The Best Films Ever Made - 1972
The rules: My rating x 3, 6 male/female rating ( 18, 30, 45), 1000 voters rating, US- and Non-US voters rating. Only films with a better rating than 7,00
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- DirectorMetodi AndonovStarsKatya PaskalevaAnton GorchevMilen PenevThe film sends us to the 17th century when Bulgaria was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Four hoodlums break into the house of the shepherd Karaivan, raping and killing his wife in full view of their little girl, Maria. Karaivan decides to take the law into his own hands and becomes enslaved by his violent wish for revenge. He burns their house with his wife's body inside and abandons the gentle life they had shared, choosing instead to take his daughter to live in a rough hut high in the hills. He raises Maria as a boy, training her to fight so that she can kill in cold blood and help her father avenge her mother's murder. Nine years pass before the two locate and kill three of the four perpetrators. At each body they leave a goat horn as the symbol of their revenge. While on a mission to kill the last one at his rich oriental house, Maria becomes the unwitting witness of a love scene and change comes over her. Now, from time to time she secretly dons a beautiful women dress and exults in her newly found femininity. She falls in love with young shepherd and the hate begins to melt from her heart. When Karaivan discovers the change that is taking place in her it is already late. He tries to bring Maria back to him and their life of revenge, with disastrous results.8,76
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.8,56
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLaurence OlivierMichael CaineAlec CawthorneA man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.8,54
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsBarbra StreisandRyan O'NealMadeline KahnThe accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.8,38
- DirectorBob FosseStarsLiza MinnelliMichael YorkHelmut GriemA female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.8,35
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsNatalya BondarchukDonatas BanionisJüri JärvetA psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.8,31
- DirectorWinterfilm CollectiveStarsRusty SachsJoe BangertScott ShimabukuroFor three days in 1971, former US soldiers who were in Vietnam testify in Detroit about their war experiences. Nearly 30 speak, describing atrocities personally committed or witnessed, telling of inaccurate body counts, and recounting the process of destroying a village. The atrocities are casual, seem routine, and are sanctioned or committed by officers. Images from the war illustrate the testimony; there's a side discussion among veterans about racism and a couple of interviews about the soldiers' self-realization. The testimony appears in the US Congressional Record on April 6 and 7, 1971. A "winter soldier" contrasts with Paine's "summer soldier and sunshine patriot."8,23
- DirectorJan TroellStarsMax von SydowLiv UllmannEddie AxbergA Swedish immigrant family struggle to establish a new life for themselves in the forest of Minnesota in the mid 19th Century.8,18
- DirectorClaude SautetStarsYves MontandRomy SchneiderSami FreyCesar is in love with Rosalie. But Rosalie isn't making it easy for him, especially when her old flame enters the picture.8,09
- DirectorStanislav RostotskiyStarsAndrey MartynovIrina DolganovaElena DrapekoDuring World War II in a small village outpost, a Soviet sergeant has his troop replaced by an all female unit. As they finally begin to appreciate one another, German paratroopers are spotted nearby and the realities of war emerge.7,91
- DirectorDusan HanákPictures of the Old World is an unquestioned masterpiece of European documentary cinema, with existential radicalism that offers a contrast to the shallowness of hundreds of other documentary films showing images from the outskirts of civilization. The outskirts here are a Slovakian town in the Tatra Mountains. Though censored for 17 years, Dusan Hanáks poetic visual essay is not a political or even social film. It goes to far deeper and more fundamental levels of human experience. Inspired by the photographs of Martin Martinek, the films power lies in its unusual portraits of people whose raw visual beauty radiates from their very souls. Some, like the village cosmos aficionado or the disabled old man who climbs stairs on his knees, are hard to forget.7,91
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTetsurô TanbaSachiko HidariShinjirô EbaraOne woman's search to find the truth about her husband's death in World War II.7,88
- DirectorÉric RohmerStarsBernard VerleyZouzouFrançoise VerleyThough he has an adoring wife, a bourgeois man is still tempted to pursue other women.7,88
- DirectorEgon GüntherStarsJutta HoffmannBarbara DittusRolf LudwigA disillusioned single mother decides to give love one last chance.7,86
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsHarriet AnderssonLiv UllmannKari SylwanWhen a woman dying of cancer in early twentieth-century Sweden is visited by her two sisters, long-repressed feelings between the siblings rise to the surface.7,85
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsBritta BarnesPeter Gonzales FalconFiona FlorenceA fluid, unconnected and sometimes chaotic procession of scenes detailing the various people and events of life in Italy's capital, most of it based on director Federico Fellini's life.7,75
- DirectorVolker SchlöndorffStarsMargarethe von TrottaFriedhelm PtokMartin LüttgeA divorced woman in her thirties fights a losing battle in Munich to attain belated self-fulfillment. The die is cast in a briskly impersonal society geared to male dominance and early training for career women.7,73
- DirectorJuraj HerzStarsIva JanzurováJosef AbrhámNina DivískováKlara and Viktoria are sisters. Their father dies, leaving most of his property to Klara. When Klara becomes involved with a man that her sister loves, Viktoria begins to plot her murder.7,69
- DirectorPaul NewmanStarsJoanne WoodwardNell PottsRoberta WallachA middle-aged misfit struggles to raise her daughters, one popular and the other a promising science student.7,69
- DirectorLuigi ComenciniStarsAlberto SordiSilvana ManganoJoseph CottenEvery year, a Countess invites a poor Italian family to play in a card game.7,68
- DirectorYôji YamadaStarsHisashi IgawaChieko BaishôChishû RyûOn a beautiful island in Seto Inner Sea, Seichi and Minko make their living by transporting rocks to construction sites by boat. They cherish the deepest affection for this piece of land they call home, and the simple life they lead. But rapid industrial growth makes it all but impossible to continue their chosen living style, and they are forced to leave their beloved hometown in search of a brighter future. But their hometown lingers on their hearts, and they dream of a time when they may once again return.7,63
- DirectorKazimierz KutzStarsLucja KowolikOlgierd LukaszewiczJan EnglertFilm set during the Silesian Uprising in the 1920's. The German owners of a mine decide that it is unprofitable and want to close it by flooding it. The miners go on strike.7,63
- DirectorMartin RittStarsCicely TysonPaul WinfieldKevin HooksThe oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.7,63
- DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsYves MontandRenato SalvatoriO.E. HasseUsing the interrogation of a US counterinsurgency agent as a backdrop, the film explores the consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas.7,63
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonJuliet MillsClive RevillA successful businessman goes to Italy to arrange for the return of his tycoon father's body--and discovers that Dad died with his long-time mistress.7,62
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJon FinchBarry FosterBarbara Leigh-HuntA serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.7,59
- DirectorJoseph AnthonyStarsRobert DuvallOlga BellinSudie BondA lonely farmer takes in a pregnant woman and looks after her. After she gives birth, tragedy strikes.7,58
- DirectorJonas MekasStarsJonas MekasAdolfas MekasPola ChapelleFilmmaker Jonas Mekas creates an elegiac diary of a trip to his home country of Lithuania.7,54
- DirectorGilles CarleStarsMicheline LanctôtDonald PilonReynald BouchardA woman imbued with naturalistic and libertarian theories leaves her city home to live in the countryside with her young son. There she meets a litigious farmer who fights against the banks and the government, in which she will be somehow involved. Meanwhile, practising her theories, she makes some old men very happy and, by chance even passes as a saint!7,49
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsJon VoightBurt ReynoldsNed BeattyIntent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.7,49
- DirectorJaime de ArmiñánStarsJosé Luis López VázquezJulieta SerranoAntonio FerrandisA 43-year-old woman living in a small town discovers that she is actually a man. Will she change her sex and suffer the reaction of a narrow-minded society?7,44
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsSusannah YorkRene AuberjonoisMarcel BozzuffiWhilst writing a children's book, a woman interrupted by images unsure if they may, or may not be real7,42
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsGian Maria VolontèFabio GarribaCarla TatòA populist right-wing tabloid newspaper tries to derail the official police investigation of a brutal murder of a young girl in order to help the fascist and right-wing candidates it supports in the upcoming elections.7,40
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsPeter O'TooleAlastair SimArthur LoweA member of the House of Lords dies, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son thinks he is Jesus Christ. Their other, somewhat more respectable family members plot to steal the estate from him; murder and mayhem ensue.7,40
- DirectorSydney PollackStarsRobert RedfordWill GeerDelle BoltonA mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.7,38
- DirectorOlle HellbomStarsJan OhlssonLena WisborgAllan EdwallEmil visit the market in Vimmerby, take part in the yearly religious examination and save Alfred from dying in a snow storm.7,37
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsGian Maria VolontèLuigi SquarzinaPeter BaldwinAn Italian industrialist died in a plane crash. An accident or an assassination?7,35
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsSteve McQueenAli MacGrawBen JohnsonA recently-released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.7,33
- DirectorValerio ZurliniStarsAlain DelonGiancarlo GianniniSonia PetrovnaIn Italy, gambler and poetry professor Daniele Dominici arrives in the seaside town of Rimini and is hired to teach for four months at a high school, replacing another teacher. His relationship with his partner Monica is in crisis and he spends most of the time with his new acquaintances and gamblers Giorgio Mosca, Marcello, and Gerardo Pavani. In the classroom he meets 19-year-old student Vanina Abati, who is Gerardo's girlfriend, and they fall in love. Their relationship leads to a tragic end.7,31
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsStacy KeachJeff BridgesSusan TyrrellTwo men, working as professional boxers, come to blows when their careers each begin to take different directions.7,28
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsA neurotic film critic obsessed with the movie Casablanca (1942) attempts to get over his wife leaving him by dating again with the help of a married couple and his illusory idol, Humphrey Bogart.7,25
- DirectorJohn LennonYoko OnoStarsFred AstaireJohn LennonYoko OnoA surreal, half-fiction, half real life footage of a day in the life of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, composed to music from John's historic 'Imagine' album and Yoko's 'Fly'.7,22
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsFernando ReyDelphine SeyrigPaul FrankeurA surreal, virtually plotless series of dreams centered around six middle-class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together.7,21
- DirectorTadeusz KonwickiStarsAndrzej LapickiGustaw HoloubekMaja KomorowskaMiddle-aged Andrzej takes a dreamlike journey to his troubled past, trying to understand his friend's suicide.7,18
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsJeff BridgesBarry BrownJim DavisA God-fearing Ohio boy dodging the Civil War draft arrives in St. Joseph, MO where he joins up with a hardscrabble group of like runaways heading west7,18
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsMia FarrowTopolMichael JaystonWhen a strait-laced British accountant marries a free-spirited American, he starts trying to change her. His wife doesn't keep regular hours, so he suspects an affair and hires a detective (Topol). The wife notices she is being followed, and maintaining their distance she and the detective explore London for 10 days in a game of follow-the-leader without ever exchanging a word.7,17
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsMargot KidderJennifer SaltCharles DurningA small-time reporter tries to convince the police she saw a murder in the apartment across from hers.7,16
- DirectorBarry ShearStarsAnthony QuinnYaphet KottoAnthony FranciosaTwo New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.7,16
- DirectorKen RussellStarsDorothy TutinScott AntonyHelen MirrenBiographical movie of the French sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska.7,13
- DirectorPerry HenzellStarsJimmy CliffJanet BartleyCarl BradshawWishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.7,13
- DirectorMiklós JancsóStarsAndrea DrahotaGyöngyi BürösErzsi CserhalmiSet in the 1890s on the Hungarian plains, a group of farm workers go on strike in-which they face harsh reprisals and the reality of revolt, oppression, morality and violence.7,13
- DirectorVasiliy ShukshinStarsLidiya Fedoseeva-ShukshinaVasiliy ShukshinVsevolod SanaevA Siberian farm-worker and his wife travel south for their first holiday, meeting characters such as a smooth-talking con man and a professor of folklore, who invites them to stop off in Moscow.7,13
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsDiana RossBilly Dee WilliamsRichard PryorThe story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.7,12
- DirectorTheodoros AngelopoulosStarsVangelis KazanKostas PavlouThanos GrammenosWhen a trade unionist is murdered in broad daylight, the suspects rounded up include Sofianos, who doggedly maintains his innocence. When a minister visits his cell, he tricks his warders and takes the man hostage, threatening to kill him.7,09
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsGene HackmanErnest BorgnineShelley WintersA group of passengers must embark on a harrowing struggle for survival after a rogue wave capsizes their cruise ship at sea.7,08
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsRobert RedfordPeter BoyleMelvyn DouglasBill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.7,08
- DirectorAndrzej ZulawskiStarsLeszek TeleszynskiWojciech PszoniakMalgorzata BraunekDuring the Prussian army's invasion of Poland in 1793, a young Polish nobleman, Jakub, is saved from the imprisonment by a stranger who wants in return to obtain a list of his fellow conspirators. Following his mysterious savior across the country, Jakub sees the overall chaos and moral corruption, including his father's death and the betrayal of his friend who stole his fiancee. Being apparently demented by what he has seen, he commits a number of seemingly motiveless and gory killings.7,06
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsGeorge C. ScottStacy KeachJane AlexanderAn idealistic rookie cop joins the L.A.P.D. to make ends meet while finishing law school, and is indoctrinated by a seasoned veteran. As time goes on, he loses his ambitions and family as police work becomes his entire life.7,03
- DirectorRainer Werner FassbinderStarsMargit CarstensenHanna SchygullaKatrin SchaakeA troubled fashion designer strikes up a romance with a much younger woman.7,03
- DirectorBahram BeyzaieStarsParviz FanizadehMohamad Ali KeshavarzJamshid LayeghA well educated and humble teacher arrives in a new city and at a new job in the pre-revolutionary Iran. He falls in love with a hardworking underprivileged young woman that nurses her very old mother and raises her young brother. In an environment where commitments and social problems often stand in the way between people and their dreams.7,00