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1972 Movies

Take a nostalgic look back at the top movies of 1972, celebrating the films, directors and actors that defined the year and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.

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The Godfather
Written by: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Country: United States of America
Outline: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
source: imdb.com
What's Up, Doc?
Written by: Buck Henry, David Newman, Robert Benton
Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn
Country: United States of America
Outline: Two researchers in a crazy, mixed-up cabaret situation fall in love, but their differing backgrounds and positions create complications.
source: imdb.com
Cabaret
Written by: Joe Masteroff, John Kander, Fred Ebb
Directed by: Bob Fosse
Starring: Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Joel Grey
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young American writer in pre-World War II Berlin is lured into a decadent nightlife by a cabaret singer.
source: imdb.com
Deliverance
Written by: James Dickey, John Boorman
Directed by: John Boorman
Starring: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty
Country: United States of America
Outline: Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it is dammed and turned into a lake, four friends embark on a canoeing trip into the Georgia wilderness.
source: imdb.com
Jeremiah Johnson
Written by: John Milius, Edward Anhalt
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Redford, Will Geer, Stefan Gierasch
Country: United States of America
Outline: A mountain man seeks solitude in the wilderness but becomes entangled in a vendetta with the Crow tribe.
source: imdb.com
Frenzy
Written by: Arthur La Bern, Anthony Shaffer
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Anna Massey
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Outline: A man is wrongly accused of murder and must find the real killer to clear his name.
source: imdb.com
The Getaway
Written by: Walter Hill
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson
Country: United States of America
Outline: A recently released convict and his wife go on the run after a bank robbery goes awry.
source: imdb.com
Lady Sings the Blues
Written by: Terence McCloy
Directed by: Sidney J. Furie
Starring: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor
Country: United States of America
Outline: The life story of jazz singer Billie Holiday, focusing on her struggles and triumphs.
source: imdb.com
The Poseidon Adventure
Written by: Stirling Silliphant
Directed by: Ronald Neame
Starring: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons
Country: United States of America
Outline: A group of passengers struggle to survive after their luxury cruise ship capsizes.
source: imdb.com
Slaughterhouse-Five
Written by: Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Stephen Geller
Directed by: George Roy Hill
Starring: Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Valerie Perrine
Country: United States of America
Outline: Billy Pilgrim becomes 'unstuck in time,' experiencing events from his life, including his time as a soldier in World War II and his abduction by aliens.
source: imdb.com
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Written by: John Huston, John Milius
Directed by: John Huston
Starring: Paul Newman, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins
Country: United States of America
Outline: The film chronicles the life of Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed lawman in the Old West, and his interactions with various characters.
source: imdb.com
The Mechanic
Written by: Lewis John Carlino, Monte Hellman
Directed by: Michael Winner
Starring: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn
Country: United States of America
Outline: An aging hitman trains a young protégé, leading to a complex relationship filled with betrayal and unexpected twists.
source: imdb.com
Silent Running
Written by: Derek Washburn, Michael Cimino, Steven Bochco
Directed by: Douglas Trumbull
Starring: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin
Country: United States of America
Outline: In a dystopian future where Earth's last forests are preserved in domes aboard a spaceship, a crew member rebels against orders to destroy them.
source: imdb.com
Man of La Mancha
Written by: Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion
Directed by: Arthur Hiller
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco
Country: United States of America
Outline: A film adaptation of the Broadway musical, depicting the adventures of Don Quixote as he embarks on a quest to revive chivalry.
source: imdb.com
Joe Kidd
Written by: Elmore Leonard
Directed by: John Sturges
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon
Country: United States of America
Outline: An ex-bounty hunter is reluctantly drawn into a conflict between a wealthy landowner and a Mexican revolutionary leader over land disputes in the American Southwest.
source: imdb.com
Asylum
Written by: Robert Bloch
Directed by: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Peter Cushing, Britt Ekland, Charlotte Rampling
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Outline: A young psychiatrist interviews four patients in a mental institution to secure a job, each revealing a chilling tale of horror.
source: imdb.com
They Only Kill Their Masters
Written by: James Goldstone
Directed by: James Goldstone
Starring: James Garner, Katharine Ross, Hal Holbrook
Country: United States of America
Outline: A small-town sheriff investigates the death of a local woman, uncovering a web of secrets and lies in a seemingly peaceful community.
source: imdb.com
The Wrath of God
Written by: Jack DeWitt
Directed by: Ralph Nelson
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Frank Finlay, Rita Hayworth
Country: United States of America
Outline: A group of mercenaries is hired to assassinate a Mexican revolutionary leader, leading to a series of violent confrontations.
source: imdb.com
Boxcar Bertha
Written by: Robert Towne
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Barry Primus
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young woman becomes involved with a group of drifters during the Great Depression, leading to a life of crime and rebellion.
source: imdb.com
The Groundstar Conspiracy
Written by: Douglas Heyes
Directed by: Lamont Johnson
Starring: George Peppard, Michael Sarrazin, Christine Belford
Country: Canada
Outline: After explosions destroy the American Groundstar space station control center, technician John Welles is severely injured and loses his memory. He seeks refuge with Nicole Devon, leading to a complex investigation into the sabotage.
source: rottentomatoes.com
Hammersmith Is Out
Written by: Stanford Whitmore
Directed by: Peter Ustinov
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov, Beau Bridges
Country: United States of America
Outline: In a Texas psychiatric hospital, orderly Billy Breedlove is seduced by inmate Hammersmith's promise of wealth and agrees to help him escape, leading to a series of events that challenge their moral boundaries.
source: rottentomatoes.com
Skyjacked
Written by: John Guillermin, John C. Champion
Directed by: John Guillermin
Starring: Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, James Brolin, Walter Pidgeon
Country: United States of America
Outline: A commercial airliner is hijacked by a group of terrorists, leading to a tense standoff as the crew and passengers struggle to regain control.
source: imdb.com
Kansas City Bomber
Written by: Jerrold Freedman, L. M. Kit Carson
Directed by: Jerrold Freedman
Starring: Raquel Welch, Kevin McCarthy, Norman Alden, Helena Kallianotes
Country: United States of America
Outline: A roller derby skater struggles to balance her personal life and career, facing challenges both on and off the track.
source: imdb.com
Night of the Lepus
Written by: Don Holliday, Gene R. Kearney
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Starring: Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, DeForest Kelley
Country: United States of America
Outline: A small Arizona town is terrorized by giant, mutant rabbits that have been exposed to radiation, leading to a battle for survival.
source: imdb.com