the former (something that not can be said for virtually everything that followed). It needs to be appreciated with fresh eyes capable of discerning the radical nature of what it does from the ubiquity of what it spawned. Admittedly a hard task, though Mark Cousins is game in his refreshingly clear-eyed recognition of the film’s “unusualness” (for lack of a better word) in the Story of Film series.
And I’ll try to let it sit at that.
Wouldn’t a win for Oscar-approved Annie Hall be just as myopic, predictable [at least] or depressing?
MovieMan –
I actually enjoyed ‘Star Wars’ both times I saw it, once on a big screen revival back in the late 1990′s in a crowded cinema full of fanatics, and their enthusiasm was really contagious.. But over the years (decades, centuries) the series has grown increasingly tired, mechanical, repetitive and, as Allan notes, depressing — that old, familiar fairy tale that billions turn to for comfort over and over and over again.
Although it was the nail in the coffin of Hollywood’s second golden age, M-Man, I’ll give you Lucas’ space popcorn. As the “butch” Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher cracked me up both times I saw the film (not sure about the film’s “radical nature” ; isn’t ‘Star Wars’ really ‘The Searchers’ outfitted with a playpen full of high-tech toys?).
That Mark Cousins book sounds very interesting, too.
Mark, the radicalism is in the way the film reconfigures its influences; in that sense, it’s much like Pulp Fiction, another movie that gets knocked for being derivative but is very strikingly original (and influential) for its self-conscious approach to the derivation.
Story of Film, as Sam notes elsewhere, is both book and movie – I found the movie delightful although a fellow blogger (whom I won’t drag into this by name, lol) has been tearing it to shreds in conversation with me, making me retroactively doubt my appreciation and want to revisit so I can shore up my enjoyment! The book is more tightly analytical and reasoned, and just as imaginative as the film, although the latter gets to play with form in an impressionistic way that I really warmed to (in some ways, Cousins’ work bears more resemblance to a miniseries-length video essay than a traditional documentary, which I like).
Biggest blind spot of the series, though, is how thoroughly it ignores animation, almost as if it doesn’t exist beyond a few token nods to Disney. Obviously on a topic of this scale, there are going to gaps aplenty but for the most part, Cousins manages to be catholic and eclectic in his coverage, and original in his outlook.
HITLER is indeed as a masterpiece, and one of the greatest films to come out of Germany. I can help some people see this film by the way. Just e mail me.
Top three have to be:
The American Friend (West Germany…Wim Wenders) – brilliant cameo from Nicholas Ray
Iphigenia (Greece…Michael Cacoyannis) – a diabolical Irene Papas
Padre Padrone (Italy…Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani) – simply a masterpiece
Also The Norman Conquests was brilliant television with a career defining turn by Tom Conti.
Yep Tony, all three are great. I included the Cacoyannis, but accidentally left off PADRE PADRONE, which I will promptly add right now!
Pic – Star Wars (US…George Lucas)
Director – Annie Hall (US…Woody Allen)
Actor – John Travolta Saturday Night Fever
Actress – Irene Papas Iphigenia
Supp Actor – Jason Robards Jr Julia
Supp Actress – Vanessa Redgrave Julia
Score – John Williams Star Wars
Incidentally, a 4-way tie for Best Picture right now. Hitler: A film From Germany, Star Wars, That Obscure Object of Desire, and Annie Hall. Gotta love Wonders in the Dark.
Yay for the actresses of ‘Carrie’!
I vote ‘Eraserhead’ for best film in 1977.
I vote David Lynch for best director (‘Eraserhead’) in 1977
I vote Woody Allen for best actor in ‘Annie Hall’ in 1977
I vote Gena Rowlands for best actress in ‘Opening Night’ in 1977
I vote François Truffaut for best supporting actor in ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ in 1977
I vote Joan Blondell for best supporting actress in ‘Opening Night’ in 1977
I vote ‘Suspiria’ for best cinematography
I vote ‘Suspiria’ for best score.
My Top 5 of the Year:
1. Eraserhead
2. Suspiria
3. Opening Night
4. La batalla de Chile: La lucha de un pueblo sin armas – Segunda parte: El golpe de estado
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
I vote “Colloque des chiens” for best short in 1977.
Everyone, watch this amazing short!
For me this year was a toss-up between a widely acclaimed classic (Annie Hall) and a brilliant but criminally obscure gem (Angelopoulos’ The Hunters). In the end I decided to go with both. So, without further ado, here are my choices for 1977:
Best Picture: Annie Hall & The Hunters
Best Director: Woody Allen (Annie Hall) & Theo Angelopoulos (The Hunters)
Best Actor: Sanjeev Kumar (The Chess Player)
Best Actress: Diane Keaton (Annie Hall)
Best Supporting Actor: Stratos Pachis (The Hunters)
Best Supporting Actress: Angela Molina (That Obscure Object of Desire)
Best Cinematography: Giorgos Arvanitis (The Hunters)
Best Score: Lukianos Killaidonis (The Hunters)
Top 5:
1. Annie Hall & The Hunters
2. That Obscure Object of Desire
3. Shatranj Ke Khiladi (The Chess Player)
4. Sorcerer
5. Killer of Sheep
Just Missed: Martin
p.s. As per my record, Martin is a 1978 film, but I considered it for this year for the purpose of this poll. Not that it would have mattered either way in the end.
Picture: 21 Up
Director: Steven Spielberg
Actor: John Travolta
Actress: Diane Keaton
Supp Actor: Francois Truffaut
Supp Actress: Teri Garr – Close Encounters
Cinematography – Saturday Night Fever
Best Picture: Killer of Sheep
Best Director: Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep)
Best Actor: Richard Burton (Equus)
Best Actress: Irene Papas (Iphigenia)
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Firth (Equus)
Best Cinematography: Giorgos Arvenitis (Iphigenia)
Best Score: Goblin (Suspiria)
Best Short: Dog’s Dialogue (Ruiz)
I really want to see ‘Hitler’ Sam!
Frank, did you follow the link posted for Dog’s Dialogue, or had you already seen it? Because if you followed the link it was actually to the wrong movie (just fixed it), The Sand Castle, and your vote should probably be changed to that.
MovieMan, I had seen this already, after the Mysteries of Lisbon film was released. I didn’t avail myself of the link you posted.
Pic- Annie Hall
Dir- Woody Allen
Actor- Richard Dreyfuss – Close Encounters….
Actress- Diane Keaton- Annie Hall
Supp. Actor- Guinness – Star Wars
Supp. Actress- Redgrave- Julia
Cinematography – Tovoli – Suspiria
Score- John Williams – Star Wars
Here I am, anxiously awaiting 1977 so I can share some “Slap Shot” love and then I don’t find it listed. I don’t even watch hockey, but I love “Slap Shot” and think it’s one of the greatest sports movies ever made. Still not enough to warrant the top spot, but definitely some other categories.
Best Picture: Annie Hall
Best Director: Woody Allen, Annie Hall
Best Actor: Paul Newman, Slap Shot
Best Actress: Diane Keaton, Annie Hall
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Ontkean, Slap Shot
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave
Best Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond, et al CE3K
Best Score: John Williams, Star Wars
Kevin, it did finish in our recently-completed comedy countdown Top 100. I agree with you that it’s a terrific sports film too!
Wow, this must be seen to be believed.
Did they really show you this stuff in school, Fish? That explains a lot.
Link doesn’t work. Just goes to YT home page.
/fixed. (see above)
I like the “Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water” one too from a few weeks back.
Unbelieveable movie! I watched APACHES this afternoon and my mouth was agape! Never seen anything like it!
Its ghoulishness reminds me of movies I made with friends as a kid. There is a very weird ambivalence here between what seems like dark humor and the apparently serious purpose of the “educational” filmmaking. Check out this one from a few weeks back too. Shorter, but same idea:
Top five for 1977:
1. Annie Hall – Woody Allen
2. That Obscure Object of Desire – Luis Bunuel
3. 3 Women – Robert Altman
4. Opening Night – John Cassavetes
5. Providence – Alain Resnais
Best Picture: Annie Hall
Best Director: Woody Allen (Annie Hall)
Best Actor: Woody Allen (Annie Hall)
Best Actress: Diane Keaton (Annie Hall)
Best supporting actor: Dirk Bogarde (Providence)
Best supporting actress: Vanessa Redgrave (Julia)
Best Cinematography: Al Ruban (Opening Night)
Best Score: John Williams (Star Wars)
You know, there might be years with better films, but this is a surprisingly deep one – it’s got ’76 beat hands down… (78 too…)
PICTURE: Killer of Sheep
DIRECTOR: Hans-Jurgen Syberberg, Hitler…
LEAD ACTOR: Bruno S., Stroscek
LEAD ACTRESS: Shelly Duvall, 3 Women
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Clemens Scheitz, Stroscek
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Eva Mattes, Stroscek
SHORT: again, have to try to come back to it… (given that it’s taken me this long to vote, I know I don’t have much excuse…)
SCORE: Goblin, Suspiria
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Luciano Tovoli, Suspiria
Plus bonus picks:
Script: Stroscek
Music/Sound: Suspiria – it is a grand achievement for the senses…
Ensemble: the kids in Killer of Sheep…
Documentary: a couple big contenders, though both in the essay form more than the documentary form – Grin Without a Cat probably would win, though Hitler is an astonishing film.
More people here need to see POWERS OF TEN, by Charles and Ray Eames, with a great score by Elmer Bernstein. It seems like the biggest of no-brainers this year.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0&w=480&h=360%5D
Granted, I got ‘em up a day late, but I’m kind of surprised the you & I are the only ones to vote for this so far. I’d imagine anyone who’s taken (or taught) a science class in the past 30 years has seen & appreciated this film. Go figure…
Agrred with Dean (and Joel) and adore Bernstein’s score. I have collected every score by the composer that has so far been released on CD over the past three years, and have spent many hourse enjoying each and every one. He’s about as stand alone a film composer as we have! Anyway, I am officially casting my vote now for POWERS OF TEN.
BEST PICTURE: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
BEST DIRECTOR: ANDRZEJ WAJDA for MAN OF MARBLE
BEST ACTOR: JOHN TRAVOLTA for SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
BEST ACTRESS; ANNE BANCROFT for THE TURNING POINT
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR; JASON ROBARDS FOR JULIA
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: VANESSA REDGRAVE for JULIA
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: VILMOS ZSIGMOND for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
BEST SCORE: JOHN WILLIAMS for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
BEST SHORT: no vote
Best Picture: Soldier of Orange
Best Director: Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep)
Best Actor: Rutger Hauer (Soldier of Orange)
Best Actress: Irene Papas (Iphigenia)
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Firth (Equus)
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave (Julia)
Best Cinematography: Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria)
Best Score: Goblin (Suspiria)
Best Short: The Sand Castle
What a phenomenal year for cinema. It includes the decade’s best blockbuster, Indian film, Herzog flick, and interesting enough, directoral debut and swan song.
Well…here we go:
Best Picture: That Obscure Object of Desire
Best Director: Luis Bunuel (That Obscure Object of Desire)
Bunuel’s swan song and my favorite of his films. I can’t think of 5 other films from the decade that I love more.
Runner Ups: Hans-Jurgen Syberberg, Satyajit Ray, David Lynch
Best Actor: Tom Blair (Last Chants for a Slow Dance)
One of those phenomenal performances from a relatively unknown (I can’t find anything else he’s starred in).
Runner Ups:, Bruno S, John Travolta, Woody Allen
Best Actress: Smita Patil (Bhumika)
A powerhouse performance! One of the greatest Indian actresses of all time and one of her greatest roles.
Runner Ups: Alison Steadman, Diane Keaton, Gena Rowlands
Best Supporting Actor: Alec Guinness (Star Wars)
Without a doubt the role that Guinness will always be forever known for, which is enough to make the great actor turn in his grave. But nevertheless, it was one of his finest performances. Though one has to wonder how the film would have turned out if Lucas got Toshiro Mifune for the role instead.
Runner Ups: Louis Gossett Jr, Tim Stearn, Amjad Khan
Best Supporting Actress: Angela Molina (That Obscure Object of Desire)
I really haven’t seen many of these performances, but Molina was good.
Runner Ups: Jessica St. John, Shabana Azmi, Joan Blodell
Best Cinematography: Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria)
Probably the best part of this horror classic is it’s expressionistic giallo cinematography.
Runner Ups: Soumendu Roy, Herbert Caldwell and Frederick Elmes, Edmond Richards
Best Score: John Williams (Star Wars)
The most iconic American movie score of the 70s.
Runner Ups: Saytijit Ray, David Lynch, Goblin
Top 15:
That Obscure Object of Desire/rCet obscur objet du désir – dir. Luis Buñuel (France/Spain)
The Chess Players/Shatranj Ke Khilari – dir. Satyajit Ray (India)
Hitler: a Film from Germany/Hitler: ein Film aus Deutschland – dir. Hans-Jürgen Syberberg (France/UK/Germany)
Last Chants for a Slow Dance – dir. Jon Jost (US)
Stroszek – dir. Werner Herzog (Germany)
Eraserhead – dir. David Lynch (US)
House/Hausu – dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi (Japan)
Killer of Sheep – dir. Charles Burnett (US)
Star Wars IV: A New Hope – dir. George Lucas (US)
Annie Hall – dir. Woody Allen (US)
Suspiria – dir. Dario Argento (Italy)
Bhumika/The Role – dir. Shyam Benegal (India)
Grin Without a Cat/Le fond de l’air est rouge – dir. Chris Marker (France)
11X14 – dir. James Benning (US)
Pumping Iron – dir. George Butler, Robert Fiore (US)
Best Picture: New York, New York
Best Director: Martin Scorsese (New York, New York)
Best Actor: Robert De Niro (New York, New York)
Best Actress: Jessica Harper (Suspiria)
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Firth (Equus)
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave (Julia)
Best Cinematography: Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria)
Best Score: Goblin (Suspiria)
Best Short: Powers of Ten
Best Picture: Annie Hall
RU (Eraserhead, Cet obscur objet du désir, Suspiria, Providence)
Best Director: David Lynch (Eraserhead)
Best Actor: Woody Allen (Annie Hall)
Best Actress: Irene Papas (Iphigenia)
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Firth (Equus)
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave (Julia)
Best Cinematography: Herbert Caldwell and Frederick Elmes (Eraserhead)
Best Score: John Williams (Star Wars)