Top Movies by Year
1969: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1968: Funny Girl, 1967: The Graduate, 1966: Hawaii, 1965: The Sound of Music.
Top Singles by Year
1969: "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies, 1968: "Hey Jude" by the Beatles, 1967: "Release Me" by Englebert Humperdink, 1966: "Green, Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones, 1965: "Tears" by Ken Dodd.
Best-Selling Novels by Year
1969: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, 1968: The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron, 1967: The Secret of Santa Vittoria by Robert Crichton, 1966: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susanne, 1965: The Source by James Michener.
Major Sporting Events of the Late 60s
The first Super Bowl was held, Mickey Mantle announced his retirement, Lee Trevino and Gary Player were big names in golf, Billie Jean King was a rising star in tennis, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title after refusing to serve in Vietnam, and American Mark Spitz set several records in swimming.
Comic Books in the Late 60s
The Guardians of the Galaxy made their debut in Marvel Super-Heroes #18, the price of a comic book went from 12 to 15 cents, Neal Adams began working in comics, Steve Ditko debuted several new characters in Charlton Comics, Batgirl first appeared in Detective Comics #359, the Silver Surfer first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 and the Black Panther first appeared in Fantastic Four #52.
Excellent
1. Fellini Satyricon (1969)
Fellini's look at violent, sexual, brutal Rome through the obsession two men share over a young boy. I recommend breaking it into two sittings. There's a lot to take in, and the Satyricon never slackens its pace. I liked Roma more, but Satyricon remains both one of Fellini's best movies and one the best movies ever made.
2. La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) (1969)
Sexual jealousy rears its ugly head after a mutual acquaintance imposes on a couple during their holiday in the south of France. Influenced by American film noir, Jacques Deray's distillation of this genre into a French context is an admirable achievement.
3. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965)
Richard Burton breaks up a Soviet spy ring working out of London. Or does he? You're welcome to watch it and find out for yourself. Whoever wrote the script did an impeccable job, and Burton displays the kind of presence that made him a star.
Fun Fact: Oskar Werner, the star of Fahrenheit 451 (below), also appears in this movie.
4. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
David Lean's expansive take on Boris Pasternack's novel. Omar Sharif stars as the titular doctor, with Julie Christie as his lady love. Lean helmed this picture three years after Lawrence of Arabia, and in it he strikes a balance between a more intimate kind of movie and a sweeping historical epic.
My favorite part of this movie is Klaus Kinski showing up on the train. Half crazy? Certifiably insane? The guy certainly had his issues, but he's missed nonetheless. Some people were born to be in the movies.
5. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
The French get their asses handed to them in Algeria, just as they got their asses handed to them in Indochina. Just as the Americans got their asses handed to them in Vietnam. Just as the Russians will probably get their asses handed to them in Ukraine.
This movie often prompts the question: who are the oppressors in this situation? Who are the oppressed? Who are the colonizers, if half a nation disagrees with the method of colonization, if not the concept itself? And is there really any way to alter the course of history? Are we doomed to circle around the dual concepts of sovereignty over ethnic minorities, and the phenomenon of ethnic nationalism?
This movie might prompt these questions, but it offers no easy answers. Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo does an excellent job of presenting the various sides of the conflict, which often, given the French military's inflexible stance, veer into Dr. Strangelove territory.
Fun Fact 1: Black and white film was used to give this film the appearance of a newsreel. The director and cinematographer considered, and then rejected, the use of color film.
Fun Fact 2: This movie was banned for five years in France.
6. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
A would-be "hustler" journeys to New York City and finds that the Big Apple isn't quite so easily seduced. If John Schlesinger had only directed this one movie it would have been enough, but as it is he also directed several other great 60s movies. Jon Voight is at his best as Joe Buck, and Dustin Hoffman delivers one of countless great performances as Ratzo Rizzo, Joe Buck's partner in crime.
Fun Fact 1: Midnight Cowboy is the only X-rated movie to win Best Picture.
Fun Fact 2: In actual fact Jon Voight is from New York, while Dustin Hoffman is from Los Angeles.
Horror History
1. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Roman Polanski makes his mark on scary cinema. This movie does an amazing job of gradually escalating its creepiness, building to an unsettling conclusion that will stay with you long after you've finished watching the film. And can we talk about how great Mia Farrow is in this one? The kind of innocence she projects makes the entire thing work, and in the hands of a lesser actress (or at least another kind of actress) it wouldn't have worked half as well.
Fun Fact 1: This was Charles Grodin's first movie. He appears briefly as Rosemary's doctor.
Fun Fact 2: Mia Farrow was married to Frank Sinatra when filming began, and divorce proceedings where initiated by Sinatra before filming had concluded. Sinatra had married Farrow with the understanding that she would forego her acting career to be his wife, and Farrow signed on to Rosemary's Baby against his wishes.
Some Good Ones
1. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
I remember being compelled to read the novel in high school. It seemed heavy handed to me then and it seems even more heavy handed to me now. In 2022 the premise makes less sense, given that most of what we read is on the internet, is fact-checked far less, and is either easily deleted or drowned in a sea of media-fueled "noise" from which there's no easy escape.
Francois Truffaut's film adaptation adds quite a bit to Bradbury's story, but this isn't surprising given the bare bones nature of nearly everything Bradbury wrote. At some point someone has to think about how people actually function in one of Bradbury's imagined futures, and to do the heavy lifting required to make those futures seem real. From this perspective I think Truffaut's movie is a thoroughgoing effort, even if it's on the slow side.
I haven't seen the 2018 adaptation, but critics were not loving it.
2. Blowup (1966)
An egocentric fashion photographer takes a photograph he shouldn't. As much as I enjoyed director Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger I'm putting this into the "Good" category because a) I'm really not sure what the ending was getting at, b) it takes forever to get there, and c) the ending involves mimes. One of the cast members would later report that the movie was never finished because it ran overbudget, and what the studio released was an unfinished film missing scenes that would have fleshed out the plot.
Fun Fact 1: The Jimmy Page/Jeff Beck incarnation of The Yardbirds is in this. I have the feeling that Beck's amplifier difficulties weren't part of the script.
Fun Fact 2: This is a hugely influential movie. Directors as varied as Dario Argento, Francis Ford Coppola and Brian De Palma have borrowed from this film.
Fun Fact 3: Jane Birkin, who plays "the blonde" in this movie, has a much larger role in La Piscina above.
Fun Fact 4: Actress Tsai Chin, who briefly appears in this film as David Hemmings' secretary, is still acting in movies today. She recently appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
3. The Ipcress File (1965)
Michael Caine stars as a man investigating the appearance of a missing scientist. Fans of the early Bond films might like it. It's a more serious, less cartoonish take on the world of espionage, but Caine plays an interesting character and ending is very memorable. Bond alumni Harry Saltzman, Peter Hunt, John Barry and Ken Adam were all involved in the production.
4. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
One of the many, many entries in the BCU (Bible Cinematic Universe). For the R rated version see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. For the further adventures of The Man in the Cave see Lars von Trier's Antichrist.
Max von Sydow was a great Jesus. I'd pick him over all other cinematic Jesuses, Jim Caviezel and Ewan Macgregor included. He nails the otherworldly quality that playing The Messiah demands, and besides him the rest of the cast is great, too. Even Charlton Heston, who's ridiculous in The War Lord (below), is well used here, and Telly Savalas comes across as the epitome of Roman bureaucracy. A very well cast movie, right on down to Pat Boone. Critics didn't - and don't - love it, but I applaud its ambition.
Were Hollywood to give me several million dollars I'd love to make a movie about Jesus, one in which his miracles were completely explainable, and in which people believed in him anyway. It would be a movie about political power, and I'd use Noam Chomsky as my guide in writing the screenplay. That, of course, will never happen, but it's a fun thing to think about.
Fun Fact 1: Keep your eyes peeled. Angela Lansbury, Robert Loggia, Sidney Poitier, John Wayne and Shelley Winters are all in this movie... somewhere.
Fun Fact 2: During pre-production the director visited Pope John XXIII for advice on how best to translate the script into a film.
Fun Fact 3: This movie was shot in the U.S. Southwest. Check out the Colorado River. This fact is very obvious at times, but I don't think it really matters.
Fun Fact 4: David Lean shot the prologue. This fact is also painfully obvious.
5. The Italian Job (1969)
Don't worry about the 2003 Hollywood reboot, it has almost nothing in common with the original. Michael Caine stars as a ex-con sent to steal Italian gold. It' doesn't really get going until the second half, but the second half is very enjoyable. And check out Benny Hill as a computer expert! Yes, 1969 was a long time ago.
6. Bedazzled (1967)
Like The Italian Job above don't bother with the remake.
I'd actually seen this before, though I must've been much younger when I saw it. In Bedazzled Dudley Moore makes a deal with the devil, and you can probably guess how well that works out. It's still funny, and particularly so during the first half. Moore and partner Peter Cooke were on the way up at the time, and this movie showcases their talents nicely.
7. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Sir Thomas More finds himself the victim of Henry VIII's wrath after refusing to endorse the king's divorce. It's dialogue heavy and very theological, but it also features the kind of stage acting that one doesn't see in films anymore. Paul Scofield is a compelling Thomas More, and Robert Shaw's brief but memorable performance is a fine example of a good actor doing a lot with a small part. A Man for All Seasons won Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director at the following year's Oscars.
8. Come Drink With Me 大醉俠 (1966)
Kung fu chaos ensues after bandits kidnap an official during the Ming Dynasty. The Chinese title translates into something closer to "Big Drunk Hero." In terms of Hong Kong kung fu spectacles this one goes WAY back, so don't expect the kind of fight choreography you'd see in more recent films.
Fun Fact 1: The rumor is that Jackie Chan is one of the kids in this movie. One of the stars of this movie, Cheng Pei-pei, says otherwise, but it's listed in his filmography
Fun Fact 2: Cheng Pei-pei would appear over three decades later in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
9. The Night of the Generals (1967)
Three complaints about this movie: 1) the first half is REALLY slow, 2) the way in which the story bounces back and forth between WWII and the present day is disorienting, and 3) there's no way Omar Sharif's character walks into that ballroom and implies that one of the three generals there is a murderer.
Aside from that Peter O'Toole is great in this movie. He chews scenery in exactly the same way both he and Omar Sharif chewed scenery in Lawrence of Arabia. O'Toole's performance is so good, in fact, that it makes sitting through the first half of this movie worth it.
VERY Late 60s
1. What's New Pussycat? (1965)
"...and introducing Woody Allen."
This movie is about as late 60s as you can get. The animated intro, the Tom Jones theme song, Burt Bacharach handling the score, Peter Sellers and Peter O'Toole, and the zany go kart race at the end. Oh, and sexual politics. LOTS of sexual politics. No real sex mind you, but LOTS of sexual politics.
Peter O'Toole stars as a man loved by too many women, with Peter Sellers as his analyst and Woody Allen (who also wrote the script) as his friend. This movie is funny at times but also very talky and predictable. If you're interested in late 60s movies What's New Pussycat? might be a good starting point, even though it's far from the best movie of the time period.
Fun Fact 1: There was a sequel! 1970's Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You, starring a young Ian McShane.
Fun Fact 2: The idea for this movie originated with Warren Beatty, who wanted to do a film about male sex addiction. He was originally set to star in What's New Pussycat?, but eventually left after disagreements with Woody Allen. I haven't seen Shampoo in a while, but I imagine that movie more closely resembles what Beatty wanted What's New Pussycat? to be.
Not Into It
1 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
I chuckled. Twice.
Aside from that this musical comedy's brand of zany humor hasn't aged well. Zero Mostel features as the slave of a wealthy Roman family, with Jack Gilford as one of the household servants. This movie was adapted from Stephen Sondheim's musical.
Sad Fact: This was Buster Keaton's last movie. He died not long after.
Some Bad Ones
1. The War Lord (1965)
Parts of this movie are so bad they're good, but on the whole it's not bad enough to be worth sitting through.
Middle aged Chuck Heston falls in love with a less-than-middle-aged maiden during the Middle Ages. Thing is, if he'd just followed his brother's advice the rest of the movie wouldn't have happened. She was obviously ready to get down, Chuck Hestion, so get down. Make your life decisions later.
I will say that there's one genuinely great scene in this movie, wherein Heston's Christian knights meet their Druid serfs during a pagan ceremony. One gets the feeling that something like that probably happened at least once, sometime in history. The rest of this movie? Eh, it's forgettable.
2. Cat Ballou (1965)
Freaking PAINFUL. This movie doesn't just crack a joke one time, it cracks a joke two times, and then it cracks the same exact joke three times, just to make sure you got it. As beautiful as 1965 Jane Fonda was, I just couldn't abide this movie. Critics at the time loved it, it made a ton of money and it was nominated for several Academy Awards, but yeah, it hasn't aged well.
3. Duel at Diablo (1966)
It's weird seeing Bibi Andersson in this. She was in Ingmar Bergman's Persona the same year, and you couldn't find two films more different.
In Duel at Diablo Andersson appears opposite James Garner and Sidney Poitier, two rugged Western types roped into some kind of expedition involving the Apache. It's standard cowboy fare for the time period, and the script wasn't doing anyone any favors.
So Bad It's Good
1. Hercules in New York (a.k.a. Hercules Goes Bananas) (1969)
Featuring "Arnold Strong," now known to us as Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the time Schwarzenegger was 22 years old, had just won his first Mr. Universe title, and was running a bricklaying business with fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbo. It's hard to imagine now, but it took a while for Schwarzenegger's movie career to pick up steam. Hercules in New York was his first movie, followed by Stay Hungry in 1976 and The Villain in 1979. It wasn't until 1982's Conan the Barbarian that his movie career really got going.
In Hercules in New York the demigod angers his father Zeus and is banished to New York, where he encounters everyday people, gangsters and professional wrestlers. The humor in this movie isn't so much funny as dumb, with Schwarzenegger's dubbed-over voice adding an extra dose of silliness to what was already a hastily-produced low budget film.
Note: Many sources list this movie as appearing in 1970, not 1969.
2. Planet of the Apes (1968)
WHAT?!:? PLANET OF THE APES IS SO BAD IT'S GOOD?!?! Yeah, it is.
Pre-Star Wars this was the science fiction saga we had and we loved it. The sequels were... not good, but we overlooked this fact because the movies were on TV all the time and we had nothing else to watch.
The "intellectual" side of this movie is something derived from a college 101 course, something in the Humanities, definitely nothing science-adjacent. It would've been a course taught by a bearded, bespectacled professor, in which he lectured on the Nature of Man and Fate vs. Predestination. You and I, were we his students, would have loved that class, and one of us would have slept with that same bearded professor, while the other would have considered him a lifelong friend.
Viewed in 2022, however, Planet of the Apes is pretty silly. I could of course list all the ways in which this movie is silly, but at the moment doing so seems both condescending and self-evident. Chuck Heston exudes manliness throughout, and the apes, for all their reliance on a culture that excludes humanity, seem human in a number of perplexing ways.
All of the above said, Planet of the Apes is still a fun movie, and it's still my favorite in the series. Deride it as ridiculous if you will, but it's still a lot of fun.
Related Entries:
沒有留言:
張貼留言