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