Looking at this list, I know there are two instant classics with The Godfather Part II and Chinatown. Those are given and I haven't even seen the latter one yet. I'm looking forward to Lenny and The Conversation because of their pedigree and actors involved. And I know The Towering Inferno is the outlier but I want to see if it stands with the rest or is a disaster in its own right.
1974 Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
Many people consider this film to be the greatest film of all time and
even better than the first installation. A lot of people think it's a
true masterpiece and point to this film as the bellwether to which all
other mafia films are compared to. After seeing the two films back to
back again, I'm on the side that thinks The Godfather is the
better of the two films. To me, it's such a complete film with little
error and every character fits in perfectly for an incredibly compelling
story. Part II continues Michael's story, though now he is
trying to keep control of his power while steering the family into a
legitimate business out in Las Vegas. The thing that knocks this film
down for me is that Michael no longer has much of an arc. He's the
Godfather now and maintains his position throughout, instead dealing
with power plays from outside adversaries and betrayals from within.
Michael continues to become even more cold and hardened, so watching his
performance isn't as satisfying as in the original, though it is still
really great. Part II also loses a bit of luster due to the lack
of Sonny and decreased role of Tom Hagen, who get replaced by Frank
Pentangeli and Hyman Roth, both of whom are entertaining and strong
characters but not quite the same. What I do love a ton about this film
is the flashback scenes with Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone. I
could watch a whole film of just those early days and I find myself
longing for De Niro whenever we returned to the present day with Pacino.
It was fascinating to see exactly how Vito came to power just as it was
fascinating to watch Michael come to power in the first film. I think I
just prefer the first film overall but that's not because this one is
all that much less of a film. I'd easily watch this film over and over
when compared to some other Oscar Best Picture films! It really is a
great film and the flashback narrative works well, especially when
comparing Vito and Michael's rise to power. The film also makes great
use of Fredo where the first film mostly overlooked him. Cazale is
terrific and heartbreaking and helps show his brother Michael's
ruthlessness. There's a lot going on in this film and a lot to love
about it, too. I don't mean to make this out to be any lesser than it
is. It just comes down to preference between two downright amazing films
and I prefer the first one. This is still a worthy and deserving winner
for Best Picture.
Chinatown
I love noir films. I really like well made noir films in color. I have been saving this film for the project because there were so many chances to finally watch this, and you know by now, I'd rather have a fresh take and avoid having to watch something for the 10th time and not be as excited to watch it. So this was my first time with Chinatown and maybe it was slightly not what I was expecting. I think I was expecting a more straight ode to the older noir films and this has the 70s touch and is almost a mix of a thriller, as well. I like it's almost languid pace with relaxed and deliberate beats that knows when to turn up the intrigue. I guess that does describe a great noir but it holds true here. The direction from Roman Polanski is so efficient that there doesn't seem to be any wasted scenes. Everything moves the story forward and there's no stumbles or turns to nowhere. Even the romantic situation is brief and in service to the story. Polanski also knows how to frame a scene and there is some really beautifully shot scenes that would make for great individual pictures. He makes LA look necessarily dry and sun drenched but also not too of the 70s. We get to see a very strong and iconic performance from Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes. The rest of the cast fills out nicely and adds to an overall great acting class. The music sets the tone of the film and is iconic itself and something that is so great to just listen to like I am as I write this. Oh, and the film is about Nicholson as a private investigator who gets dragged into a criminal battle over the water rights of LA which sounds boring on the surface but ends up being intensely compelling. The screenplay is held up as the gold standard and one of the best ever written. It, of course, is the only Oscar win the film got out of 11 nominations. In any other year, this film probably cruises to a ton of wins. I am glad I can finally say I've seen this film and that it totally and absolutely lived up to the hype. A classic you shouldn't wait to see like I did.
The Conversation
What's truly amazing about this film is that it was made by Francis Ford Coppola in between the two Godfather films. Which is simply mind blowing that he could make two incredible films that each hold up on their own in the same year. One of the few times a director has two of their films up for Best Picture (Steven Soderbergh did it with Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2000). From the opening scene of this film I was hooked. The way sound is used in this film is unmatched in anything I have ever seen. A film about a guy (Gene Hackman) who uses surveillance equipment to spy on and record a couple for an anonymous Director. So obviously sound is at the forefront of the film and of utmost importance for the viewer. It's used in such a strong story telling way that it becomes like it's own character. It's a really neat inclusion to the story and it keeps you glued to what's going on. Also, the piano score from David Shire is ever present and really lends itself to setting the tone of the film. I think it would be really interesting to watch this one without a score, though, to see if it immerses the viewer even more into the story. That dichotomy of silence and sound would be something the film could have explored and made Hackman's slide into delusion and paranoia even better. But the score itself is fantastic and the film works as is. I do think the film would have been better served without showing us that what Hackman's character thought was real was actually something else entirely. If we are left to wonder if what he saw was real or not, the message of the film would be much stronger than immediately showing us what actually happened. This is definitely really great filmmaking and it's clear that Coppola was just on another level entirely for a couple years where stuff like this was his norm. This is a film that is definitely worth the watch and is still extremely relevant to today's world. I'm very surprised that Hackman didn't get a Best Actor nomination out of this because he does give a very good conflicted performance. Still crazy to think that Coppola could knock out two amazing films like this in the same year.
Lenny
I do love me some Bob Fosse films. I actually forgot that he directed this until it came time to sit down and watch it and once I saw it was from him, I knew this would be something extraordinary. Lenny tells the story of comedian Lenny Bruce, who was harassed and arrested over and over for obscenity charges and thus railed against the establishment on free speech grounds. He was a hilarious observationist about cultural and societal bullshit that the kids today would call "woke" but it really does fit him. He made jokes about things that just weren't talked about openly in the late 50s and early 60s and got in trouble for saying the word cocksucker or joking about tits and ass. A lot of his joking tied in with a social message that made him ahead of his time and ushered in future comics to push the boundaries like George Carlin and Bill Hicks and others. It's an interesting story to tell for a biopic and I'm so glad that Fosse found a way to tell it in an interesting style. The film is shot in a documentary style for the most part where people from Lenny's life are interviewed after his death while scenes of Lenny's stand up is spliced in and moments of his life in a typical biopic fashion are mixed in as well. It's a really engaging style and it makes the biopic feel refreshing to watch that it's not just a recreation of life events. Those life event scenes are tied into whatever the stand up is talking about in a broad sense and what the interviews are reacting to, so you get this really great synergy with all three of the different scenes. The film is wonderfully shot in black and white which allows for some really great shots of Hoffman on stage with the spotlight and maybe smoke from the room and whatnot. It gives the film a certain ambience that adds to the documentary like feel. I don't know if that style had ever been used before or if Fosse was creating something new or not, but I do know that it's remarkable to watch and makes the film have a bit more poignancy to what Lenny does and says, along with Hoffman's brilliantly sincere take on Lenny. I don't know why this film seems to get so overlooked today because it's honestly extremely relevant to today's cultural climate. Probably due to being in the same year as The Godfather Part II and Chinatown, but I wish it would be held up as the innovative and impressive film that it is. I highly recommend watching this one if you haven't yet done so, you won't regret it.
The Towering Inferno
So let's be real about this one, disaster films were all the rage in the 70s and this was the crowning achievement for them all. You had Airport and The Poseidon Adventure that came before with big budgets and big casts so it seems only fitting that the Academy would finally pay attention. Now the question becomes does it actually deserve to be here. On one hand, I can see it representing the popular films and capturing the zeitgeist of the time (this was one of 3 disaster films in 74 alone that were in the top 10 grossing films for the year). On the other hand, it wasn't as entertaining as I thought a big film about a skyscraper's grand opening and then having a huge fire break out while stars run around could actually be. I think the biggest knock on the film for me is that this thing feels so long. It's two hours and forty-five minutes and feels like it's even longer. I do feel like it could have been tightened up a bit and made even more intense and thrilling for the audience by trimming some fat. The practical effects are pretty amazing, especially considering it's a lot of fire and smoke that the cast has to deal with. I am amazed at what they were able to accomplish effects wise back in 1974. That's what makes this film memorable. The story is secondary to the spectacle and focuses on some half baked personal drama plots that aren't satisfying in the slightest. We want to see more fire and escape attempts and brave sacrifices and all that kinda stuff. The tragedy is more interesting than lame love attempts. So the film succeeds when we see the firemen doing their job and having to deal with a multitude of issues and figure things out. We love seeing our first responders in action and that's no different in a disaster film from 1974. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen give some earnest performances in a film that really should have done more with what they gave. Both are pretty great in some pretty basic roles but their gravitas and natural charisma make them worth watching and paying attention to. I mean, the film is a bit ridiculous at the end but I think what disaster film isn't by their end, right? So this was never going to win anything, it just happened to be a high grossing film that captured what film goers wanted to see and the Academy took note. I'd say see it if you have some time to kill to take in all that 70s disaster films have to offer, but don't expect Oscar worthy story or acting.
I said that 1975 was one of the best group of Best Picture nominees ever, but this year is right up there as well! It's not as strong due to The Towering Inferno being included, but it's an entertaining year at least. That film is more about the spectacle and being a crowd pleaser than being a legit Best Picture candidate. It's fun but definitely too long. I've got The Conversation next and that should tell you what I think about this year overall. I loved the way that film used sound and it really caught me off guard with how well made and compelling the whole thing is. I think the ending and some scenes like the dream sequence kinda lower the rating a bit for me (though I understand what they are used for) but it's a very interesting film to take in, which you should. Next up would be Lenny because it has such a unique way of telling its story that in other years, I'd think of it as a possible winner. Great performance from Hoffman and just wonderfully directed by Bob Fosse. An under seen and underrated little gem that you should also check out. Chinatown would be an easy winner in any other year but got stuck in a year with The Godfather Part II. Bad luck. That film is incredible, though, and really is one of the best noir films ever. The score is amazing and Nicholson helps drive the film home. Not much else needs to be said other than don't wait to see it like I did. The winner is part of the best one - two punches in cinema history. It's an easy winner and a classic for a reason. If you haven't ever seen it or the first one, what are you even doing here? Go watch them now! And see why this year is pretty amazing with all it's contenders. Let's hope 1973 can stand up to these last two years!
Oscar Winner: The Godfather Part II
My Winner: The Godfather Part II
Chinatown
Lenny
The Conversation
The Towering Inferno
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