vi .
January 30, 1980
John Raiz chooses the Ten Best Films
and also the Ten Worst Films of 1979
by John Raiz
When it comes time to
select my favorite films at
year’s end, I usally have to
scratch around to find the
final two or three movies to
complete my ten best list.
Some years—1977 for ex-
ample—I had to dig a bit
deeper than usual. For the
first time since 1973, my ten
best list consists entirely of
good movies. Even though
1979 produced an above
average number of enjoy-
able films, it still failed to
unveil an outstanding mov-
ie.
A number of critics have
selected their favorite films
of the decade. At some point
during the year I plan to join
their ranks and publish my
own list of best and worst
films of the 70’s.
In addition to selecting
my favorite movies of 1979, 1
have also listed a Consensus
Top Ten based upon a tally
of 22 film critics (from
newspapers, magazines, tel-
evision and radio). Two
movies ended in a tie for
first place, a very appro-
priate placing, because the
two films split the two most
prestigious awards: New
York Film Critics Award and
National Security of Film
Critics.
Ten Best Movies of 1979
(In Reverse Order)
10. THE MUPPET MOVIE
works splendidly because
Jim Hanson's animated
“puppets’’ look better on
the silver screen than they
do on television. Like all
good children’s film, The
Muppet Movie can be
enjoyed by not only child-
ren, but by any adult who
still keeps a youngster
locked away in his or her
soul.
9. ESCAPE FROM ALCA-
TRAZ is expertly directed
by Don Siegel; marvelously
photographed by Bruce
Surtees; Richard Tuggle’s
truncated script is ideally
suited for Clint Eastwood’s
monosyllabic responses and
his screen persona.
8. THE DEER HUNTER,
directed by Michael Cimino,
is a brilliantly staged and
acted reflection of working-
class Americans and their
daily rituals which form the
basis of their daily lives.
Forget the second half of the
film with" its politically
muddled Vietnam message;
to ignore The Deer Hunter’s
many virtues (DeNiro and
Walker, for example) and its
portrayal of male bonding is
political myopia of the
highest order.
7. MAX HAVELAAR, di-
rected by Fons Rademakers,
is a sweeping view of the
impact of Dutch colonialism
of the Tavanese people. The
film an exquisite travel-
ogue and a full-bodied
adventure story. Peter Fab-
er, as Max Havelaar,
exhibits an extraordinary
sense of presence in the title
role. :
6. NORTH DALLAS FORTY
is a savagely amusing movie
about the pain, commade-
ship, and the importance of
winning in professional
football. Ted Kotcheff (di-
rector) opened his movie
with a riveting montage that
immediately sets the tone
and comic style he hopes to
achieve; it’s the best
opening of the year. Nick
Nolte, Mac Davis, Bo
Svenson and John Matuszak
are sensational.
5. NORMA RAE, directed
by Martin Ritt, could have
been one of America’s most
outstanding films in years
had it overcome two or three
basic shortcomings. None-
theless, it is still one of the
better movies of the year.
Ron Leibman, who plays a
liberal union organizer, is
completely disarming; Sally
Fields as Norma Rae is very
. good, but the role pleads for
a great performance. Sorry,
Fields’ work falls far short.
4. THE CHINA SYN
DROME is the finest thriller
I’ve seen since The French
Connection. The film is
perfectly paced and bril-
liantly staged with the best
use of simulated ‘‘Cinema
Verite’’ in a suspense movie
that I’ve ever seen. And, of
course, the ghastly real life
irony adds an unprecede-
dented cinematic dimen-
sion. Jack Lemmon and
Jane Fonda are top notch as
the two principals.
3. KRAMER vs. KRAMER
is impeccably cast and
wonderfully acted. Dustin
Hoffman, Meryl Streep,
Jane Alexander and Justin
Henry are sensational. The
pure acting involved is so
marvelous that there is
almost an unendurable
pleasure derived from mere-
ly watching the four princi-
pals perform. Robert Benton
directed and Nestor Almen-
dros photographed Kramer
vs. Kramer.
2. THE TREE OF WOCDEN
CLOGS, directed by Er-
manno Olmi, is an extreme-
ly well-crafted film that had
the possibility of being a
masterpiece. Olmi set lofty
goals for himself. Despite its
glaring flaws (several of the
non-professional actors in
key roles are inadequate),
the film is powerful in the
engraving of everyday living
on a sharecropper farm.
Olmi’s color photography is
quite effective. Tree’s is an
often powerful, occassion-
ally touching but always
interesting film.
1. BREAKING AWAY is
enormously funny and re-
freshing; a true classic
sleeper. The film is not only
a marvelous examination of
the often unrecognized class
differences that do exist in
our ‘‘classless’’ society, but
also a humane study of
friendship and claustropho-
bic fatherly love. Peter
Yates (director), and Steve
Teisch (scriptwriter) have a
film that achieves this with
good, humorous touches,
exemplary economy of
means and an unwavering
sympathy. The entire cast is
splendid.
Honorable Mention [best]
The French Detective, El
Super, Being There, In-
Laws, Voices and Between
Miracles.
CONSENSUS TOP TEN
(based on the choices of
22 Film Critics)
1. Breaking Away tied with
Kramer vs. Kramer
3. Apocalypse Now
4. China Syndrome
5S. Manhattan
6. Norma Rae
7. The Tree of the Wooden
Clogs
8. The Marriage of Maria
Braun
9. Hair
10.All That Jazz tied with
Being There
HONORABLE MENTION
The Electric Horseman
La Cage Aux Folles
Escape From Alcatraz
The Black Stallion
Starting Over
Ten Worst Movies of 1979
1. MEETINGS WITH RE-
MARKABLE MEN, di-
rected by Peter Brooks, is an
unendurable mixture of
meaningless religious ‘‘pro-
fundities’’, impenetrable
nonsense and laughable
acting from beginning to
end. It also gets my vote as
the slowest moving movie of
1979.
2. LUNA is directed by one
of the kingmakers of awful
movies. Bernardo Berto-
lucci. He has made my 10
worst list on at least two or
three previous occasions.
This bloated work is com-
pletely mindless. It is
ladened with operatic op-
ulence, silly melodrama,
and pretentious artiness.
3. PICNIC AT HANGING
ROCK, directed by Peter
Weir, is a sensuous tease
delicately placed under
layers of ‘‘Elvira Madigan’,
like loveliness wrapped in a
gauge of tantalizing sex-
uality. Even the resolution
to the paltry mystery is one
huge tease.
4. HURRICANE gets the
nod for my annual Big Bomb
of the Year Award. (Last
year’s winner was The Wiz.)
Everything about the movie
is either awful (dialogue),
boring (the unending storm
scene), or battering (Nino
Rota’s musical score). Tear-
ful note: Hurricane is
directed by Jan Troell, the
fine Swedish film maker.
5. THE VILLAIN, directed
by Hall Needham and
starring Kirk Douglas, con-
tains fewer laughs than any
comedy of 1979.
6. THE CHAMP, directed
by Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo
and Juliet), doles out
mountains of vulgar, dis-
honest sweetness. His ex-
ploitation of sentimentality
is unforgivable. In eight-
year old Ricky Schroder,
Zeffirelli has found his
perfect shill.
7. PLAYERS combines the
pure trash of Harold
Robbins with the foolish
milieu of Jacqueline Su-
sann. Director Anthony
Harvey treats the sleazy
project so seriously, he
completely removes any
passibility of fun. Players
features Ali McGraw as the
‘“‘older’” woman.
8. THE FISH THAT SAVED
PITTSBURGH has the honor
of receiving my award for
being the silliest film in
1979. It is filled with
astrological jibberish, rau-
cous disco sounds, stupid
ethnic humor, and poorly
executed basketball scenes.
The picture showcases Jul-
ius Erving.
9. ROLLER BOOGIE lost a
photo finish for the silliest
movie of the year (see #8). It
stars a bloated Linda Blair
who desires to win a Roller
Boogie contest before mov-
ing on to Julliard to study
the flute. How does that
grab you for a plot!
10. AMERICATHON, the
basic premis of the film is
dreadful; the execution of
the idea is even worse.
Fortunately, I never wasted
my time seeing Neil Israel’s
previous effort, Tunnel-
vision (1976).
Dishonorable mentions:
Remember My Name, Han-
over Street, Dawn of the
Dead, More American Graf-
fiti, The Magician of Lublin,
Each Other, Winter Light
and Natural Enemies.
MUSSER, Mr. and Mrs.
Gerald (Regina Baker),
Mount Joy R2, a daughter at
the General Hospital.
WALTERS, Mr. and Mrs.
Daniel (Elaine Goetz), 754
Farmdale Road, Mount Joy,
a son at the General
Hospital.
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