The following things happened between 1965 and 1969:*
- Lyndon Johnson was sworn in for his first full term as President of the United States.
- John Lennon famously stated, "We're more popular than Jesus now."
- The Human Be-In took place in Golden Gate Park, setting the stage for the Summer of Love.
- The Battle of Khe Sanh took place between U.S. and North Vietnamese troops in Vietnam.
- Richard Nixon replaced Lyndon Johnson as President of the United States.
Excellent
1. Persona (1966)
A young nurse and an actress spend some time together near the ocean. Beyond that, I think it's better for the viewer to draw his/her own conclusions. It's one of Ingmar Bergman's more experimental films, but don't let that put you off. It's really short, and some of the visuals at play in this film are extremely memorable.
2. Bullitt (1968)
Steve McQueen stars as a detective caught between an ambitious D.A. and the Mob. Peter Yates was at his most ambitious when he made this movie, and McQueen's performance anchors the story nicely. This film is best remembered for its car chase, but the weird camera angles employed by William A. Fraker are another reason to see it.
Fun Fact: Robert Duvall appears in this movie as a taxi driver. Bullitt was his seventh film.
3. Point Blank (1967)
Lee Marvin vs. The Organization. I'd actually put this one above Bullitt, as great as that movie is. It doesn't have an adrenaline-fueled car chase, but in terms of style it's untouchable. This was director John Boorman's second movie. In Point Blank he weaves a mythic tale of conspiracy and revenge which often borders on Greek tragedy. It hasn't aged a day.
Fun Fact: The Mel Gibson movie Payback was adapted from the same novel as this film.
4. Playtime (1967)
A mazelike office building, an apartment complex that resembles a television, and a French restaurant that deconstructs itself. I believe Playtime was intended as a comedy, and even though I never found it funny it's still a great movie. The staging of this film was ingenious, and every shot is perfectly lit and perfectly framed. It's also a fun look at what "modern" meant in the late 60s, and how "high tech" often supersedes functionality. Playtime is considered by most to be director Jacques Tati's masterpiece.
5. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Sergio Leone's magnum opus? Quite possibly. No, Clint Eastwood isn't in it, but Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale and (especially) Henry Fonda are used to good effect. Even aside from that, this movie is a testament to the Italian movie industry of the time.
Fun Fact: Leone developed the script alongside Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci.
6. The Wild Bunch (1969)
Sam Peckinpah, that erratic purveyor of Westerns, brought us this, the least glamorous Western ever made. It's soaked in despair and vice of all sorts, moving quickly from children watching ants consume scorpions, to a Temperance rally doomed to failure, to the depths of Mexico, from which our "heroes" strike back at a society which has no need for them. William Holden plays a wonderfully disillusioned bandit out for one last score, with Ernest Borgnine appearing as his lieutenant.
Maybe?: In 2018 it was reported that Mel Gibson was hired to write and direct a remake.
7. Darling (1965)
Full Disclosure in a Blog Entry That Almost No One Will Read: You can fuck yourself into oblivion. I almost did so myself. But hopefully, at some point, the right friend or lover steps in, and they help you realize that it's a dead end street. Sounds cliché I know, but hey, I've been there.
In Darling Julie Christie works her way through a series of older men. It's a very mid-60s movie, in which people challenge gender roles and societal mores, but it's not like these gender roles and societal mores have gone away. They're still very much there, for anyone who has eyes to see them.
Fun Fact: Shirley Maclaine was originally cast in the lead. Her replacement Julie Christie would win a Best Actress Oscar for Darling. Maclaine? She'd have to wait until 1984's Terms of Endearment.
8. Samurai Rebellion (1967)
A father and son face off against their clan leader in medieval Japan. Toshiro Mifune is at his best here, even if there's less swordplay than you might expect. Whoever wrote the script did an excellent job.
Some Good Ones
1. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Lee Marvin leads a manly group of convicts deep into German territory. The highlight of this movie is the threesome between Marvin, Charles Bronson and the German commandant. The lighting, the camera angles, the performances all bring this story of forbidden love between the two G.I.s and a sexually adventurous SS officer to vivid life.
OR this movie involves a lot of shooting and explosions. You be the judge. Needless to say, The Dirty Dozen was a huge hit, spawning everything from direct sequels to indirect adaptations like Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds and David Ayer's Suicide Squad.
2. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Sidney Poitier stars as a northern cop stranded in the Deep South, with Rod Steiger as a local sheriff in over his head. I've seen the two sequels (don't bother), and I have to say that director Norman Jewison, who oversaw this film, made all the difference. 1967 was a huge year for Poitier, who starred in this movie, To Sir, With Love and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Race relations and the struggle for civil rights felt a lot more immediate in 1967, with Malcolm X's assassination a recent even and Martin Luther King Jr's assassination right around the corner, in 1968.
Sad Fact: Sidney Poitier died this year, 2022, at the age of 94.
Confusing Fact: Despite the fact that he plays a supporting role, this movie won Rod Steiger an Oscar for Best Actor. Racism? I'm not sure. Poitier had already won the award in 1963.
3. To Sir, With Love (1967)
Sidney Poitier double feature! In this one he's a teacher attempting to reach troubled students in London. As a teacher myself I'm not buying the way in which he wins the class over, but it's still an undeniably entertaining film. Lulu's theme song is particularly memorable.
Fun Fact 1: Director James Clavell is the same guy who wrote Shogun, Tai-Pan and all those other Asian epics now populating the shelves of used bookstores.
Fun Fact 2: Poitier's co-star Suzy Kendall's career had an odd trajectory. From To Sir, With Love she went on to movies like The Bird with Crystal Plumage, Torso and Story of a Cloistered Nun.
4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Like Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (above), this movie explores the end of the Old West and the beginning of the New. In other respects it's the polar opposite of Leone's film, relying upon comedy, action and Redford and Newman's collective charm where Leone's movie is more of a slow boil, a building of dramatic tension broken by moments of violence. This movie was a huge hit in 1969, and it remains one of the best films in the genre.
Fun Fact 1: There was a band named after the Indian scout in this movie.
Fun Fact 2: Director George Roy Hill would team up with Redford and Newman again for The Sting. Later in his career he'd direct both Slap Shot (Newman again) and The World According to Garp.
5. True Grit (1969)
The 2010 version, featuring Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld, is much better. Yes, John Wayne received his only Oscar for this portrayal of a bounty hunter in the employ of a young girl, but I think the Coen Brothers' film is a more accurate (and more entertaining) depiction of the time period. As it is 1969's True Grit isn't even as good as either Once Upon a Time in the West or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid above. It's definitely not bad, but definitely not as good as those two and many other Westerns. Even Wayne's own The Shootist and The Cowboys were better.
Fun Fact 1: Mia Farrow almost starred alongside Wayne in this movie. She tried to have director Henry Hathaway replaced with Roman Polanski (!) due to Hathaway's reputation, but the plan backfired and Farrow had to drop out of the project.
Fun Fact 2: Glen Campbell's character was almost played by Elvis Presley, but Elvis demanded billing over Wayne and wanted too much money.
Fun Fact 3: Both Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper are in this movie. Hopper credited John Wayne with saving his career around this time, and it was with Wayne's assistance that he got parts in movies like this one.
6. Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
Experimental film following several transsexuals through Tokyo. It's not long, and weird enough to be interesting, but I wondered at the Greek tragedy. Were the filmmakers trying to say that all transsexuals are secretly unhappy?
7. Le Samourai (1967)
Alain Delon as a hitman caught between a vengeful ex-employer and the police. If you're looking for a suspenseful, fast-paced thriller you'll be disappointed, but the craftsmanship is evident and Delon is fun to watch. I've seen the same director's Le Cercle Rouge, also starring Delon, and I'd have to say that Le Cercle Rouge is much better.
8. The Sound of Music (1965)
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIIIIIIIIC....
When you think about it Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music share several similarities. Julie Andrews shows up to take care of rebellious children, singing ensues, and said children learn to be more obedient. In the case of The Sound of Music, however, we have the Third Reich waiting in the wings, while in Mary Poppins the threat is... poverty?
Julie Andrews was probably robbed of an Oscar the following year. The Sound of Music won Best Picture and Best Director, but no Oscar for Andrews. She'd already won one for - you guessed it - Mary Poppins - but she probably deserved another for her performance in this film.
All of the above said, this has to be one of the whitest movies ever. It's easy to imagine white Americans watching this in 1965 and getting all enthused over their European heritage. Anyone who wasn't white in 1965? This movie was probably a somewhat alienating experience.
9. The Swimmer (1968)
Burt Lancaster stars as a man trying to "swim" his way home. This movie is great up until the melodramatic confrontation with his former mistress. After that point it falls flat.
About As Ridiculous As You'd Expect
1. The Love Bug (1968)
The car is ALIVE. And no, it doesn't kill people. It does attack Mr. Thorndyke, but he jumps over a fence before murder is accomplished. The living cars that murder people came later, with The Car, or still later, with Christine, or maybe slightly earlier, if we're counting construction equipment and Killdozer.
In The Love Bug various members of the genus homo learn to trust - and love- a seemingly inanimate object made animate. They then proceed to win races. Or at least Herbie wins races. It's hard to determine agency in this situation. Anyway, the humans sit inside Herbie and Herbie's gritty determination propels them to victory - or it doesn't, in the few cases where Herbie doesn't feel that the humans are acting in good faith.
Fun Fact: There have been four sequels to this movie. There was also a short-lived TV show.
Historic If Nothing Else
1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The one movie every horror fan will probably see at some point. If you've watched a lot of other films from the time period it's easier to put this one into context, but if you haven't you'll probably give it more points than it deserves. I can't say it's bad really, but it's definitely far from perfect. The camera angles aren't anything you wouldn't see in other supernatural movies of the time or in TV shows like The Outer Limits, and "Barbara's" acting is atrocious.
Yawn.
1. The Lion in Winter (1968)
Yep, movies that seem too much like plays. This one is a prime example. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn lead this act-a-thon, and even though I can't fault the performances it bored me to tears. O'Toole stars as king Henry II, with Hepburn as his estranged queen. And look! It's Anthony Hopkins in his first movie. Oh and look! It's Timothy Dalton, also in his first movie. The Lion in Winter won numerous awards, but I struggled with it.
2. Battle of Britain (1969)
The most boring WWII film ever made? Producer Harry Saltzman committed his considerable resources to this retelling of England's most famous aerial conflict, but for all the money and talent on display it's almost never interesting. Robert Shaw leads the cast, alongside Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier.
Wouldn't Fly Today, and That's Probably for the Best
1. The Party (1968)
Peter Sellers goes brownface for this Blake Edwards-helmed movie about an Indian man in Hollywood. I'd like to go on record as saying that I've never been a big fan of this kind of movie, and it's not just the brownface. I didn't like the Pink Panther movies either. The best I can say about The Party is that Claudine Longet is very cute and it's only an hour and a half long.
Fun (?) Fact 1: Claudine Longet would go on to shoot and kill her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir Sabich, in 1976. This incident was turned into a now-famous skit on Saturday Night Live soon after.
Fun Fact 2: This movie borrows from Playtime above.
Fun Fact 3: Despite what you might think, this movie was quite popular in India. Amitabh Bachnan even played a character based on Seller's "Hrundi V. Bakshi."
Almost But Not Quite Porn
1. The Seduction of Inga (1968)
Poor Inga, her boyfriend left her all alone and a wealthy writer wants to help her with her living expenses. What's a girl to do? This movie stops just short of penetration, and while it was written and performed much better than Vixen! (below) it lacks that movie's silly charm. Inga is somewhat noteworthy in that the two guys from Abba wrote the soundtrack.
Porn Before There Was Porn, And Also So Bad It Demands To Be Seen
1. Vixen! (1968)
"I'm you host and registered guide, not your alternate stud!"
Russ Meyer liked boobies. Russ Meyer also knew that many other guys liked boobies too. And besides the boobies? I dunno, something about a wayward woman in the Canadian wilderness. Vixen! is, by the way, the first movie to receive an X rating, but even so it's very tame by modern standards. The X rating was awarded more for its themes rather than explicit sex.
By the way, the acting in this movie - can we talk about it? It's not just porn-level bad, it's something else altogether. The script was bad enough, but the acting - or the lack thereof - elevates it - or de-elevates it - into another realm of absurdity.
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*A lot happens in any 5 year period. I just picked what I thought were five pivotal events from the time.
