Ahhhhh, finally here we are finishing up the 70s! I feel like I've been doing this decade for an actual decade so I'm glad to be done. I can't wait to move on to the 60s but first I'm going to clean up last year's Oscars (2018) and will do this year's (2019) after that. Those nominations will actually come out in a few hours from when I publish this, so this is perfect timing. Some big films down below here and I've only seen the winner. Let's get this started so we can finish the decade out strong!
1970 Best Picture
Patton
I forgot just how great this film is. When I was thinking back on this one, I was remembering a great acting performance and a long story about the General. But the whole thing was so engrossing that the just under three hours doesn't feel that long at all. Plus, George C. Scott's magnificent portrayal is one of the very best ever and a true joy to just watch play out on screen. I really shouldn't have to write out what this is about other than to say it's about Patton's WWII exploits. It's got one of the most memorable opening scenes where Scott stands in front of a giant American flag and addresses his troops in full regalia and delivers a bunch of classic Patton lines. The film has some really amazingly shot scenes and great cinematography. It's so well directed and deserved the Best Director award for Franklin J. Schaffner. Some of the scenes look like art and you sometimes get these great shots of Patton as there is a voice over and it just feels like the film is on another level. The score is also memorable with those haunting trumpet sounds that give the film a necessary serious tone. The story is great and actually mostly written by Francis Ford Coppola. The battle scenes are thrilling and not so heavily edited like today's films where you have no idea what's going on. It's just a great film, one that ranks up there as one of the better winners from the Academy. I had to rewatch it to appreciate what I had forgotten, but I'm glad I did because this is such a great film. I could just write that over and over and have that be my review but I'll spare you the headache. Just know that it's awesome and you should see it if you haven't done so yet.
Airport
Ahh, Airport! This film birthed the disaster flick genre and ushered in the blockbuster era for Hollywood. Yes, other films had done the whole bunch of famous people in a big drama thing, but not quite like this. It's funny because you look at this inclusion in the Best Picture pantheon and you think what a joke, couldn't they find anything else to take its place? But then you realize just how much this film captured the zeitgeist of the time and the fact that it was a huge hit and is now considered a piece of film history. The Academy did only what it should have - made it a very heavily nominated film. It is also a very entertaining film and really not that bad of a nomination. It's also interesting because the disaster part doesn't really come into play until almost the very end. Before that, it's all about the drama of running a huge international airport. Burt Lancaster is great in his role but I found Dean Martin to be even better in his. He is a terrific actor who never really got his due. Of course, he wouldn't have won anything this year but he was still very talented. You've also got Jean Seberg as the I think head customer relations manager or something. She's really strong in the role, whatever her title, and anchors this film. The film has a little bit of everything and is fun to watch. It did lead to a genre that is ridiculed today and this film itself was lampooned and parodied. But I do think it's a film everyone should watch just to see where all your favorite popcorn flicks come from. It's entertaining to the max but I'm glad it didn't win. It can take solace that it was nominated and became this cultural icon of a film and appreciate it for what it is.
Five Easy Pieces
This is an interesting film to choose for a Best Picture candidate. On one hand, it's representative of the kind of slice of life, character driven films we would get to see in the 70s. But on the other hand, the film feels a little shallow and like it needs more depth to it than just being a star vehicle for Jack Nicholson. I really love these types of films that showcase a more gritty side of life than we normally see. It's about a once promising classical piano player in Nicholson who now works on a California oil field and has a ditzy waitress girlfriend he steps out on any chance he gets. It's a sad existence especially once we learn he comes from a family of amazing musical talent that he for some reason squandered. We never actually get to dive deep into Nicholson's character to find out why he is living a hard, yet simple life working on an oil field. We know there's a lot more to him than just boozing and cruising and we get really quick glimpses of that, but I wanted a lot more than what we got. He has a heartfelt talk with his dying dad at the end of the film that doesn't feel earned and I was struggling to come up with a reason why I should care. Nicholson is a mostly awful person because we don't get to explore his deep flaws and make sense of him as a human. I like seeing the country as it was back then and all the fashions and the old cars and beers and bowling lane, but I need more depth in my character driven drama. Everything seems to be an afterthought made simply for Nicholson to act against. He's good, but he's good in anything. I like the feel of the film and the historical aspect of it, but this one just left me wanting a whole lot more.
Love Story
This is one of those films that I had kept an eye on for some time because, I mean come on, it's Love Story! I think most film fans have heard about it, know of it, and have seen parodies that reference it already. But it was for real a Best Picture nominated film?? Yeah! It made a crap ton of money and was the first film to cross $100 million. It's such a simple, yet effective film that actually stands the test of time. This film is 50 years old currently and it feels like something that could be made right now and probably has been copied very recently. It's timeless, honestly. It's about a Harvard guy who falls for the local girl (she goes to the local college) and he is from money and she is not. That's the crux of the film. Girl thinks guy is just hanging with her for the short term and doesn't care but he does and they become a couple. They now have to talk to his parents who expect someone of stature. So guy doesn't listen to parents and marries her and forges his own path before they eventually work their way back into money. And then of course she *SPOILER* gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. It's so very sad but done in such an honest way that it really does earn your tears and sadness. It's easy to see why this was such a smash hit. You have a relatable story told in a simple way and you have two leads who are also charming and relatable. And the run time is short so you can squeeze in more showings. But it's a simple, yet effective telling of a story that we can all relate to regardless of our financial situations. It's a mega hit that presses all our buttons and makes us want to see it again and makes us want to root for it. Easy to see why it's included and why the Academy is good at it's job.
MASH
So many people are like MASH? Isn't that a TV show my grandparents used to watch? Yes, it is. But this film from Robert Altman came first and allowed that TV series to become one of the most beloved comedies of all time. The film version is a very black, absurd comedy that highlights the hi-jinks of an Army hospital unit during the Korean War. Though it is set in Korea, the underlying context is really about the Vietnam War that was going on at the time. The film is so darkly funny and is buoyed by great performances from both Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould. The format is almost episodic as we watch this unit get up to all kinds of crazy antics. There's lots of pranks and boozing and trying to get laid and getting out of actually working and doing military things. And that's what the film is in a nutshell. It's similar to Catch-22 for me in that regard and even has those serious moments sprinkled in when the surgeons save a little Japanese boy while in Japan. I kinda wish there was more of that contrast thrown in but I don't know what the source book is like. Even still, MASH is a fantastic film and stands in stark contrast to this year's winner, Patton. I think which kind of flavor of war films you like will determine your choice between the two. I also think it's pretty great that the Academy can include both in the same year and recognize the different viewpoints. I highly recommend MASH as it really shows the absurdity of the military life while deployed (to a greater degree, obviously) and shows that not all military life is heroics and blood and guts and danger. Deployed life can be boring and full of people filling that void with pranks and booze and sex and trying to work as little as possible. This will definitely be in contention for my win, but I do have to point out how the film comes off as being gleefully misogynistic. The women are relegated to sex objects and though I understand this is 1970, it makes the film feel a little gross. So maybe it won't be in contention for the win? I love the acting performances and the dark humor, but it could be better to the women in the film. A tough choice to ruminate on.
Yay! The 70s are finally done! Hallelujah! Now I'll finish up the last two years before hitting the 60s, which I'm super excited to do both. As far as this year goes, it's funny how this category is full of the top grossing films for 1970. You have the top four and then Five Easy Pieces would be like 11th or 12th. I say that because maybe some of these nominees could be replaced with better films but we see exactly where the Academy is coming from. Airport is interesting because it does kick off the disaster flick genre and it's decent from a historical standpoint but I wouldn't call it Oscar material really. It's enjoyable but not on the same level as other, better Oscar films. Love Story is a cute and charming and sad romantic film. It made a ton of money and captured everyone's attention and got rewarded for that. It also probably shouldn't actually be on this list but here it is. Five Easy Pieces is such an interesting choice because it feels like a 70s type of film but I feel it meanders around and needed a more cohesive narrative and focus. Still enjoyed it, though. MASH is like the opposite war film to Patton and it's neat to see that juxtaposition this year. It's funny as hell and really does get a lot right about military culture but it also is not very fair to the women it has. It's a very masculine film and I have issues with that. But still very watchable and hilarious with some great performances. Patton is just an all timer, though, and the Academy gets it right. Easy winner this year and probably most other years, too. All in all, an enjoyable year with some nominees that could have been way stronger.
Oscar Winner: Patton
My Winner: Patton
MASH
Five Easy Pieces
Love Story
Airport
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