Film: Movies of 1976

 

It was a great year for famous quotes. "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore"..."You talkin' to me?"..."Yo, Adrian"..."Is it safe?" Uploaded by americanrhetoric.com.

Maybe it was the Bicentennial that inspired so many excellent movies. Okay, probably not. All I know is that 1976 was one of those special years when it was fun to be a movie fan because there was always something good playing. Such as:

All the President’s Men (Great American Things, October 7, 2010) – Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman solve Watergate. Best Supporting Actor for Jason Robards.

Carrie – Brian De Palma brings Steven King to the screen for the first time.

The Eagle Has Landed – a great thriller starring Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland.

Uploaded by th7.deviantart.net.

Marathon Man – one of my personal favorites. Laurence Olivier asks Dustin Hoffman, “Is it safe?”

Network – Peter Finch won the Best Actor Oscar and railed, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Faye Dunaway earned Best Actress.

Rocky (Great American Things, August 2, 2010) – Sylvester Stallone came out of nowhere to write and direct the year’s box office winner. Won Best Picture, and Best Director (John Avildsen).

Silver Streak – First pairing of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor is both comic and box office gold.

A Star is Born – this remake of the classic starred Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The number two box office movie of the year.

Taxi Driver – Martin Scorsese directed, Robert De Niro starred. Won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. “You talkin’ to me?”

Film: Rocky

The training sequence, concluding on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and backed by Bill Conti's Gonna Fly Now, is one of the most memorable in movie history. Uploaded by connect.in.com.

As the fight ends, an exhausted Apollo Creed says, “Ain’t gonna be no rematch.” An equally weary Rocky Balboa answers, “Don’t want one.”

But of course, there was Rocky II, III, and then I lost track. Regardless of the way the series devolved, the original Rocky is a terrific movie, though the Best Picture it won over All the President’s Men, Network, and Taxi Driver is quite a stretch.

Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay, and desperately wanted to play the lead. The studios liked the story, but doubted Stallone’s ability to draw crowds. United Artists took the chance, and they were rewarded with one of the most profitable movies in film history. The picture cost $1.1 million to make; combining domestic and overseas revenue, it brought in over $342 million.

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The training sequence, performed to Bill Conti’s memorable “Gonna Fly Now” instrumental, is one of the movies’ all-time most inspirational moments. A statue of Rocky Balboa now adorns the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, site of the scene’s triumphant conclusion.

Rocky has been recognized on eight of the American Film Institute’s “100 Years” lists including: …100 Movies (#57), …Movie Quotes – “Yo, Adrian!” (#80), …Heroes and Villains (#7), …Sports (#2), and …Songs – “Gonna Fly Now” (#58).