RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 1:21:12 PM

rawlinson

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From: Timbuktu. Chinese or Fictional.

Nice start to the list, E'.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 1:24:55 PM

rawlinson

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From: Timbuktu. Chinese or Fictional.

50.
Chinatown Kid
(Chang Cheh)

Alexander Fu Sheng stars as Tung, a poor mainlander who got in trouble with the Triads when he rescued a girl from a prostitution ring. He flees to Hong Kong to stay with his uncle and find employment. He soon runs afoul of a gang there as well, who beat his uncle and plant cocaine on Tung, forcing him to jump on the next boat for America. Landing in San Francisco, he finds a job in a Chinatown restaurant. He befriends a student, Yan Ching-wen and tries to protect the restaurant against local gangsters the Green Dragons, an act that gets him fired. He attracts the attention of rival gang the White Dragons and is hired by them. While he rises in the ranks of the gang, his friend sinks into heroin addiction. Tung is forced to choose between his friend and his new lifestyle.

The Shaw Brothers move into modern day action wasn't as successful as their period films, mainly because everything here now has a slightly dated air that makes it all a bit cheesy, something the period settings avoid. But it's an incredibly entertaining piece of action cinema and the cheese actually adds a little charm to the film. The real power of Chinatown Kid is in Fu Sheng's performance. Fu Sheng was one of the great 70s HK stars, his life was cut short by a tragic accident, but he left a legacy of great cinema behind him. Chinatown Kid isn't his greatest work, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

On a footnote, technically this is the first of the Venoms films, because all of the legendary actors have at least a small role here.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 1:28:57 PM

elab49

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And one I haven't seen!

There's a lot fewer foreign films in my list this time round, probably just over a fifth of them. And there's a stronger US presence, as that was inevitable growing up at the time.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 1:31:15 PM

rawlinson

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I get the feeling the 70s will provide very little crossover on lists.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 1:35:35 PM

elab49

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Not many, I'd agree

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 2:42:00 PM

elab49

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Spectre (Donner, 1977)

Spectre was one of several failed TV pilots created by Gene Roddenbery in the 70s (you can tell it's Roddenberry � Majel Barrett has a small role). It starred Robert Culp as criminologist and occult investigator William Sebastien with Gig Young as his sidekick, the cynical non-believing, drunken, womanising sidekick Dr Ham Hamilton (and although there is clearly an element of Holmes and Watson going on, Young is clearly closer to channelling Bones McCoy). They head to the UK to take on a case for Anitra Cyon who fears her older brother has been claimed by the devil.

This is pure over the top cheesy fun. It doesn't have the scares of the likes of Night of the Demon or The Devil Rides Out, although there are a couple of nice moments, but it is clearly to them it owes its trappings with an added sly sense of humour provided primarily via the character of Dr Hamilton. Dealing with succubi and devil-worshippers, odd creatures and British bobbies (Gordon Jackson has a smallish role) it stuck in my mind through the years (particularly the underground cult and altar sacrifice scene) meaning it was one of the early films I sought out in the wonderful world of internet access to film libraries the world over. Culp, John Hurt (the energetic younger brother), Ann Bell (as both old maid and whore), James Villiers (as the older brother revelling in his wealth and power by having scantily clad lovelies all over the place) are all good but Gig Young is the best of the lot in what was, sadly, pretty much his final role.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 3:37:20 PM

rawlinson

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I like Spectre. It didn't make my final 50 but it was on the longlist.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 3:38:40 PM

rawlinson

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49.
Hitch-Hike
(Pasquale Festa Campanile)

Franco Nero plays Walter Mancini, a journalist driving through America with his wife, Eve (Corrine Clery). Walter is a cynical, abusive drunk and Eve is venomous and shrewish, the perfect couple to be stuck in a car together. When they find a hitchhiker, Eve wants to give him a lift and Walter begrudgingly agrees. Unfortunately for them the hitchhiker is Adam (David Hess). David Hess might be the nicest guy in the world, but put him on camera and he's the sleaziest, sickest, most repulsive son-of-a-bitch who ever walked the earth. He soon has them at gunpoint and is demanding to be taken to Mexico. For Adam is on the run from both the police and the criminals who helped him steal the $2 million that he's carrying with him in a case. Hess is soon beating up Nero and tormenting Clery, but his former partners are hot in pursuit. Hitch-hike is an incredibly sleazy exploitationer, and I mean that as a huge compliment. It may not be one the same depraved level as many of its contemporaries, but there's enough shocks you to entertain even the most jaded viewer. Hess, Clery and Franco all do great work, even if Clery's role quickly becomes little more than the battleground between the two men. A savage and compelling film, even if it is basically Last House on the Left does Duel.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 3:50:38 PM

elab49

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Mmm - this is the one that starts with a sexual assualt until she enjoys it, yes? Not a fan at all.

Spectre gets an extra bump up this list for me for nostalgia - for ages I tried to work out what film had the underground meeting place etc. so it was great when I realised what it was. I assumed for ages I must be thinking of a Wheatley.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 3:55:32 PM

rawlinson

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quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

Mmm - this is the one that starts with a sexual assualt until she enjoys it, yes? Not a fan at all.

You're not remembering it right. If she liked it

Spoilers

She wouldn't have killed the rapist shortly afterwards.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 4:02:20 PM

elab49

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Spoilers

No I mean the bit at the start with Nero and, I think, his wife? Where the director decides to have a woman enjoy the conceit of assault. It's not just that though, I didn't think much of it generally. Although given it could as easily be in your exploitation thread, that's not much of a surprise

End of Spoilers

That said, I think between both lists you might end up being a lot ruder about a couple of my choices. One piece of good news for you though - The Duellists fell out into the 51-60 slot

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 4:16:04 PM

jackassfan

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Not seen any of the 4 films so far which isnt surprising as i have only seen 14 films from that year

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 4:22:09 PM

elab49

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I've just realised (again, still going through lists for the year) - Glitterball was 1977

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 7:51:37 PM

rawlinson

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quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49
I didn't think much of it generally. Although given it could as easily be in your exploitation thread, that's not much of a surprise

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 7:53:44 PM

rawlinson

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From: Timbuktu. Chinese or Fictional.

48.
The Finishing Line
(John Krish)

When I was a kid, The Powers That Be decided to torment us by creating a series of PIFs (Public Information Films) designed to scare the living shit out of you. There were several high points in the genre, Lonely Water featured Donald Pleasence as a Grim Reaper-esque figure, The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water, who took delight in drowning children who played near water. Apaches showed the dangers of playing on the farm, with the memorable image of one child drowning in a slurry pit. The film that terrified me the most had a group of kids playing near a power station and getting electrocuted trying to retrieve a lost frisbee. Of course I lived right near a power station and they seemed to play it every day after school but before I went out to play. Another to join that group of childhood traumas is The Finishing Line.

The short begins with a teacher warning children not to going playing on the railway tracks. We then see a boy sitting on a bridge and wishing he could have a school sports day on the track. Events include throwing stones at trains, running across the lines and 'the great tunnel walk'. Each event ends with more of the children being mowed down by the train. Except for the stone-throwing where it's the passengers who are injured. It's an absolutely brilliant and brutal concept, I'm not sure how effective it was at keeping kids away from railway tracks, but as a short horror film it's astonishing.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 9:32:52 PM

elab49

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Excellent choice.

There is every chance one of the entries on my list may be cheating slightly, a little later on.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 9:47:35 PM

elab49

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http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1964to1979/filmpage_lonely.htm

Lonely Water

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 12/3/2011 11:17:11 PM

rawlinson

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Nice link. Here's my terror of choice.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1964to1979/filmpage_safe.htm

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 3:23:18 AM

straight jacket

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Jimmmy. Ah that brings back memories along with the one where kids let off fireworks which hit a girl in the face whilst she's walking along the street.

The Finishing Line.You'd think teachers would be more careful about where they staged their school run wouldn't you?.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 3:51:19 PM

elab49

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Soldier of Orange (Verhoeven,1977)

Soldier of Orange follows a group of young Dutchmen from the eve of WWII through the events of the war to its conclusion. The group splits into the resistance, collaboration and even to the German army, with heading to London to the government in exile of Queen Wilhelmina, trying to explain the complexity of Holland's time during WWII as an occupied territory, but also one that had quite a bit of a mixed German population before the war (and the view of that is fairly bluntly shown by the manner of one character's loo based death).

It can be a bit soapy at times with the added love stories, although Susan Penhaligon is a refreshingly original female character in this kind of film. But it's an interesting story, and well made. As well as bringing Verhoeven a lot of attention outside of Holland (winning awards worldwide), it also kickstarted the international careers of Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbe, the latter the more impressive treating the war as a game for longer.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 3:51:26 PM

elab49

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The Amazing Spider-Man (Swackhamer, 1977)

This might be a bit of a cheat but I'm absolutely certain I saw this in the cinema, although possibly not the year it came out in the US. If nothing else this entry proves that these lists are as much about sentiment as anything else.

This was an amazing watch when I was a kid. The whole hypnotic light thing was one I long remembered and the timing pretty much coincided with my new interest in American comics � both Marvel and DC � so it's fairly significant to me for that as well. We didn't get a lot of the then quite numerous Marvel superhero TV shows over here though � I think this was pretty much the only one. I also think Strikes Back � the second movie � might have gotten a cinema showing here as well.

Rewatching now � thank you Youtube � still brings a smile to my face and it occurs that it really is Hammond's voice that says 'spiderman' to me � I think the cartoons we got in the early 80s, while not actually voiced by him, did have very similar vocal artists. But there's a 70s smartass edge to the writing, even if the effects are inevitably a bit duff. J Jonah Jameson isn't quite the nutter he is generally shown as now and there's a completely gratuitous kind of kendo fight. The story isn't bad though, even if Stan Lee did take the money and the credit and then badmouth it.

< Message edited by elab49 -- 13/3/2011 3:55:03 PM >

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:11:06 PM

rawlinson

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Is that the one where someone tries to run him over in an alleyway and he has to use his spidey-powers to get out of the way?

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:13:29 PM

rawlinson

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47.
Dead of Night
(Dan Curtis)

Dead of Night is a made for t.v. anthology horror, featuring two of the greats of the form, Dan Curtis and Richard Matheson, on directing and writing duty. It has the kind of pedigree that should have created a masterpiece. It isn't the classic it should have been. I'll be the first to admit that. It is an extremely entertaining film with one segment that more than lives up to its potential. Dead of Night was one of the films that fell in and out of my list a lot, if I was basing this on the first two segments alone, it probably wouldn't have made my top 75. It's the final section that demanded I include it. The first story, Second Chance, is the most gentle of the three, Ed Begley restores an old car that takes him back in time. More fantasy than outright horror, it's the weakest of the segments, but still remains entertaining viewing. The second section, No Such Thing as a Vampire is interesting enough, but far from must see viewing. But the third section is Bobby, and Bobby is something special. A mother has lost her young son, the titular Bobby, and, on a dark and lonely night, she invokes dark powers to resurrect him. But something isn't quite right with Bobby and he wants to play a sinister game of hide and seek with mommy. Packed with memorable scenes, constantly rising tension and a fantastic atmosphere, Bobby is one of the high points of 70s t.v. horror. In general, this isn't up to the high standards of Curtis' earlier Trilogy of Terror, but its highest points make Dead of Night a film to be savoured.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:13:55 PM

elab49

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It's how he first discovers them - jumping up at the dead end. Shortly after the little glowy spider bites him

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:14:25 PM

elab49

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Aaaaargh - I hit post and a scary face popped up

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:15:11 PM

rawlinson

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quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

It's how he first discovers them - jumping up at the dead end. Shortly after the little glowy spider bites him

That's my main memory of the film.

I definitely saw it as a film on video release.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:15:34 PM

rawlinson

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quote:

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Aaaaargh - I hit post and a scary face popped up

Dead of Night or Heard?

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:49:05 PM

elab49

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Bobby.

I left it off my list for pretty much the same reasons you left it on - had Bobby been a short (and Hackett is brilliant), it might well have been in my 50. But I don't really understand the randomly strung together 3some without even any kind of framing.

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 4:50:25 PM

elab49

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The Strange Case of the End of Existence as We Know It (McGrath, 1977)

The government seeks the help of the current descendants of Holmes and Watson to seek out the latest in the Moriarty family.

Co-written by Cleese, the film has distinctly un-PC humour, particularly in terms of often dodgy national stereotypes (think Fawlty's Basil's general attitude to foreigners) so I wouldn't expect to see this turning up on your TV anytime soon). But it is up on youtube if anyone would like to give it a go.

Short and far from perfectly formed, it nevertheless deserves a place on the list for the central very Dangermouse/Penfold double act � and not even so much Cleese, being roundly abused by all and sundry, including a nicely placed knee from the wonderful Stratford Johns, but more for the quite brilliantly dim Dr Watson as performed by the late, great, Arthur Lowe who is worth the place in this list alone. And there are sadly quite a few late, greats in this satire, which is very much of its time with a Whoops Apocalypse! type humour (and who can resist an opening gag that sees Kissinger get shot and that, for no apparent reason, goes the Murder By Death route at one point by lampooning and offing pretty much every then US TV detective

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RE: Rawlinson & Elab's top 50s of the year 1977 - 13/3/2011 9:49:23 PM

rawlinson

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Another that nearly made my list but missed out in the last round of cuts.

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