What was it about early '70s cinema that was so damned gritty and rank?
Good writing and a worthwhile story to tell. The ability to tell a story honestly connected to how people live and behave one step at a time without lecturing.
Actors who feel the character and emote in modulation instead of posturing, striking attitudes, and making politically correct speeches.
35mm film grain. Light and color and detail resides in the grain. It wasn't "washed out" to make it look gritty because it was already gritty.
Directors who knew how to tell a story with a camera.
Audiences with attention spans long enough to watch a story.
anyone else's copy defective? the rental i watched made it look it was raining throughout the film. This was a physical defect in the manfacturing, not part of the original camera work ugghh! hope it was just my rental
Wash the recorded side under warm water with a whisp of hand soap using your clean fingers. Rinse it under warm water and then dry it gently with a cotten sheet or something. The Technical Support guy at Disney told me to do that while he waited on the phone. I thought he was crazy, but since he would replace Mickey Mouse In Living Color disc 2 with a new copy if it didn't work, I tried it, and to my complete surprise, the picture and sound cleared right up. Two years have gone by and it plays perfectly.
I just saw THE NICKEL RIDE (1974) on a Shout DVD (coupled with Frankenheimer's 99 AND 44/100% DEAD). For anyone who likes EDDIE COYLE and similar 1970s crime dramas ought to check this out. Directed by Robert Mulligan and written by Eric Roth, it has a strong George Higgins vibe to it. If not as brilliant as COYLE, it still is a great film of this style. Wonderfully atmospheric, good character interactions (the relationship between the lead characters played by Jason Miller and Linda Haynes is beautifully rendered.) And with a Dave Grusin score as well. Right on!
My favorite line: "You can’t miss Jackie Brown’s Plymouth Road Runner maneuvering through the streets of Boston, particularly on a gloomy late fall day where that electric shade of yellow-green would never occur naturally… aside from someone spilling Mountain Dew at Schaefer Stadium."
I haven't sprung for the Criterion yet as it's light on extras but it is a supoib movie, no doubt. There's no one around like Mitchum--heck, there are no more Richard Jordan types, either!
What was it about early '70s cinema that was so damned gritty and rank? Those movies (and TV shows) made such an impression on me as a kid back then--though given my age at the time, movies were more of a peripheral influence--and many of these films retain their power today.
Damn, only caught a few minutes the other night on TCM and wish I'd seen the whole thing. Another flick that I've never seen while having been aware of it for ages.
Damn, only caught a few minutes the other night on TCM and wish I'd seen the whole thing. Another flick that I've never seen while having been aware of it for ages.
It's most certainly a must-see, Howard. True 1970s crime-film grit. And pages of quotable dialogue.
