1978--The Year in Review

Perhaps this is not the best year of the 1970s, but it's not a mediocre one at all. The top 20 films here scream out joyously and fantastically to the Earth. And the top choice, battered as it may now be, still stands as a prime example of world cinema. It shook me to my core then, and it still does today. And I cannot fail to hail my top director, who really establishes his lyrical voice here. Plus, nearly the best music documentary of all time, and terrific horror, comedy, thrillers, spoofs, war movies, documentaries, rock n’ roll (great year for that!), UK and US television, and the first notable comic book movie (though that now seems like a execrable curse, even as this one set the template). By the way, please check out Special Delivery, the seven-minute choice for Best Animated Short--you will NOT be sorry. Treat yourself! It’s marvelous. And, yes…also…I love Scorsese's The Last Waltz. A masterpiece, that! It makes me cry with utter ecstasy. But so does, ever so slightly more importantly, Michael Cimino's heartbreaking wartime story. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold. 

PICTURE: THE DEER HUNTER (US, Michael Cimino)
(2nd: The Last Waltz (US, Martin Scorsese)
followed by: Days of Heaven (US, Terrence Malick)
Interiors (US, Woody Allen)
Straight Time (US, Ulu Grosbard)
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Italy, Ermanno Olmi)
An Unmarried Woman (US, Paul Mazursky)
Who’ll Stop The Rain (US, Karel Reisz)
Blue Collar (US, Paul Schrader)
Halloween (US, John Carpenter)
Gates of Heaven (US, Errol Morris)
The Silent Partner (Canada, Darryl Duke)
Midnight Express (UK, Alan Parker)
Coming Home (US, Hal Ashby)
The End (US, Burt Reynolds)
An Enemy of the People (US, George Schaefer)
Superman (US, Richard Donner)
National Lampoon’s Animal House (US, John Landis)
The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (US, Eric Idle and Gary Weis)
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (US, Robert Zemeckis)
Dawn of the Dead (US, George A. Romero)
Killer of Sheep (US, Charles Barnett)
Girlfriends (US, Claudia Weill)
Autumn Sonata (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
Koko: A Talking Gorilla (West Germany, Barbet Schroeder)
Watership Down (US, Martin Rosen)
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (France, Bertrand Blier)
Scared Straight! (US, Arnold Shapiro)
Martin (US, George A. Romero)
Magic (UK, Richard Attenborough)
The Buddy Holly Story (US, Steve Rash)
A Wedding (US, Robert Altman)
Heaven Can Wait (US, Warren Beatty and Buck Henry)
American Boy (US, Martin Scorsese)
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (Australia, Fred Schepisi)
Pretty Baby (US, Louis Malle)
Go Tell the Spartans (US, Ted Post)
The Brink's Job (US, William Friedkin)
Fingers (US, James Toback)
Summer of My German Soldier (US, Michael Tuchner)
La Cage aux Folles (France, Edouard Molinaro)
Big Wednesday (US, John Milius)
China 9, Liberty 37 (Italy, Monte Hellman)
Drunken Master (Hong Kong, Woo-Ping Yuen)
American Hot Wax (US, Floyd Mutrux)
Coma (US, Michael Crichton)
The Fury (US, Brian De Palma)
Up in Smoke (US, Lou Adler)
Death on the Nile (UK, John Guillermin)
The Lord of the Rings (US, Ralph Bakshi)
Stevie (UK, Robert Enders)
Foul Play (US, Colin Higgins)
Despair (West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
The Legacy (UK, Richard Marquand)
The Boys From Brazil US, Franklin J. Schaffner)
Grease (US, Randall Kleiser)
Sextette (US, Ken Hughes))

ACTOR: Dustin Hoffman, STRAIGHT TIME (2nd: Anthony Hopkins, Magic, followed by: Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter; Christopher Reeve, Superman; Richard Pryor, Blue Collar; Jon Voight, Coming Home; Gary Busey, The Buddy Holly Story; Elliott Gould, The Silent Partner)

ACTRESS: Jill Clayburgh, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN (2nd: Geraldine Page, Interiors, followed by: Jane Fonda, Coming Home; Ingrid Bergman, Autumn Sonata; Tuesday Weld, Who’ll Stop The Rain; Genevieve Bujold, Coma; Melanie Mayron, Girlfriends; Glenda Jackson, Stevie) 

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christopher Walken, THE DEER HUNTER (2nd: John Cazale, The Deer Hunter, followed by: Yaphet Kotto, Blue Collar; Christopher Plummer, The Silent Partner; Dom Deluise, The End; Harry Dean Stanton, Straight Time; Bruce Dern, Coming Home; John Hurt, Midnight Express)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Maureen Stapleton, INTERIORS (2nd: Mary Beth Hurt, Interiors, followed by: Linda Manz, Days of Heaven; Theresa Russell, Straight Time; Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter; Diane Keaton, Interiors; Maggie Smith California Suite; Wendy Jo Sperber, I Wanna Hold Your Hand)



DIRECTOR: Michael Cimino, THE DEER HUNTER (2nd: Terrence Malick, Days of Heaven, followed by: Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz; Woody Allen, Interiors; John Carpenter, Halloween; Paul Mazursky, An Unmarried Woman; Alan Parker, Midnight Express; Paul Schrader, Blue Collar)



NON-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FILM: THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS (Italy, Ermanno Olmi) (2nd: Autumn Sonata (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman), followed by: Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (France, Bertrand Blier); La Cage aux Folles (France, Edouard Molinaro); Drunken Master (Hong Kong, Woo-Ping Yuen))



DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: THE LAST WALTZ (US, Martin Scorsese) (2nd: Gates of Heaven (US, Errol Morris), followed by: Koko: A Talking Gorilla (West Germany, Barbet Schroeder); Scared Straight! (US, Arnold Shapiro); American Boy (US, Martin Scorsese))



ANIMATED FEATURE: WATERSHIP DOWN (US, Martin Rosen) (2nd: The Lord of the Rings (US, Ralph Bakshi)


 
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michael Cimino, Derek Washburn, Quinn Redeker and Louis Garfinkle, THE DEER HUNTER (2nd: Paul Schrader and Leonard Schrader, Blue Collar, followed by: Paul Mazursky, An Unmarried Woman; Woody Allen, Interiors; Jerry Belson, The End)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Alvin Sargent, Edward Bunker and Jeffery Boam, STRAIGHT TIME (2nd: Judith Rascoe and Robert Stone, Who'll Stop the Rain?, followed by: Alexander Jacobs and Arthur Miller, An Enemy of the People; Curtis Hanson, The Silent Partner; Oliver Stone, Midnight Express)



ANIMATED SHORT: SPECIAL DELIVERY (Canada, Eunice Macauley and John Weldon) (2nd: Rip Van Winkle (US, Will Vinton), followed by: The Small One (US, Don Bluth); The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa (Canada, Caroline Leaf); Afterlife (Canada, Ishu Patel))

LIVE ACTION SHORT: HARDWARE WARS (US, Ernie Fossellus) (2nd: Within the Woods (US, Sam Raimi), followed by: Teenage Father (US, Taylor Hackford); Xenogenesis (US, James Cameron and Randall Frakes)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler, DAYS OF HEAVEN (2nd: Michael Chapman, Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, The Last Waltz, followed by Vilmos Zsigmond, The Deer Hunter; Gordon Willis, Interiors; Dean Cundey, Halloween)

ART DIRECTION: INTERIORS, The Wiz, The Brink’s Job, Heaven Can Wait, Days of Heaven

COSTUME DESIGN: THE WIZ, Death on the Nile, Days of Heaven, Pretty Baby, Interiors



FILM EDITING: THE DEER HUNTER, The Last Waltz, Midnight Express, Straight Time, National Lampoon’s Animal House

SOUND: THE DEER HUNTER, The Last Waltz, Days of Heaven, Midnight Express, Superman



ORIGINAL SCORE: John Carpenter, HALLOWEEN (2nd: Giorgio Moroder, Midnight Express, followed by: John Williams, Superman; Jerry Goldsmith, The Boys from Brazil; Jerry Goldsmith, Magic)



SCORING OF A MUSICAL/ADAPTATION SCORING: Joe Renzetti, THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY (2nd: Neil Innes, The Rutles: All You Need is Cash, followed by: Louis St. Louis, Grease)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from GREASE (Music and lyrics by John Farrar) (2nd: “Can You Read My Mind” from Superman (Music by John Williams, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse), followed by: “FM (No Static at All)” from FM (Music and lyrics by Donald Fagan and Walter Becker); “Last Dance” from Thank God It’s Friday (Music and lyrics by Paul Jabara); "Grease" from Grease (Music and lyrics by Barry Gibb); “Another Fine Mess” from The End (Music and lyrics by Paul Williams); “Ready to Take a Chance Again” from Foul Play (Music by Charles Fox, lyrics by Norman Gimbel); "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles (Music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: SUPERMAN

MAKEUP: THE WIZ, Dawn of the Dead, Superman

1977--The Year in Review

So many wonders in 1977. It's amazing to think that Woody Allen could bloom right beside George Lucas, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, and Mike Leigh--and yet all could co-exist alongside veterans like Robert Altman, Luis Bunuel, and John Cassavetes. Yet it happened, in a year that would change the course of film history. Though Lucas' film would take the majority of the awards, it was easy to conclude that Allen's stark and moving look at a lost love affair should come out on top, especially since it was led by dynamic lead performances from Allen and Diane Keaton, who possibly delivers the smartest, most lovable lead performance of the decade (and in a year in which she double-socked us with another challenging role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar). After this, neither Allen's moviemaking career or the movies in general would ever be the same. Of course, the same goes for the arrival of Star Wars, but enough has been said about that. David Lynch's debut results in easily the most notable picture outside of these two champions, but also Steven Spielberg's affirmation of his Jaws promise is nothing to be disregarded. A relative newcomer nabs the Best Actor award, and steers the culture with his dancing moves, while an old-timer, fit with a perfect role, snatches the Supporting Actor award (he actually won for The Sunshine Boys in 1975, but THIS is the part he should have been lauded for; as well, the Larry Gelbart script he was working from deserved praise, too). As for the short films, two design masters landed the Animation award (with a film that would influence many in the future), while the UK delivered a stark view of countryside dangers in the Live Action category. And, finally, in the Best Song race, the Brothers Gibb reign with five nominations and a much deserved win (in reality, the Bee Gees were not a part of the Academy's top five--a crime). NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold. 

PICTURE: ANNIE HALL (US, Woody Allen)
(2nd: Eraserhead (US, David Lynch)
followed by: 3 Women (US, Robert Altman)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (US, Steven Spielberg)
Star Wars (US, George Lucas)
That Obscure Object of Desire (France/Spain, Luis Buñuel)
Opening Night (US, John Cassavetes)
Sorcerer (US, William Friedkin)
The Late Show (US, Robert Benton)
Abigail's Party (UK, Mike Leigh)
Oh, God! (US, Carl Reiner)
Padre Padrone (Italy, Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani)
Pumping Iron (US, George Butler and Robert Fiore)
21 Up (UK, Michael Apted)
Peppermint Soda (France, Diane Kurys)
Citizen's Band (aka Handle With Care) (US, Jonathan Demme)
Slap Shot (US, George Roy Hill)
Saturday Night Fever (US, John Badham)
The Duellists (UK, Ridley Scott)
Between the Lines (US, Joan Micklin Silver)
Soldier of Orange (Belgium/Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven)
Roseland (UK/IS, James Ivory)
Man of Marble (Poland, Andrzej Wajda)
The Last Wave (Australia, Peter Weir)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (US, Richard Brooks)
The American Friend (West Germany, Wim Wenders)
Providence (France/UK, Alain Resnais)
Semi-Tough (US, Michael Richie)
Cross of Iron (US, Sam Peckinpah)
Stroszek (West Germany, Werner Herzog)
Julia (US, Fred Zinnemann)
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (US, Anthony Page)
Hitler: A Film from Germany (West Germany, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg)
The Man Who Loved Women (France, Francois Truffaut)
Martin (US, George A. Romero)
Rolling Thunder (US, John Flynn)
Desperate Living (US, John Waters)
The Spy Who Loved Me (UK, Lewis Gilbert)
New York, New York (US, Martin Scorsese)
Rabid (Canada, David Cronenberg)
House (Japan, Nobuhiko Obayashi)
Who are the DeBolts and Where Did They Get 19 Kids? (US, John Korty)
Kentucky Fried Movie (US, John Landis)
Short Eyes (US, Robert M. Young)
Equus (US/UK, Sidney Lumet)
Andy Warhol’s Bad (US, Paul Morrissey)
A Bridge Too Far (UK/US, Richard Attenbourough)
Twilight's Last Gleaming (US, Robert Aldrich)
One on One (US, Lamont Johnson)
The Goodbye Girl (US, Herbert Ross)
High Anxiety (US, Mel Brooks)
The Turning Point (US, Herbert Ross)
The Hills Have Eyes (US, Wes Craven)
First Love (US, Joan Darling)
Demon Seed (US, Donald Cammell)
Gizmo! (US, Howard Smith)
The Gauntlet (US, Clint Eastwood)
Smokey and the Bandit (US, Hal Needham)
Black Sunday (US, John Frankenheimer)
Greased Lightning (US, Michael Schultz)
Rollercoaster (US, James Goldstone)
The Rescuers (US, Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbury, and Art Stevens)
Suspiria (Italy, Dario Argento)
Wizards (US, Ralph Bakshi)
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (US, Sam Wanamaker)
Pete's Dragon (US, Don Chaffey)
Shock Waves (US, Ken Wiederhorn)
The Incredible Melting Man (US, William Sachs))



ACTOR: John Travolta, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (2nd: Woody Allen, Annie Hall, followed by: Richard Dreyfuss, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (won for The Goodbye Girl); Jack Nance, Eraserhead; Fernando Rey, That Obscure Object of Desire; John Gielgud, Providence; Art Carney, The Late Show; John Denver, Oh, God!) 

 

ACTRESS: Diane Keaton, ANNIE HALL (2nd: Allison Steadman, Abigail's Party, followed by: Shelley Duvall, 3 Women; Gena Rowlands, Opening Night; Sissy Spacek, 3 Women; Diane Keaton, Looking for Mr. Goodbar; Lily Tomlin, The Late Show; Jessica Harper, Suspiria) 

SUPPORTING ACTOR: George Burns, OH, GOD! (2nd: G.D. Spradlin, One on One, followed by: Tim Stern, Abigail's Party; Jason Robards, Julia; Francois Truffaut, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Jackie Gleason, Smokey and the Bandit; Bob Balaban, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Turning Point)   

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Vanessa Redgrave, JULIA (2nd: Melinda Dillon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, followed by: Janet Duvitski, Abigail's Party; Teri Garr, Oh, God!; Joan Blondell, Opening Night; Quinn Cummings, The Goodbye Girl; Tuesday Weld, Looking for Mr. Goodbar; Charlotte Stewart, Eraserhead) 



DIRECTOR: Woody Allen, ANNIE HALL (2nd: David Lynch, Eraserhead, followed by: Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Robert Altman, 3 Women; Luis Bunuel, That Obscure Object of Desire; George Lucas, Star Wars; William Friedkin, Sorcerer; John Cassavetes, Opening Night)

NON-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FILM: THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE (France/Spain, Luis Buñuel) (2nd: Hitler: A Film from Germany (West Germany, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg), followed by: Padre Padrone (Italy, Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani); Peppermint Soda (France, Diane Kurys); Soldier of Orange (Belgium/Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven); Man of Marble (Poland, Andrzej Wajda); Stroszek (West Germany, Werner Herzog); House (Japan, Nobuhiko Obayashi))

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: PUMPING IRON (US, George Butler and Robert Fiore) (2nd: 21 Up (UK, Michael Apted), followed by: Who are the DeBolts and Where Did They Get 19 Kids? (US, John Korty); Gizmo! (US, Howard Smith))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, ANNIE HALL (2nd: Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, followed by: Mike Leigh, Abigail's Party; Robert Benton, The Late Show; Nancy Dowd, Slap Shot)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Larry Gelbart, OH, GOD! (2nd: Luis Bunuel and Jean-Claude Carriere, That Obscure Object of Desire, followed by: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Padre Padrone; Richard Brooks, Looking for Mr. Goodbar; Norman Wexler, Saturday Night Fever)



LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: APACHES (UK, John MacKenzie) (2nd: The Absent Minded Waiter (US, Carl Gottlieb), followed by: Notes on the Popular Arts (US, Saul Bass); Stigma (UK, Lawrence Gordon Clark); Dog’s Dialogue (France, Raoul Ruiz))



ANIMATED SHORT FILM: POWERS OF TEN (US, Charles Eames and Ray Eames) (2nd: A Doonebury Special (US, John Hubley, Faith Hubley, and Garry Trudeau), followed by: The Sand Castle (Canada, Co Hoedeman); The Bead Game (Canada, Ishu Patel); Jimmy the C (US, Jimmy Picker))



CINEMATOGRAPHY: Herbert Caldwell and Frederick Elmes, ERASERHEAD (2nd: Frank Tidy, The Duellists; followed by: Vilmos Zsigmond, John A. Alonzo, Steven Poster, Laszlo Kovacs, William Fraker, and Douglas Slocombe, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (award given to Zsigmond solely); Charles Rosher Jr., 3 Women; Dick Bush and John M. Stephens, Sorcerer) 

ART DIRECTION: STAR WARS, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Spy Who Loved Me, Eraserhead, The Duellists

COSTUME DESIGN: STAR WARS, Julia, The Duellists, New York New York, A Little Night Music



FILM EDITING: STAR WARS, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sorcerer, Annie Hall, Slap Shot

SOUND: STAR WARS, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Eraserhead, Sorcerer, A Bridge Too Far





ORIGINAL SCORE: John Williams, STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (this is VERY MUCH NOT a tie: it is a joint award) (2nd: Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke, Sorcerer; Jack Elliott, Oh, God!; Marvin Hamlisch, The Spy Who Loved Me; Georges Delarue, Julia)

 

ADAPTED OR MUSICAL SCORE: Ralph Burns, NEW YORK, NEW YORK (2nd: Irwin Kostal, Pete’s Dragon, followed by: David Shire, Saturday Night Fever)



ORIGINAL SONG: “Stayin‘ Alive” from SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (Music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb) (2nd: “New York, New York“ from New York, New York (Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb), followed by: “How Deep Is Your Love” from Saturday Night Fever (Music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb); “Nobody Does It Better” from The Spy Who Loved Me (Music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager); "Night Fever" from Saturday Night Fever (Music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb); “High Anxiety“ from High Anxiety (Music and lyrics by Mel Brooks); “East Bound and Down” from Smokey and the Bandit (Music and lyrics by Jerry Reed); "You Light Up My Life" from You Light Up My Life (Music and lyrics by Joe Brooks); "More Than a Woman" from Saturday Night Fever (Music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb); "If I Can't Have You" from Saturday Night Fever (Music and lyrics by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb); "The Goodbye Girl" from The Goodbye Girl (Music and lyrics by David Gates); "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon (Music and lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn); "My Fair Share" from One on One (Music by Charles Fox, lyrics by Paul Williams); "Someone's Waiting for You" from The Rescuers (Music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Carol Collins and Ayn Robbins))

SPECIAL EFFECTS: STAR WARS, Close Encounters of the Third Kind



MAKEUP: STAR WARS, Eraserhead, The Duellists

1976--The Year in Review

The British miniseries I, Claudius was really the "film" event of the year, but I can’t give a miniseries Best Picture; something about it seems unfair to even five-hour films. So I had to leave it to Scorsese, Lumet, and Pakula to battle it out for Best Picture and Director. Ultimately, I had to go with the film whose lonely, frank harshness has influenced decades of filmmaking hence, and whose lead performance from Robert De Niro has continually astounded all. Supporting Actor was a packed category this year, by the way--at least ten more possibilities were left by the wayside. Best Song, too, was a bear, with a very unlikely choice topping my list (the whole score for Alan Parker's still underrated and underseen Bugsy Malone nearly overtook the latter category. though ultimately I had to go another very surprising way, I did recognize Paul Williams for his extraordinary contribution to movies this year, though (he ended up winning the Oscar alongside Barbara Streisand for their "Evergreen" collaboration). As for Best Actress, I had to dip into television for the proper choice, and I do so without regret, though I do laud the runner up, who'd go on to do greater things. In the end, has there ever been a more contentious battle for Best Picture? I don't think so. Rocky, Taxi Driver, All The President's Men, Network, Bound for Glory. A perfect lineup. A rarity. NOTE: These are MY choices for each category, and are only occasionally reflective of the selections made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka The Oscars). When available, the nominee that actually won the Oscar will be highlighted in bold. 

PICTURE: TAXI DRIVER (US, Martin Scorsese)
(2nd: Network (US, Sidney Lumet)
followed by: All the President’s Men (US, Alan J. Pakula)
Rocky (US, John G. Avildsen)
Bound for Glory (US, Hal Ashby)
The Front (US, Martin Ritt)
Small Change (France, François Truffaut)
Bugsy Malone (UK, Alan Parker)
Carrie (US, Brian de Palma)
Harlan County, USA (US, Barbara Kopple)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (US, Clint Eastwood)
The Bad News Bears (US, Michael Richie)
Sybil (US, Daniel Petrie)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (UK, Nicolas Roeg)
The Shootist (US, Don Siegel)
Stay Hungry (US, Bob Rafelson)
In the Realm of the Senses (Japan, Nagisa Oshima)
1900 (Italy, Bernardo Bertolucci)
The Memory of Justice (France, Marcel Ophuls)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (US, John Cassavetes)
Kings of the Road (West Germany, Wim Wenders)
Nuts in May (UK, Mike Leigh)
The Tenant (France, Roman Polanski)
The Seven Per-Cent Solution (US, Herbert Ross)
Face to Face (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
Robin and Marian (UK, Richard Lester)
Heart of Glass (West Germany, Werner Herzog)
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (US, Paul Mazursky)
Silent Movie (US, Mel Brooks)
Marathon Man (US, John Schlesinger)
Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 (Switzerland, Alain Tanner)
Allegro Non Troppo (Italy, Bruno Bazzeto)
Griffin and Phoenix (US, Daryl Duke)
Assault on Precinct 13 (US, John Carpenter)
Mikey and Nicky (US, Elaine May)
Car Wash (US, Michael Schultz)
God Told Me To (US, Larry Cohen)
Fellini Casanova (Italy, Federico Fellini)
Hollywood on Trial (US, David Helpern)
The Marquise of O (France, Eric Rohmer)
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Brazil, Bruno Baretto)
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (US, Nicholas Gessner)
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (US, John Badham)
The Blank Generation (US, Ivan Kral and Amos Poe)
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea (US, Lewis John Carlino)
Silver Streak (US, Arthur Hiller)
Ode to Billy Joe (US, Max Baer)
Baby Blue Marine (US, John Hancock)
Mother, Jugs and Speed (US, Peter Yates)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (US, Robert Altman)
Obsession (US, Brian de Palma)
Gator (US, Burt Reynolds)
Leadbelly (US, Gordon Parks)
Logan's Run (US, Michael Anderson)
Murder by Death (US, Robert Moore)
The Enforcer (US, James Fargo)
The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (US, Melvin Frank)
Family Plot (US, Alfred Hitchcock)
The Last Tycoon (US, Elia Kazan)
The Missouri Breaks (US, Arthur Penn)
The Opening of Misty Beethoven (US, Radley Metzger))


  
ACTOR: Robert De Niro, TAXI DRIVER (2nd: Sylvester Stallone, Rocky, followed by: William Holden, Network; Woody Allen, The Front; Ben Gazzara, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie; David Carradine, Bound for Glory; John Wayne, The Shootist; Clint Eastwood, The Outlaw Josey Wales) 

ACTRESS: Faye Dunaway, NETWORK (2nd: Sissy Spacek, Carrie, followed by: Sally Field, Sybil; Liv Ullmann, Face to Face; Joanne Woodward, Sybil; Sonia Braga, Doña Flor and Her Two Husbands; Allison Steadman, Nuts in May; Jodie Foster, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane) 



SUPPORTING ACTOR: Peter Finch, NETWORK (won as Best Actor) (2nd: Jason Robards, All The President’s Men, followed by: Ned Beatty, Network; Lawrence Olivier, Marathon Man; Richard Pryor, Silver Streak; Burt Young, Rocky; Burgess Meredith, Rocky; Chief Dan George, The Outlaw Josey Wales; Zero Mostel, The Front)



SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jodie Foster, TAXI DRIVER (2nd: Piper Laurie, Carrie, followed by: Melinda Dillon, Bound for Glory; Beatrice Straight, Network; Martine Bartlett, Sybil; Talia Shire, Rocky; Jane Alexander, All the President’s Men; Dominique Sanda, 1900)

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese, TAXI DRIVER (2nd: Sidney Lumet, Network, followed by: Alan J. Pakula, All The President’s Men; Martin Ritt, The Front; Hal Ashby, Bound for Glory; John G. Avildsen, Rocky; Francois Truffaut, Small Change; Alan Parker, Bugsy Malone)

NON-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FILM: SMALL CHANGE (France, François Truffaut) (2nd: In the Realm of the Senses (Japan, Nagisa Oshima), followed by: 1900 (Italy, Bernardo Bertolucci); The Memory of Justice (France, Marcel Ophuls); Kings of the Road (West Germany, Wim Wenders); Face to Face (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); Heart of Glass (West Germany, Werner Herzog); L’Innocente (Italy, Luchino Visconti); Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 (Switzerland, Alain Tanner); Allegro Non Troppo (Italy, Bruno Bazzeto); Casanova (Italy, Federico Fellini); The Marquise of O (France, Eric Rohmer); Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Brazil, Bruno Baretto))



DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: HARLAN COUNTY USA (US, Barbara Kopple) (2nd: The Memory of Justice (France, Marcel Ophuls), followed by: Hollywood on Trial (US, David Helpern); The Blank Generation (US, Ivan Kral and Amos Poe))



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Paddy Chayefsky, NETWORK (2nd: Paul Schrader, Taxi Driver, followed by: Walter Bernstein, The Front; Bill Lancaster, The Bad News Bears; Alan Parker, Bugsy Malone)



ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: William Goldman, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (2nd: Robert Getchell, Bound for Glory; Stewart Stern, Sybil; Philip Kaufman and Sonia Chernus, The Outlaw Josey Wales; Nicholas Meyer, The Seven Per-Cent Solution)

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: RENDEZVOUS (France, Claude Lelouch) (2nd: Children (UK, Terence Davies), followed by: Plaisir d’amour en Iran (France, Agnes Varda); Kudzu (US, Marjorie Ann Short); To Fly! (US, Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivrey))

ANIMATED SHORT FILM: THE STREET (Canada, Caroline Leaf) (2nd: Leisure (Australia, David Denneen), followed by: Le Paysagiste (Canada, Jacques Drouin); Arabesque (US, John Whitney Sr.); Dojoji (Japan, Kihachiro Kawamoto)



CINEMATOGRAPHY: Haskell Wexler, BOUND FOR GLORY (2nd: Gordon Willis, All The President's Men, followed by: Michael Chapman, Taxi Driver; Owen Roizman, Network; Vittorio Storaro, 1900)

ART DIRECTION: ALL THE PRESIDENT‘S MEN, Bugsy Malone, The Shootist, Logan’s Run, Bound for Glory 

COSTUME DESIGN: CASANOVA, Bugsy Malone, 1900, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings, Bound for Glory  



FILM EDITING: TAXI DRIVER, Rocky, All The President’s Men, Network, Carrie 

SOUND: ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, Rocky, Network, Bound for Glory, Silver Streak


 
ORIGINAL SCORE: Bernard Herrmann, TAXI DRIVER (2nd: Pino Donaggio, Carrie, followed by Bill Conti, Rocky; Jerry Fielding, The Outlaw Josey Wales; Bernard Herrmann, Obsession)



ADAPTED OR MUSICAL SCORE: Paul Williams, BUGSY MALONE (2nd: Leonard Rosenman, Bound for Glory, followed by: Patrick Williams, The Bad News Bears)



ORIGINAL SONG: “I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me” from CARRIE (Music and lyrics by Pino Donnagio and Merrit Malloy) (2nd: “My Name is Tallulah” from Bugsy Malone (Music and lyrics by Paul Williams), followed by: "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born)" (Music by Barbra Streisand, lyrics by Paul Williams); “I Wanna Get Next to You” from Car Wash (Music and lyrics by Norman Whitfield); “Hooked on Your Love” from Sparkle (Music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield); “You Give A Little Love” from Bugsy Malone (Music and lyrics by Paul Williams); "Tomorrow" from Bugsy Malone (Music and lyrics by Paul Williams); "Ordinary Fool" from Bugsy Malone (Music and lyrics by Paul Williams); "So You Wanna Be a Boxer" from Bugsy Malone (Music and lyrics by Paul Williams); “Car Wash” from Car Wash (Music and lyrics by Norman Whitfield); "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky (Music by Bill Conti, lyrics by Carol Collins and Ayn Robbins); "Gator" from Gator (Music and lyrics by Jerry Reed); "Please Don't Touch Me Plums" from The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (Music and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, Melvin Frank and Charles Fox); "Crossroads" from Massacre at Central High (Music by Tommy Leonetti, lyrics by Jill Williams)

SPECIAL EFFECTS: LOGAN'S RUN

MAKEUP: TAXI DRIVER, Bugsy Malone, Rocky