DB7

Overlooked British Gems of the 1970s
Here are 26 films that aren't illustrious and for one reason or another passed many people by. These films may have lacked publicity and hype, failed to earn widespread distribution, be low budget, flawed, but may be worth a second viewing.


The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972, Lionel Jeffries)
Mysterious old solicitor Laurence Naismith offers a destitute family the chance to become housekeepers of a derelict country mansion which is currently in his charge. Once there the children meet the spirits of others who died in a fire a hundred years earlier. Delightfully spooky ghost story for the family based on the Antonia Barber novel "The Ghosts".

The Belstone Fox (1973, James Hill)
Based on the novel 'The Ballad Of The Belstone Fox' by David Rook. When a huntsman raises an orphaned fox with a litter of puppies he unwittingly unleashes the forces of nature to work against each other. Eric Porter and Rachel Roberts acquit themselves adequately but the film ultimately impresses more for its wildlife photography than for its dramatic interest.

The Creeping Flesh (1972, Freddie Francis)
A Victorian professor returns to Britain with a giant skeleton unearthed in New Guinea. He believes it will help him discover the origins of Man, but he is unaware that the remains are those of an evil Neanderthal. Don't try to make sense of director Freddie Francis’ classy Hammer-style morality fable, just enjoy the gloomily disturbing dark tone and some neat shocks provided by Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and the prehistoric reincarnated bones.

Death Line (1972, Gary Sherman)
A politician is found unconscious on the London Underground and police inspector Donald Pleasence is put in charge of the case. But when he arrives at the scene, the man has gone. It turns out that the descendants of Victorian workers trapped in the tunnel during a cave-in in the early 1900s are feeding on people who use the Underground. This grisly frightener provides dark scares while presenting an effective commentary on the human condition. Considered strong stuff in its day, this criminally under-rated slice of British horror manages to be eerie, touching, melancholic and imaginative to a degree rarely seen in the genre.

A Doll's House (1973, Patrick Garland)
One of two rival versions of Henrik Ibsen's classic play A Doll's House that came out in the same year. Starring Claire Bloom as a frivolous woman whose puritanical husband Anthony Hopkins loves her but doesn't take her seriously. Gradually she takes on an independence of spirit when her husband is threatened with blackmail. Fine support by Ralph Richardson, Denholm Elliott and Dame Edith Evans, although the result is a little too earnest.

Endless Night (1971, Sidney Gilliat)
In this Agatha Christie thriller, chauffeur Hywel Bennett marries wealthy American heiress Hayley Mills, only to discover that their palatial dream home is thought to be cursed. Sidney Gilliat keeps you guessing and the stage is set for a stunning climax that even hardcore Christie fans consider one of her most surprising - and shocking - twists ever. George Sanders, Britt Ekland and Lois Maxwell co-star in this dark and gripping mystery thriller.

England Made Me (1973, Peter Duffell)
An underrated adaptation of Graham Greene's novel, starring Michael York as a naive 1930s businessman who pays a visit to Germany on the way home from a business trip, and falls under the politically dubious spell of charismatic financier Peter Finch. The potential for atmosphere is vividly explored by director Peter Duffell, but this fascinating character study and glimpse of pre-WWII Germany never quite lives up to expectations. Michael Hordern contributes an amusing cameo as a penniless, seedy reporter, and Michael York turned in his best screen work to date.

Eyewitness (1970, John Hough)
Set on a strife-torn Mediterranean island. Mark Lester witnesses an assassination but he is known as a daydreamer and nobody believes him. Alone he must now face the stark reality of a dangerously over-active imagination. A breathlessly exciting thriller along the lines of the story of the boy who cried wolf, Lionel Jeffries and Susan George play up to the hair-raising suspense; and John Hough's furious direction in the final chase sequence will leave you gasping.

Freelance (1971, Francis Megahy)
Small time London con-artist Ian McShane witnesses a gangland hit. Determined to carry out his crooked schemes, he must do so while avoiding the same hitman.

Frightmare (1974, Peter Walker)
Britain's home counties answer to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. An elderly couple convicted of cannibalism are released from the funny farm. It's not long before their youngest daughter's secret is out, that she has been helping her mother out with her "anti-social behaviour" - drilling people's brains out! Morally twisted in Walker's signature way and climaxing with a splatter-crazed downbeat twist, this bleak vision of the triumph of evil over good is a grisly, chilling and intense milestone in British horror cinema.

Full Circle (1977, Richard Loncraine)
Based on a Peter Straub story, unstable mother Mia Farrow is driven to near-madness by the death of her daughter. Things don't get much better when Julia and her husband move into a forbidding old mansion. The events leading up to her daughter's horrible death threaten to repeat themselves, thereby explaining the film's title. Director Richard Loncraine's competent adaptation is a slow-moving supernatural tale more concerned with atmosphere than action. This subtle and lyrical chiller has its admirers, but most viewers will be three steps ahead of the story.

Gumshoe (1971, Stephen Frears)
Stephen Frears made his feature debut with this homage to film noir. Liverpudlian bingo caller Albert Finney dreams of becoming a Bogart type private eye. He decides to advertise his services as a private investigator, and that's when his troubles really start. Screenwriter Neville Smith blends fond parody with an original story that has an undeniable charm of its own.

Hoffman (1970, Alvin Rakoff)
Originally a television play based on a novel by Ernest Gebler, Peter Sellers is Hoffman, a lonely, middle-aged businessman who blackmails his desirable secretary Sinead Cusack into spending the weekend with him. Sellers is at the peak of his powers, wonderful in a bittersweet role that demands him to be both darkly comic and gentle, mournful yet mischievous. Cusack offsets him brilliantly - skittish and ditzy against his hound dog solemnity. Despite it's dry humour and bizarre morality Hoffman deserves to be rediscovered.

The Last Valley (1971, James Clavell)
Adaptation of J.B. Pick's novel. An army of 17th century mercenaries led by Michael Caine discover a peaceful town nestled in a verdant valley that has been left unmolested by the terrible "Thirty Years War." The reaction of the community's dwellers to the violent soldiers arrival becomes increasingly hostile. Beautifully shot in Austria, it contains one of Caine's very finest performances, a script that sidesteps pomposity and a marvellous score by John Barry. It flopped, of course, and is hardly ever shown today. Heavily financed by director James Clavell, this extravagant costume drama ended up with a reported $7 million loss.

Loot (1970, Silvio Narizzano)
Joe Orton's anarchic black comedy about two men who rob a bank, hide the loot in a coffin - also containing one robber's mother - and have problems getting it back again. With a screenplay by famed TV writers Galton and Simpson, it's wholly faithful to Orton's surreal sense of humour. Silvio Narizzano's direction is stylish and the neatly judged performances are gloriously over-the-top, especially Richard Attenborough who clearly delights in playing the creepiest, kinkiest Scotland Yard detective you'll ever see.

The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden)
Executive Roger Moore is involved in a car accident and declared momentarily dead. When he's eventually released from the hospital, Pelham discovers that an exact double of him has recently been seen in places that he's never been, taken over his family, undermined his business and even begun an extramarital affair. Is Pelham being stalked by a doppelganger with a taste for the wild life or is he simply a man going insane? Creepy psychological thriller from renowned director Basil Dearden who mixes dull stretches with some palm-sweating suspense.

The McKenzie Break (1970, Lamont Johnson)
McKenzie is a remote, understaffed POW camp in Scotland, where an assortment of German fliers, U-boat men, and soldiers are being held prisoner. When word of the prisoners defiance gets back to British military, they assign rogue Irish officer Brian Keith to get to the bottom of things. The Germans, led Helmut Griem, have devised an elaborate tunnel and intend to escape and rendezvous with a U-boat to take them back to Germany. Intelligent World War II POW drama with a nail-biting finale that succeeds largely due to the particularly strong characterisations by Keith and Griem.

Melody aka S.W.A.L.K (1971, Waris Hussein)
A delicate and sensitive story of bittersweet childhood. An 11-year-old girl, Melody, and classmate Mark Lester fall in love and face the jibes of their fellow students and the interference of their parents. An early collaboration of David Puttnam and Alan Parker.

The National Health (1973, Jack Gold)
A comedy aimed at the inadequacies of the National Health Service. Comparative scenes between the true-life realities in an old, run-down hospital, and the scenes portrayed on the weekly soap 'Nurse Norton's Affair', where wards are spotless because there aren't any patients! Director Jack Gold assembles some sprightly set pieces and a fine cast including Donald Sinden, Lynn Redgrave and Jim Dale, who give real clout to Peter Nichols somewhat contrived satire.

The Offence (1972, Sidney Lumet)
After brutally beating alleged child molester Ian Bannen, world-weary police officer Sean Connery realizes that he has a violent trait inside of himself that matches the criminals he arrests. Retreating from whatever support his meek wife offers, Connery is also investigated by Trevor Howard for corrupt police practices. One of Lumet's great films, and usually overlooked, but one that is worth searching out to see for the psychological drama and a compelling performances.

Spring and Port Wine (1970, Peter Hammond)
The saga of the Crompton family's struggle to wrest power from their bible-thumping father is a gently humorous portrayal of a family caught up in the demands made upon them by a changing society. The key element is unquestionably the battle of wills between James Mason and Susan George.

The Squeeze (1977, Michael Apted)
An alcoholic Scotland Yard detective, having been fired for his drunkenness, has the opportunity to redeem himself when his wife is kidnapped and he wages battle against the sadistic gangsters and his habit to rescue her. This grimy London thriller from director Michael Apted is a touch creaky but still disturbingly plausible. Stacy Keach, Edward Fox, David Hemmings and Stephen Boyd give the action more class than it deserves. Comedian Freddie Starr is offered the chance to show that there's more to him than pratfalls and doubles entendres, and he acquits himself surprisingly well.

That'll Be the Day (1973, Claude Whatham)
Named after a Buddy Holly song and set to a score of early American rock hits, Claude Whatham's story of a restless working-class lad in Britain the late 1950s is a portrait dissatisfaction and disaffection. Director Whatham skilfully mixes familial angst with energetic rock 'n' roll magic and the inevitably happy ending. This is worth seeing as an example of one of the few British rock movies of the past couple of decades which has actually proved successful. Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Billy Fury score in cameo roles.

Theatre of Blood (1973, Douglas Hickox)
Directed with delectable British wit by Douglas Hickox, Vincent Price wreaks poetic justice upon the snobby critics who panned his performances and drove him to a failed attempt at suicide. Reciting his poor reviews and staging murders inspired by Shakespearean tragedies, the actor and his Dickensian coterie of accomplices dispatch their victims with shocking ingenuity.

A Touch of Class (1973, Melvin Frank)
Glenda Jackson won an Oscar for her performance as a savvy London divorcée who falls in love with married insurance agent George Segal, and the film surprised critics by earning a Best Picture nomination as well. For the first half of its running time, this delightful comedy is quite the best of its kind since the heyday of such witty sexual sparring, but things do run down a bit towards the end when the script forgoes wit for sarcasm and abrasiveness for sentimentality.

Villain (1971, Michael Tuchner)
Based on James Barlow's novel, Richard Burton is an overweight, sadistic yet successful businessman. He is boss of the largest protection racket in the East End, with friends in the highest places - blackmailed into complete submission.

Steve Crook

Yes, a very good one, especially Lord Dickie.

A very rare chance to see Roger Moore actually acting :)

Of all the films I get asked about, after the P&P films, this one gets the most enquiries. A delight.

Steve Crook

PaPAS

deckard

Another great list DB7,thanks.A year before making "A Touch of Class",Glenda Jackson starred in "Triple Echo"(1972)directed by Michael Apted.Although not receiving the critical acclaim of the aforesaid film,I thought it was a great piece,Jackson was excellent as the reclusive woman who's husband is a prisoner of war,so she has to run their farm alone.She falls in love with a young army deserter and tries to hide him by disguising him as a woman,enter Oliver Reed as the thoroughly nasty sergeant(but quite funny too)who ruins the whole plan.Although the subject matter of the film was a little dour it's a shame that some people regarded the film as one that should have been made for TV,so it lost some of it's credibility,but I have to say there have been some excellent films made for TV over the years!

"and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock"

DB7

aka Soldier in Skirts. eek! :)

deckard

Oo-er matron!

"and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock"

Third Man

The Offence (1972, Sidney Lumet)
After brutally beating alleged child molester Ian Bannen, world-weary police officer Sean Connery realizes that he has a violent trait inside of himself that matches the criminals he arrests. Retreating from whatever support his meek wife offers, Connery is also investigated by Trevor Howard for corrupt police practices. One of Lumet's great films, and usually overlooked, but one that is worth searching out to see for the psychological drama and a compelling performances.

Hello all,

I am new to the board and what a great place.
I had to make comment on this film that was brought up by DB7,what a great film from a US director making the switch to a British style film with natural ease.
It is easily one of Connery's best performances up there with "The Hill".
Lumet is so good at this sort of thing very tight script and tension saturated just like his classic US film "12 Angry Men".

DB7

One I missed off, has anybody seen Deep End (1970)? Thoughts?

DB7

I I watched The Last Valley once again last night. Some truly breathtaking scenery in Tirol but Caine's German accent is awful and the ending peters out just as the film was gathering momentum. The casting of Caine and Sharif give it something of a Zulu meets Zhivago feel, and a sense that you're walking over trodden ground but a couple of baddies in the shape of mutinous Michael Gothard (later a 007 henchman) and fanatical witch burner Per Oscarsson liven up events.

A bit of a letdown to see the always over-acting Brian Blessed get bumped off within minutes of making an appearance.

Gibbie

The McKenzie Break (1970, Lamont Johnson)
Brian Keith was a great actor and was highly regarded over here with his work on the TV favorite "Family Affair" and other movies.
Haven't seen "McKenzie Break" since the 70s. It was another War classic, like "Great Escape", but I remember, more intense.

That'll Be the Day (1973, Claude Whatham) We've had a thread on this one. I think when all the retro scenes started in the 70s in the UK (punk (yes, it was a form of retro), mods, rockers, etc.), had a starting point with "That'll Be the Day". Along with the follow up film "Stardust". In the US, we had "American Graffiti". The father of retro in the music world, Dave Edmunds, came along in "Stardust".

The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden)
is one of those childhood mysteries I had where you remembered glimpses of the movie, but not the story, etc. - the car going into the water and Roger Moore's attacks. I found this picture a few years ago and was disappointed upon my discovery. I found it a bad form of hip psychology, even though it had a tuneful theme and Roger Moore is always stylish.

MEMORY MYSTERY - I have another childhood film memory mystery with Roger Moore. He was in a movie or a TV show in which a musician was shocked to death (like the late-Keith Relf of the Yardbirds - electrocuted). Do you know what movie or show that was? Was it The Persuaders or a late-Saint episode?

Gibbie

ollie

Gibbie that was exactly the same memory i had about The Man Who....... car going off the bridge hazy recollections of good old ROG stalking about,but not much else,in fact in trying to remember the title for years i thought it was called THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF TO DEATH Lol.
I too purchased it recently on dvd with slight reticence,but overall i was pleasantly suprised,and have enjoyed it a couple of times since. thumbs_u

"Bullseye !!"

ollie

Great list DB7,i have a few on there,will now endevour to see whats available [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] As for THE BELSTONE FOX we were shown that at school,the only thing i remember is i liked it at the time and dennis waterman was in it,its available on dvd and its a cheapy i might investigate :)
On the subject of being shown films at school,we had an english teacher MR INGRAM,thanks to him i was exposed to KES,A TASTE OF HONEY,LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER,LORD OF THE FLIES,plus others what a great bloke!! thumbs_u
cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

Gibbie

Different conclusions, same memory. :)

Gibbie

Ollie,
When I was a teen, the public TV station played those titles. I especially remember the hauntingness of "A Taste of Honey". In school, we saw films like "Great Expectations", "Caine Mutiny", "The Ox Bow Incident", "Hamlet", "MacBeth" and others. We read books like "1984", "Lord of the Flies", "Farenheit 451", "Animal Farm" and other Eng Lit thought provoking stories. Thanks to these teachers, these stories left a deep impression on my imagination and memory.

Of all these, Polanski's "MacBeth" was the only 70s film we saw. Not the best version.

Another haunting picture from the Brit 70s was "Mary, Queen of Scots". Very Jacobite in its history, but very haunting with a memorable theme and made memorable by the acting of Vanessa Redgrave.

Also to note, here in the US, much of our memory of British culture and why many of us visit with our minds in the past (at least until the 80s)is because our PBS stations played weekly movies from the UK from Eng Lit stories, Glenda Jackson's Elizabeth was probably the best known back then. Derek Jacobi's "I Claudius" was also a favorite. There was also a great version of "Tom Brown's School Days". Alisdair Cook had a show called "Masterpiece Theatre", which showcased these movies and made for TV movies. Now, A&E presents British programming. And, some places get BBC America, but this is very contemporary.

Gibbie

ollie

GIBBIE i we also did orwells 1984 and animal farm,lord of the flies,macbeth ,henry v,we were taken to see macbeth in the 70's at the swan theatre in stratford upon avon,i like jon finch in the polanski film,but prefer nicol williamson's performance in a tv film from 83, i didn't really get it back then(duh)and to think many years later went on to co-compose the score for a pro theatrical production of the "scottish play"
cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

Gibbie

It's a small world, isn't it. Just goes to show the continuity of well done English Lit.
That would have been "strong to see" at Stratford. In high school, my father took me there and we saw "Merchant of Venice."
Several years ago, I saw a very minimal, but well done version of "MacBeth" at a college near Chicago (outside).
Composing for "MacBeth", must have been quite an experience and challenge (because, it would seem that much of it would be about getting the mind of the characters).

Gibbie