1972 Short List
by marie_D | created - 27 Sep 2020 | updated - 05 Dec 2020 | 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: 2,011,540 | Gross: $134.97M
1001 - Netflix
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: 98,217
1001 Netflix
3. Cries & Whispers (1972)
R | 91 min | Drama
When a woman dying of cancer in early twentieth-century Sweden is visited by her two sisters, long-repressed feelings between the siblings rise to the surface.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Kari Sylwan, Ingrid Thulin
Votes: 36,972 | Gross: $1.74M
1001 Netflix
4. Sleuth (1972)
PG | 138 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Alec Cawthorne, John Matthews
Votes: 50,153 | Gross: $4.08M
1001 purchased
5. The New Land (1972)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Western
A Swedish immigrant family struggle to establish a new life for themselves in the forest of Minnesota in the mid 19th Century.
Director: Jan Troell | Stars: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Pierre Lindstedt
Votes: 5,278
IMDb rental
6. 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: 62,251
1001 - own
7. 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: 46,816 | Gross: $0.20M
1001 Netflix
8. La cabina (1972 TV Movie)
35 min | Drama, Horror
A man gets trapped inside a telephone box and nobody is able to free him.
Director: Antonio Mercero | Stars: José Luis López Vázquez, Agustín González, Goyo Lebrero, Tito García
Votes: 4,568
TSZDT YouTube
9. State of Siege (1972)
Not Rated | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Using the interrogation of a US counterinsurgency agent as a backdrop, the film explores the consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas.
Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: Yves Montand, Renato Salvatori, O.E. Hasse, Jacques Weber
Votes: 6,058 | Gross: $1.13M
Criterion Channel
10. 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: 119,216 | Gross: $7.06M
1001 Seen many times SKIP
11. 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: 59,371 | Gross: $42.77M
1001
12. 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: 27,031 | Gross: $10.47M
Netflix
13. 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: 9,339
Criterion Channel
14. 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: 11,035
1001 - Criterion Channel
15. 1776 (1972)
G | 141 min | Drama, Family, History
A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.
Director: Peter H. Hunt | Stars: William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden
Votes: 10,305 | Gross: $6.10M
16. The Night Stalker (1972 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 74 min | Horror, Mystery
An abrasive Las Vegas newspaper reporter investigates a series of murders committed by a vampire.
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey | Stars: Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker
Votes: 7,377
TSZDT - YouTube
17. 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: 27,990 | Gross: $2.30M
Netflix
18. Marjoe (1972)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
This Oscar-winning documentary explores the life of one-time child evangelist and faith healer Marjoe Gortner. The son of professional evangelists, Gortner was preaching on the Southern tent-revival circuit by the age of 3.
Directors: Sarah Kernochan, Howard Smith | Stars: Agnes Benjamin, Marjoe Gortner, Vernon Gortner, Sarah Kernochan
Votes: 1,743
19. 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: 4,825 | Gross: $3.10M
20. Malcolm X (1972)
PG | 91 min | Documentary, Biography
James Earl Jones narrates this fascinating and moving documentary about the life of the assassinated black leader through various sources.
Director: Arnold Perl | Stars: James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis, John Ali, Muhammad Ali
Votes: 532 | Gross: $0.10M
21. 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: 49,394 | Gross: $12.60M
Netflix Rental
22. The Seduction of Mimi (1972)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
Forced to leave his family in Sicily, Mimí finds a job in a factory in Turin, where he gets involved in an extramarital affair.
Director: Lina Wertmüller | Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Agostina Belli, Luigi Diberti
Votes: 2,729 | Gross: $0.47M
YouTube
23. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
Hans Epp is a self-destructive man who lives a dissatisfied life. He tries to find meaning as a fruit vendor, but a heart attack impedes his ability to work, which turns his dissatisfaction into despair.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hans Hirschmüller, Irm Hermann, Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch
Votes: 5,254
Criterion Channel
24. Operation Last Patrol (1972)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
This documentary film follows the exploits of Ron Kovic and the Vietnam Veterans against the War on an epic journey to the Republican Convention in Miami Florida, in 1972 to protest the USA... See full summary »
Directors: Frank Cavestani, Catherine Leroy | Stars: Scott Graham, Ron Kovic
Votes: 22
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: 10,371
1001 Netflix
26. Butterflies Are Free (1972)
PG | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A blind man moves into his own apartment against the wishes of his overprotective mother and befriends the freethinking young woman next door.
Director: Milton Katselas | Stars: Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart, Paul Michael Glaser
Votes: 5,958 | Gross: $0.25M
Netflix
27. 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: 49,209 | Gross: $84.56M
Netflix
28. 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: 10,742 | Gross: $0.05M
Criterion Channel
29. 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: 58,328 | Gross: $36.14M
Seen on release - 1001 - SKIP
30. The Candidate (1972)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas, Don Porter
Votes: 11,916 | Gross: $0.12M
31. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A newlywed man on his honeymoon has second thoughts about his marriage and falls for a different woman.
Director: Elaine May | Stars: Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin, Audra Lindley
Votes: 5,649 | Gross: $12.21M
Bad print on YouTube or purchase 1001
32. Super Fly (1972)
R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The daily routine of cocaine dealer Priest who wants to score one more super deal and retire.
Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris
Votes: 8,589
1001 Netflix
33. Night of the Lepus (1972)
PG | 88 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Giant mutant rabbits terrorize the south-west.
Director: William F. Claxton | Stars: Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, DeForest Kelley
Votes: 5,452
34. 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: 20,675 | Gross: $0.35M
35. The Mattei Affair (1972)
R | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
An Italian industrialist died in a plane crash. An accident or an assassination?
Director: Francesco Rosi | Stars: Gian Maria Volontè, Luigi Squarzina, Peter Baldwin, Renato Romano
Votes: 2,457
Criterion Channel
36. Beware! The Blob (1972)
GP | 87 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A technician brings a frozen specimen of the original Blob back from the North Pole. When his wife accidentally defrosts the thing, it terrorizes the populace, including the local hippies, kittens, and bowlers.
Director: Larry Hagman | Stars: Robert Walker Jr., Gwynne Gilford, Richard Stahl, Richard Webb
Votes: 2,389 | Gross: $0.05M
37. The Ruling Class (1972)
PG | 154 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A member of the House of Lords dies, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son thinks he is Jesus Christ. Their other, somewhat more respectable family members plot to steal the estate from him; murder and mayhem ensue.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe, Hugh Owens
Votes: 6,801
Seen at least twice - SKIP
38. The Harder They Come (1972)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Wishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.
Director: Perry Henzell | Stars: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman
Votes: 7,029
1001
39. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)
PG | 100 min | Drama
A middle-aged misfit struggles to raise her daughters, one popular and the other a promising science student.
Director: Paul Newman | Stars: Joanne Woodward, Nell Potts, Roberta Wallach, Judith Lowry
Votes: 2,660 | Gross: $0.18M
Seen on original release
40. Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Tillie Shlai is not looking forward to meeting yet another blind date. This one's name is Pete Seltzer. Pete and Tillie are not a match made in heaven; he uses wisecracking and constant ... See full summary »
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, Geraldine Page, Barry Nelson
Votes: 1,158 | Gross: $18.97M
Seen on original release
41. Pink Flamingos (1972)
NC-17 | 93 min | Comedy, Crime
Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".
Director: John Waters | Stars: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole
Votes: 27,892 | Gross: $0.18M
1001 - SKIP
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