1972 in film

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The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.

Events

Top grossing films (U.S.)

Rank	Title	Studio	Actors	Gross
1.	The Godfather	Paramount	Marlon Brando, James Caan, Al Pacino, Richard Castellano and Robert Duvall	$86,691,000
2.	The Poseidon Adventure	20th Cty Fox	Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters	$42,000,000
3.	Cabaret	Allied Artists	Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Michael York	$28,000,000
4.	Deliverance	Warner Bros.	Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds	$22,600,000
5.	What's Up, Doc?	Warner Bros.	Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal	$21,900,000
6.	Jeremiah Johnson	Warner Bros.	Robert Redford	$20,250,000
7.	The Getaway	Cinema Film	Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw	$18,000,000
8.	Lady Sings the Blues	Paramount	Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor	$9,665,000
9.	Everything You Always Wanted to Know...	United Artists	Woody Allen, Gene Wilder, Burt Reynolds	$8,828,000
10.	Sounder	20th Century Fox	Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield	$8,726,000

Awards

Academy Awards:

Best Picture: The Godfather - Albert S. Ruddy, Paramount

Best Director : Bob Fosse - Cabaret

Best Actor: Marlon Brando - The Godfather (declined)

Best Actress: Liza Minnelli - Cabaret

Best Supporting Actor ; Joel Grey - Cabaret

Best Supporting Actress : Eileen Heckart - Butterflies Are Free

Best Foreign Language Film: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie), directed by Luis Buñuel, France

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: The Godfather

Best Actor: Marlon Brando - The Godfather

Best Actress: Liv Ullmann - The Emigrants

Musical or comedy:

Best Picture: Cabaret

Best Actor: Jack Lemmon - Avanti!

Best Actress: Liza Minnelli - Cabaret

Other

Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola - The Godfather

Best Foreign Language Film (tie): The Emigrants (Utvandrarna), Sweden

Best Foreign Language Film (tie): The New Land (Nybyggarna), Sweden

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

The Working Class Goes to Heaven (La classe operaia va in paradiso), directed by Elio Petri, Italy

The Mattei Affair (Il Caso Mattei), directed by Francesco Rosi, Italy

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

The Canterbury Tales (I Racconti di Canterbury), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy / France

Films released in 1972

U.S. unless stated

#

• 1776, starring William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, John Cullum, Ken Howard

A

• Across 110th Street, starring Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto
• The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Peter Cook, Spike Milligan - (Australia)
• Aguirre, the Wrath of God, directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski - (West Germany)
• The Amazing Mr. Blunden - (U.K.)
• Another Nice Mess
• Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills

B

• Bad Company, directed by Robert Benton, starring Jeff Bridges
• Bartleby, starring Paul Scofield - (U.K.)
• Be-Imaan - (India)
• Ben
• Beware! The Blob
• The Big Bird Cage
• The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla - (West Germany)
• Blacula
• Bluebeard, starring Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Sybil Danning, Joey Heatherton
• Bone
• Boxcar Bertha, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine
• Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna), directed by Franco Zeffirelli - (Italy/U.K.)
• Buck and the Preacher, directed by and starring Sidney Poitier with Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee
• Butterflies Are Free, starring Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress)

C

• Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Joel Grey - 8 Academy Awards, including best director, best actress and best supporting actor.
• The Candidate, directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas
• The Canterbury Tales, by Pier Paolo Pasolini - Golden Bear winner - (Italy)
• The Carey Treatment, directed by Blake Edwards, starring James Coburn and Jennifer O'Neill
• Carry On Matron - (U.K.)
• Cats' Play (Macskajáték) - (Hungary)
• Chato's Land, starring Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Richard Basehart, Ralph Waite
• Cheongchun gyosa (The Young Teacher) - (South Korea)
• Chloe in the Afternoon (L'Amour l'après-midi), directed by Éric Rohmer, starring Zouzou - (France)
• Come Back, Charleston Blue
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
• The Cowboys, starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern
• Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullman - (Sweden)

D

• Daigoro vs. Goliath - (Japan)
• The Dawns Here Are Quiet (A zori zdes tikhie) - (U.S.S.R.)
• A Day in the Death of Joe Egg - (U.K.)
• Deliverance, directed by John Boorman, starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
• Dirty Little Billy
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig and Stephane Audran - Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film - (France)
• Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo - (Spain)
• Dynamite Chicken

E

• The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, starring Joanne Woodward
• Endless Night, directed by Sidney Gilliat, starring Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland - (U.K.)
• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask), directed by and starring Woody Allen

F

• Fat City, directed by John Huston, starring Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges
• Fellini's Roma, directed by Federico Fellini - (Italy)
• Fillmore, a music documentary film featuring Santana, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane
• The Final Comedown
• Fist of Fury (Jīng Wǔ Mén), starring Bruce Lee - (Hong Kong)
• Un flic (A Cop), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Alain Delon and Catherine Deneuve - (France)
• Frenzy, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster - (U.K.)
• Fritz the Cat, directed by Ralph Bakshi — first animated movie to receive an X rating
• Frogs
• The Fury of the Wolfman - (Spain)

G

• Gentlemen of Fortune (Dzhentlmeny udachi) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Getaway, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw
• The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty, directed by Wim Wenders - (West Germany)
• The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall -- Academy Awards for best picture and best actor
• Godzilla vs. Gigan - (Japan)
• The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall

H

• The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff - (Jamaica)
• The Heartbreak Kid, directed by Elaine May, starring Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd
• Henry VIII and His Six Wives, starring Keith Michell, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher - (U.K.)
• Hickey & Boggs, starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby
• The Hot Rock, directed by Peter Yates, starring Robert Redford and George Segal

I

• Images, directed by Robert Altman, starring Susannah York - (U.S./U.K.)
• Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (Ai Nu) - (Hong Kong)

J

• J. W. Coop, starring Cliff Robertson
• Jeremiah Johnson, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford
• Joe Kidd, directed by John Sturges, starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon
• Junior Bonner, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Ida Lupino

K

• Kansas City Bomber, starring Raquel Welch
• The King of Marvin Gardens, directed by Bob Rafelson, starring Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn

L

• Lady Caroline Lamb, directed by Robert Bolt, starring Sarah Miles, Richard Chamberlain, Laurence Olivier - (U.K.)
• Lady Sings the Blues, Biopic of Billie Holiday, directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor
• The Last House on the Left, directed by Wes Craven - controversial film about the rape of two teenage girls
• Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider - (France/Italy)
• Left Hand of Gemini
• The Legend of Nigger Charley
• The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, directed by John Huston, starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Perkins
• Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (Kozure Ōkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru) - (Japan)
• Los Amigos - (Italy/U.S.)
• Ludwig, directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Helmut Berger, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano - (Italy/France)

M

• The Man, starring James Earl Jones, Burgess Meredith, Georg Stanford Brown
• Man of La Mancha, starring Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco - (U.S./Italy)
• The Man Who Quit Smoking (Mannen som slutade röka) - (Sweden)
• The Mattei Affair, directed by Francesco Rosi, starring Gian Maria Volonté - Palme d'Or winner - (Italy)
• The Mechanic, starring Charles Bronson
• Mutiny on the Buses - (U.K.)
• My Dearest señorita (Mi querida señorita) - (Spain)
• My Name Is Shanghai Joe - (Italy)

N

• Napoleon and Samantha
• The New Centurions, starring George C. Scott and Stacy Keach
• The New Land (Nybyggarna), directed by Jan Troell, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullman - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film - (Sweden)
• Now You See Him, Now You Don't

O

• The Offence, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Sean Connery and Trevor Howard - (U.K./U.S.)
• One Is a Lonely Number
• The Other, starring Diana Muldaur
• The Other Side of the Underneath - (U.K.)
• The Outside Man, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ann-Margret, Angie Dickinson - (France)
• Oyster Village - (South Korea)

P

• Pete 'n' Tillie, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett
• Pink Flamingos, directed by John Waters, starring Divine
• Play It Again, Sam, directed by Herbert Ross, starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts
• Pocket Money, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin
• The Poseidon Adventure, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens
• Prime Cut, starring Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman
• Private Parts, directed by Paul Bartel
• Pulp, starring Michael Caine - (U.K.)

R

• The Ruling Class, starring Peter O'Toole and Alistair Sim - (U.K.)

S

• Savage Messiah, directed by Ken Russell - (U.K.)
• The Scientific Cardplayer (Lo Scopone Scientifico), starring Bette Davis, Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano - (Italy)
• Shaft's Big Score
• Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern
• Skyjacked, starring Charlton Heston and Yvette Mimieux
• Slaughter, starring Jim Brown, Stella Stevens, Rip Torn
• Slaughterhouse-Five, directed by George Roy Hill, starring Michael Sacks, Ron Liebman, Valerie Perrine
• Sleuth, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine - (U.S./U.K.)
• Snoopy Come Home
• Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Natalya Bondarchuk (U.S.S.R.)
• Sounder, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield
• State of Siege, directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Yves Montand - (France)
• Steptoe and Son, starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett - (U.K.)
• Stigma, directed by David E. Durston, starring Philip Michael Thomas
• Street Mobster - (Japan)
• Super Fly, directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., starring Ron O'Neal

T

• Tabi no omosa - (Japan)
• Tales from the Crypt, starring Peter Cushing and Joan Collins - (U.K.)
• Tomorrow
• Tout va bien, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jane Fonda and Yves Montand - (France/Italy)
• Travels with My Aunt, starring Maggie Smith
• Treasure Island, starring Orson Welles - (International)
• The Triple Echo, directed by Michael Apted, starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed - (U.K.)

U

• Ulzana's Raid, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Burt Lancaster
• Under Milk Wood, starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole - (U.K.)
• Une belle fille comme moi, directed by François Truffaut - (France)

V

• The Valachi Papers, starring Charles Bronson and Lino Ventura - (Italy/France)
• La Vallee, directed by Barbet Schroeder, starring Bulle Ogier with music by Pink Floyd - (France)
• Vampire Circus - (U.K.)
• The Visitors, directed by Elia Kazan

W

• The Water Margin - (Hong Kong)
• Way of the Dragon, directed by and starring Bruce Lee with Nora Miao and Chuck Norris - (Hong Kong)
• The Wedding (Wesele), directed by Andrzej Wajda - (Poland)
• What's Up, Doc?, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal

Y

• Young Winston, biopic of Winston Churchill, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft - (U.K.)

Births

• January 1- Catherine McCormack, actress
• January 11- Amanda Peet, actress
• January 15- Kobe Tai (also known as Carla Scott), adult and mainstream actress
• March 23 - Judith Godrèche, actress
• March 31 - Alejandro Amenábar, Spanish director, writer and soundtrack composer
• April 17 - Jennifer Garner, actress
• April 29 - Derek Mears, actor and stuntman
• May 28 - Chiara Mastroianni, actress
• June 12 - Robin Tunney, actress
• June 28 - Alessandro Nivola, actor
• August 12- Rebecca Gayheart, actress
• August 15- Ben Affleck, actor, director and writer
• August 30- Cameron Diaz, actress
• September 8 - Giovanni Frezza, actor
• September 28 - Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
• October 17- Eminem (also known as Marshall Mathers), rapper and actor
• November 1 - Jenny McCarthy, actress
• November 7 - Jeremy and Jason London, actors
• November 14 - Josh Duhamel, actor
• December 7 - Jennifer Syme, entertainment industry employee (d. 2001)
• December 29 - Jude Law, actor

Deaths

• January 1 - Maurice Chevalier, French actor/singer
• January 8 - Wesley Ruggles, movie director, producer
• January 17 - Rochelle Hudson, actress
• February 2 - Jessie Royce Landis, actress
• February 7 - Walter Lang, director
• February 19 - John Grierson, Scots documentary filmmaker (b. 1898)
• March 20 - Marilyn Maxwell, actress
• April 5 - Isabel Jewell, actress
• April 5 - Brian Donlevy, actor
• April 25 - George Sanders, British actor (b. 1906)
• April 30 - Gia Scala, actress
• May 3 - Bruce Cabot, actor
• May 15 - Nigel Green, actor
• May 21 - Margaret Rutherford, actress
• July 6 - Brandon De Wilde, actor
• August 7 - Joi Lansing, actress
• October 9 - Miriam Hopkins, actress
• October 16 - Leo G. Carroll, actor (b. 1886)
• October 24 - Claire Windsor, actress (b. 1897)
• November 5 - Reginald Owen, actor (b. 1887)
• November 16 - Vera Karalli, actress
• November 23 - Marie Wilson, actress
• December 9 - Louella Parsons, Hollywood columnist
• December 26 - Harry S. Truman, president/actor

Film debuts

• Ned Beatty
• Jerry Bruckheimer
• Blythe Danner
• Jodie Foster
• Bob Hoskins
• Isabelle Huppert
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Madeline Kahn
• Ben Kingsley
• John Lithgow
• Sissy Spacek
• James Woods