Cinema has bought the world some ground breaking films 50 years ago. Welcome to MMM and today I’m counting down the best of 1967 films based on my own enjoyment of them.
Before I begin, this is part of a list of film countdowns spanning on a 5 year radius from 1967 to 2017 from today to the 31st December. If you don’t see a film that you think should have made the list, please comment.
#10: In the Heat of the Night (Crime mystery drama)
Based on John Ball’s 1965 novel of the same name, screen legend and Oscar winner Sidney Poiter plays a police detective who is tasked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile town.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 5 wins (Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role – Rod Steiger, Adapted Screenplay, Sound, and Film Editing) and 2 nominations (Best Director – Norman Jewison, and Sound Effects).
Highlights: Time when the film was filmed (specifically around the time of the Civil Rights Movement), cast and performances especially Poiter and Steiger, and story.
#9: You Only Live Twice (Action crime thriller)
Based on Ian Fleming’s 1964 novel of the same name, Agent 007 aka James Bond (Oscar winner and screen legend Sean Connery) is called to find and prevent the culprit responsible for space-jackings that could start another world war.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: None, but 1 BAFTA nomination (Best British Art Direction – Color).
Highlights: Action sequences, performances, and stunts.
#8: Bonnie and Clyde (Biographical crime thriller)
Based on a true story. Oscar winner Faye Dunaway plays Bonnie Parker, a bored waitress who meets and falls in love with a con man named Clyde Barrow (Oscar winner Warren Beatty), and together they rob banks and perform various robberies.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 2 wins (Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Estelle Parsons, and Cinematography), and 8 nominations (Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role – Warren Beatty, Actress in a Leading Role – Faye Dunaway, Actor in a Supporting Role – Gene Hackman and Michael J. Pollard, Director- Arthur Penn, Original Screenplay, and Costume Design).
Highlights: influence in the gangster genre, gunshot sound effects at the time, cast and performances including Oscar winner Gene Hackman and an early appearance of the late Oscar nominee Gene Wilder.
#7: Two for the Road (Romantic dramedy adventure)
An exploration of a couple’s (Oscar winner and screen legend Audrey Hepburn and nominee Albert Finney) marriage during their trip in France.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 1 nomination (Best Original Screenplay).
Highlights: Story, cast, performances, and humor.
#6: Cool Hand Luke (Prison drama)
Based on Donn Pearce’s 1965 novel of the same name, Oscar winner and screen legend Paul Newman stars as the titular character as a Southern prison convict who refuses to abide to the prison officers’ rules, and becomes a symbol of optimism and rebellion to his fellow convicts, including prisoner leader Dragline (George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance).
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 1 win (Best Actor in a Supporting Role – George Kennedy), and 3 nominations (Best Actor in a Leading Role – Paul Newman, Adapted Screenplay and Original Score – Lalo Schifrin).
Highlights: Story, cast including an early on-screen appearance of the late Harry Dean Stanton and late Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper, performances, humor, and indomitable human spirit.
#5: The Dirty Dozen (Action war adventure)
As the title suggests, a no-nonsense U.S Army Major (Oscar winner Lee Marvin) is tasked to train and lead 12 prison convicts to perform a dangerous mission involving killing German officials during World War II.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 1 win (Best Sound Effects) and 3 nominations (Best Actor in a Supporting Role – John Cassavetes, Sound, and Film Editing).
Highlights: Story, cast including an early appearance of Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland, performances, humour, action, sound effects and thrills.
#4: The Graduate (Romantic dramedy)
Based on Charles Webb’s 1963 novel of the same name, and as the title suggests, Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman in his film debut plays a college graduate who finds himself in a difficult situation when he falls for his mistress’ (Oscar winner Anne Bancroft) daughter (Oscar nominee Katharine Ross).
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 1 win (Best Director – Mike Nichols) and 6 nominations (Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role – Dustin Hoffman, Actress in a Leading Role – Anne Bancroft, Actress in a Supporting Role – Katharine Ross, Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography).
Highlights: Story, cast, performances; lead and supporting, humor, and soundtrack including “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel.
#3: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Dramedy)
Sidney Poiter appears for the second and last time on this list, here he is the fiancée to a daughter (Golden Globe nominee Katharine Houghton) whose parents (Oscar winners and screen legends Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy) find themselves in a situation that tests their attitudes.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 2 wins (Best Actress in a Leading Role – Katharine Hepburn, and Original Screenplay) and 8 nominations (Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role – Spencer Tracy, Actor in a Supporting Role – Cecil Kellaway, Actress in a Supporting Role – Beah Richards, Director – Stanley Kramer, Art Direction – Set Decoration, Film Editing, and Music: Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment – Frank De Vol).
Highlights: Themes, story, cast, performances and humor.
#2: Barefoot in the Park (Romantic dramedy)
Based on Neil Simon’s 1963 play of the same name, this hilarious love story centers on a recently married couple (Oscar winners Robert Redford and Jane Fonda) and their comical situations, such as their personality clashes, a huge flight of stairs etc.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 1 nomination (Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Mildred Natwick).
Highlights: Cast, performances, Neil Simon-esque dialogue, and humor.
No honourable mentions this time around…
#1: The Jungle Book (animated musical-adventure)
Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 famous story collection, a boy named Mowgli (voiced by Bruce Reitherman) is forced to return to his own civilization with the help of the protective panther Bagheera (voiced by Primetime Emmy nominee Sebastian Cabot) and fun-loving bear Baloo (voiced by Phil Harris), after being raised by wolves and is the target of the vicious and dangerously charming tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Oscar winner George Sanders) with a hatred for humans.
Oscar wins and/or nominations: 1 nomination (Best Original Song – “The Bare Necessities”)
Highlights: Timeless story, animation, voice cast, music score, and the unforgettable aforementioned song.
