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The Stop
As previously noted,1 1973 was a remarkably fertile year for music, literature and film, and today’s Bus Stop looks at the final member of this trifecta. Though the year saw the release of such classics as Don’t Look Now, The Exorcist, High Plains Drifter, Live and Let Die, The Wicker Man and Paper Moon, these are five other films that deserve a look ….
American Graffiti. Directed by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, American Graffiti - starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams and Wolfman Jack - follows a group of California teenagers in 1962 on the night after their high school graduation as they cruise the strip one last time before leaving to pursue their different goals. It is a remarkable evocation of a lost time - and worth watching if just to see the outstanding young cast at their beginning of their careers.
American Graffiti (1973) Trailer
The Day of the Jackal. Based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth, the film - directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale and Terence Alexander - is a gripping political thriller about a professional assassin known as the ‘Jackal’ who is hired by a dissident group to assassinate the French president Charles de Gaulle in the summer of 1962. Tense and atmospheric, it is rightfully considered one of the best films of its kind and - as it is filmed on location throughout London and Paris - a brilliant portrayal of those cities at the time.
The Day of the Jackal (1973) Trailer
Sleeper. Directed by and starring Woody Allen (and frequent collaborator Diane Keaton) Sleeper is a satirical science fiction comedy film. The plot involves the adventures of a health food store owner who is accidentally frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200 years later in an inept dystopic police state. Combining satire with slapstick humour, Sleeper is one of Allen’s best films. Plus, it contains the Orgasmatron, which is, well, something that just needs to be seen. And experienced, evidently.
Soylent Green. Directed by Richard Fleisher and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young and Edward G. Robinson, Soylent Green is a police procedural thriller which follows a murder investigation in a dystopian future where the oceans are dying due to climate change and people are suffering from the resultant pollution, resource depletion, poverty and overpopulation. Dark and disturbing throughout (a feeling certainly enhanced by Heston’s overacting), its great twist lies in the discovery of what exactly composes ‘soylent green’ …. It’s fun, if a bit earnest.
The Sting. Directed by George Roy Hill and starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Robert Shaw, The Sting tells the story of a complicated plot hatched by two con men to trick a mob boss in 1936. Released to critical and commercial success, the film remains popular to this day. It’s great - and certainly worth a watch. It’s also credited with reviving interest in ragtime music - which is certainly a good thing
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to Antworks, a short (4:40) film by artist Catherine Chalmers involving a bunch of leaf cutter ants and some very clever camera work and editing. It’s certainly worth the time.
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is, rather than a single book, The Lonely Planet guidebook series. Started in 1973 by Tony and Maureen Wheeler as the result of their six month experience following the ‘hippy trail’ from Amsterdam to Australia, what began as a guide for like-minded people typed on a borrowed IBM Selectric resulted in a highly respected collection of books geared towards helping others explore the world.2
Look for the wide variety of Lonely Planet guidebooks at an independent new or used bookstore (or, hey, the library) near you!
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is the third selection of tracks from 1973, so this time it’s requiring a slightly deeper dive into the archives: ‘The Devil is Singing Our Song’ (James Gang, Bang), ‘Ice Cream Man’ (Tom Waits, Closing Time), ‘St. Judy’s Comet’ (Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon), ‘Feelin’ Stronger Every Day’ (Chicago, Chicago VI) and ‘Mystery Train’ (The Band, Moondog Matinee). Enjoy!3
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from American Graffiti, and one I think is appropriate considering our culture’s current obsession with youth:
‘You can’t stay 17 forever.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
See The Bus 3.25 (Turning 50 in ‘23: Albums) and 3.33 (Turning 50 in ‘23: Books). Sources for today’s Stop include references from IMDB on each film.
It’s a great series - and one we often default to when designing our travels.
Most Bus Riders don’t, but I’d appreciate it if you listen to this playlist - and let me know what you think. I’m generally happy with my playlists, but I’m particularly pleased with this one. The James Gang, Tom Waits, Chicago, The Band, and Paul Simon? What’s not to love?!
Excellent playlist, fantastic grooves! Particularly appreciate including the Band (and that’s the song from Moondog Matinee I would have chosen as well. Obviously not one of their better albums but the nod was needed). Thanks for putting this together.
I hadn’t realized that Sleeper and Soylent Green had been released in the same year. But it was my freshman year of college and memory faded. Thank you!