BB.5 (out of 5) The success of Jaws meant that Peter Benchley’s follow-up novel would also find its way to the big screen, another adventure story with plenty of excuses to get characters into treacherous waters. Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset play a married couple on vacation in Bermuda who enjoy scuba diving and, on one particular … More The Deep (1977)
FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB. USA, 1977. Paramount Pictures, Zeeuwse Maatschappij N.V.. Screenplay by Denne Part Petitclerc, based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Cinematography by Fred J. Koenekamp. Produced by Peter Bart, Max Palevsky. Music by Jerry Goldsmith. Production Design by William J. Creber. Film Editing by Robert Swink. Academy Awards 1977. Ernest Hemingway’s posthumously published final novel is the basis … More Islands In The Stream (1977)
BBB.5 (out of 5) Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed are hired to move a truckload of Coors beer from Texas to Georgia (something that was illegal at the time) in barely more than a day, which they’re happy to do for the fat payload waiting for them at the end of it. Reynolds’ part of … More Smokey and the Bandit
ETTORE SCOLA Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB.5. Italy/Canada, 1977. Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Canafox Films. Screenplay by Ruggero Maccari, Ettore Scola, collaboration with Maurizio Costanzo. Cinematography by Pasqualino de Santis. Produced by Carlo Ponti. Music by Armando Trovajoli. Production Design by Luciano Ricceri. Costume Design by Enrico Sabbatini. Film Editing by Raimondo Crociani. Academy Awards 1977. Cannes Film Festival 1977. Golden Globe Awards 2017. Podcast: My Criterions. It’s May 8, … More A Special Day (Una Giornata Particolare) (1977)
BBB (out of 5) The paintings of Marc Chagall have been deservedly celebrated for the colour and passion contained within their borders, and this sweet tribute gives some background to his vast body of work. Chagall himself appears on screen, often with his delightful wife Valentina Brodsky who translates for him on camera, as he explains his … More Homage To Chagall: The Colours of Love
BBBB (out of 5) William Friedkin remakes Clouzot’s Wages Of Fear and the results are surprisingly good (I say that not because it’s Friedkin but because it’s an American remake of a European film). This time the opening act of forgotten men loafing around a South American village in the 1953 film is tweaked to … More Sorcerer
BBBB (out of 5) Margery Sharp’s children’s books have been adapted with winning ease in this film by Walt Disney productions. Two mice, both employees of the Rescue Aid Society, go in search of a little kidnapped girl when they receive a message in a bottle from the child asking for help. She has been … More The Rescuers
