Greatest movie of '73 was Day of the Dolphin. I was 9 and I remember! The whole theater was filled with crying people. We played all day around the railroad tracks (there was a trestle so the diesels would actually stop and we could climb on and jump off at very low speeds - as long as our parents didn't catch wind of it) and Emperor of the North taught us some serious tricks- always wear gloves! Now, after the so called Patriot Act it's almost a capital crime to even be on the tracks.
I absolutely adore the thought-provoking Wicker Man. The folk music also gets under your skin. The first time I saw it I had no idea where it was going and was gobsmacked at the ending. A unique film!
The 1970's was a treasure trove of truly great movies and music. It is a decade I'll never forget and one I wish we could revisit today along with the 80's
A lot of unsung wonders from the seventies, which is probably one of the most curious and extraordinary decades in US film making. My particular favorite is "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," which is now recognized as one of the decade's greatest neo-noir films.
I worked in a movie theater in high school between 73-76 and 73 was a great year for movies, I've seen all the movies you talked about and I would like to add a couple of my favorites from 73 not mentioned: Cinderella Liberty, Terrance Malik's Badlands, Nichols Roeg's Don't Look Now and while it's not a hidden gem it is the movie that made me love foreign films with subtitles Fellini's Amarcord.
I have always been a fan of Charley Varrick, and have recommended it to many friends/co-workers over the years. Everyone who has taken the time to watch it has pretty much said the same ting- "How come I've never heard of this movie?". Great list! 🖖
The last detail(1973), The last of Sheila(1973), Rituals(1977), Hidden gems of the 70's is always going to be difficult with a 5. I think I'd need a top 30!
@@jarmond1I always say that Spielberg remade the wrong Sondheim film . He should have remade the Last of Sheila. With its yacht culture, and star list, it is so fun.
The early 70s american films are my favourite time period, some true gems that rely more on the actors and story than special effects or soundtracks to sell a movie. Three Days of a Condor is my favourite movie. I wish the streaming services had a classic section to showcase these forgotten films. Marathon Man, Parallax View, Hot Rocks off the top of my head are great movies that arent easy to find. thanks for the list- now i have a few classics to search for!
I have never heard of "The Outfit" but will give it a look. The Mel Gibson movie "Payback" is a remake of the Lee Marvin movie "Point Blank" (1967). Or rather they are both interpretations of the same book, "The Hunter". Great list, I love Charlie Varrick!
Badlands would fit perfectly on this list. Directed by Terrence Malick and starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, this violent crime drama is loosely based on the murderous killing spree of Charles Starkweather. The cinematography is gorgeous and you can feel the loneliness of the wide open spaces of the mid-west. Check, check, check it out! Sadly, there is no role for Joe Don Baker in this one.
How could you forget mentioning Andrew Robinson in Charley Varrick? He also played the psychopathic killer in Dirty Harry, and later played Garak on Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
I honestly think I'd rate The Last Detail or The Outfit slightly ahead of Scarecrow, but its so subjective... The Laughing Policeman is another great cop flick with Walter Matthau from '73 that's just great. What a year for American film!
At 15:15 the ten paces shootout between Kris Kristofferson and Jack Elam is my favorite scene in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Elam’s last words, “I never could count, but at least I’ll be remembered” are pitch perfect. All the characters in the movie were roughewn, stoic and resigned to death when their lifestyle caught up with them.
I have this theory about Mel Gibson. All of the small movies that he makes in between his big films are much better than the big films. Payback is definitely on that list. Really good film with a ton of great actors.
@@classiccinema9490 there's the one where his daughter gets killed because of nuclear secrets. There's also the one where he goes to jail in Mexico. There's payback. There's one more that I can't remember but these were all the smaller films he did in between his big films which I didn't enjoy anywhere near as much though I'm kind of a fan of Signs. That's not really his film because he wasn't the director or anything but it is kind of an interesting film.
I was 12 years old and went to see The 7-Ups because my friend and I had become huge car chase fans through 007 and the car chase genre of the time. The movie was a little intense at times for an early 70's 12 year old, but I really became a huge Roy Scheider fan because of this movie. When he appeared in Jaws, a lot of people didn't really know him too well, but he was already one of my favorite actors (followed him religiously up to Blue Thunder). I've always had a soft spot in my heart for The Seven Ups. If given a choice between it and The French Connection, I would probably choose The Seven Ups, just because it has kind of a dark horse feel. Actually, I love the early 70s for movies and music. It was raw and boundaries were being pushed. It was on the edge of everything that was to come..
"Payback" and "Point Blank" are both adaptations of the first "Parker" novel "The Hunter." "The Outfit" is an adaptation of the third "Parker" novel also called "The Outfit." The "Parker" novels were written by Donald E. Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark. Sorry, I just thought I'd point that out. I've seen all these movies except Scarecrow and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Thanks for the recommendations!
I've seen every movie on this list, most in 1973 when I was in the Navy. Christ, I'm...Arrgh! I believe all viewers of this site should watch movies from the Seventies. If you truly enjoy films, that is.
Great list. I am a film fan and you posted a couple I had never heard of. Thank you. If you liked Scarecrow then I suggest you look up "The Flim-Flam Man," with George C. Scott. It was made in 1967 but has the feel of a lot of the films made in the early 70s without the mandatory "grit."
Dylan also started writing "Wagon Wheel" for this film, but it went unfinished until Ketch Secor finished it for Old Crow Medicine Show. Then Darius Rucker made it an even bigger hit
You are a true film lover. I vaguely remember the films you mentioned.....B U T... Charlie Varrick is a favorite. Seen it several times. Love it truly. Wicker Man is a GREAT, but weird film. A mystery? Yes. A suspense film? Yes., A horror flick? yes. A great film? Absolutely. Thanks for your reviews. I have to find the Pat Garret and the KId flick.
I like Charley Varrick as well and will step out on a limb to say Clint Eastwood might have been a better choice for Charley. Also Live & Let Die kept the Bond series alive. Though Moore is not Connery he improved over time. Here's to the 70's - probably the best era of film making !
@@nickelndime5 Mattau was best for Charlie. Looks like an accountant -- an easy mark for the thuggish bad guys. But, they all get played. I love it when Matthau is the bad guy -- like in Charade.
I realize that, but I'm trying to appeal to a much wider audience, and in some areas, its not very well known, especially to people who aren't avid film buffs and horror fans.
One truly overlooked gem from 1973 that merits mention is 'Some Call It Loving', written and directed by James B. Harris, and starring Zalman King and Tisa Farrow (Mia Farrow's younger sister), with an unusual, serious supporting role by Richard Pryor. This film is uncategorizable, having elements of fantasy, suspense, and sexual psychodrama all mixed into an unforgettable whole. It's not a film for all tastes (what movie is?), but it's highly distinctive, atmospheric, and unique. It would make, in my opinion, the ideal midnight movie.
1973 may be the best all-around movie year of all time. It was great for non-English language films too: The Spirit Of The Beehive, Scenes from a Marriage, Amarcord, The Mother and The Whore, Lady Snowblood.
@@classiccinema9490 1939's amazing for depth/breadth and also for the height of its highs (Rules of the Game, Wiz of Oz, Gone wt Wind) but 1973 just doesn't quit! Badlands, The Last Detail, The Long Goodbye, O Lucky Man, Don't Look Now, Paper Moon, La Grande Bouffe, Emperor of the North, The Holy Mountain, Day For Night, Turkish Delight... on top of everything else that's been mentioned.
@@swanstep Emperor of the North is fantastic, not the least, for it's documentation of a lifestyle (riding the rails) that is now gone. It was always illegal, but after the so called Patriot Act, they will seriously put you away. I don't care what anyone says, I was 9, and Day of the Dolphin had the whole theater crying by the end!
What about Save the Tiger? I’m surprised it doesn’t get mentioned more often. Jack Lemmon won best actor for it! Also great performances from Jack Gilford and character actor Thayer David.
How in the Mikey Way Galaxy is these films hidden gems? We watched them, talked about them and watched them again. And when VCRs came out we rented them. If these movies are hidden than the Golden Gate Bridge is a secret.
To us, from that generation who are movie buffs, they are not. I'm trying to bring these films to the attention of younger, and hopefully future generations. I do the same with all of younger relatives, so they won't be forgotten.
Saw Wicker Man and Exorcist as a double bill in 1973 in Sheffield, England. People exited the cinema and almost without exception everyone found the Wicker Man to be the more frightening movie. The Exorcist was heavy on special effects (heard people laughing at them while watching). The Wicker Man created genuine horror amongst the audience. No real special effects of note - just fear inducing horror.
I saw Wicker Man in ‘73, in Sheffield, but the double bill was WM with Don’t Look Now, not The Exorcist. It’s become a historically well-known double release since then. I’ve never heard of it being doubled with the Frankenheimer horror before, and I’m a fan of all these three films since their initial release. I saw many terrific films in Sheffield around that time, including at the Art House studio, which I loved.
Pat Garret and Billy the Kid would have been even more astounding if the final fifteen minutes hadn't been cut, thus stunting the message. It flashed forward a number of years to where the same monied interests decide that Garret is a liability and arrange to have him killed.
a tad parochial inasmuch as the list doesn't consider the impact the films made beyond the US: Far from being 'hidden', in retrospect THE WICKER MAN is possibly the most famous British film of 1973, and one of Britain's best-remembered in the whole decade.
Yeah, I want to see Scarecrow. I love Matthau but I didn't really get him in Varrick, especially him as a killer, didn't click for me. I was ignorant about this original version of Wicker man, but I should have known. Maybe have to see the restored Billy the Kid at some point.
These all have a cult following (not hidden) except Charlie Varrick which is excellent. I have seen every one of these and certainly don't consider them "hidden" gems. In their time they were mostly well-reviewed by critics, and just because a film is not a blockbuster doesn't mean it is unrecognized. Straight Time with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman in Night Moves come to mind as great but forgotten flicks as well as Klute (Jane Fonda), Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Vanishing Point and Don't Look Now.
Day of the Jackal, the Last Detail... You never mentioned Andy Robinson in Charley Varrick. His Scorpio in Dirty Harry was one of my favourite bad guys. I thought Mel's Payback was based more on 1967's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin...
I think Jackal and Last Detail are still pretty well known. They were on my list. Sorry about Andy, that was my fault. You're not the only one to remind me haha.
The only problem with Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid is Bob Dylan's performance. He's definitely not an actor. A few others from 1973 you might like are ElectraGlide In Blue with Robert Blake, Westworld w/Yul Brynner & Soylent Green w/Charlton Heston. You're choices were excellent.
My Mom's first cousin was one of the two real-life exorcists portrayed in the movie. Google Father Raymond Bishop. We called him Father Ray. We did not know of his role in the real life exorcism until the movie came out, and he was outted. He would visit Mom at least once a year to catch up. I dreaded his visits. Every time he would try to talk me into becoming a Jesuit priest, like him. I would give him the same answer every visit, "Father Ray, I like girls." The church allowed him to only acknowledge his role in the original exorcism. He was never allowed to divulge the details. He was a good guy. I miss him.
wicker man was forgettable except for the last 30 minutes. All this brutality and killing an death was lost on me. I like Fellini and Wertmueller in the 70s
The Wickerman has no fight scenes, car chases or other such crap just a story built on Pagan ideas and philosophy. It had plenty of Pagan ideas in it. My favorite movie and of course, I am a Pagan.
Do you understand what hidden gem means? it means a thing most people have never heard of or seen, you putting Wicker Man on hear is like saying Journey is a unheard of band, not good.
Obviously, you don't understand the goal of my channel. Unless you are a hardcore horror fan, most people under 50, at least in the U.S., have never heard of The Wicker Man. Those are the people I'm trying to reach. Thanks for your comment tho!
@@classiccinema9490 Great, i managed to persuade our class teacher to let me bring Westworld in for everyone to watch during a free afternoon when i was age 11 assuring her it was a safe/clean film and it is, that's part of the beauty of it that the leery weirdo series making them all sit about naked in repair/program bit lost unlike the original able to shock without being shocking per se.
Great picks on flicks from 73 that were not hits. Pat Garrett is a mess. Sounds like a dream come true with the cast but falls flat for me. Badlands should of been number 1.
Thanks. Yeah, I really struggled for the top pick. Its so subjective. Whatever I picked, someone would say "You should have picked so and so!" So I just used my best judgement.
None of these films are really ‘hidden gems’. They are all far too well known to be in any sense as described. Why waste all the time at the beginning on startlingly well known films? I was beginning to think you were never going to get to the gems! Here, in the UK, no-one could begin to imagine that Wicker Man was less than a top class film. It was released in the UK as a double bill with Don’t Look Now, which has to be the best film double bill I ever came across. That was proof that the distributors didn’t know what they were doing!
I understand what you're saying, but I'm trying to reach people that are not familiar with these films that want to try something different. All of us avid movie fans know these films, of course, but I'm just trying to raise awareness. Thanks for your comment!
It can be hard to distinguish the flawed human being from the admirable artist. I can certainly understand not wanting to contribute to the fortune of a politically noxious individual, however estimable their creative work might be.
Thanks for watching! Would like to read your comments below!
Greatest movie of '73 was Day of the Dolphin. I was 9 and I remember! The whole theater was filled with crying people. We played all day around the railroad tracks (there was a trestle so the diesels would actually stop and we could climb on and jump off at very low speeds - as long as our parents didn't catch wind of it) and Emperor of the North taught us some serious tricks- always wear gloves! Now, after the so called Patriot Act it's almost a capital crime to even be on the tracks.
I absolutely adore the thought-provoking Wicker Man. The folk music also gets under your skin. The first time I saw it I had no idea where it was going and was gobsmacked at the ending. A unique film!
That movie made a pretty big impact on me. I'll never forget the way I felt at the end.
The 1970's was a treasure trove of truly great movies and music. It is a decade I'll never forget and one I wish we could revisit today along with the 80's
Very well said. Thanks!
The Friends of Eddie Coyle-- 1973, great movie that flew under the radar................
I suggest "Harry in your Pocket" with James Coburn (1973)
A lot of unsung wonders from the seventies, which is probably one of the most curious and extraordinary decades in US film making. My particular favorite is "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," which is now recognized as one of the decade's greatest neo-noir films.
Loved that movie!
I worked in a movie theater in high school between 73-76 and 73 was a great year for movies, I've seen all the movies you talked about and I would like to add a couple of my favorites from 73 not mentioned: Cinderella Liberty, Terrance Malik's Badlands, Nichols Roeg's Don't Look Now and while it's not a hidden gem it is the movie that made me love foreign films with subtitles Fellini's Amarcord.
Badlands and Don't Look Now are both really good, but they are pretty well known.
@@classiccinema9490How about William Friedkin’s The Sorceror?
@4862cjc good movie, but it came out in '77.
Besides, I'm not a big Terence Malik fan. I think his movies are a little too overwrought imho.
Charlie Varrick and the Seven Ups are two of my all-time favorites. 1973 was a good movie year Walking tall and Serpico were really good also.
Absolutely!
I reme.ber my parents wouldn't let me see Walking Tall, but I remember them and their friends couldn't stop talking about it.
I have always been a fan of Charley Varrick, and have recommended it to many friends/co-workers over the years. Everyone who has taken the time to watch it has pretty much said the same ting- "How come I've never heard of this movie?". Great list! 🖖
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely love the movies of this ere. Thanks for these insights!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My favorite era for films! Still managed to pick up a couple of recommendations, too. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed!
The last detail(1973), The last of Sheila(1973), Rituals(1977), Hidden gems of the 70's is always going to be difficult with a 5. I think I'd need a top 30!
It was really hard, I'm not gonna lie.
The last of Sheila is most certainly a must-watch!
@@jarmond1I always say that Spielberg remade the wrong Sondheim film . He should have remade the Last of Sheila. With its yacht culture, and star list, it is so fun.
I’m proud to be bornn in good ole 1973.
Congratulations!
wicked
thanks for the Charlie varrick reminder 🙂
You're welcome! 😉
The early 70s american films are my favourite time period, some true gems that rely more on the actors and story than special effects or soundtracks to sell a movie. Three Days of a Condor is my favourite movie. I wish the streaming services had a classic section to showcase these forgotten films.
Marathon Man, Parallax View, Hot Rocks off the top of my head are great movies that arent easy to find.
thanks for the list- now i have a few classics to search for!
Yes I love Three Days of the Condor. And thanks!
I have never heard of "The Outfit" but will give it a look. The Mel Gibson movie "Payback" is a remake of the Lee Marvin movie "Point Blank" (1967). Or rather they are both interpretations of the same book, "The Hunter". Great list, I love Charlie Varrick!
Yeah I messed up on the Payback thing. The Outfit is good old school crime drama. You will see a lot of similarities with Point Blank.
I really enjoyed the wickerman when I watched it as a child in the 1970
I bet you had some sleepless nights.🤣🤣
@@classiccinema9490 The movie that gave me the worst nightmares was a black and white movie called The sound of horror
Payback Mel Gibson was the remake to Point Blank not The Outfit.
Point blank was easily Lee Marvin’s greatest death scene.
Badlands would fit perfectly on this list. Directed by Terrence Malick and starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, this violent crime drama is loosely based on the murderous killing spree of Charles Starkweather. The cinematography is gorgeous and you can feel the loneliness of the wide open spaces of the mid-west. Check, check, check it out! Sadly, there is no role for Joe Don Baker in this one.
Oh yeah, I've seen it several times. I think its pretty widely known tho. Love Joe Don! 😆
The one Malick film that I like. From before he started to believe his press and producers threw money at him.
How could you forget mentioning Andrew Robinson in Charley Varrick? He also played the psychopathic killer in Dirty Harry, and later played Garak on Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
I didn't forget, just didn't have time. I've been reminded many times lol.
@@classiccinema9490 Okay, I’m sure all Andrew Robinson fans forgive you.
I hope so! I'll give him his due in a future video.
I honestly think I'd rate The Last Detail or The Outfit slightly ahead of Scarecrow, but its so subjective... The Laughing Policeman is another great cop flick with Walter Matthau from '73 that's just great. What a year for American film!
Yeah it was really tough. I had those in my top 10. The Outfir is classic. I like anything with Duvall
At 15:15 the ten paces shootout between Kris Kristofferson and Jack Elam is my favorite scene in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Elam’s last words, “I never could count, but at least I’ll be remembered” are pitch perfect. All the characters in the movie were roughewn, stoic and resigned to death when their lifestyle caught up with them.
Christopher Lee said playing the Lord n The Wicker Man was his favourite role.
Well, he nailed it. He certainly creeped me out!
The budget for this film was so low that Christopher Lee agreed to work for nothing after reading the script.
@@harry2.01 I think he was just glad to get away from Drracula!
Thank you for the recommendations. I have not seen these hidden gems. I'll start looking for them online, hopefully someone is streaming them.
You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Love my childhood movies ,,,
Grew up in a small town ,,, with a drive through ...
3 blocks away ... So you know ... Thanks ...
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have this theory about Mel Gibson. All of the small movies that he makes in between his big films are much better than the big films. Payback is definitely on that list. Really good film with a ton of great actors.
Good point. I absolutely love Payback. Also Edge of Darkness is really good.
@@classiccinema9490 there's the one where his daughter gets killed because of nuclear secrets. There's also the one where he goes to jail in Mexico. There's payback. There's one more that I can't remember but these were all the smaller films he did in between his big films which I didn't enjoy anywhere near as much though I'm kind of a fan of Signs. That's not really his film because he wasn't the director or anything but it is kind of an interesting film.
@@bookaufman9643 If you haven't seen Dragged Across Concrete, its one of my faves.
@@classiccinema9490 haven't seen it yet but I'll look out for it.
Payback is an awesome dark, and violent, comedy. Doesn't hurt that it has Kris Kristofferson and James Coburn in it.
Interesting picks ! I’m really interested to see scarecrow!! ❤️❤️
nobody ever mentions Scarecrow, a forgotten gem...... but as you say its Hackman and Pacino with so much chemistry on their top game.
The Long Goodbye, Electra Glide in Blue, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Paper Chase, The 3 Musketeers, The Last of Sheila and Soylent Green.
I was 12 years old and went to see The 7-Ups because my friend and I had become huge car chase fans through 007 and the car chase genre of the time. The movie was a little intense at times for an early 70's 12 year old, but I really became a huge Roy Scheider fan because of this movie. When he appeared in Jaws, a lot of people didn't really know him too well, but he was already one of my favorite actors (followed him religiously up to Blue Thunder). I've always had a soft spot in my heart for The Seven Ups. If given a choice between it and The French Connection, I would probably choose The Seven Ups, just because it has kind of a dark horse feel. Actually, I love the early 70s for movies and music. It was raw and boundaries were being pushed. It was on the edge of everything that was to come..
70's movies fit the era: grimy, depressing, and tacky. That's why they were so awesome! 😁
"Payback" and "Point Blank" are both adaptations of the first "Parker" novel "The Hunter."
"The Outfit" is an adaptation of the third "Parker" novel also called "The Outfit."
The "Parker" novels were written by Donald E. Westlake under the pseudonym Richard Stark.
Sorry, I just thought I'd point that out. I've seen all these movies except Scarecrow and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Thanks for the recommendations!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yes, my mistake. I realized it after I published it, so it was too late to correct it. Payback is a fine movie.
I've seen every movie on this list, most in 1973 when I was in the Navy. Christ, I'm...Arrgh! I believe all viewers of this site should watch movies from the Seventies. If you truly enjoy films, that is.
Great list. I am a film fan and you posted a couple I had never heard of. Thank you.
If you liked Scarecrow then I suggest you look up "The Flim-Flam Man," with George C. Scott. It was made in 1967 but has the feel of a lot of the films made in the early 70s without the mandatory "grit."
Great suggestion! I think I saw it years ago, but will have to revisit it.
Yes, Scarecrow is beautiful!
all great picks!!!!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow he did that movie before Jaws that guy really is a good actor
Wasnt there a film called electa guide in blue about a motor cycle cop out then , i watched it in the cinema in 73 i think .
Yes, loved that film. Robert Blake was in it.
@@classiccinema9490 Last time I seen it , an unexpected ending .
The key scene of Pacino near the end of the film was at Scott Fountain on Belle Isle Park in Detroit.
I saw all 5 films when they came out and haven't seen them in years. The only honourable mention I have not seen is The Outfit. Time to revisit
I really enjoyed The Outfit. Its bare bones, no frills and gritty.
The Wicker Man is my second favorite horror film. I love Christopher Lee.
What is your favorite?
@@classiccinema9490 The Serpent and the Rainbow. Third is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
"The Long Goodbye" is a great, forgotten 1973 film.
💯
Scarecrow is one of the most underrated films in the history of Cinema
Dylan also started writing "Wagon Wheel" for this film, but it went unfinished until Ketch Secor finished it for Old Crow Medicine Show. Then Darius Rucker made it an even bigger hit
Wow really? I didn't know that!
You are a true film lover. I vaguely remember the films you mentioned.....B U T...
Charlie Varrick is a favorite. Seen it several times. Love it truly.
Wicker Man is a GREAT, but weird film. A mystery? Yes.
A suspense film? Yes., A horror flick? yes.
A great film? Absolutely.
Thanks for your reviews.
I have to find the Pat Garret and the KId flick.
Thank you!
I like Charley Varrick as well and will step out on a limb to say
Clint Eastwood might have been a better choice for Charley.
Also Live & Let Die kept the Bond series alive. Though Moore is
not Connery he improved over time. Here's to the 70's - probably
the best era of film making !
@@nickelndime5 Hmmm, I'd have to say second best. I still think the 40's is tops imho.
@@nickelndime5 Mattau was best for Charlie. Looks like an accountant -- an easy mark for the thuggish bad guys.
But, they all get played.
I love it when Matthau is the bad guy -- like in Charade.
@@classiccinema9490 no disagreement 1940's movies are top of the shelf Casablanca and
Now Voyager and The Little Foxes a couple of my favorites
Bit of a stretch calling The Wicker Man a hidden gem: it's a very well known film, particularly in the UK.
I realize that, but I'm trying to appeal to a much wider audience, and in some areas, its not very well known, especially to people who aren't avid film buffs and horror fans.
One truly overlooked gem from 1973 that merits mention is 'Some Call It Loving', written and directed by James B. Harris, and starring Zalman King and Tisa Farrow (Mia Farrow's younger sister), with an unusual, serious supporting role by Richard Pryor. This film is uncategorizable, having elements of fantasy, suspense, and sexual psychodrama all mixed into an unforgettable whole. It's not a film for all tastes (what movie is?), but it's highly distinctive, atmospheric, and unique. It would make, in my opinion, the ideal midnight movie.
The Wicker Man. Number one. The Exorcist. Number two.
I've seen em all except walking tall,great list!
Walking Tall is a guilty pleasure.
Payback was a remake of point blank
You should do some more years from the 70s. Fwiw, I argue pretty frequently that the long 70s was the best decade for film
I have more in the works. Stay tuned! And thanks for watching!
@@classiccinema9490 if you post i will watch ;)
I remember that scene w the dimes loaded in the shotgun!
The Seven Ups is fantastic.
I agree. I think it ranks up there with Bullitt and French Connection.
1973 may be the best all-around movie year of all time. It was great for non-English language films too: The Spirit Of The Beehive, Scenes from a Marriage, Amarcord, The Mother and The Whore, Lady Snowblood.
It was good, but I still think 1939 was the greatest year of all time.
@@classiccinema9490 1939's amazing for depth/breadth and also for the height of its highs (Rules of the Game, Wiz of Oz, Gone wt Wind) but 1973 just doesn't quit! Badlands, The Last Detail, The Long Goodbye, O Lucky Man, Don't Look Now, Paper Moon, La Grande Bouffe, Emperor of the North, The Holy Mountain, Day For Night, Turkish Delight... on top of everything else that's been mentioned.
@@swanstep Emperor of the North is fantastic, not the least, for it's documentation of a lifestyle (riding the rails) that is now gone. It was always illegal, but after the so called Patriot Act, they will seriously put you away. I don't care what anyone says, I was 9, and Day of the Dolphin had the whole theater crying by the end!
Hopefully the dire remake of The Wicker Man made millions more people realise just how good the original actually is.
I saw the remake in the theater and it was gawd awful. I thought with Cage in it that it might be good. Boy was I wrong.
Another great one man!
Thanks buddy!!
What about Save the Tiger? I’m surprised it doesn’t get mentioned more often. Jack Lemmon won best actor for it! Also great performances from Jack Gilford and character actor Thayer David.
Well done and good choices!
Thank you!😆
"What a great actor."
“Jeremiah Johnson” but that was late 1972.
One of my all time favorites, but yes, wrong year.
I suppose I'm a weirdo. I've seen all of these films except Charlie Varrick. Thanks for the tip.
How in the Mikey Way Galaxy is these films hidden gems?
We watched them, talked about them and watched them again.
And when VCRs came out we rented them.
If these movies are hidden than the Golden Gate Bridge is a secret.
To us, from that generation who are movie buffs, they are not. I'm trying to bring these films to the attention of younger, and hopefully future generations. I do the same with all of younger relatives, so they won't be forgotten.
@@classiccinema9490 Kool! Like good job, not the cigarettes.
Saw Wicker Man and Exorcist as a double bill in 1973 in Sheffield, England. People exited the cinema and almost without exception everyone found the Wicker Man to be the more frightening movie. The Exorcist was heavy on special effects (heard people laughing at them while watching). The Wicker Man created genuine horror amongst the audience. No real special effects of note - just fear inducing horror.
Wow, what a double feature!
I saw Wicker Man in ‘73, in Sheffield, but the double bill was WM with Don’t Look Now, not The Exorcist. It’s become a historically well-known double release since then. I’ve never heard of it being doubled with the Frankenheimer horror before, and I’m a fan of all these three films since their initial release. I saw many terrific films in Sheffield around that time, including at the Art House studio, which I loved.
Well it was based on truth unlike the exorcist which I did like .
Pat Garret and Billy the Kid would have been even more astounding if the final fifteen minutes hadn't been cut, thus stunting the message. It flashed forward a number of years to where the same monied interests decide that Garret is a liability and arrange to have him killed.
Yeah I agree. I think thats why its considered more highly regarded today than when it was released once people had seen the full version.
Scarecrow is brilliant.
a tad parochial inasmuch as the list doesn't consider the impact the films made beyond the US: Far from being 'hidden', in retrospect THE WICKER MAN is possibly the most famous British film of 1973, and one of Britain's best-remembered in the whole decade.
Yeah, I want to see Scarecrow. I love Matthau but I didn't really get him in Varrick, especially him as a killer, didn't click for me. I was ignorant about this original version of Wicker man, but I should have known. Maybe have to see the restored Billy the Kid at some point.
Matthau was definitely cast against type, but I think he pulled it off.
Great vid! I have a weird question: where are you from? I hear at least three distinct regional accents. :)
Yeah, I've lived all over, so I got kind of a mix. I now live in Southern USA
These all have a cult following (not hidden) except Charlie Varrick which is excellent. I have seen every one of these and certainly don't consider them "hidden" gems. In their time they were mostly well-reviewed by critics, and just because a film is not a blockbuster doesn't mean it is unrecognized. Straight Time with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman in Night Moves come to mind as great but forgotten flicks as well as Klute (Jane Fonda), Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Vanishing Point and Don't Look Now.
Don't forget "Fat City" with Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges, "Serpico", "Farewell, My Lovely" and "The Parallax View".
The last of Sheila……..
Day of the Jackal, the Last Detail...
You never mentioned Andy Robinson in Charley Varrick. His Scorpio in Dirty Harry was one of my favourite bad guys.
I thought Mel's Payback was based more on 1967's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin...
I think Jackal and Last Detail are still pretty well known. They were on my list. Sorry about Andy, that was my fault. You're not the only one to remind me haha.
Emperor Of The North is another forgotten gem from 1973.
You know it's gotta be good if Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine are both in it.
@@dukecraig2402 Good one.
The only problem with Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid is Bob Dylan's performance. He's definitely not an actor. A few others from 1973 you might like are ElectraGlide In Blue with Robert Blake, Westworld w/Yul Brynner & Soylent Green w/Charlton Heston. You're choices were excellent.
Agree, but he was such a minor character. I think he was more in it for the music. The other 3 movies you mentioned are fabulous, love all 3.
*Your
An overlooked movie is Emperor of the North with Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine.
@@smith1958b Yes, it came really close to making this list.
The original Wicker Man is a minor masterpiece.
Agreed!
No Monte Hellman and Warren Oates?
No, sorry. I had 10 films on the list and narrowed it to 5. I wanted to spend more time on these 5. I do like Warren Oates!
The end of The Wicker Man is absolute horror.
It's the Seven-ups: felonies that can get you 7 years and up in prison; dirty, almost documentary in feel and look; sweaty and just plain REAL.
100% agree. Just love those 70's cop movies.
My Mom's first cousin was one of the two real-life exorcists portrayed in the movie. Google Father Raymond Bishop. We called him Father Ray. We did not know of his role in the real life exorcism until the movie came out, and he was outted. He would visit Mom at least once a year to catch up. I dreaded his visits. Every time he would try to talk me into becoming a Jesuit priest, like him. I would give him the same answer every visit, "Father Ray, I like girls."
The church allowed him to only acknowledge his role in the original exorcism. He was never allowed to divulge the details.
He was a good guy. I miss him.
Wow, thats an amazing story! My mom wanted me to be a priest, and I gave her the same reason you did.
Drop everything and watch Cisco Pike.
I will check it out. Thanks!
How could you not mention Andy Robinson, who was featured in Charley Varick and who also played "Scorpio" in Dirty Harry (1971)?
Yeah I really wanted to, but I'm trying to keep these videos below a certain time limit. If I do a deep dive one day, I'll definitely give him his due
Yeah , I was thinking that
What a superb decade for film it was, contrast it with now....awful
wicker man was forgettable except for the last 30 minutes. All this brutality and killing an death was lost on me. I like Fellini and Wertmueller in the 70s
The Wickerman has no fight scenes, car chases or other such crap just a story built on Pagan ideas and philosophy. It had plenty of Pagan ideas in it. My favorite movie and of course, I am a Pagan.
Pagans are heading for hell , get away from it.
7:57 Double Secret Probation.
😂
Do you understand what hidden gem means? it means a thing most people have never heard of or seen, you putting Wicker Man on hear is like saying Journey is a unheard of band, not good.
Obviously, you don't understand the goal of my channel. Unless you are a hardcore horror fan, most people under 50, at least in the U.S., have never heard of The Wicker Man. Those are the people I'm trying to reach. Thanks for your comment tho!
Cool, just saying.
Westworld instead of weird Wicker,
I actually had it in my Top 10. I saw it in the theater when it came out.
@@classiccinema9490 Great, i managed to persuade our class teacher to let me bring Westworld in for everyone to watch during a free afternoon when i was age 11 assuring her it was a safe/clean film and it is, that's part of the beauty of it that the leery weirdo series making them all sit about naked in repair/program bit lost unlike the original able to shock without being shocking per se.
@wotdoesthisbuttondo Tried to watch the series, couldn't get into it.
Why do so.many love the wicker man? Don't get it not good only a twist ending is interesting Borefest
Great picks on flicks from 73 that were not hits. Pat Garrett is a mess. Sounds like a dream come true with the cast but falls flat for me. Badlands should of been number 1.
Thanks. Yeah, I really struggled for the top pick. Its so subjective. Whatever I picked, someone would say "You should have picked so and so!" So I just used my best judgement.
None of these films are really ‘hidden gems’. They are all far too well known to be in any sense as described. Why waste all the time at the beginning on startlingly well known films? I was beginning to think you were never going to get to the gems! Here, in the UK, no-one could begin to imagine that Wicker Man was less than a top class film. It was released in the UK as a double bill with Don’t Look Now, which has to be the best film double bill I ever came across. That was proof that the distributors didn’t know what they were doing!
I understand what you're saying, but I'm trying to reach people that are not familiar with these films that want to try something
different. All of us avid movie fans know these films, of course, but I'm just trying to raise awareness. Thanks for your comment!
"White trash opera!" Lol
I’ve seen three of the five movies, and I saw these movie’s years ago. Prior to Hollywood going woke, I used to go to the movies.
Agreed, I feel your pain. Thats one of the main reasons I started this channel.
I have a hard time watching anything with Jon voight anymore since he totally became one of the biggest trump cultist nob shiners in the USA
It can be hard to distinguish the flawed human being from the admirable artist. I can certainly understand not wanting to contribute to the fortune of a politically noxious individual, however estimable their creative work might be.
You follow a satanist like Biden then .
Pat Garrett and Billy the kid is completely lame the actors were way too old
Like most of the things in the 70’s all those movies sucked
Bill. HICKMAN was the best if not for him thier would be. No. Bullet ot frencn connection car chases
Hickman was the goat. He was also with James Dean when he died in the car crash.