THE DEER HUNTER (1978)

The 70's Rivers, Day 17

The Deer Hunter (1978)

The third of the seventies Vietnam trilogy(along with Coming Home and Apocalypse, Now)and the only one of the three to win a Best Picture Oscar. The wedding scene is still too bloody long after all these years, but the film does have a lot of emotionally charged drama in it.

The Cimino River
The Cimino River ran successfully only once and then helped destroy all rivers in its path shortly thereafter. Damn you, Cimino River!

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BEING THERE (1979)

The 70's Rivers, Day 16

Being There (1979)
I cannot imagine this fable without the presence of Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardner. I’ve truly enjoyed revisting the Hal Ashby films from this decade.

The Ashby River III
No waterway defined the essence of 70’s to me quite as much as The Ashby River.

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COMING HOME (1978)

The 70's Rivers, Day 15

Coming Home (1978)
This is not in the 1001 movie book, but I’ll always think of this as one of the trilogy (with The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse, Now) of Vietnam films of the late 70’s, so I really couldn’t leave it out. Still a strong and sad drama. Of course, I also love the music. I hadn’t seen this movie since it first came out 34 years (34 years! Holy, crap!) ago, but still associate The Rolling Stones’ song Out of Time with the opening credits of the film.

The Ashby River II
The Ashby River was one of my favorite 70’s waterways. You just never knew in what direction it was going to flow.

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HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)

The 70's Rivers, Day 14

Harold and Maude(1971)
Even after all these years, Harold and Maude is the still the definitive cult movie. Accept no substitutes.

The Ashby River I
The first leg of the Ashby River is a most memorable waterway that one should dip into repeatedly.

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LITTLE BIG MAN (1970)

The 70's Rivers, Day 13

Little Big Man (1970)
For a more modern day viewer, I guess you could call Arthur Penn's Little Big Man a version of Dances With Wolves meets Forrest Gump. And I still love the way the movie portrays Custer.

The Penn River
The Penn River actually began its flow with a bang during the 60’s, but still was a strong if sometimes neglected waterway during the 70’s.

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NASHVILLE (1975)

The 70's Rivers, Day 12

Nashville(1975)
Altman’s multi-character storytelling isn’t for everyone. I had a good friend who I tried to turn on to Nashville, but he just couldn’t get into it no matter how I tried to convince him. But if I had only one Altman film to recommend, it would still have to be Nashville.

The Altman River, III
The peak of the flow of the original Altman River. It did dry up a bit after this, but the river happily resurfaced during the 90’s.

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McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (1971)

The 70's Rivers, Day 11

McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Not my favorite Altman film, but this Western does seem to get better with subsequent viewings. I’ve even grown to like Leonard Cohen.

The Altman River, Part II
Expect different rates of flow from The Altman River. Still flowing freely and in an original way here.

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