Directors Films Of The American Renaissance '67-'75 Tournament (1 Viewer)

[Brook K]

Ok, this may not work but I'm giving it a shot. The problem is there's a pretty nebulous demarcation that should be included and those that shouldn't. I'm talking about those films that opened up American cinema, provided new voices, new ways of storytelling, and a fresh vision of life in the good 'ol US of A that made the 1967-1975 era so exciting.

But what to include and what not to? Obviously prestige pics need not apply, large scale productions, musicals, the Pattons, 2001's, Oliver!'s etc, even stuff like Bananas, Jaws and Blazing Saddles is not what I'm going for. Maybe someone will be able to explain it better than I can, but hopefully you'll get the idea from the movies I'm placing in the tournament:

Carnal Knowledge
Five Easy Pieces
Harold & Maude
Coffy
Play Misty For Me
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
American Grafitti
Two-Lane Blacktop
The Boys In The Band
Cool Hand Luke
The Swimmer
Sweet Sweetback's Badassss Song
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
In Cold Blood
Fritz The Cat
Electra Glide In Blue
Johnny Got His Gun
The Long Goodbye
Salesman
Rancho Deluxe
Fat City
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
Superfly
The Beguiled
Pink Flamingos
High Plains Drifter
Hearts And Minds
THX 1138
Sisters
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls
They Shoot Horses Don't They?
The Last House On The Left

Advance to Second Round

MASH
Klute
Bonnie & Clyde
Shaft
Midnight Cowboy
A Woman Under The Influence
Point Blank
Serpico
Straw Dogs
Monterey Pop
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Billy Jack
Night Moves
The Last Detail
Phantom of the Paradise
The King Of Marvin Gardens

Advanced to Third Round

Don't Look Back
The Wild Bunch
Vanishing Point
Medium Cool
Dog Day Afternoon
Mean Streets
Easy Rider
Nashville

Advanced to Quarter Finals

Badlands
Targets
Night Of The Living Dead
The Honeymoon Killers

Advanced to Semi-Finals

The Parallax View
The Last Picture Show
The Conversation
Minnie & Moskowitz

 

[george kaplan]

I'll play, but I'm going to skip the nomination phase. I'll second Brook-approved films, but I'm sure I'd end up nominating the wrong ones, since I would have thought 2001, The Godfather and Jaws were a huge reason why that era was so good.

 

[Simon_Lepine]

I'm not sure those all qualify:

Phantom of the Paradise
Dirty Harry
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Chinatown (too big?)

edit: Steve reminded me of Altman, switched Shaft to McCabe & Mrs. Miller, one of my fave from that period

 

[SteveGon]

I'll nominate:

Fat City (1972)
The Conversation (1974)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
MASH (1970)

 

[Lew Crippen]

Nominate:

Nashville—I know that there are a couple of Altman noms already, but I think that this is quintessential Altman, in telling a story differently.
Salesman—one of the most important documentaries ever, it defined a documentary style and set a standard that has not often been matched.
The Last Picture Show—Peter Bogdanovich had a fresh look at coming of age in post-war, small-town America. And it was filmed in glorious B&W, at a time when it seemed as though no serious, important or even good movie would ever be in B&W again.
American Graffiti—not so groundbreaking as the revisionist hype, but still this set a standard for the inclusion of popular music into a movie. Another fresh look at youth on the cusp of becoming adults—this one set about a decade later than ‘Bogdanovich’s.


Second:

The Conservation
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Chinatown—but I want my second back if you disqualify this one Brook.


I suggest Bananas for anyone needing an idea.

 

[Bill McA]

Thanks a lot, Brook! :frowning:

Nominate:

Titicut Follies (Frederick Wiseman)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper)
The Joe D'Alessandro trilogy Flesh, Heat, Trash (Paul Morrissey)
Husbands (John Cassavetes)

If Brook wasn't so frugal with the nominations, I would also have nominated:
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero)
Targets (Peter Bogdanovich)
Pink Flamingos (John Waters)
Score (Radley Metzger)
The Lickerish Quartet (Radley Metzger)
Don't Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker)
Hi, Mom (Brian De Palma)



I'll second the magnificent Nashville
And if you allow it, Phantom of the Paradise

 

[Brook K]

George, while most of these films are not "independent" in terms of not being made at a studio, "independent film" still in its infancy except for drive-in/c-grade/cult type films, that "feel" is what I'm trying to go for. Just trying to find a semi-interesting topic in which the same old films (2001 or Godfather, in this case) are not winning.

Along those lines I'm disqualifying Chinatown and Dirty Harry. Everything else is fine.

 

[Jay E]

Great idea, it's my favorite time period for films!

I nominate:

Point Blank
Parallex View, The
Night Moves
Wild Bunch, The - re-invented the western...is it too big of a film?


Taxi Driver would have made my list if it was one year younger as it perfectly exemplifies the era.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Nominate:

Electra Glide in Blue
Scarecrow
Vanishing Point
Two-Lane Blacktop

Seecond:

The Last Picture Show
Point Blank

- Walter.

 

[george kaplan]

I'll second:

The Parallax View
American Grafitti
MASH

and I would have thirded Chinatown.

 

[ErikG]

Nominate:

Black Christmas
A Clockwork Orange


Second:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Two-Lane Blacktop

Third:

American Grafitti

 

[george kaplan]

I'll use my last second on A Clockwork Orange

 

[Brook K]

No thirds necessary. A Clockwork Orange is disqualified.

I'm also adding Badlands

We're at 28 now. I'm not sure if 64 is realistic or not.
Four more nom's and 2nds and lets see how far we get.

Current Nominations:

Black Christmas
Electra Glide in Blue
Scarecrow
Vanishing Point
Night Moves
Wild Bunch, The
Titicut Follies
The Joe D'Alessandro trilogy Flesh, Heat, Trash (Paul Morrissey)
Husbands
Salesman
Fat City
The Conversation
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

 

[Walter Kittel]

Nominate:
In Cold Blood
Cool Hand Luke
The Swimmer
The Beguiled

Second:
Night Moves
The Wild Bunch
The Conversation

- Walter.

 

[Bill McA]

Nominate:
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero)
Targets (Peter Bogdanovich)
Pink Flamingos (John Waters)
The Lickerish Quartet (Radley Metzger)

2nd:
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore


and who can forget...

Sweet Sweetback's Baadsssss Song (Melvin Van Peebles)
Taking Off (Milos Forman)
Drive, He Said (Jack Nicholson)
The Boys in the Band (William Friedkin)
Carnal Knowledge (Mike Nichols)
Fortune and Men's Eyes (Harvey Hart)
Johnny Got His Gun (Dalton Trumbo)
Fritz the Cat (Ralph Bakshi)
Brewster McCloud (Robert Altman)
Last Summer (Frank Perry)

 

[george kaplan]

OK, I'll use my last second instead on Cool Hand Luke.

 

[Jay E]

I second In Cold Blood & The Swimmer.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I already used a second for The Conservation—who gets their second back Brook? Walter or me?

Regardless, I’ll use my other two:

Second:

The Boys in the Band
Badlands

 

[Brook K]

Walter can have his back and you can have yours back for Badlands, Lew. My additions are automatically in.

Bill, Carnal Knowledge is already in. I'm adding Night Of The Living Dead, Sweet Sweetback's Badassss Song, Billy Jack and Fritz The Cat

Current Nominations
Black Christmas
Scarecrow
Vanishing Point
Titicut Follies
The Joe D'Alessandro trilogy Flesh, Heat, Trash (Paul Morrissey)
Husbands
Salesman
Fat City
Pink Flamingos
The Lickerish Quartet
The Beguiled
Taking Off
Drive, He Said
Fortune and Men's Eyes
Brewster McCloud
Last Summer
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
Rancho Deluxe
Cockfighter


We're up to 43. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether we should go for 64 or 32 with a bunch of wild cards.

If you would like to go for 64 I'll allow unlimited nominations and 4 more 2nds.

 

[SteveGon]

Second: Targets, Electra Glide in Blue

Nominate: Cockfighter (1974)

No one else has seen Fat City? :frowning: