Fedora - 1978 - France

Fedora - 1978 - 6/10

 
Has-been film director wants to create an indictment of Hollywood’s youth obsession.
For that, he needs a reclusive star, one still retaining her beauty and glamor.
She refuses, then hurls herself in front of a train.
Smelling something sinister, he begins digging into a buried mystery.
One of Billy Wilder’s last films, this feels autobiographical, and sings for a commentary track.
The background is compelling (he failed to get Dietrich for the Garbo role), the studio refused to back him, critics grasped the film – audiences did not.

Pretty Baby - 1978 - USA

Pretty Baby - 1978 - 6/10

 
Jollies in a New Orleans sporting house, 1917, prostitution still legal.
A photographer arrives, wanting to take photos of the ladies – and he will pay.
Rambling goings-on include the auctioning of a 12-year-old virgin (very good Brooke Shields).
More costume drama than one might expect, with stray quiet moralizing that many audiences miss.
Antonio Fargas memorable as a Scott Joplinish character.
I recall the marketing campaign splashed titillation rather than historical drama.
Unpleasant aftertaste.

Xenogenesis - 1978 - USA

Xenogenesis - 1978 - 5/10

 
Early SciFi effort by James Cameron borrows from Forbidden Planet and “Demon With A Glass Hand”.
Male cyborg and human female raised by computer set forth to rebuild the species.
Wind up on “abandoned” civilization, giant robot janitor removing intrusions.
Surviving footage appears to be workprint of lengthy confrontation.
Cameron has let AI play with his famous films, he ought to let it “improve” this short.

Hardware Wars - 1978 - USA

Hardware Wars - 1978 - 6/10

 
After enduring Boxey, his Daggit, pyramid, Pharaoh helmets, I needed to clear my brain.
Princess Anne-Droid, space jockey Ham Salad, the Tin Man, a Hoover, Wookie Monster, more!
El cheapo parody is stuffed with in-jokes, and actually reverent.
Also, for aspiring editors, producers did a great job distilling the original into a dozen minutes.
May the farce be with you.

Coma - 1978 - USA

Coma - 1978 - 6/10

 
Patients beware of Operating Room 8, unless you have a death wish.
Pity the whole staff isn’t in on this, since all it takes is one do-gooder to spoil the scam.
We’re talking body parts, organ harvesting, and none of that grave robbing skullduggery.
Very good thriller, especially for those with upcoming surgery.
Major or minor surgery.  Plus, who are those folks behind the masks?
Geneviève Bujold drives this as the out of her depth medico, digging for answers.

Gates Of Heaven - 1978 - USA

Gates Of Heaven - 1978 - 7/10

 
Strange documentary, championed by Siskel & Ebert, alerted discerning moviegoers to Errol Morris.
Profiles of pet cemetery owners, those who have burial plots, and some of the shadier practices.
Throughout, the camera does the talking.  No narration.  Keep up.
It would be easy to view this as satire, or a mockumentary, but it is dead earnest.
I would say a one-of-a-kind film, except Morris followed this with a string of original concepts.

Violette Nozière - 1978 - France

Violette Nozière - 1978 - 7/10

 
Teenage girl, chafing against her parents’ petty restrictions, begins prostitution.
Soon acquires a needy boyfriend, whom she supports financially.
Parents are clueless, until she contracts the disease.
Slow burn thriller / morality tale simmers steadily.
Isabelle Huppert seems too old to play a teenager, yet Chabrol’s direction uses her wisely.
Based on an explosive 1933 true history, the resolution of which may not please many.

The Vengeful Beauty - 1978 - Hong Kong

The Vengeful Beauty - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - Xue fu Rong  // 血芙蓉

 
Straight off, evil is afoot.  Bookshops are raided, books burned, booksellers beheaded.
Their families, too.  And the writers, and the publishers, and proofreaders.
The emperor does not like criticism, let alone readers, for that matter.
On a pilgrimage to honor her old master, Yung is away when her family is massacred.
Fleeing, she receives help from a fellow student, as well as a repentant assassin.
In pursuit, the Flying Guillotine squad!
Of course, swordplay abounds, including one topless fight.
Camera work is creative throughout, from angles to perspectives.

The Sister Of Ursula - 1978 - Italy

The Sister Of Ursula - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - La Sorella di Ursula

 
The sister, Dagmar, has her hands full with Ursula.
Ursula is still in agony over the death of their father.
Worse, she is high strung, has premonitions, usually of death.
And the off-season hotel where they are staying (in stunning Amalfi) has a serial killer.
While the hotel keeps trying to gloss over and cover-up the deaths (bad for business), Dagmar hooks up with a junkie.
Speaking of hooking up, wow! is there a lot of sex and full frontal nudity in this one.
In essence, this is a Slasher, with a lot of attractive scenery.

Midnight Express - 1978 - USA

Midnight Express - 1978 - 6/10  

 
Naive American turista attempts to smuggle hash out of Turkey.
Caught, arrested, tried, convicted, sent to Sağmalcılar Prison.
That’s early.
Film shifts to the prison from Hell.  Nonstop brutality amid inhumane conditions.
Harrowing film is one for masochists; I recall this being wildly popular despite being unrelentingly grim.
I also dimly recall viewing our sympathetic hero as a fool.
Rewatch confirms my previous take.

She Fell Among Thieves - 1978 - UK

She Fell Among Thieves - 1978 - 6/10

 
And the chief thief, her wicked stepmother, of course!
Young Jenny is due to inherit £20 million in a few days, once she turns 18.
Unless – she marries beforehand, whereupon said wealth  belongs to her stepmother, Vanity Fair.
Who, as we learn, is a diabolical mastermind behind murders, robberies, blackmail.
The film dances between cozy murder and camp.  Dialogue is a treat.
While set in France, I recognized Castell Coch (Wales).
Eileen Atkins delicious as the razor tongued villain.
English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3267249

Christmas Eve On Sesame Street - 1978 - USA

Christmas Eve On Sesame Street - 1978 - 8/10

 
Oscar the Grouch rattles Big Bird to the core when he asks how dump truck sized Santa gets down tiny chimneys.
Bert & Ernie become the “Gift Of The Magi”.  Skating mishaps.  Self destructive appetites.
Along with songs.  Standards, as well as three new numbers.
This features early cast members, which is probably why PBS ceased airing this instead of allowing this to become a holiday classic.
Funny, tuneful, with an enormous heart.  At an hour, it never outstays its welcome.

The Iron Commissioner - 1978 - Italy

The Iron Commissioner - 1978 - 5/10
AKA - Il Commissario di Ferro

 
Mauro is a one-man police unit.  Backup?  Ordinary patrolmen?  Who needs ’em?
Almost single-handedly, he busts a kidnapping ring.
When a few escape, he begins the hunt.
Mauro neglects his family, doesn’t bother going to HQ.
Thereby missing out when a terrorist takes over his office.
Two unconnected storylines, neither compelling.
Half baked, rushed Euro-Crime clone.

Interiors - 1978 - USA

Interiors - 1978 - 7/10

 
Allen’s first pure “serious” film no longer comes as such a shock as it did originally.
The estranged family gathers for a dinner.  Some clutch grudges and rivalries, others hope for reconciliation.
The latter hope is crushed when the father arrives with a new girlfriend in tow.
Tension is thick throughout, with no truly satisfying release.
Conversation predominates, with no plot push or resolution – sorta like all family dinners.
This strikes me as an homage to Bergman and Chekov, and would work better onstage.
As an experiment, a break from comedy, this succeeds.

Langrishe, Go Down - 1978 - UK

Langrishe, Go Down - 1978 - 6/10

Three middle aged sisters live on the family estate in declining circumstances.
One tends the garden, the animals, the kitchen.
Another, more literary, keeps a journal, keeps records, writes countless letters, unsent.
The third, Imogen (Judi Dench), reads, attends cinema, starts an affair.

 
With Otto Beck (Jeremy Irons), a perpetual student who has rented the back cottage.
He is brainy, dismissive and a mooch.
Imogen seems desperate, perhaps for a relationship, perhaps for an escape.
Based on a Pinter work, this would benefit from an audio restoration.
Otherwise, quite good if dour and a bit confusing.

An Unmarried Woman - 1978 - USA

An Unmarried Woman - 1978 - 6/10

 
Early empowerment film, back when the ERA still seemed possible.
Martin leaves Erica for young stuff.
She is cut adrift, and even though an artist (Alan Bates) soon beckons, she experiences independence.
Unfortunately, this has dated somewhat, and modern audiences may not grasp how unusual this was.
Women were not in the workforce to the extent they are today.
Jobs were part-time things, or temporary.  Being alone, after a certain age, garnered social stigma.
Still, reentering dating in your 40’s or later, remains awkward and daunting even now.
This is Jill Clayburgh’s film, period, and she deserved all the acclaim she received.

Blood Relatives - 1978 - Canada

Blood Relatives - 1978 - 5/10
AKA - Les Liens de Sang

 
Somewhat overlooked Claude Chabrol potboiler of gruesome murder.
Cast is French, Canadian and English, setting is Montreal.
Female cousins, returning home from late night party, are assaulted, one murdered.
Detective (Donald Sutherland) starts investigating, focusing on family and coworkers.
Perhaps more sensational in its day, the narrative thuds, though sleazy sidetracks spice it up a bit.
Hairstyles and clothes are pure late 70's, though no other cultural references.
Chances are, early on alert viewers will guess the slasher’s identity.
Might even guess the motivation.
Dud.

The Lord Of The Rings - 1978 - USA

The Lord Of The Rings - 1978 - 6/10

 
Frodo, Gandalf, and company set forth on a pony ride in May.
I first saw this, or tried to see it, at the drive-in.
(My date, hoping this was similar to Fritz The Cat, thought Lord a waste of time.)
I found it disappointing at the time, especially following Bakshi’s previous Wizards (1977).
Rewatching reminds me how Disneyish the animation was, especially compared with Japanese anime.
The roto-scoping, which I had not seen before, was eerie and held my attention completely.
The conclusion is abrupt, terribly abrupt.  It feels like a cliffhanger, but it also feels like funds ran out.
Worth a watch, despite the pisspoor conclusion, and the heavy condensation.

Rabbit Test - 1978 - USA

Rabbit Test - 1978 - 4/10

 
After a quickie, one night stand (actually on his back, atop a pinball machine) Lionel finds himself pregnant.
Comic implications ensue, especially after female shy Lionel meets a nice girl.
Written and directed by Joan Rivers (her lone directorial effort).
The premise has possibilities, and the cast is loaded with cameos of once-popular faces.
Biggest problem is there simply aren’t enough jokes, or flat out don’t land, or are beyond tasteless.
A brilliant comedian, Rivers would have been able to read a room and adjust.
Not here.  Belly flop of a misfire.

Dossier 51 - 1978 - France

Dossier 51 - 1978 - 6/10

 
Dominique is promoted to a high level diplomatic position.
Immediately, security agencies, spy operatives, set about to discover any weakness.
Once found, they will exploit to control the individual.
This has a documentary feel, with witnesses and subjects interviewed throughout.
The diplomat’s mother, ex-schoolmates, an old flame, neighbors, babysitter.
Despite touches of humor, this is an arid, cynical progression.
Throughout, neither the diplomat nor his equally surveilled wife are aware.