The Golden Bowl - 1972 - UK

The Golden Bowl - 1972 - 7/10 

 
Ex-pat Americans live in luxury in Europe.
Affluent, they catch of eye of aristocratic Euro mercenaries.
Including a cash poor prince, who marries a naïve Maggie.
Maggie’s best mate Charlotte, marries Maggie’s father.
We suspect, long before our American friends do, that the prince and Charlotte share an intimate relationship.
Superb adaptation of Henry James’ layered novel.
This may prove too slow for many, yet deception takes time to be exposed.
Avarice, opulence, innocence and experience.

Hotel Monterey - 1972 - USA

Hotel Monterey - 1972 - 6/10 

 
First feature by Chantal Akerman is a slow, unblinking look inside a decaying New York hotel.
Empty hallways, ghostly staircases, flaking basements, mindless elevators.
A few residents are seen, many enfeebled, others lifeless.
Once on the rooftop, Manhattan skyline can be seen, the city rousing to life.
Good pairing with Akerman’s News From Home (1976).
Better, however, might be Nightshift (1981) observing the ennui of the lobby.
Note: In the mid-70’s, I worked graveyard shift in a hotel; Hotel Monterey equates to my memories.

A White Dress for Marialé - 1972 - Italy

A White Dress for Marialé - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Un Bianco Vestito per Marialé

 
Friends are invited to Marialé and Paolo’s castle.  Yes, castle.
They have not seen them for a few years and are unaware of her condition.
A sumptuous dinner table is laid out and all don costumes - save for Marialé.
Everyone soon seems drugged - save for Marialé - and individuals devolve to their baser instincts.
Then the murders begin.
Opulent style over substance.  In essence, gorgeous to view, yet the plot is tissue thin and barely coherent.
Characters are mere sketches, reasons for deaths vague.
Perverse film, excruciatingly slow, not for all tastes.

Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market - 1972 - Japan

Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market - 1972 - 5/10
AKA - Maruhi: Jorô Ichiba // (秘)女郎市場

Young Oshin is not the brightest bulb.
Her uncle unloads her to a brothel, where she misunderstands her new occupation.
She is highly attractive, and male clientele are eager to sample.
Yet, every attempt becomes a painful odyssey owing to her foolishness.
Lighthearted parody of Roman Porno is pratfalls and farce.
A little goes a long way.  Know thyself.

Outside Man - 1972 - France

Outside Man - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Un Homme est Mort

 
Lucian arrives in Beverly Hills, saunters into the mansion, then coolly assassinates the mob boss.
Clean hit, professionally done.  Only he is soon the target of a rival hitman.
Yes, double-crossed.  Seems someone is tying up loose ends, even the professional returning to Paris.
French Noir, set all around LA, is entertaining in numerous unexpected ways.
Jean-Paul Trintignant is fine as the moody killer, adrift in an alien landscape.
Roy Scheider great as the opposition whose accuracy is atrocious.
Angie Dickenson and Ann-Margaret as questionable females.
From the Hilton to strip clubs, powerful folks to biker gangs, this swerves throughout.

The Protectors - 1972 - UK

The Protectors - 1972 - 6/10

 
Ever wonder what happens to old spies, those who retire?
For example, Napoleon Solo, post his stint with U.N.C.L.E.
He might freelance.  Provide protection, surveillance, conveyance.
Join forces with an Italian countess and a suave French operative.
At half an hour each, episodes hurry along.
Do not expect character development or much narrative track.

 
Nyree Dawn Porter, the Countess, had been approached by The Avengers.
Reluctant to follow Emma Peel, she wisely declined, and her character hews closer to Cathy Gale.
Fun series, lacking greatness, but action packed, spectacular locations, and an irresistible theme song.

The Stone Tape - 1972 - UK

The Stone Tape - 1972 - 5/10

 
The old castle provides the new location for the research laboratory.
One room, however, well … it’s haunted.  Screaming, sightings.
Anyone with common sense might go, “OK, close this off and leave it alone.”
These are lab coats, mind you, so they drag their gear inside and begin investigating.
Dawdling narrative, elements of Horror and clunky science.
Looks cheap.  Actors strive their best, but they deserved a sharper script.
This was a real theory, by the way = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Tape_theory

The Concert For Bangla Desh - 1972 - USA

The Concert For Bangla Desh - 1972 - 7/10

 
Monumental benefit concert with an impressive array of talent.
George, Ringo, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Bobby Dylan, Billy Preston, Badfinger …
The sound mix and camera work are excellent for a live concert.
Mind you, the TV series "In Concert" had been airing for a year.
Who was missing?  Stephen Stills, who was royally irritated, as well as Lennon.
The DVD has both afternoon and evening shows, and there are differences.
High watermark for many involved.

The Witches Of Salem: The Horror And The Hope - 1972 - USA

The Witches Of Salem: The Horror And The Hope - 1972 - 6/10

 
Following a fire and brimstone sermon, the young girls seek out … the voodoo lady.
Who describes the Sabbat, the blood, the dancing, the hollering.  Men and women.  
Most listen in rapt attention.  While the guilty and proud reveal the devil’s presence.
Persecution – hysteria – execution.  Of the young girls?  Or the outcasts?
As a video “Cliff notes” of the witch trials, this is a bare bones condensation.
Acting is a bit toppish, but makes for a quick study.

Transformations - 1972 - USA

Transformations - 1972 - 6/10

 
The females gather from farm and field.
Enter the woods, dab ceremonial makeup.
Dance, invocations, celebrations, other matters unspoken.
Silent film has a hippie, trippy feel to it.
The coven of white witches in the woodlands.

Death Line - 1972 - UK

Death Line - 1972 - 6/10

 
He wandered around Soho, soaking up the atmosphere.
Later, in the Underground, he tried to pick up a piece of flash.
Before he disappeared.
Police are vaguely interested, until MI5 (Christopher Lee) warns them off.
Then the coppers dig in.  Donald Pleasence, delicious as the sarcastic, bitter inspector.
The real star, however, in the Underground.  Forgotten and abandoned sections.
Dim patches with flickering gas lamps.  Eerie, unnerving liminal spaces.
Slow, creepy, gruesome, pungent.  Should beckon to fans of Mark Samuels.

Home For The Holidays - 1972 - USA

 Home For The Holidays - 1972 - 6/10

 
No, not the Thanksgiving classic with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey.
Here, Pa summons his estranged daughters to his bedside.
The girls blame their odious-to-the-core father for their mother’s suicide.
“My new wife!”  he wails.  “She’s poisoning me!”
“So, what do you want us to do about it?”
“Why, kill her!”
There are a few decorated trees, one of the females hums a carol.
Otherwise, this is a knock-em-off whodunit.
Bland made-for-TV movie, wasting a terrific cast.

Who Saw Her Die? - 1972 - Italy

Who Saw Her Die? - 1972 - 6/10  
AKA - Chi l'ha Vista Morire?

 
After his young daughter is murdered in Venice, a sculptor tries to track down her killer.
Finding out she is part of a string of killings, which continue every time he ferrets out a witness.
Venetian locations (some seedy) add atmosphere to this convoluted Giallo.
Post-Bond Lazenby almost unrecognizable since he lost 35 lbs for the role.
Pacing hurries along, then slams to a stop periodically, matching the father’s frustrating hunt.
Ennio Morricone score is especially unsettling whenever the mysterious killer is about.
Memorable chase inside an empty dockside warehouse finds 4-5 characters playing cat n mouse.

Pulp - 1972 - UK

Pulp - 1972 - 6/10

 
The writer of lurid paperbacks is commissioned to ghost write the famous mystery man’s memoirs.
Ex-movie star (played with glee by Mickey Rooney) who starred in 1930’s gangster films.
Now, he lives in isolated retirement on a Mediterranean island.
Nonetheless, the book promises to tell-all, and is already ruffling feathers.
Lighthearted spoof delivers laughs and jokes, in accordance with how knowledgeable the viewer is.
Michael Caine is sardonic and caustic.  Surprise guests include Lizabeth Scott, Lionel Standler, Robert Sacchi.
Location filming on sunny Malta.  Lewis Carroll, red herrings, deadly priests, a romp for enthusiasts.

Sitting Target - 1972 - UK

Sitting Target - 1972 - 7/10

 
Following a major heist, Harry is pulling a long stretch.
His girlfriend doesn’t want to wait 15 years.
And … well … she met someone.  And – she’s – sorta – pregnant.
Infuriated that another man is sleeping with his woman, Harry busts out.
Hard-nosed Brit Noir benefits from a minimal use of music, which I prefer.
Standout, imaginative photography is flashy yet not distracting.
Macho cast bolstered by a seething Oliver Reed and the ever-alert Ian McShane.

A Warning To The Curious - 1972 - UK

A Warning To The Curious - 1972 - 6/10

 
There were three buried crowns that guarded the realm in times of war.
Two were lost.  The third has been safeguarded, for generations, by a highly protective family.
Until the archeologists started digging.  Amateurs, at that.
Mr. Paxton has sniffed out a trail, leading to Seaburgh.
Along the way, warnings and close looks are given, which he ignores.
The fever of the hunt possesses him.
Unsettling M R James adaptation, shot mostly in broad daylight.
Possibly too slow for the impatient, yet the lethargic pace adds to the tension.

Deep Throat - 1972 - USA

Deep Throat - 1972 - 5/10

 
Linda, sexually frustrated, seeks a medical diagnosis.
After an examination, the doctor informs her that her clitoris is not where it should be.
Reference the title.
Enlightened, Linda pounds the libido accelerator and starts making up for lost time.
Funny, sleazy, and kinda depressing in a way, this film made Lovelace a cause célèbre for a spell.
Inconceivable in today’s society, this was a wildly popular “date film” in the 1970’s.
Indeed, it was generally paired with The Devil In Miss Jones as a double feature.
I first viewed in Hollywood’s Pussycat Theater with the hippie chick (her choice).
Featherweight biopic Lovelace came out in 2013.

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - Italy

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - La Mansion de la Niebla

 
You know, you can warn people over and over.  If the door to a subterranean world opens, don’t.  If you find catacombs, tunnels, turn around.
Six disparate travelers, driving the backroads, get lost in rising fog, seek refuge in an isolated manse.
Out on the woods, stalking one of them or more, are ghosts of the original homeowner and her chauffeur.
Giallo takes a lot of time showing characters, building tension.
Midway between Horror and Thriller, with a fair dollop of Scooby Doo.
Eventually gets going, and the conclusion is satisfying.  My version seems PG.

Solaris - 1972 - Soviet Union

Solaris - 1972 - 6/10

 
My first exposure to Tarkovsky, watched in 1977 was a cure for insomnia.
(Unfortunately, along with a plethora of SciFi’s at the Nuart, trying to cash in on the Star Wars phenomsena.)
In between yawning and checking the theater clock, I sat there bewildered.
The crew of the station orbiting Solaris are exhibiting signs of madness.
A psychologist is dispatched, and he soon suffers hallucinations.
Most intriguingly, the planet is an organic being.  An over-mind, or unisoul.
The plot is maddeningly vague, however, with nonexistent pacing.
I appreciate Tarkovsky more now, but even this recent rewatch, I cannot get into this one.

Hapkido - 1972 - Hong Kong

Hapkido - 1972 - 6/10 

AKA - Lady Kung Fu // 合氣道

 
After five years of learning, three students say farewell to their Korean teacher.
They return to China, now threatened by militaristic Japan, and open their own Hapkido school.
(Hapkido is a martial arts style focusing on joint holds, throws, kicks.)
The Black Bear school, Japanese, bullies townfolk and intimidates the other schools.
Headstrong and impulsive Fan Wei (Sammo Hung) attacks and thereby provokes a war.
This is Angela Mao’s vehicle, however, and she is a master of the slow boil.
Also, a hapkido artist.  For the knowledgeable (I am not) this is a great film to analyze different styles and techniques.
Melodrama and overblown villains scream chopsocky, but the choreography dominates.