USCCB - (Film and Broadcasting) - Ten Best List for the Year 1977

Ten Best List for the Year 1977

Black and White in Color -- Extremely subtle and probing French comedy set in West Africa at the start of World War I, it tells the story of what happens when a small French settlement decides to attack a nearby German post. In looking at the human factors that lead to war, director Jean-Jacques Annaud avoids sentiment entirely, spares no one in this cast of characters and delivers an outrageous challenging and extremely funny anti-war film. Wartime violence and brief, incidental nudity. A-III-adults (PG) 1977
A Bridge Too Far -- Director Richard Attenborough's epic re-creation of the tragic Allied offensive code-named Market Garden details the fate of the massive paratroop force dropped behind German lines in Holland during World War II. The excellent all-star cast includes Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Gene Hackman and Elliot Gould. Although there is graphic violence, the movie has value as an historical dramatization that has tried to be faithful to the facts. A-III-adults (PG) 1977
Cria! -- Fragile 9-year-o1d (Ana Torrent) lives with her ultraconservative family in a big house in Madrid where she mourns the death of her mother and ponders the actions of the adults around her. In attempting to present a child's view of the world, Spanish director Carlos Saura shows that while childhood is not all oblivious innocence, children do have a resilience enabling them to bounce back from all but the most traumatic experience. Brief non-erotic nudity. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America) 1977
Harlan County, U.S.A. -- Filmed during a bitter 13-month coal strike in eastern Kentucky, the documentary examines the strike's origins, the working and living conditions of the miners and the violence that breaks out between the pickets and strikebreakers. Though flawed by a clumsy narrative structure that is sometimes confusing, filmmaker Barbara Kopple's stirring picture of the still unfinished struggle for labor justice has the raw power of reality and the passion of the worker's cause. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1977
Iphigenia -- Greek adaptation of Euripides' play faithfully retells the story of King Agamemnon (Costa Kazakos) who is told to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia (Tatiana Papamoskou), in order to assure safe passage for his fleet to Troy. Considering the difficulties inherent in bringing Greek tragedy to the screen -- not just translating one art form to another but overcoming the cultural diversities of two millenia -- producer-director Michael Cacoyannis' work represents a considerable accomplishment. Mature theme and some incidental nudity. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America) 1977
Jacob the Liar -- East German movie about some Polish Jews forced to serve the Nazis as laborers whose spirits are kept up by reports on advancing Allied troops by one of their number who pretends to have a secret radio. Under Frank Beyer's direction, the acting of Vlastimil Brodsky in the title role helps redeem a somewhat thin story line, though its theme of hope born of invention has universal appeal. Stylized violence. A-II-adults and adolescents (Not rated by the Motion Association of America) 1977
The Lacemaker -- The heroine of Swiss director Claude Goretta's film is an 18-year-old Parisian (Isabelle Huppert) who falls in love with wealthy, educated gentleman (Ives Beneyton) and their relationship results in her mental breakdown. It's a carefully etched melodrama about class consciousness, false impressions and male irresponsibility. A-IV-adults with reservations (Not rated by the Motion Association of America) 1977
Star Wars -- Set in a galaxy other than our own, a desperate struggle takes place between evil usurpers of empire and a dedicated band of rebels (Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness). Written and directed by George Lucas, the outcome never is in doubt because the movie's conventions are as old-fashioned as its story of good triumphing over evil. The special effects are stunning, the characters imaginative and the narrative intriguing. Much stylized violence. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1977
We All Loved Each Other So Much -- Warm and moving Italian comedy about three men (Vittorio Gassman, Nino Manfredi and Stefano Satta Flores) who love the same woman (Stefania Sandrelli) at one time or another, with varying degrees of intensity, over the course of three decades. Directed by Ettore Scola, it is a rare, wise and entertaining movie on the theme of love and friendship. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1977
A Woman's Decision -- Sensitive, extremely well-acted Polish triangle story whose heroine (Maya Komorowska) is married to a wonderful husband (Piotr Franczewski), has an affectionate son and a modern apartment in Warsaw but finds herself wanting to give it all up for the company of a footloose man (Marek Piwowski). Directed by Krzystof Zanussi, it is a perceptive study of the interior struggle each of the characters undergoes during the course of the narrative. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Association of America) 1977