Favourite Films of 1977

Monday is about movies. Sometimes TV. Now and then I work through the years and list my favourite films. Today is that day once again. And today the year is 1977. My favourite films from 1977:

Not The Best Movie of 1977, Not The Most Important, Not Even on The List!

It’s 1977. The latest in the slow but steady compiling of favourite films from the 1970s onward. To click back and read (or read again) the previous years: Most recently it was 1976. Before that, 1975, and ahead of that, 1974, 1973, 1972 and it all started (for me) with 1971.

I’ll say that 1977 might be one of my favourite years for films. So many good horrors. So many starting points. So many great comedies too. I’m not including a bunch of movies I absolutely adore: The Sorcerer, Slap Shot, Opening Night, The Goodbye Girl, A Bridge Too Far…Suspiria, um, Breaker! Breaker! (Okay, kidding there…)

But I’m far less concerned that I’m not selecting the obvious pick: Star Wars. I can justify that. I was too young to be caught up in any hype. One year olds are usually pretty impervious to hype. Especially cinema hype. And though I loved Star Wars and its universe when I was a kid, it was more Empire and Return that tied me up in knots. No shame. Star Wars fans are everywhere. But I watched A New Hope again recently, and couldn’t finish it. I’m pretty much done with the franchise. But, anyway…

1977, in no order, beyond how I think of them (which, ultimately, is an order), here goes:

Annie Hall

When the dust settles, this is the film Woody Allen will be remembered for. And that’s fair. And good. And right. And it’s just as important to note that it must be the film Diane Keaton is remembered for, she is amazing in this. It’s a perfect “serious” comedy. And it stands up strong in this day and age. Classy writing, acting, directing, great music. Just a brilliant film. And the thing that sold me on Allen as filmmaker.

3 Women

A brilliant, tough film, one of Robert Altman’s best. Which is surely saying something. I thought about this film for days after seeing it — only recently (last couple of years, I should point out). And that’s what you want with a film that’s going to mean something in your life. Amazing performances from everyone in this, but maybe particularly Shelley Duvall.

Saturday Night Fever

It gets the nod for the music (both the soundtrack, and dance scenes) alone, but it’s also a very good, watchable movie. Blew me away, as a teen. I thought I was going to be watching an extended music video, some cheese. But it’s got heart, and an arc, and it’s also strange to me how compelling disco is as a story-setting for films. (See also, The Last Days of Disco).

New York, New York

It’s easy to forget about this, given Scorsese’s phenomenal filmography in general, and certainly his 70s run. But I really love this. It’s one of my favourite De Niro performances, and made me appreciate Liza on a whole other level. Great music, and choreography. Great, gritty drama, shot through with that classic doomed romance thing. A brilliant film.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This film scared and thrilled me, it confused me, it made me like sci-fi; something that’s not always easy (for me) to do. But Close Encounters is a perfect example of a great science fiction film for me. One of the best. Love the soundtrack too, a quite incredible score. One of my absolute favourites.

And here’s five notable mentions — again in no particular order:

Desperate Living

It’s pretty much a rule: If John Waters has a movie out during the year I’m thinking about, then that movie is going on the list!

Pumping Iron

The first documentary that truly blew me away — and was also as ‘fun’ to watch as any regular movie. I guess being a huge Arnie fan in the 1980s helped; he was unavoidable if you like action films. And I also loved the TV version of The Incredible Hulk. So poor Lou Ferrigno. He’s like the Donovan to Schwarzenegger’s Bob Dylan here, in this weightlifing version of Don’t Look Back.

Eraserhead

I get quite squeamish even thinking about this film. It’s like Texas Chainsaw Massacre in one important way: You can almost smell this movie through the screen. It’s such a weird fright of a film, but it sits with me forever.

Rabid

I love all (most) David Cronenberg but I particularly love the early, frothy body-horror films. And this is just top tier for me. A ‘fun’ horror in the same way that Evil Dead and its sequels is always fun to watch.

The Hills Have Eyes

It’s easy to remember Wes Craven for his big franchise horrors: Elm Street and Scream, but Hills Have Eyes is a franchise too. It’s also a creepy horror, nasty, deceptively crude and terrifying; spiritual cousin to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I love how creeped out I always am by this film. I love how 1977 signalled the arrival of some key filmmakers that would go on to dominate from the fringes and inch toward the mainstream across the 1980s.

So, there you go. What do you reckon? 1977…Another great year in cinema. What were your favourites?