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| We're going out with a bang, Googie. |
But those were Oscar's picks. What of my own? The full list of the 61 films eligible have been named already; now it's time to talk my personal favorites of 40 years ago.
These are the Retro Hollmann Awards of 1976.
Best Adapted Screenplay
William Goldman
from the book by Carl Bernstein / Bob Woodward
2. The Man Who Fell to Earth (Paul Mayersberg); 3. Carrie (Lawrence D. Cohen); 4. Buffalo Bill and the Indians (Robert Altman / Alan Rudolph); 5. The Shootist (Scott Hale / Miles Hood Swarthout)
Of All the President's Men, I said already that "there's a lot of information...But every detail is clear, the suspense is genuine, and each character vividly realized." The Man Who Fell to Earth's gradual meting-out of information, its slide from possibilities to a squander of them, is haunting. Carrie is earnest and completely its own, so you can buy into its crazy. Buffalo Bill and the Indians is a typical Altman: wincingly funny. The Shootist may be cynical about progress, but it doesn't let its hero off scot-free - a complex heart-tugger.
17 more categories, plus the full top ten, after the jump...
Best Original Song
1. "Rainy Fields of Frost and Magic"
music and lyrics by Bo Harwood
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
2. "Watch Closely Now"
music and lyrics by Paul Williams / Kenny Ascher
A Star is Born
A Star is Born
3. "With One More Look at You"
music and lyrics by Paul Williams / Kenny Ascher
A Star is Born
A Star is Born
4. "Hooked On Your Love"
music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield
Sparkle
Sparkle
5. "Something He Can Feel"
music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield
Sparkle
Sparkle
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Fellini's Casanova
Rino Carboni, head makeup artist
Giannetto de Rossi / Fabrizio Sforza, Mr. Sutherland's makeup
Gabriella Borzelli, hair stylist
2. Rocky (Michael Westmore); 3. The Man Who Fell to Earth (Ellis Burman, Jr. / Linda De Vetta / Martin Samuel); 4. Buffalo Bill and the Indians (Monty Westmore)
Fellini's Casanova presents a gallery of grotesques, starting with the surprisingly seedy look of its leading man - but then, that's the whole thesis of the film, no? Rocky's indie budget still boasts the most naturalistic makeup effects I've seen in a film - those wounds look legit, honey. The Man Who Fell to Earth ages some subtly, others less so, depending on the character's vices; oh, and turns Bowie into an alien. And then there are the wigs, beards, and mustaches of Buffalo Bill and the Indians.
Best Actress
Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen
Network
2. Sissy Spacek in Carrie; 3. Karen Black in Burnt Offerings; 4. Barbra Streisand in A Star is Born; 5. Jessica Lange in King Kong
As I wrote before, Miss Faye is "bloodthirsty...having a ball, her eyes sparkling in both rage and triumph," while Miss Sissy is "full of innocence and hope throughout the majority of the movie's running time, [before the] prom sequence." Karen Black is terrifyingly convincing as she slowly becomes more attached to the evil in its walls. Barbra's arc of defensive to flirty to loving to jaded to resigned is thrilling enough - but that finale clinches it. Kong doesn't work if you don't get the ape's attraction, and Jessica Lange's surprisingly quiet charm and honest eyes absolutely do the trick.
Best Visual Effects
King Kong
Carlo Rambaldi / Glen Robinson, the construction of Kong
Joe Day, special effects
Frank Van Der Veer, special photographic effects
2. Midway (Jack McMaster); 3. Carrie (Gregory M. Auer); 4. Logan's Run (L.B. Abbott / Glen Robinson); 5. God Told Me To (Steve Neill)
Obviously this has to go to that big ape in King Kong - maybe I have bad eyes, but I was convinced. I admire, too, the explosive battles by air and sea in Midway, the telekinetically-charged objects flying hither and thither in Carrie, the futuristic graphics and floating carousel of Logan's Run, and the clever cribbing and shocking earthly divinity of God Told Me To.
Best Ensemble
Car Wash
Don Phillips
2. Buffalo Bill and the Indians; 3. Next Stop, Greenwich Village (Juliet Taylor); 4. Network (Juliet Taylor); 5. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (Don Phillips)
I give Car Wash the edge for the subtle complexity and realism its ensemble brings to a plotless comedy. Similarly, Buffalo Bill and the Indians and Next Stop, Greenwich Village are both great examples of a set group of people interacting throughout, completely in tune with the film's vibe. Network is the only one, really, whose troupe of actors isn't consistently together - but truly, what a troupe it is! And damn, didn't the Bingo Long cast make you laugh, cry, and have fun doing it?
Best Production Design
Fellini's Casanova
Danilo Donati, art direction
2. The Man Who Fell to Earth (Brian Eatwell); 3. Logan's Run (Dale Hennesy / Robert De Vestel); 4. The Ritz (Philip Harrison); 5. Buffalo Bill and the Indians (Anthony Masters / Jack Maxsted / Dennis J. Parrish)
A plastic sea, stacked pipe organs, ostentatiously ornate contraptions...Fellini's Casanova doesn't skimp. The Man Who Fell to Earth's dusty America, tangible sci-fi tech, rustic alien planet, and claustrophobic set-as-prison. I mentioned before how I adored the "run-down Chapel, curvy steel of [Home]," and "ice tunnel" of Logan's Run. The Ritz fully realizes a multi-storied bathhouse, complete with a stage by the steam baths, somewhat gaudy, but home. And Buffalo Bill and the Indians brought a faux Wild West encampment to life.
Best Original Screenplay
Network
Paddy Chayefsky
2. God Told Me To (Larry Cohen); 3. Taxi Driver (Paul Schrader); 4. Rocky (Sylvester Stallone); 5. Fox and His Friends (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
I called Network a "flawless...evisceration of the television industry, an indictment of us." God Told Me To is shocking, suspenseful horror, with a unique take on the Messiah and the Divine. Taxi Driver makes us with its offbeat antihero, espousing surface ideas many would support, and a solution that all should be horrified by. Rocky, as I said, is a "Beautiful...depiction of connecting." And Fox and His Friends is disturbing in its depiction of casual manipulation, of careless ruin.
Best Actor
Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle
Taxi Driver
2. Peter Finch in Network; 3. Kris Kristofferson in A Star is Born; 4. William Holden in Network; 5. Robert Redford in All the President's Men
De Niro, I wrote, is a boyishly attractive ticking time bomb. As for Finch, I said he "rocket[s] to 10...and maintain[s] that energy." Kristofferson is not praised enough for the effortless performance he gives, only telegraphing wounds and resentments with his eyes and jaw. I said I was impressed by Holden's "prissy, entitled approach" giving shades of grey to Max. And finally, Redford: not always certain, constantly watching, and listening, man, really listening.
Best Score
1. Carrie
Pino Donaggio
2. Taxi Driver
Bernard Herrmann
3. The Omen
Jerry Goldsmith
4. Rocky
Bill Conti
5. Assault on Precinct 13
John Carpenter
Best Costume Design
Fellini's Casanova
Danilo Donati / Federico Fellini
2. Buffalo Bill and the Indians (Anthony Powell); 3. Murder by Death (Ann Roth); 4. Fox and His Friends (Helga Kempke); 5. Logan's Run (Bill Thomas)
Once again, a tip o' the cap to Fellini's Casanova, whose design work was unmatched this year. Dig also the literal costumes promoting the myth of the West in Buffalo Bill and the Indians, the character-specific duds of Murder by Death, the wardrobe-as-class-signifier in Fox and His Friends, and the pajama future-wear of Logan's Run.
Best Director
Sidney Lumet
Network
2. Martin Scorsese for Taxi Driver; 3. Brian De Palma for Carrie; 4. Nicolas Roeg for The Man Who Fell to Earth; 5. Alan J. Pakula for All the President's Men
I said of Lumet that even within some stylistic choices, his ensemble remains real. Scorsese keeps us in Bickle's headspace - you know when he's reeling, and when he's at rest. De Palma maintains near hysteria, every exclamation the most - it is high school, after all. I don't think I've seen anything quite like Roeg's dreamscape. Pakula trusts his actors and his audience equally.
Best Sound
God Told Me To
Jeffrey L. Hayes
2. The Shootist (Jerry Whittington / Al Overton / Les Fresholtz / Michael Minkler / Arthur Piantadosi); 3. All the President's Men (Milton C. Burrow / Les Fresholtz / James E. Webb / Rick Alexander / Arthur Piantadosi); 4. Rocky (Harry W. Tetrick / Gene Ashbrook / Ray Alba / Bert Schoenfeld); 5. Midway (Robert Martin / Leonard Peterson / Roger Sword / James Troutman / Roger Heman, Jr. / Robert L. Hoyt / Earl Madery)
When I think of God Told Me To, I think of its soundscape: its eerie score, its chilling opening sequence with the sniper, the parade, the finale with the most haunting idea of a divine entity's voice you've ever heard. Followed closely by the creaking house, clomping hooves, and, oh, yeah, gunfire of The Shootist; the tappa-tappa-tappa newsroom murmurs in All the President's Men; the punches, scuffles, and loud Italian arguments of Rocky; and the battle of Midway.
Best Cinematography
1. Network
Owen Roizman
2. God Told Me To
Paul Glickman
3. Bound for Glory
Haskell Wexler
4. The Man Who Fell to Earth
Anthony B. Richmond
5. The Omen
Gilbert Taylor
Best Supporting Actor
Ivan Dixon as Lonnie
Car Wash
2. Peter Falk in Murder by Death; 3. Ned Beatty in Network; 4. Burgess Meredith in Rocky;
5. F. Murray Abraham in The Ritz
There was no contest for me here - as soon as I saw Ivan Dixon's understated, moving performance as an ex-con trying to turn himself around, offering guidance to a militant Bill Duke but not pushing too hard, clearly the Elder Statesman without having to loudly announce it...I saw that performance and knew it was in the running. And his final scene, the last one in the movie, the most emotional, cathartic, bittersweet moment I saw in a 1976 film - that gave Dixon my win.
Followed soon thereafter by Peter Falk's committed absurdity to a Sam Spade riff, Ned Beatty's "tent revivalist" at a conference table, Burgess Meredith's "ball-busting toughness" tempered by a devastating loneliness, and F. Murray Abraham's camp queen who may be a bottom, but is never the butt of the joke.
Best Supporting Actress
Piper Laurie as Margaret White
Carrie
2. Eileen Brennan in Murder by Death; 3. Marlene Warfield in Network; 4. Beatrice Straight in Network; 5. Ellen Greene in Next Stop, Greenwich Village
I said it once, I'll say it again: with Piper Laurie, "You never doubt her commitment...her faith...her warped love." Eileen Brennan sees Falk's routine and manages to raise the bar; as usual, her line readings are killer. Marlene Warfield is a force of nature, ruthless, with a calculated calm. Straight, I mentioned, has "not a false moment." Ellen Greene is the heart of Next Stop, Greenwich Village, its melancholy center, an embattled 1950s liberal woman, but no mere object of pity.
Best Editing
Rocky
Scott Conrad / Richard Halsey
2. The Man Who Fell to Earth (Graeme Clifford); 3. Network (Alan Heim); 4. Taxi Driver (Tom Rolf / Melvin Shapiro); 5. Carrie (Paul Hirsch)
All of Rocky works beautifully, but let's admit: there's a reason why the montage is legendary, to say nothing of the fight itself. The Man Who Fell to Earth is hypnotic, entrancing, in its own universe. Network packs a punch, right down to its quick, brutal, ending. Taxi Driver frequently alternates between sudden bursts of quick cuts and slow, deliberate scenes. And Carrie...well, that split-screen finale of inescapable violence is justly iconic.
Top Ten: 10 - 6
10. The Ritz
A funny farce, perhaps dated, but a good time, and it genuinely feels like a community - and not community theatre, hey-oh!
9. Rocky
I said before: "The great American film...at its heart, [a] love story."
8. Buffalo Bill and the Indians; or, Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Sardonic Western satire, as only Altman could do it.
Sardonic Western satire, as only Altman could do it.
7. The Man Who Fell to Earth
So this is an art film: beautiful, hideous, thought-provoking.
So this is an art film: beautiful, hideous, thought-provoking.
6. Car Wash
Hilarious, yes, but far more heartwarming and thoughtful than you'd expect. And the music!
Hilarious, yes, but far more heartwarming and thoughtful than you'd expect. And the music!
Best Picture
5. All the President's Men
Walter Coblenz
Like I said: "Genuine suspense, even when you know the end results going in."
4. God Told Me To
Larry Cohen
Bent in the best way.
Bent in the best way.
3. Taxi Driver
Julia Phillips / Michael Phillips
Again, I say: "Like a fever dream...You are in the headspace of Travis Bickle, a young man about to become very, very dangerous."
2. Carrie
Paul Monash
A vital part of my being, genuinely horrific, with a tone to fit the madness of teen hormones - and, too, truly respectful of its heroine.
A vital part of my being, genuinely horrific, with a tone to fit the madness of teen hormones - and, too, truly respectful of its heroine.
1. Network
Howard Gottfried
To reiterate: "Perfection."
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