20 From 71: My Favorite Movies Of 1971
But I do have it on this list simply because I think it's a great way to start off a list, whether it be about favorite horror films or just about any other subject matter.
Plus, any film that can take a tried-and-true horror genre like vampirism and imbue it with the sexual allure of girl-on-girl action, particularly during the cinematically stiff period of the early 70's, deserves some kind of credit.
So, strap-on a wooden stake or a massive black donkey-sized dong, and let's get going on a super-long journey through many of my preferred choices when it comes to fright filled escapism.
Or, if the mention of Vampyros Lesbos makes you feel the inclination, go watch some internet porn. Either way is a good way to "kill off" some time.

BTW, if you think that putting this movie in the 20th spot is kind of cheating and not true to the nature of a list that's supposed to be about my "favorite movies of 1971" then just pretend that VL is not on this list and replace it with Murmur of the Heart. It's a French coming-of-age story about a boy whose dad is a gynecologist and who has a habit of engaging in some of the more innocent taboos of the day. Like masturbation. Which means he probably would mind that Vampy Lez is on this list.
Kinda makes you want to start recycling, huh?

Okay,
let’s admit it….
The whole concept of kaiju cinema is one of the weirdest oddities to ever be brought forth from overseas cinema. The idea that many series of films were created based off of giant radioactively spawned creatures which were actually men running around in really cheap looking, ultra unrealistic rubber outfits, and stomping all over cardboard, buildings, and toy cars, with their big floppy feet, I mean, seriously, WTF?
I mean, don't get me wrong, as someone who grew up watching this on creature feature programs that aired on local TV stations during the weekends, I love the stuff. But, now that I'm older, I can't help looking at it all, and thinking to myself about the absurdity of the whole thing. And this is one of those movies that best displays that absurdity. It's definitely one of the most outrageous ideas that was born onto celluloid, but it's also one of those weird things that is best enjoyed when one doesn't think too much about it.
Which is why I'm just gonna stop typing in this entry now....

In the driver's seat of Two-Lane is a guy who in the music world, he may be the Handy Man whose has seen Fire and Rain, but here, James Taylor tries to go against his mellow music style as a rough and tumble drag racer who simply goes by the moniker of "The Driver"and who makes his way in the world by burning rubber and racing drags across the vast landscapes of the open country. With his partner "The Mechanic", the two crisscross along the nationally long two-lane blacktop of Route 66, picking up hitchhikers, adventures, and the occasional trouble-bound Girl.
TLB wasn't as big of a hit as most other motor-trending movies of its time, but it's superior writing did win favor on a critical level, thus earning itself quite the cult following when it comes to longstanding fans of these early fast and furious films.

As I mentioned, this was a movie that was a story made for television, due to its overwhelming popularity, the producers decided to give it a theatrical release. Which was pretty unusual, not just at the time, but I think at this point, it’s unheard of. Thus, it could be said that this film is. a bit of an anomaly. However, when you look at how the two lead actors really seem to bring their A game to their roles, and the waiver script managed to really get the viewers to get in touch with the “feels”, it becomes easier to see how such a decision that existed outside the boundaries of the norm would’ve been made. Considering the low level of quality that was usually the norm for television flicks of the time, this was a story which rose a few notches above the standard and was secure enough in its own confidence in a way that managed to truly encapsulate the feeling of amorous friendship between two straight men of different color.
In short, Brian's Song is a prime example of interracial hetero man-love at its finest.

There's a rather strange background story to Wake in Fright, an early 70's thriller that almost become "lost" and yet was eventually found again much later on to awaken to a much reception than in its initial release. Originally released in the land that made it, Australia, it was one heck of a box office bomb, although it did moderately well on the international level. However, once it became a memory from the cinema scene, the prints that were made of it disappeared almost as completely as people's awareness of it. However, in was in this obscurity in which it's legend began to grow. On the edge of being considered a lost film, word of mouth grew of how it was one of best films to have been produced by the land of Oz. And as a result, as the legend grew, so did the search for a decent copy it. It wasn't until decades later, somewhere around 2009, that finally a good physical print was located, and from there, film restorations were able to step in and save Wake from its sinking completely into an "eternal sleep". The remastered version finally given a proper wider release, which gave WiF a new lease on life. The critical ratings had grown even more substantial before and raised its status from cult classic to more modern mainstream hit that would now occupy a spot on the Outback's Best of list.
The premise here revolves around a bored and disgruntled small-town schoolteacher who decides to spend his Yuletide holiday in the big city of Sidney. Midway through the journey however, he finds himself stuck in another small town the locals call "The Yabba". Although for him, it might as well be named "Hades" considering that he soon finds himself slowly descending into his own personal drink-binging, kangaroo-killing, bar-brawling hell. All coalescing into a trip down under that goes even further down under.
And yeah, you read it right near the beginning of that last paragraph, this is indeed a Christmas story of sorts, in that it happens during the Holidays. A yuletide vacay in the outback way is probably one way to put it.
From my point of view, I'm not sure how it lives up to the hype that it accumulated for all those years that it was "sleeping", but it is a worthwhile watch with a unique turbulent history that only adds to the fright of being awoken from its Aussie style slumber.

An outsider police detective comes to town investigating a case, meets a prostitute who can probably help him, and naturally, the two fall in love.
In other words, imagine the movie Pretty Woman, except totally and completely different.
Klute is a film whose story was probably enhanced beyond it's premise by the high calibur performances of it's two lead actors, the always intelligent and distinctive Donald Sutherland,
and the even more intelligent and always beautiful Jane Fonda.

Odds are, they're gonna experience some kind of violence in the new country they moved to.
And whether it's because of ironic coincidence, karma, or just dumb luck, if the reasoning of why it happened is beyond the logic of an analytical mindset of an astrophysicist (as is the case in this movie),
then that will probably be enough to break the straw on a proverbial dog's back.

Now, now,
get your mind outta the gutter....it's not what you might think.
You see, this cat Shaft is a bad motherf*....
well, this is a family site, so I think I better just shut my mouth.
But, y'all know that I'm talkin' about Shaft, right?


The Last Picture Show is a film that, despite it's bleak theme of an era that is coming to an end, not to mention despite this film's visual lack of color,
it's wide shots of a dusty little town on the brink of its own extinction is just as beautiful to look at as is the rapturous debut of it's young stunning starlet, Sybil Sheppard.

Vanishing Point is a road action film that demonstrates that the car flicks that became notorious during the 70's had begun gaining top speed early in the decade.

Fast, gritty and with liberal amounts of cinematic symbolism, this was a mach-moving motor movie that provided many fans of the genre with full tanks of anti-establishment fixes while at the same time satiating their needs for speed with lots of chase scenes featuring the coolest muscle cars of the day.

In other words,
he's mad as hell and he's not gonna take it anymore, punk!
And we all know about the fury that results from that of a woman who has been scorned....
it's enough to make the Magnum .44 or any other gun from Smith & Wesson look like a pea-shooter.

In other words,
she's crazy as hell and she's not gonna take it anymore, Clint!
Excellently directed by the always reliable Robert Altman, McC & Mrs. M is an Old West ditty that follows the trend of the anti-Western film that had begun the year earlier with works like Little Big Man and Monte Walsh. Following the formula of this then-burgeoning sub-genre, it a perfect example of how when it comes to the liberal attitude toward the typical big screen shoot-em ups, the times they were a'changing.


Before George Lucas went the lucrative way of the Force,
he dabbled into the Kubrickesque themes of THX 1138.
Quality science fiction that delves deeper into it's story than just laser-blasting guns, lightsabre swordfights and fuzzy-faced Ewoks.

Or more specifically,
a May-December romance in which the two months used to describe the relationship are separated by about sixty years.
Harold and Maude is the kind of coupling that inspires plenty of comedic elements, not to mention a few mental pictures that will most likely make you go "ew".



Duel is a good example of this type of smallscreen cinematic excellence. Not surprising, considering that it is Steven Spielberg's major film debut (well, at least from my memory it is). And with just the use a big ol' rusted semi-truck, a lone driving Dennis Weaver and a desolate desert road, the Spielmeister is able to demonstrate why he will eventually become a king of energetic, exciting blockbuster-fare.

Every once in a while, a part comes around that helps to define the career of a certain actor. For Gene Hackman, that could have been a lot of direct roles considering how long long his list of acting accomplishments he had accumulated in his lifetime. But as any hardcore cinephile will agree on, the one movie character that probably displays his talents at its best is Popeye Doyle's from 1971’s French Connection. From here on in, I always viewed Mr. Hackman's roles as a guy with a friendly smile, though with a slight slant of sinister intent.
Officer Doyle, as portrayed in this film was a guy out to do good, but is so determined to catch the bad guy, that he is willing to beat a suspect for info or haphazardly speed dangerously down a New York city street. In the end, he'll make sure the law wins, even if he has to break a few rules (and a few skulls) along the way.
Or rampage a stolen car thru rush hour traffic in a chase scene that all car chases from here on end will be measured by.

For me, this movie exemplifies everything that I like about all things Kubrick. IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but yet keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make it seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. And while I don't mind discussing what the underlying meaning(s) of ACO might be, I find that too much discussion on it tends to get in the way of the enjoyment that I get from noticing things like how colorfully crafted the art-direction is for a movie that doesn't bat a single lashed eye towards subjects like ultra-violence and the old in-&-out.

Visually, a beautifully crafted film with such a bite in it's theme that it acts as a well-balanced counterweight against the brightly set designs. Seldom do we see the contrast of light and darkness stitched on film in a manner that is instinctual, crazy and perfect all at the same time.

Four revenge flix (Straw Dogs, Shaft, Dirty Harry & Play Misty), two eccentric love stories (Klute & Maude), and two future box office kings' (Steven Spieberg & George Lucas) first forays into film (on the small screen for Spielberg, at least) round up my list of movies of 1971. All topped off by one my favorites of all time, directed by one my fave directors of all time, Stanley Kubrick.
Other Fave Movies Lists By Year:
1970
www.listal.com/list/10-70-my-fave-films
1972
www.listal.com/list/15-72-my-favorite-films
1973
www.listal.com/list/20-73-my-favorite-films
1974
www.listal.com/list/films-of-1974
1975
www.listal.com/list/20-75-my-favorite-films
1976
www.listal.com/list/20-76-my-favorite-films
1977
www.listal.com/list/20-77-my-favorite-films
1978
www.listal.com/list/20-1978-my-favorite-films
1979
www.listal.com/list/20-79-my-favorite-films
1980
www.listal.com/list/25-from-80-my-favorite
1981
www.listal.com/list/25-81-my-favorite-films
1982
www.listal.com/list/25-82-my-favorite-films
1983
www.listal.com/list/25-83-my-favorite-films
1984
www.listal.com/list/25-84-my-favorite-films
1985
www.listal.com/list/25-85-my-favorite-films
1986
www.listal.com/list/25-86-my-favorite-films
1987
www.listal.com/list/25-87-my-favorite-films
1988
www.listal.com/list/25-88-my-favorite-films
1989
www.listal.com/list/25-89-my-favorite-films
1990
www.listal.com/list/30-90-my-favorite-films
1991
www.listal.com/list/30-91-my-favorite-films
1992
www.listal.com/list/30-92-my-favorite-films
1993
www.listal.com/list/30-93-my-favorite-films
1994
www.listal.com/list/30-94-my-favorite-films
1995
www.listal.com/list/30-95-my-favorite-films
1996
www.listal.com/list/30-96-my-favorite-films
1997
www.listal.com/list/30-97-my-favorite-films
1998
www.listal.com/list/30-98-my-favorite-films
1999
www.listal.com/list/30-99-my-favorite-films
2000
www.listal.com/list/35-00-my-favorite-films
2001
www.listal.com/list/35-1-my-favorite-films
2002
www.listal.com/list/35-2-my-favorite-films
2003
www.listal.com/list/35-3-my-favorite-films
Other lists by The Mighty Celestial:
My Top 20 Female Movie Bad-Asses www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-female
10 Movies That Feature A Dancin' Travolta In 'Em www.listal.com/list/my-list-9158
My Top 15 Guilty Pleasure Movies www.listal.com/list/guilty-pleasures-thecelestial
Can't We Be Dysfunctional Like A Normal Family? www.listal.com/list/dysfunctional-family-movies
A - Z
www.listal.com/list/ay-zee-my-favorite-films
My Favorite Movies By Genre:
WAATAAAH!! My Top 10 Favorite Martial Arts Flix!
www.listal.com/list/my-list-thecelestial
Science Fiction:
- When Aliens Attack ....Or At Least, Go Bad www.listal.com/list/aliens-attack-at-least-go
- Aliens Who Come In Peace www.listal.com/list/good-aliens
- Favorite Sci Fi's Of Like....Ever. www.listal.com/list/scifi-movies
Horror:
www.listal.com/list/my-top-ten-favorite-horror
- Run For Your Lives! My 25 Fave Giant Monster Films www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-favorite-giant
Comicbook:
- Superhero Movies www.listal.com/list/yep-am-huge-comicbook
- Non-Superhero Movies www.listal.com/list/my-favorite-nonsuperhero-comicbook-movies
My Top Favorite Westerns, Pard'ner www.listal.com/list/westerns-thecelestial
Romance:
- Romantic Comedies www.listal.com/list/my-top-30-romantic-comedies
- Straight-Up Romance www.listal.com/list/romance-movies
Animated:
- 3D www.listal.com/list/animate-this-my-favorite-animated
- 2D www.listal.com/list/my-favorite-animated-movies-thecelestial
Foreign:
- From Around The World www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-favorite-foriegn
Lists by decades:
20's:
www.listal.com/list/10-20-my-fvaorite-films
30's:
www.listal.com/list/19301939-my-top-ten-favorite
40's:
www.listal.com/list/19401949-my-top-ten-favorite
50's:
www.listal.com/list/my-top-20-favorite-movies-thecelestial
60's:
www.listal.com/list/30-60s-my-favorite-films
70's:
www.listal.com/list/seventy-movies-70s
80's:
www.listal.com/list/my-favorite-100-films-80s
90's:
www.listal.com/list/films-from-the-1990s
00's:
www.listal.com/list/200-first-decade-new-millennium
Of all time:
www.listal.com/list/150-favorite-movies
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