1972 Oscars: From the best to the worst nominees

by cafg-0 | created - 2 months ago | updated - 2 months ago | Public

Nominated films I haven't seen: Ape and super-ape, Manson & The silent revolution.

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1. The Godfather (1972)

R | 175 min | Crime, Drama

100 Metascore

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: 2,012,363 | Gross: $134.97M

2. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

93 Metascore

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: 46,835 | Gross: $0.20M

3. Cabaret (1972)

PG | 124 min | Drama, Music, Musical

80 Metascore

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: 59,391 | Gross: $42.77M

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: 50,163 | Gross: $4.08M

5. Murmur of the Heart (1971)

R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama

As France is nearing the end of the first Indochina War, an open-minded teenage boy finds himself torn between a rebellious urge to discover love, and the ever-present, almost dominating affection of his beloved mother.

Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Lea Massari, Benoît Ferreux, Daniel Gélin, Michael Lonsdale

Votes: 10,848 | Gross: $0.35M

6. Deliverance (1972)

R | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller

80 Metascore

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: 119,260 | Gross: $7.06M

7. Limelight (1952)

G | 137 min | Drama, Music, Romance

84 Metascore

A fading comedian and a suicidally despondent ballet dancer must look to each other to find purpose and hope in their lives.

Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce, Buster Keaton

Votes: 22,136 | Gross: $1.00M

8. My Dearest Senorita (1972)

80 min | Romance, Drama

A 43-year-old woman living in a small town discovers that she is actually a man. Will she change her sex and suffer the reaction of a narrow-minded society?

Director: Jaime de Armiñán | Stars: José Luis López Vázquez, Julieta Serrano, Antonio Ferrandis, Enrique Ávila

Votes: 666

9. 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: 5,281

10. 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: 6,805

11. 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: 7,751

12. Fat City (1972)

PG | 96 min | Drama, Sport

89 Metascore

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: 10,376

13. 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

14. Sounder (1972)

G | 105 min | Drama, Family

80 Metascore

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: 4,826 | Gross: $3.10M

15. Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

R | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.

Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan

Votes: 4,845 | Gross: $6.03M

16. Young Winston (1972)

PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, War

Complex family relationships, as well as a combat experience, form the personality of the future world-known politician.

Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Peter Cellier, Ronald Hines

Votes: 2,978 | Gross: $4.69M

17. The Candidate (1972)

PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

66 Metascore

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: 11,924 | Gross: $0.12M

18. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

PG | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

57 Metascore

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: 9,334 | Gross: $16.53M

19. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

70 Metascore

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: 49,228 | Gross: $84.56M

20. I Love You Rosa (1972)

77 min | Drama

The love of Nissim for his widowed sister-in-law, Rosa, in the Old City of Jerusalem at the turn of the century. Under a (very old) Jewish religious law, Nissim has the duty to marry his childless sister-in-law on the death of his brother.

Director: Moshé Mizrahi | Stars: Michal Bat-Adam, Gabi Otterman, Moshe Tal, Levana Finkelstein

Votes: 250

21. 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: 1,744

22. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

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

23. The Hot Rock (1972)

PG | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

65 Metascore

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

24. 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

25. Man of La Mancha (1972)

PG | 132 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical

The funny story of mad but kind and chivalrous elderly nobleman Don Quixote who, aided by his squire Sancho Panza, fights windmills that are seen as dragons to save prostitute Dulcinea who is seen as a noblewoman.

Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews

Votes: 4,768 | Gross: $3.79M

26. 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

27. 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: 5,960 | Gross: $0.25M

28. Travels with My Aunt (1972)

PG | 108 min | Adventure, Comedy

At his mother's funeral, banker Henry meets his Aunt Augusta, an eccentric old woman who takes him on a wild adventure to rescue an old lover.

Director: George Cukor | Stars: Maggie Smith, Alec McCowen, Louis Gossett Jr., Robert Stephens

Votes: 2,569 | Gross: $0.53M

29. 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: 10,306 | Gross: $6.10M

30. Napoleon and Samantha (1972)

G | 92 min | Adventure, Drama

Two young children, who, rather than part with an old pet lion who was once a circus performer, go on a perilous mountain trek to stay with a recluse friend.

Director: Bernard McEveety | Stars: Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, Johnny Whitaker, Will Geer

Votes: 1,094

31. The Little Ark (1972)

G | 100 min | Adventure, Family

Two children are trapped in the tower of a church during a flood. Local fishermen attempt to rescue them.

Director: James B. Clark | Stars: Theodore Bikel, Geneviève Ambas, Philip Frame, Max Croiset

Votes: 135

32. Ben (1972)

PG | 94 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

A lonely boy befriends Ben, the leader of a violent swarm of killer rats.

Director: Phil Karlson | Stars: Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, Arthur O'Connell, Rosemary Murphy

Votes: 3,426 | Gross: $0.77M

33. The Stepmother (1972)

R | 94 min | Drama

As part of a blackmail plot, a woman is forced to seduce her new husband's son. Complications, including murder, ensue.

Director: Howard Avedis | Stars: Alejandro Rey, John Anderson, Katherine Justice, Larry Linville

Votes: 515



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