The 1970s was an unpredictable time, especially for cinema. The world was changing, revolutions were tearing down barriers, and technology was evolving at an exponential rate. With all these newfound breakthroughs, artists were increasingly free in a creative and political sense, to make whatever they wanted.
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At this time, generations brought up regularly watching movies were now picking up cameras and running with the torch. All over the globe, directors created new cinematic languages, broke conventional rules, and stepped over lines never crossed before.These weird auteur directorswould go on to make some of the most watchable, curious movies ever.
‘Even Dwarfs Started Small’ (1970)
“When we behave, nobody cares. But when we are bad, nobody forgets!” It’s not often a movie begins with a shot of a chicken eating another chicken, but this is what you get inWerner Herzog’sanarchicEven Dwarfs Started Small. You may know Werner Herzog from his agonizingly short role inThe Mandalorian, but he’s been one of the most prolific voices in cinema for the last 60 years. Famous for his poetic documentaries and his unstable relationship withKlaus Kinski, Herzog’s second fiction movie is about as strange as one would expect from the German pioneer.Even Dwarfs Started Smallis a film about patients in an institute who revolt against their controllers, where every character is played by a little person.
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This film is pure chaos. The best scene in the film features the inmates stealing a car and rigging it to drive endlessly in circles. The cast runs around the car, narrowly avoiding getting hit. The driver even jumps on the roof of the car while it continues its trajectory. It’s a wonderful scene, amplified by the fact that there are no safety protocols in place and the actors are certainly not stunt people. There are a lot of repetitive scenes, and even for 90 minutes it feels too long, but you’d be extremely hard-pressed to find anything else like it.
‘Pink Flamingos’ (1972)
John Water’sfilmography holds a sacred place in cult cinema, andPink Flamingosis the prize jewel in Water’s crown. Legendary drag queen,Divine(the inspiration forThe Little Mermaid’s Ursula), is the filthiest person in the world, literally. In this universe, being the filthiest person is a badge of honor. The crux of the movie revolves around wannabe sickos, Connie and Raymond (played byMink Stole and David Lochary) who want to displace Divine and gain the coveted title of “Filthiest People” for themselves. What follows is a grimy narrative that is hilarious,sickening, and wonderfully transgressive.
What givesPink Flamingosits staying power, is that you never get the sense that Waters and Divine are being weird for the sake of weird. You can tell how genuine and passionate they are about these characters, and that their eccentricity comes as naturally to them as breathing. For a movie that turned 50 this year,Pink Flamingosstill feels ahead of the times. The final shot is particularly notorious for its extremity, but it instantly skyrocketed Divine and Waters into cult movie status only preserved for the likes ofBruce Campbelland Lloyd Kaufman.
‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’ (1977)
What do you get when you take the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed horror movie of all time, then hire a man who hated the original to direct the sequel? You getExorcist II: The Heretic.Linda Blair’sRaegan is all grown up and now partakes in therapy sessions in an institute that looks like something out of a bad2001: A Space Odysseyrip-off. Along the way, we see visions ofJames Earl Jonessporting a locust-styled hat, psychic mind readings, and also find out that the haunting, unnamed demon in the original movie is called “Pazuzu”, which is not exactly a name that stokes fear.
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It’s worth seeing just to attempt to wrap your mind around so many of the peculiar choices and non-sequiturs.The Hereticis full of bizarre images, silly plot digressions, and nonsensical editing choices. It is an epic film that has no idea what it wants to be or what to say. Unfortunately, it’s not entertaining enough to be a so-bad-it’s-good joyride, but it is worth one watch just to tell your friends about it (“Wait, there’s anExorcist 2!? AndDarth Vader is in it?"). One gets the impression that theExorcist 2is a movie exclusively designed to cheapenThe Exorcist, which paradoxically makesWilliam Friedkin’soriginal even more impressive by comparison.
‘Deep Red’ (1975)
Deep Redbelongs to anItalian sub-genre known as “Giallo”, a strange cinematic category characterized by bold colors, serial killers, and dreamlike qualities. Story-wise,Deep Redis a pretty standard murder mystery. What makes it distinctfrom other Giallos, is the execution (no pun intended).Deep Red, like others in its sub-genre, casts actors who speak a myriad of languages, then dubs over their dialogue in Italian with zero regard for making it look naturalistic. If you watch the lips of many of the actors, it’s obvious they’re speaking English, yet directorDario Argentodoesn’t care. It’s a strange move but it adds to the movie’s nightmarish sensibilities.
The score by prog-rock group Goblin is a massive achievement, and even better than their score in Argento’sSuspiria(1977). Their pulsating music is often utilized in an antithetical fashion, incorporated in moments where it tonally conflicts with the horror visuals. The spooky lullaby theme alone deserves to be remembered among the best in horror history. The editing and sound design choices are unpredictable, and in classic 70s fashion, the cinematography includes many snap zooms and slow pans.Deep Redis a slow burn, but it has a satisfying payoff and some truly inventive kills.
‘House’ (1977)
On a list full of wild movies,Housetakes the cake. You’ve never seen anything like it.Nobuhiko Obayashi’soff-the-rails haunted house comedy-horror is about a teenager and her group of friends traveling to her aunts' place during summer vacation. Once at the house, everything goes from 0 to 11 almost immediately. The titular house is full of killer light fixtures, carnivorous pianos, possessed paintings, and murderous grandfather clocks. Absolutely nothing is off-limits.
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House, like many Japanese movies, was in part a reaction to theUS nuclear bombings of 1945that saw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians, some of whom were Obayashi’s childhood friends. He also took inspiration from his own daughters' fears and translated that imaginative quality into his visuals.Houseis a treat for the eyes, the hand-drawn animation is intentionally child-like and almost beyond conception. There are so many wild set pieces that burn an indelible mark into your brain once you watch them. It’s a charming, once-in-a-lifetime experience that all lovers of cinema must treat themselves to.
‘Caligula’ (1979)
Following his career-defining performance inA Clockwork Orange, it was a fitting choice for Malcolm McDowell to play history’s most sadisticRoman Emperor, Caligula. Whilethis political satirewas directed byTinto Brassand written byGore Vidal, both men would go on to disavow the film after the producer,Bob Guccione, added pornographic scenes featuring Penthouse models. Guccione’s power move would spell disaster forCaligula, as it epically bombed at the box office and was critically despised. Even without the unnecessary sex scenes, Caligula is a testament to excess and gratuity.
Few movies have a giant decapitation machine.Caliguladoes. The characters are more incestuous and plotting than even the most deviousGame of Thronesplayer. Caligula makes McDowell’sAlex DeLarge look like a boy scout.Helen Mirrenmakes a surprising appearance as Caligula’s new bride who enables his most sadistic qualities, andPeter O’Tooleis extremely creepy as Caligula’s disease-ridden predecessor, Tiberius. Some of the freakiest imagery comes in Tiberius’s hedonistic sex show, where animals and deformed people take place in feats of depravity. It truly is an unhinged epic that must be seen to be believed.
‘Bugsy Malone’ (1976)
The tagline toBugsy Malonescreams “Every Year Brings a Great Movie. Every Decade A Great Movie Musical!”.Bugsy Maloneis neither a great movie nor a good musical. It is, however, a unique experiment from directorAlan Parker.Bugsy Maloneis a by-the-books prohibition flick aboutturf wars between gangsters, with one big difference: all the characters are played by are children. Instead of booze, the characters drink juice, instead of bullets, they kill each other with cream pies. It’s a love letter to mobster films of the past; the script is playing it straight, but Parker is winking the entire time.
The actors vary wildly in quality,Scott Baiois serviceable as the titular character, whileJohn CassisiandSheridan Earlare great as Fat Sam and his dim-witted number two, Knuckles. Yet, they all pale in comparison toJodie Fosteras Tallulah. Foster so effortlessly outclasses her peers, that it shines a spotlight on the inadequacies of everyone else.The movie fails as a musical, however: the songs are useless and bring the film to a screeching halt, though “Tomorrow” and “You Give a Little” are fantastic tunes. It feels like they made up as they went along, full of useless plot digressions, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless.
‘Fantastic Planet’ (1973)
Fantastic Planethas a legacy as one of themost unique and well-crafted animated films ever. It is imbued with the sort of mind-bending visuals and music that only the late 60s and early 70s could produce. French filmmakerRené Lalouxis at the helm of this trippy feature where humans (called “Oms”) are routinely subjugated and slaughtered by a humanoid alien species called the “Traags”. The Om’s struggle can be interpreted as allegorical for everything from genocide to animal rights.Fantastic Planetis a confronting movie that doesn’t shy away from blood and violence. It’s disconcerting when alien children pick up a human playfully and crushes them to death as casually as one swats a mosquito.
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The 2D animation is breathtaking. Laloux utilizes paper cut-out animation, the same form popularised byTerry GilliaminMonty Python’s Flying Circus, yet the animation is far sleeker and precise inFantastic Planet. The film takes full advantage of itssci-fi genre by creating a world almost inconceivableto us. There is technology and rituals the Traags use that is impossible for the Oms to even grasp. It will make you take pause and make you reflect on how you treat all living things.
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