Overview of the events of 1972 in film
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Overview of the events of 1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved several significant events.
Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1972 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1972
| Rank |
Title |
Distributor |
Box-office gross rental
|
| 1
|
The Godfather
|
Paramount
|
$86,300,000[1]
|
| 2
|
The Poseidon Adventure
|
20th Century Fox
|
$42,000,000[1]
|
| 3
|
What's Up, Doc?
|
Warner Bros.
|
$28,000,000[1]
|
| 4
|
Deliverance
|
$22,500,000[1]
|
| 5
|
Jeremiah Johnson
|
$21,900,000[2]
|
| 6
|
Cabaret
|
Allied Artists
|
$20,250,000[2]
|
| 7
|
Deep Throat
|
Bryanston Distributing Company
|
$20,000,000[2]
|
| 8
|
The Getaway
|
National General
|
$18,000,000[2]
|
| 9
|
Lady Sings the Blues
|
Paramount
|
$9,666,000[2]
|
| 10
|
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex
|
United Artists
|
$8,828,000[2]
|
Awards
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
- The Working Class Goes to Heaven (La classe operaia va in paradiso), directed by Elio Petri, Italy
- The Mattei Affair (Il Caso Mattei), directed by Francesco Rosi, Italy
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
- The Canterbury Tales (I Racconti di Canterbury), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy / France
1972 Wide-release movies
United States unless stated
January–March
- January 1972
- 1 January
- 7 January
- 13 January
- 14 January
- 20 January
- 21 January
- 26 January
- February 1972
- 13 February
- 14 February
- 26 February
- March 1972
- 8 March
- 10 March
- 12 March
- 14 March
- 15 March
- 17 March
- 22 March
- 23 March
- 24 March
April–June
- April 1972
- 12 April
- 16 April
- 28 April
- 30 April
- May 1972
- 4 May
- 12 May
- 17 May
- 24 May
- 25 May
- 26 May
- June 1972
- 2 June
- 4 June
- 12 June
- 14 June
- 16 June
- 20 June
- 21 June
- 23 June
- 28 June
- 29 June
- 30 June
July–September
- July 1972
- 5 July
- 6 July
- 12 July
- 14 July
- 19 July
- 26 July
- 30 July
- August 1972
- 1 August
- 2 August
- 9 August
- 22 August
- 23 August
- 25 August
- 30 August
- September 1972
- 1 September
- 9 September
- 13 September
- 15 September
- 21 September
- 24 September
- 26 September
- 28 September
October–December
- October 1972
- 8 October
- 11 October
- 14 October
- 18 October
- 19 October
- 21 October
- 31 October
- November 1972
- Dirty Little Billy
- 1 November
- 15 November
- 17 November
- 18 November
- 20 November
- 22 November
- December 1972
- 2 December
- 3 December
- 8 December
- 12 December
- 13 December
- 17 December
- 18 December
- 19 December
- 21 December
- 22 December
- 30 December
Notable films released in 1972
United States unless stated
#
A
- Across 110th Street, starring Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto
- The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Peter Cook, Spike Milligan – (Australia)
- Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes), directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski- (West Germany)
- The Amazing Mr. Blunden, starring Laurence Naismith and Lynne Frederick – (U.K.)
- Angry Guest (E ke), directed by Chang Cheh – (Hong Kong)
- Another Nice Mess, starring Rich Little
- Antony and Cleopatra, directed by and starring Charlton Heston, with Hildegarde Neil – (U.K.)
- Apna Desh (Our Country), starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz – (India)
- The Assassination of Trotsky, starring Richard Burton and Alain Delon – (Italy)
- Asylum, starring Britt Ekland, Barbara Parkins, Charlotte Rampling, Peter Cushing, Barry Morse
- Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills
B
- Bad Company, directed by Robert Benton, starring Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown
- Baharo Phool Barsao – (Pakistan)
- Baron Blood (Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga), directed by Mario Bava, starring Joseph Cotten and Elke Sommer – (Italy)
- Bawarchi (The Chef), starring Rajesh Khanna – (India)
- Be-Imaan – (India)
- Ben, starring Lee Montgomery
- The Big Bird Cage, starring Pam Grier
- The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla – (West Germany)
- Black Gunn
- Blacula, starring William Marshall and Vonetta McGee
- Blanche, directed by Walerian Borowczyk, starring Michel Simon, Georges Wilson, Jacques Perrin, Ligia Branice – (France)
- Bluebeard, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Richard Burton, Joey Heatherton, Raquel Welch, Virna Lisi, Sybil Danning
- Bone, starring Yaphet Kotto
- Boxcar Bertha, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine
- The Boy Turns Man (Momcheto si otiva), directed by Lyudmil Kirkov, starring Nevena Kokanova, Kiril Gospodinov, Sashka Bratanova – (Bulgaria)
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna), directed by Franco Zeffirelli – (Italy/U.K.)
- Buck and the Preacher, directed by and starring Sidney Poitier, with Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee
- Butterflies Are Free, starring Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress)
C
- Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Joel Grey – 8 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor
- The Candidate, directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas
- The Canterbury Tales (I racconti di Canterbury), by Pier Paolo Pasolini, starring Hugh Griffith – Golden Bear winner – (Italy)
- The Carey Treatment, directed by Blake Edwards, starring James Coburn and Jennifer O'Neill
- Carry On Matron, starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques – (U.K.)
- The Castle of Purity (El castillo de la pureza) – (Mexico)
- Cats' Play (Macskajáték) – (Hungary)
- Chato's Land, starring Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Richard Basehart, Ralph Waite
- Child's Play, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring James Mason, Robert Preston, Beau Bridges
- Cisco Pike, starring Kris Kristofferson, Karen Black, Gene Hackman
- Come Back, Charleston Blue, starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, starring Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalbán, Natalie Trundy, Don Murray
- Corky, starring Robert Blake and Charlotte Rampling
- The Cowboys, directed by Mark Rydell, starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern
- Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullmann – (Sweden)
- The Cruel Sea (Bas ya Bahar) – (Kuwait)
- The Culpepper Cattle Co., directed by Dick Richards, starring Gary Grimes
- Cu mâinile curate (With Clean Hands) – (Romania)
D
- Daigoro vs. Goliath – (Japan)
- Daughters of Satan, starring Tom Selleck
- The Dawns Here Are Quiet (A zori zdes tikhie) – (U.S.S.R.)
- A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, starring Alan Bates – (U.K.)
- Days of '36, directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos
- The Dagger – drama romance film directed by Fereydun Gole (Iran)
- Deep Throat, – adult film directed by Gerard Damiano
- Deliverance, directed by John Boorman, starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
- Dirty Little Billy, starring Michael J. Pollard
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Stephane Audran – Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film – (France)
- Don't Torture a Duckling (Non si sevizia un paperino) – (Italy)
- Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo (Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman), starring Paul Naschy – (Spain)
- Dr. Phibes Rises Again, starring Vincent Price and Robert Quarry – (U.K.)
- Dynamite Chicken, starring Richard Pryor
E
- Eagle in a Cage, starring John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Billie Whitelaw, Kenneth Haigh
- The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, directed by Paul Newman, starring Joanne Woodward
- Endless Night, directed by Sidney Gilliat, starring Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland – (U.K.)
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Gene Wilder, Lynn Redgrave, Louise Lasser, Lou Jacobi, Heather MacRae, Tony Randall, Burt Reynolds
F
- Fat City, directed by John Huston, starring Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell
- Fata Morgana, directed by Werner Herzog – (West Germany)
- Fear in the Night, starring Judy Geeson, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing and Joan Collins- (U.K.)
- Fellini's Roma, directed by Federico Fellini – (Italy)
- Fillmore, a music documentary film featuring Santana, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane
- The Final Comedown, starring Billy Dee Williams
- Fist of Fury (Jīng Wǔ Mén), starring Bruce Lee – (Hong Kong)
- Un flic (A Cop), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Alain Delon and Catherine Deneuve – (France)
- Follow Me!, starring Mia Farrow
- Frenzy, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster, Anna Massey – (U.K.)
- Fritz the Cat, directed by Ralph Bakshi — first animated movie to receive an X rating
- Frogs, directed by George McCowan, starring Ray Milland, Sam Elliott, Joan Van Ark
- Fuzz, starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner and Raquel Welch
G
- Game of Death, starring Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – (Hong Kong/United States)
- Gentlemen of Fortune (Dzhentlmeny udachi) – (U.S.S.R.)
- The Getaway, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers, Jack Dodson, Slim Pickens
- The Girl on the Broomstick (Dívka na koštěti) – (Czechoslovakia)
- Glastonbury Fayre, directed by Nicolas Roeg and Peter Neal, featuring Family, Fairport Convention, Traffic and more – (U.K.)
- The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter), directed by Wim Wenders – (West Germany)
- The Goat Horn (Koziyat rog) – (Bulgaria)
- The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Richard Castellano, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, Richard Conte, John Marley, Alex Rocco, Al Lettieri, Sterling Hayden – Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor
- Godzilla vs. Gigan, directed by Jun Fukuda – (Japan)
- The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall
- The Groundstar Conspiracy, starring George Peppard
H
- Hammersmith Is Out, directed by and starring Peter Ustinov, with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Beau Bridges
- The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff – (Jamaica)
- The Heartbreak Kid, directed by Elaine May, starring Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin, Cybill Shepherd, Eddie Albert
- Hellé, directed by Roger Vadim – (France)
- Henry VIII and His Six Wives, starring Keith Michell, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher – (U.K.)
- Her Third (Der Dritte) – (East Germany)
- Hickey & Boggs, starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby
- Hit Man, starring Bernie Casey and Pam Grier
- The Hot Rock, directed by Peter Yates, starring Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Zero Mostel
I
J
- J. W. Coop, starring Cliff Robertson
- João and the Knife (João e a faca) – (Brazil)
- Jeremiah Johnson, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford
- Joe Kidd, directed by John Sturges, starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon
- Junior Bonner, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Ida Lupino, Joe Don Baker
K
L
- Lady Caroline Lamb, directed by Robert Bolt, starring Sarah Miles, Richard Chamberlain, Laurence Olivier – (U.K.)
- Lady Liberty (La Mortadella), starring Sophia Loren and William Devane – (Italy)
- Lady Sings the Blues, biopic of Billie Holiday, directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor
- The Last House on the Left, directed by Wes Craven, starring Sandra Cassel, Lucy Grantham, David A. Hess
- Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider – (France/Italy)
- The Legend of Nigger Charley, starring Fred Williamson
- The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, directed by John Huston, starring Paul Newman, Anthony Perkins, Ava Gardner, Roddy McDowall, Victoria Principal
- Limbo, directed by Mark Robson, starring Kate Jackson
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (Kozure Ōkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru) – (Japan)
- Los Amigos (AKA Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears), starring Anthony Quinn and Franco Nero – (Italy/U.S.)
- Love in the Afternoon (L'Amour l'après-midi), directed by Éric Rohmer, starring Zouzou – (France)
- Ludwig, directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Helmut Berger, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano – (Italy/France)
- Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King, directed by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, starring Harry Baer – (West Germany)
M
- The Man, TV movie written by Rod Serling, starring James Earl Jones, Burgess Meredith, William Windom, Georg Stanford Brown, Jack Benny
- Man of La Mancha, starring Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco – (U.S./Italy)
- The Man Who Quit Smoking (Mannen som slutade röka) – (Sweden)
- Manhunt (La mala ordina), starring Henry Silva – (Italy)
- The Master Touch starring Kirk Douglas- (Italy)
- The Mattei Affair, directed by Francesco Rosi, starring Gian Maria Volonté – Palme d'Or winner – (Italy)
- The Mechanic, starring Charles Bronson
- Mehdi in Black and Hot Mini Pants, starring Naser Malek Motiee and Hamideh Kheirabadi (Iran)
- Metzitzim (Peeping Toms) – (Israel)
- Moon of the Wolf, starring David Janssen and Bradford Dillman
- Mutiny on the Buses, starring Reg Varney – (U.K.)
- My Dearest señorita (Mi querida señorita) – (Spain)
- My Name Is Shanghai Joe, starring Klaus Kinski and Chen Lee – (Italy)
N
- Napoleon and Samantha, starring Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster
- The New Centurions, starring George C. Scott and Stacy Keach
- The New Land (Nybyggarna), directed by Jan Troell, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann – Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film – (Sweden)
- Nidhanaya (The Treasure) – (Sri Lanka)
- Night of the Lepus, starring Janet Leigh, Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun, Deforest Kelley
- The Night Stalker, TV movie starring Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Carol Lynley, Claude Akins. Ralph Meeker, Kent Smith, Charles McGraw, Larry Linville, Barry Atwater
- Now You See Him, Now You Don't, starring Kurt Russell
O
P
- Pancho Villa, starring Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Chuck Connors, Anne Francis
- Pearl in the Crown (Perła w koronie) – (Poland)
- Pete 'n' Tillie, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, Geraldine Page, Rene Auberjonois, Barry Nelson
- Pink Flamingos, directed by John Waters, starring Divine
- Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, directed by Adrian Maben, starring Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason
- Play It Again, Sam, directed by Herbert Ross, starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
- Play It as It Lays, directed by Frank Perry, starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins
- Pocket Money, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin
- Pope Joan, starring Liv Ullmann, Olivia de Havilland, Franco Nero
- The Poseidon Adventure, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, Jack Albertson, Roddy McDowall, Arthur O'Connell, Pamela Sue Martin, Eric Shea, Leslie Nielsen, Byron Webster
- The Possession of Joel Delaney, starring Shirley MacLaine and Perry King
- Prime Cut, starring Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman
- Private Parts, directed by Paul Bartel
- Pulp, starring Michael Caine – (U.K.)
R
S
- The Salzburg Connection, starring Barry Newman, Anna Karina, Klaus Maria Brandauer
- Savage Messiah, directed by Ken Russell – (U.K.)
- Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina (Slam the Monster on the Frontpage), starring Gian Maria Volonté – (Italy)
- The Scientific Cardplayer (Lo Scopone Scientifico), starring Bette Davis, Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano – (Italy)
- The Seduction of Mimi (Mimí metallurgico ferito nell'onore), starring Mariangela Melato – (Italy)
- Shaft's Big Score, starring Richard Roundtree and Moses Gunn
- Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern
- Sitting Target, starring Oliver Reed, Ian McShane and Jill St. John – (U.K.)
- Skyjacked, starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, James Brolin, Jeanne Crain, Walter Pidgeon
- Slaughter, starring Jim Brown, Stella Stevens, Rip Torn
- Slaughterhouse-Five, directed by George Roy Hill, starring Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Valerie Perrine
- Sleuth, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine – (US/UK)
- Snoopy, Come Home
- Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Natalya Bondarchuk – (U.S.S.R.)
- Something to Hide, starring Peter Finch and Shelley Winters
- Sounder, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield
- State of Siege (État de Siège), directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Yves Montand – (France)
- Steptoe and Son, starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett – (U.K.)
- Stigma, directed by David E. Durston, starring Philip Michael Thomas
- Street Mobster (Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota) – (Japan)
- Super Fly, directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., starring Ron O'Neal
T
- Tabi no Omosa (Journey into Solitude) – (Japan)
- Tales from the Crypt, starring Peter Cushing and Joan Collins – (U.K.)
- The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire) – (France)
- Taming of the Fire (Ukroshcheniye ognya) – (U.S.S.R.)
- They Only Kill Their Masters, starring James Garner and Katharine Ross
- The Thing with Two Heads, starring Ray Milland and Rosey Grier
- To Find a Man, starring Pamela Sue Martin, Tom Bosley, Tom Ewell, Phyllis Newman
- Tomorrow, starring Robert Duvall
- Tonta, tonta, pero no tanto (Foolish, Foolish, but not that Much) – (Mexico)
- Tout Va Bien (Everything's Fine), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jane Fonda and Yves Montand – (France/Italy)
- Travels with My Aunt, starring Maggie Smith
- Treasure Island, starring Orson Welles – (France/Germany/Spain/US)
- Trick Baby, starring Kiel Martin and Mel Stewart
- The Triple Echo, directed by Michael Apted, starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed – (U.K.)
- Trouble Man, directed by Ivan Dixon, starring Robert Hooks and Paul Winfield
U
V
W
- The War Between Men and Women starring Jack Lemmon and Barbara Harris
- The Water Margin (Shui hu zhuan), directed by Chang Cheh – (Hong Kong)
- Way of the Dragon (Meng long guo jiang), directed by and starring Bruce Lee with Nora Miao and Chuck Norris – (Hong Kong)
- We Won't Grow Old Together (Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble) – (France)
- The Wedding (Wesele), directed by Andrzej Wajda – (Poland)
- What's Up, Doc?, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal
- When the Gods Fall Asleep (Quando os Deuses Adormecem) – (Brazil)
- Where Does It Hurt? starring Peter Sellers
- Winter Soldier, a documentary made by Vietnam Veterans Against the War
- The Wrath of God, starring Robert Mitchum, Rita Hayworth, Frank Langella
XY
- X,Y, and Zee, aka Zee and Co., starring Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Susannah York
- You'll Like My Mother, starring Patty Duke
- Young Winston, biopic of Winston Churchill, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft – (U.K.)
