1972 in Film - Notable Films Released in 1972

Notable Films Released in 1972

U.S.A. unless stated

#

• The 14 Amazons (Shi si nu ying hao), starring Lucy Lu - (Hong Kong)
• 1776, starring William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, John Cullum, Ken Howard, Blythe Danner

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 (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes), directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski- (West Germany)
• The Amazing Mr. Blunden, starring Laurence Naismith and Lynne Frederick - (U.K.)
• Angry Guest (E ke), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
• Another Nice Mess, starring Rich Little
• Antony and Cleopatra, directed by and starring Charlton Heston, with Hildegarde Neil - (U.K.)
• Apna Desh (Our Country), starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz - (India)
• Asylum, starring Britt Ekland, Barbara Parkins, Charlotte Rampling, Peter Cushing, Barry Morse
• Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills

B

• Bad Company, directed by Robert Benton, starring Jeff Bridges
• Baharo Phool Barsao - (Pakistan)
• Bartleby, starring Paul Scofield - (U.K.)
• Bawarchi (The Chef), starring Rajesh Khanna - (India)
• Be-Imaan - (India)
• Ben, starring Lee Montgomery
• The Big Bird Cage, starring Pam Grier
• 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, starring William Marshall and Vonetta McGee
• Bluebeard, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Virna Lisi, Sybil Danning
• Bone, starring Yaphet Kotto
• Boxcar Bertha, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine
• The Boy Turns Man (Momcheto si otiva), directed by Lyudmil Kirkov, starring Nevena Kokanova, Kiril Gospodinov, Sashka Bratanova - (Bulgaria)
• 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 (I racconti di Canterbury), by Pier Paolo Pasolini, starring Hugh Griffith - Golden Bear winner - (Italy)
• The Carey Treatment, directed by Blake Edwards, starring James Coburn and Jennifer O'Neill
• Carry On Matron, starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques - (U.K.)
• The Castle of Purity (El castillo de la pureza) - (Mexico)
• Cats' Play (Macskajáték) - (Hungary)
• Chato's Land, starring Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Richard Basehart
• Child's Play, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring James Mason, Robert Preston, Beau Bridges
• Cheongchun gyosa (The Young Teacher) - (South Korea)
• Chloe in the Afternoon (L'Amour l'après-midi), directed by Éric Rohmer, starring Zouzou - (France)
• Cisco Pike, starring Kris Kristofferson, Karen Black, Gene Hackman
• Come Back, Charleston Blue, starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, starring Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalbán, Natalie Trundy, Don Murray
• Corky, starring Robert Blake and Charlotte Rampling
• The Cowboys, directed by Mark Rydell, starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern
• Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullmann - (Sweden)
• The Cruel Sea (Bas ya Bahar) - (Kuwait)
• The Culpepper Cattle Company, directed by Dick Richards, starring Gary Grimes
• Cu mâinile curate (With Clean Hands) - (Romania)

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, starring Alan Bates - (U.K.)
• Days of '36, directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos
• Deep Throat, starring Linda Lovelace
• Deliverance, directed by John Boorman, starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
• Dirty Little Billy, starring Michael J. Pollard
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Stephane Audran - Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film - (France)
• Don't Torture a Duckling (Non si sevizia un paperino) - (Italy)
• Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo (Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman), starring Paul Naschy - (Spain)
• Dynamite Chicken, starring Richard Pryor

E

• Eagle in a Cage, starring John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Billie Whitelaw, Kenneth Haigh
• The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, directed by Paul Newman, 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, with Gene Wilder, Lynn Redgrave, Louise Lasser, Lou Jacobi, Heather MacRae, Tony Randall, Burt Reynolds

F

• Fat City, directed by John Huston, starring Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell
• Fata Morgana, directed by Werner Herzog - (West Germany)
• Fellini's Roma, directed by Federico Fellini - (Italy)
• Fillmore, a music documentary film featuring Santana, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane
• The Final Comedown, starring Billy Dee Williams
• 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)
• Follow Me!, starring Mia Farrow
• Frenzy, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster, Anna Massey - (U.K.)
• Fritz the Cat, directed by Ralph Bakshi — first animated movie to receive an X rating
• Fuzz, starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner and Raquel Welch

G

• Game of Death, starring Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - (Hong Kong/U.S.A.)
• Gentlemen of Fortune (Dzhentlmeny udachi) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Getaway, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers, Slim Pickens
• The Girl on the Broomstick (Dívka na koštěti) - (Czechoslovakia)
• Glastonbury Fayre, directed by Nicolas Roeg and Peter Neal, featuring Family, Fairport Convention, Traffic and more - (U.K.)
• The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter), directed by Wim Wenders - (West Germany)
• The Goat Horn (Koziyat rog) - (Bulgaria)
• The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Richard Castellano, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, Richard Conte, John Marley, Alex Rocco, Al Lettieri, Sterling Hayden -- Academy Awards for best picture and best actor
• Godzilla vs. Gigan, directed by Jun Fukuda - (Japan)
• The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall
• The Groundstar Conspiracy, starring George Peppard

H

• Hammersmith Is Out, directed by and starring Peter Ustinov, with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Beau Bridges
• The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff - (Jamaica)
• The Heartbreak Kid, directed by Elaine May, starring Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin, Cybill Shepherd
• Henry VIII and His Six Wives, starring Keith Michell, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher - (U.K.)
• Her Third (Der Dritte) - (East Germany)
• Hickey & Boggs, starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby
• The Hot Rock, directed by Peter Yates, starring Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Zero Mostel

I

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

J

• J. W. Coop, starring Cliff Robertson
• João and the Knife (João e a faca) - (Brazil)
• 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, Joe Don Baker

K

• Kansas City Bomber, starring Raquel Welch
• The King of Marvin Gardens, directed by Bob Rafelson, starring Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn
• Koshish, starring Sanjeev Kumar - (India)

L

• Lady Caroline Lamb, directed by Robert Bolt, starring Sarah Miles, Richard Chamberlain, Laurence Olivier - (U.K.)
• Lady Liberty (La Mortadella), starring Sophia Loren and William Devane - (Italy)
• 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)
• The Legend of Nigger Charley, starring Fred Williamson
• The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, directed by John Huston, starring Paul Newman, Anthony Perkins, Ava Gardner, Roddy McDowall, Victoria Principal
• Limbo, directed by Mark Robson, starring Kate Jackson
• Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (Kozure Ōkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru) - (Japan)
• Los Amigos (a.k.a. Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears), starring Anthony Quinn and Franco Nero - (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)
• Manhunt (La mala ordina), starring Henry Silva - (Italy)
• The Mattei Affair, directed by Francesco Rosi, starring Gian Maria Volonté - Palme d'Or winner - (Italy)
• The Mechanic, starring Charles Bronson
• Metzitzim (Peeping Toms) - (Israel)
• Mutiny on the Buses, starring Reg Varney - (U.K.)
• My Dearest señorita (Mi querida señorita) - (Spain)
• My Name Is Shanghai Joe, starring Klaus Kinski and Chen Lee - (Italy)

N

• Napoleon and Samantha, starring Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster
• The New Centurions, starring George C. Scott and Stacy Keach
• The New Land (Nybyggarna), directed by Jan Troell, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film – (Sweden)
• Nidhanaya (The Treasure) - (Sri Lanka)
• Night of the Lepus, starring Janet Leigh
• Now You See Him, Now You Don't, starring Kurt Russell

O

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

P

• Pancho Villa, starring Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Chuck Connors, Anne Francis
• Pearl in the Crown (Perła w koronie) - (Poland)
• 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
• Play It as It Lays, directed by Frank Perry, starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins
• Pocket Money, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin
• Pope Joan, starring Liv Ullman, Olivia deHavilland, Franco Nero
• The Poseidon Adventure, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, Roddy McDowall, Leslie Nielsen
• The Possession of Joel Delaney, starring Shirley MacLaine and Perry King
• Prime Cut, starring Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman
• Private Parts, directed by Paul Bartel
• Pulp, starring Michael Caine - (U.K.)

R

• Rage, starring George C. Scott and Martin Sheen
• Raja Jani, starring Dharmendra - (India)
• A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die, starring James Coburn and Telly Savalas - (Italy)
• Red Psalm (Még kér a nép), directed by Miklós Jancsó - (Hungary)
• The Revengers, starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine
• The Ruling Class, starring Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim - (U.K.)

S

• The Salzburg Connection, starring Barry Newman, Anna Karina, Klaus Maria Brandauer
• Savage Messiah, directed by Ken Russell - (U.K.)
• Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina (Slam the Monster on the Frontpage), starring Gian Maria Volonté - (Italy)
• The Scientific Cardplayer (Lo Scopone Scientifico), starring Bette Davis, Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano - (Italy)
• The Seduction of Mimi (Mimí metallurgico ferito nell'onore), starring Mariangela Melato - (Italy)
• Shaft's Big Score, starring Richard Roundtree and Moses Gunn
• Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern
• Sitting Target, starring Oliver Reed, Ian McShane and Jill St. John - (U.K.)
• Skyjacked, starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, James Brolin, Jeanne Crain, Walter Pidgeon
• 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.A./(U.K.)
• Snoopy Come Home
• Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Natalya Bondarchuk - (U.S.S.R.)
• Something to Hide, starring Peter Finch and Shelley Winters
• Sounder, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield
• State of Siege (État de Siège), 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 (Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota) - (Japan)
• Super Fly, directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., starring Ron O'Neal

T

• Tabi no omosa (Journey into Solitude) - (Japan)
• Tales from the Crypt, starring Peter Cushing and Joan Collins - (U.K.)
• The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire) - (France)
• Taming of the Fire (Ukroshcheniye ognya) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Thing with Two Heads, starring Ray Milland and Rosey Grier
• They Only Kill Their Masters, starring James Garner and Katharine Ross
• To Find a Man, starring Pamela Sue Martin, Tom Bosley, Tom Ewell, Phyllis Newman
• Tomorrow, starring Robert Duvall
• Tonta tonta pero no tanto (Foolish, Foolish, but not that Much) - (Mexico)
• Tout va bien (Everything's Fine), 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 - (France/Germany/Spain/USA)
• The Triple Echo, directed by Michael Apted, starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed - (U.K.)
• Trouble Man, directed by Ivan Dixon, starring Robert Hooks and Paul Winfield

U

• Ulzana's Raid, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Burt Lancaster
• Under Milk Wood, starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole - (U.K.)
• Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (Gunki hatameku moto ni) - (Japan)
• Une belle fille comme moi (a.k.a. Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me), 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, starring Adrienne Corri and Anthony Higgins - (U.K.)
• Victoria No. 203 - (India)
• The Visitors, directed by Elia Kazan

W

• The War Between Men and Women starring Jack Lemmon and Barbara Harris
• The Water Margin (Shui hu zhuan), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
• Way of the Dragon (Meng long guo jiang), directed by and starring Bruce Lee with Nora Miao and Chuck Norris - (Hong Kong)
• We Won't Grow Old Together (Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble) - (France)
• The Wedding (Wesele), directed by Andrzej Wajda - (Poland)
• What's Up, Doc?, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal
• When the Gods Fall Asleep (Quando os Deuses Adormecem) - (Brazil)
• Winter Soldier, a documentary made by Vietnam Veterans Against the War
• The Wrath of God, starring Robert Mitchum, Rita Hayworth, Frank Langella

XYZ

• X,Y, and Zee, aka Zee and Co., starring Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Susannah York
• You'll Like My Mother, starring Patty Duke
• Young Winston, biopic of Winston Churchill, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft - (U.K.)