Best movies of 1972
by pauleta_mtr | created - 14 Jan 2017 | updated - 8 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,013,755 | Gross: $134.97M
10/10
2. Solaris (1972)
PG | 167 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy
Votes: 98,310
9/10
3. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
NC-17 | 129 min | Drama, Romance
A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Maria Michi, Giovanna Galletti
Votes: 58,381 | Gross: $36.14M
8/10
4. Fritz the Cat (1972)
X | 78 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Fritz drops out of college, starts a riot in Harlem and hits the road with an ex-girlfriend before getting mixed up with domestic terrorists.
Director: Ralph Bakshi | Stars: Skip Hinnant, Rosetta LeNoire, John McCurry, Judy Engles
Votes: 14,350 | Gross: $25.00M
8/10
5. X, Y & Zee (1972)
PG | 110 min | Drama
The venomous and amoral wife of a wealthy architect tries, any way she can, to break up the blossoming romance between her husband and his new mistress; a good-natured young widow who holds a dark past.
Director: Brian G. Hutton | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Susannah York, Margaret Leighton
Votes: 1,416 | Gross: $1.36M
8/10
6. Play It Again, Sam (1972)
PG | 85 min | Comedy, Romance
A neurotic film critic obsessed with the movie Casablanca (1942) attempts to get over his wife leaving him by dating again with the help of a married couple and his illusory idol, Humphrey Bogart.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Jerry Lacy
Votes: 28,002 | Gross: $2.30M
7.5/10
7. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
GP | 108 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by the Crow tribe and proves to be a match for their warriors in single combat on the early frontier.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Will Geer, Delle Bolton, Josh Albee
Votes: 35,008 | Gross: $47.74M
7.5/10
8. Sounder (1972)
G | 105 min | Drama, Family
The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews
Votes: 4,829 | Gross: $3.10M
7.5/10
9. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
In the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Don Lope de Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra, Helena Rojo, Del Negro
Votes: 62,324
7/10
10. Cabaret (1972)
PG | 124 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey
Votes: 59,421 | Gross: $42.77M
7/10
11. Deliverance (1972)
R | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Votes: 119,318 | Gross: $7.06M
7/10
12. The Getaway (1972)
PG | 123 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A recently-released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Sally Struthers
Votes: 35,705 | Gross: $36.73M
7/10
13. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A surreal, virtually plotless series of dreams centered around six middle-class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Paul Frankeur, Bulle Ogier
Votes: 46,854 | Gross: $0.20M
7/10
14. We Won't Grow Old Together (1972)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A husband and wife in a loveless marriage struggle to remain ignorant to their failed relationship.
Director: Maurice Pialat | Stars: Marlène Jobert, Jean Yanne, Christine Fabréga, Patricia Pierangeli
Votes: 2,189 | Gross: $0.01M
7/10
15. The Offence (1973)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A burnt-out British police detective finally snaps whilst interrogating a suspected child molester.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Sean Connery, Trevor Howard, Vivien Merchant, Ian Bannen
Votes: 7,992
7/10
16. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
R | 88 min | Comedy
Seven stories are trying to answer the question: what is sex? Or maybe they are not trying.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Gene Wilder, Louise Lasser, John Carradine
Votes: 41,804
7/10
17. Love in the Afternoon (1972)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Though he has an adoring wife, a bourgeois man is still tempted to pursue other women.
Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Bernard Verley, Zouzou, Françoise Verley, Daniel Ceccaldi
Votes: 9,348
7/10
18. What's Up, Doc? (1972)
G | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars
Votes: 27,078 | Gross: $10.47M
7/10
19. Fist of Fury (1972)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.
Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien, Maria Yi
Votes: 33,904 | Gross: $1.29M
7/10
20. Images (1972)
R | 104 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Whilst writing a children's book, a woman interrupted by images unsure if they may, or may not be real
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Susannah York, Rene Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi, Hugh Millais
Votes: 7,761
7/10
21. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)
Not Rated | 124 min | Drama, Romance
A troubled fashion designer strikes up a romance with a much younger woman.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake, Eva Mattes
Votes: 11,045
7/10
22. Man - Woman Wanted (1973)
82 min | Comedy
Falsely accused Warsaw art museum assistant goes into hiding as a woman.
Director: Stanislaw Bareja | Stars: Wojciech Pokora, Jolanta Bohdal, Mieczyslaw Czechowicz, Maria Chwalibóg
Votes: 2,499
7/10
23. Podróz za jeden usmiech (1972– )
201 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Two youngsters in their early teens go hitchhiking all over Poland. Adventures ensue...
Stars: Henryk Golebiewski, Filip Lobodzinski, Alina Janowska, Jerzy Cnota
Votes: 342
7/10 There's a movie too.
24. Trzeba zabic te milosc (1972)
92 min | Drama, Romance
The young couple love each other. The boy is in constant work which will fit him, and in the end becomes a petty thief who cannot pay his debts anymore and decides to steal from homes where... See full summary »
Director: Janusz Morgenstern | Stars: Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak, Andrzej Malec, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Barbara Wrzesinska
Votes: 223
7/10
25. Fat City (1972)
PG | 96 min | Drama, Sport
Two men, working as professional boxers, come to blows when their careers each begin to take different directions.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell, Candy Clark
Votes: 10,389
7/10
26. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of passengers must embark on a harrowing struggle for survival after a rogue wave capsizes their cruise ship at sea.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons
Votes: 49,257 | Gross: $84.56M
7/10
27. Roma (1972)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama
A fluid, unconnected and sometimes chaotic procession of scenes detailing the various people and events of life in Italy's capital, most of it based on director Federico Fellini's life.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Britta Barnes, Peter Gonzales Falcon, Fiona Florence, Pia De Doses
Votes: 13,807 | Gross: $0.73M
7/10
28. The Hot Rock (1972)
PG | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand
Votes: 6,946 | Gross: $2.54M
7/10
29. Olsen-bandens store kup (1972)
Not Rated | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Family
Olsen has a plan: rob over DKK4,000,000 from an armored car with police escort using a hot-dog stand, some ducks etc. Can the gang hide the money safely?
Director: Erik Balling | Stars: Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald, Poul Bundgaard, Kirsten Walther
Votes: 1,872
7/10
30. Boxcar Bertha (1972)
R | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
During the Great Depression, a union leader and a young woman become criminals to exact revenge on the management of a railroad.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Barry Primus, Bernie Casey
Votes: 10,919
7/10
31. Avanti! (1972)
R | 144 min | Comedy, Romance
A successful businessman goes to Italy to arrange for the return of his tycoon father's body--and discovers that Dad died with his long-time mistress.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills, Clive Revill, Edward Andrews
Votes: 11,670 | Gross: $3.30M
7/10
32. The Mechanic (1972)
PG | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland
Votes: 15,761 | Gross: $7.30M
7/10
33. A Cop (1972)
PG | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
After a shaky first heist, a group of thieves plan an even more elaborate and risky second heist.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, Richard Crenna, Catherine Deneuve, Riccardo Cucciolla
Votes: 10,756 | Gross: $0.05M
6.5/10
34. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
PG | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In Vinegaroon, Texas, former outlaw Roy Bean appoints himself the judge for the region and dispenses his brand of justice as he sees fit.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Paul Newman, Ava Gardner, Roy Jenson, Gary Combs
Votes: 9,340 | Gross: $16.53M
6.5/10
35. The Valachi Papers (1972)
PG | 125 min | Crime, Drama
Gangster Joe Valachi is a marked man in the same joint where mob boss Don Vito Genovese is imprisoned and he's forced to co-operate with the DA in exchange for protection.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Charles Bronson, Lino Ventura, Jill Ireland, Walter Chiari
Votes: 4,446 | Gross: $20.27M
6/10
36. The Last House on the Left (1972)
R | 84 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
Two teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln
Votes: 40,305 | Gross: $3.10M
6/10
37. The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972)
PG-13 | 188 min | Drama, History, War
During World War II in a small village outpost, a Soviet sergeant has his troop replaced by an all female unit. As they finally begin to appreciate one another, German paratroopers are spotted nearby and the realities of war emerge.
Director: Stanislav Rostotskiy | Stars: Andrey Martynov, Irina Dolganova, Elena Drapeko, Ekaterina Markova
Votes: 4,774
6/10
38. Sisters (1972)
R | 93 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A small-time reporter tries to convince the police she saw a murder in the apartment across from hers.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, William Finley
Votes: 20,708 | Gross: $0.35M
6/10
39. Ulzana's Raid (1972)
R | 103 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
After fierce war chief Ulzana and a small war party jump the reservation bent on murder and terror, an inexperienced young lieutenant is assigned to track him down.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Bruce Davison, Jorge Luke, Richard Jaeckel
Votes: 6,480
6/10
40. Frenzy (1972)
R | 116 min | Thriller
A serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Anna Massey
Votes: 49,433 | Gross: $12.60M
6/10
41. Death Line (1972)
Unrated | 87 min | Horror, Mystery
When a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.
Director: Gary Sherman | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd, Sharon Gurney
Votes: 5,430
6/10
42. Wesele (1973)
102 min | Drama
Set at the turn of the century, the story concerns a Polish poet living in Cracow who has decided to marry a peasant girl. The wedding is attended by a heterogenous group of people from all... See full summary »
Director: Andrzej Wajda | Stars: Marek Walczewski, Izabella Olszewska, Ewa Zietek, Daniel Olbrychski
Votes: 1,355
6/10
43. Joe Kidd (1972)
PG | 88 min | Drama, Western
An ex-bounty hunter reluctantly helps a wealthy landowner and his henchmen track down a Mexican revolutionary leader.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon, Don Stroud
Votes: 21,207
6/10
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