Carrie (1976)

Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)

With the reinterpretation of Stephen King’s novel by Kimberly Pierce lately, it was natural that the classic Horror film that amongst all film enthusiasts, Quentin Tarantino himself ranks as one of his favorite films of all time would be revisited. And for Halloween’s sake let’s have a re-watch of this landmark.

Obsession (1976)

Obsession (Brian De Palma, 1976)

The early career of Brian De Palma is filled with very inspired films that many filmmakers have cited as inspirations like Sisters, Dressed to Kill, Carrie, and Blow-Up. His 1976 film, Obsession is openly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, De Palma’s major and obvious influence. The script written by Paul Schrader has been widely rewritten by De Palma to simplify and make it more appealing to a wider audience. However, the plot and elements are revealing many recurring themes that Schrader has exploited in many of his other works.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Assault on Precinct 13 (John Carpenter, 1976)

This low budget (100 000$) precursor to the action film genre is one of the most interesting movie made by director John Carpenter. Openly influenced by Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo and George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, Assault on Precinct 13 is the story of survival of a group trapped together just like in the aforementioned masterpieces. They must defend themselves in front of a gang of street killers that swore to revenge the death of six of them.  While holding a cult status, it is also a very solid cinephile pick when it comes to references to previous films like Sergio Leone’s or stories by Alfred Hitchcock.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, 1976)

A Missouri farmer joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.

When one starts to gaze Westerns he’ll be headed towards the Sergio Leone Man With No name trilogy. They defined Clint Eastwood has an actor with his few words, his squinting eyes, and his face almost always in the shadow of his hat. Leone’s films also forged Eastwood as a director and even if it is at a more personal level, and one could states to a lesser one too, the Eastwood Westerns have a lot to do with Leone’s.

In the Realm of the Senses

In the Realm of the Senses (Nagisa Ôshima, 1976)

Based on a true story set in pre-war Japan, a man and one of his servants begin a torrid affair. Their desire becomes a sexual obsession so strong that to intensify their ardor, they forsake all, even life itself.

This cult film and its title always intrigued your host here and it would have been a sure visit even if the title wasn’t on the quest (They Shoot Pictures Don’t They 1000 Greatest films of all time) that yours truly has taken since four years or so. Since the Criterion collection released Ôshima’s most infamous movie it was then obvious that In the Realm of the Senses was a must see film.

Rohmer vs Breillat or (LA MARQUISE D'O vs UNE VIEILLE MAITRESSE)

Die marquise von O (Eric Rohmer, 1976) ****1/2 (Excellent)

Une vieille maitresse (Catherine Breillat, 2007) *** (Good)

This opposition between those two costume dramas is a circumstance only justifiable by the screening of those two in the same period of time for me. As you will read with this review, I deeply appreciated one more than the other. In both case, we are far from masterpieces of the genre like Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon or Luchino Visconti's Il gattopardo.

Une vieille maitresse is the most recent of the two films and is from a well known director mostly recognize for her films depicting non-simulated explicit sex scenes. Well, besides the sex and provocation, Catherine Breillat has made interesting films as well. Her film discussed here has its scenes of sex that are set in the sequence of events of the film.They make this costume drama unlike any other made before.

The so-called sex scenes in Breillat's film gets us close to the characters that most often than not are far from us with the time and the sentiments. But the scenes of a costume drama without the costumes is a drama and sex is sex. Still, the motivations of the characters are passionate and we have to immerge ourselves into the time period to understand why the husband must marry a wealthier woman and deny his love for his mistress. This is a smptuous film that cannot bear to the ankle of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette for example, even if Breillat film is more explicit on the delured side. Coppola's take on costume drama is sugar-sweet and progressive.

On the other side, Rohmer's Marquise of O is a somptuous film based on redemption, secrets, and true love. It feels more like a costume drama almost entirely shot in studios and brilliantly acted especially by the marvellous Bruno Ganz. The story feels like it was written and shot at the time the story is set. We have a feeling of being in this era and to fully understand the motivations of the characters. The photography is natural and realistic almost only natural light and terra cota colors. Some purist of Rohmer's work could say that this is his most unRohmerian film but I would say that it's one of his most interesting: many different techniques and and one of his few films tobe set in another time than the present. I like when directors impose to themselves obstacles and challenges. Like Hitchcock did with Lifeboat or Rope for example. Here, Rohmer even shot in German.

As for costume dramas or historical films, I'm kind of a little bored by the whole process and I think directors like Sofia Coppola and Catherine Breillat were great choices to try to bring something completely different to the screens. Well, as it succeded in Coppola's case I think that Breillat's effort needed more punch or a better plot to keep us awake between the soft-core sequences of Asia Argento's belle-laide body. As for Rohmer, the winner of this confrontation, we see a master holding the wheel with a sure hand and a brilliant cast. On every level, Marquise d'O offers what I call a film that represents what filmmaking should be; a strong story, well shoot, with sincere emotions that gives a grand spectacle.

The Shootist (1976)

The Shootist (Don Siegel, 1976)

John Wayne in one of his most nostalgic Westerns impersonating a dying shootist of reknown. This is a very sentimental plot that not only give hommage to John Wayne's career but also to the classic Westerns of American Cinema. Few people know that Wayne was a hater of the revisionnist Westerns and that the films of Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah and Fred Zinnemann's High Noon was some of the movies he disliked the most. Those movies were too much left-oriented politically for his conservative values.

In The Shootist everything is thought to make the audience cry. With an all-star cast of Lauren Bacall, James Stewart, Ron Howard, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers and John Wayne it's if Hollywood was saying goodbye to one of his landmarks.

J.B. Books (Wayne) goes to his doctor (Jimmy Stewart) for a back pain and gets a diagnostic of an advanced and painful cancer. He decides to stay at the widow Bond Rogers (Bacall) for his last days. Her impressionable son Gillom (Howard) is a fan of Books adventures. they will have a father and son relationship that will change Gillom's life and help him become a real man. On his way to his final days, Books is gonna touch the lives of the many people of the little town of Carson City.

The Shootist was John Wayne's final film of a career of 173 films and one Oscar. As a final "tour de piste" or a farewell to arms, John Wayne was directed by an interesting filmmaker; Don Siegel. The director of Dirty Harry a role he refused when it was offered to him.Siegel's "mise en scène" counter balance for the conservative, cheesy, nostalgic propos of the plot. Many inventive camera angles and lots of somptuous tracking shots rythmed the story of The Shootist. I personnally think that Siegel saved the film from being a total waste. Even though if the audience is there to celebrate Wayne's career it still has something more than just plain sentimentality. I also tend to think that Siegel is one of the most underrated and underapreciated directors of his time: Escape From Alcatraz, The Shootist, Dirty Harry are true American classics that still entertain and challenge the viewer.

Network un film de Sidney Lumet - Retrospective

TSPDT Greatest Films #324 Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)


Going on with his analysis of the effects of television on the world, Sidney Lumey after what I consider a near masterpiece; Dog Day Afternoon, offers this time with Network the other side of the subject; the television's side of the subject. Without any technical extravaganza like many of hs colleagues of the 70's Lumet shot his films like documentaries. They feel true.

This is the story of Howard Beal (Peter Finch) considered like a "has-been" of television, his show is in complete downfall in the numbers as his popularity. One day the announces he's gonna kill himself on air. The day after he's not doing it but he claims that he has enough and he wants changes. At this point his shiow began the bet thing on television because he's true to the viewers and he's like the "prophet" of telelvision. He speaks for the middle class american that has enough of the hypocrites that lead the world.

With a solid cast of Faye Dunaway (who won an Oscar for her performance), Peter Finch (he won an Oscar too), William Holden and Robert Duval.

The film is based on religious grounds because Lumet translated religion to television in his film. They just needed the right lead to carry their speach. Many dialogues referenced religius concerns. Made in 1976, Network is still carrying a message that should be listened. Television is the tool to endoctrinate people and sell any stupid product like the "Slap Chop". Everybody is glued every evenings on their chairs in front of their television sets like believers. All the stores always offers bigger screens, better, thinner etc. for the living room so that all the furniture will be pointed at the new idol...

Well, I'm one of them and you probably are too because you watch films/sports/series on your tv set. Television is the new religion, so Sidney Lumet said. This is a strong cinematic effort from this excellent filmmaker.

A Film Retrospective by Michaël Parent