1974 in film

The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1974 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

• February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.
• June 20 - Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski and featured Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston, is released to worldwide critical acclaim.
• August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J. Geils Band, marries actress Faye Dunaway.
• November 1 - Technicolor ceases its legendary dye-transfer printing process.
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with big fanfare from the studio, most significantly with its film release That's Entertainment!, a retrospective documentary that acknowledges and celebrates the importance and legacy of its prestigious film musicals (e.g. The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, Meet Me in St. Louis, Gigi, An American in Paris, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, etc.) for the studio.
• October, November, and December, 1974 - Three "disaster films" are released in three consecutive months: Airport 1975, Earthquake, and The Towering Inferno respectively. All were box office successes.
• Kevin Costner made his film debut in Sizzle Beach, U.S.A., although the film was not released until 1986.

Awards

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, United States

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, directed by Ted Kotcheff, Canada

Notable films released in 1974

U.S.A. unless stated

• The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army (Urutora Roku Kyōdai tai Kaijū Gundan) - (Japan/Thailand)
• 11 Harrowhouse, starring Charles Grodin, Candice Bergen, James Mason
• 36 Ghante, starring Raaj Kumar and Sunil Dutt - (India)
• 99 and 44/100% Dead, starring Richard Harris, Ann Turkel, Edmond O'Brien, Chuck Connors

A

• Aap Ki Kasam, starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz - (India)
• Abby, starring William Marshall
• Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrdusa Donja (Predstava Hamleta u Mrduši Donjoj) - (Yugoslavia)
• Aina (The Mirror) - (Pakistan)
• Airport 1975, starring Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Susan Clark, Helen Reddy, Myrna Loy, Gloria Swanson
• Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Angst essen Seele auf), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder - (West Germany)
• Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Harvey Keitel, Alfred Lutter, Jodie Foster
• Alice in the Cities (Alice in den Städten), directed by Wim Wenders - (West Germany)
• Alien Thunder, starring Donald Sutherland
• All the Kind Strangers, directed by Burt Kennedy, starring Stacy Keach and Samantha Eggar
• Allonsanfàn, starring Marcello Mastroianni - (Italy)
• Almost Human (Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare), starring Tomas Milian and Henry Silva - (Italy)
• And Now My Love (Toute une vie), directed by Claude Lelouch, starring Marthe Keller - (France)
• And Then There Were None, starring Richard Attenborough, Charles Aznavour, Gert Fröbe, Herbert Lom, Oliver Reed, Adolfo Celi, Elke Sommer
• Animals Are Beautiful People - (South Africa)
• Angkur (The Seedling) - (India)
• Flesh for Frankenstein (aka Andy Warhol's Frankenstein)
• The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring Richard Dreyfuss - Golden Bear winner - (Canada)
• Arabian Nights (Il fiore delle mille e una notte), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini - (Italy)
• At Home Among Strangers (Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (made for TV), starring Cicely Tyson

B

• Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, starring Barry Crocker and Barry Humphries - (Australia)
• The Beast Must Die, starring Peter Cushing - (U.K.)
• Benji, starring Patsy Garrett
• Big Bad Mama, starring Angie Dickinson
• Billy Two Hats, starring Gregory Peck and Desi Arnaz, Jr.
• Black Belt Jones, starring Jim Kelly
• Black Christmas (aka Silent Night, Evil Night), starring Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Keir Dullea - (Canada)
• The Black Windmill, starring Michael Caine and Janet Suzman - (U.K.)
• Blazing Saddles, directed by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, Alex Karras
• Bread and Chocolate (Pane e cioccolata), starring Nino Manfredi - (Italy)
• Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Warren Oates, Isela Vega, Gig Young, Robert Webber
• Buster and Billie, starring Jan-Michael Vincent
• Butley, directed by Harold Pinter, starring Alan Bates and Jessica Tandy - (U.K.)

C

• Caged Heat, directorial debut of Jonathan Demme
• California Split, directed by Robert Altman, starring George Segal, Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss
• Callan, starring Edward Woodward - (U.K.)
• Carry On Dick, starring Sid James and Barbara Windsor - (U.K.)
• The Cars that Ate Paris, directorial debut of Peter Weir - (Australia)
• Celine and Julie Go Boating (Céline et Julie vont en bateau), directed by Jacques Rivette - (France)
• Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway - Golden Globe Awards for best picture, director and actor
• Claudine, starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones
• The Clockmaker (L' Horloger de Saint-Paul), directed by Bertrand Tavernier, starring Philippe Noiret and Jean Rochefort - (France)
• Cockfighter, starring Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton
• Conrack, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Jon Voight
• The Conscript (De loteling) - (Belgium)
• The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford
• Conversation Piece (Gruppo di famiglia in un interno), directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster - (Italy)
• Crazy Joe, starring Peter Boyle, Paula Prentiss, Eli Wallach
• The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder, starring Timothy Bottoms and Barbara Hershey

D

• Daisy Miller, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Cybill Shepherd and Barry Brown
• Dark Star, directed by John Carpenter, starring Dan O'Bannon
• Death Wish, directed by Michael Winner, starring Charles Bronson, Vincent Gardenia, Hope Lange
• The Deluge (Potop) - (Poland)
• Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, starring Peter Fonda and Susan George
• Dost (Friend), starring Dharmendra - (India)
• Down and Dirty Duck, starring Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman
• Drama of the Rich (Fatti di gente perbene), starring Giancarlo Giannini and Catherine Deneuve - (Italy)

E

• Earthquake, directed by Mark Robson, starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Richard Roundtree, Geneviève Bujold, Victoria Principal
• Edvard Munch - (Norway/Sweden)
• Effi Briest, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla - (West Germany)
• Electra, My Love (Szerelmem, Elektra), directed by Miklós Jancsó - (Hungary)
• Emmanuelle, starring Sylvia Kristel - (France)
• The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (aka Every Man For Himself and God Against All), directed by Werner Herzog - (West Germany)

F

• F for Fake (originally Vérités et Mensonges), directed by and starring Orson Welles - (France/West Germany/Iran)
• Female Trouble, directed by John Waters, starring Divine
• Five Shaolin Masters (Shao Lin wu zu), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
• For Pete's Sake, starring Barbra Streisand
• The Four Musketeers (aka The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge), starring Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, Richard Chamberlain - (U.K.)
• Foxy Brown, starring Pam Grier
• Freebie and the Bean, starring James Caan and Alan Arkin
• The Front Page, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Susan Sarandon, Carol Burnett

G

• The Gambler, directed by Karel Reisz, starring James Caan, Lauren Hutton, Paul Sorvino
• Gavaznha (The Deer) - (Iran)
• General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait), a documentary film by Barbet Schroeder - (France/Switzerland)
• Ginger in the Morning, starring Sissy Spacek
• The Girl from Petrovka, starring Goldie Hawn, Hal Holbrook, Anthony Hopkins
• The Godfather Part II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Michael V. Gazzo, Lee Strasberg
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, directed by Jun Fukuda - (Japan)
• Going Places (Les Valseuses), directed by Bertrand Blier, starring Gérard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Jeanne Moreau - (France)
• Gold, starring Roger Moore and Susannah York
• Golden Needles, starring Joe Don Baker and Elizabeth Ashley
• The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, starring John Phillip Law and Tom Baker with special effects by Ray Harryhausen - (U.K.)
• Gone in 60 Seconds, directed by and starring H. B. Halicki
• Great Expectations, starring Michael York, Sarah Miles, James Mason - (U.S./U.K.)
• The Great Gatsby, directed by Jack Clayton, starring Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Bruce Dern, Lois Chiles, Karen Black
• La Gueule ouverte (The Mouth Agape), directed by Maurice Pialat - (France)

H

• Harry and Tonto, directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Art Carney, Herbert Berghof, Larry Hagman, Ellen Burstyn
• Hearts and Minds, directed by Peter Davis - Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
• Herbie Rides Again, starring Helen Hayes, Stefanie Powers, Ken Berry
• Heroes Two (Fang Shiyu yu Hong Xiguan), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
• The Holy Office (El santo oficio) - (Mexico)
• The Homeless (Yadonashi) - (Japan)
• Hotel Angel (Theptida rong ram) - (Thailand)

I

• The Internecine Project, starring James Coburn and Lee Grant - (U.K.)
• The Island at the Top of the World, starring David Hartman
• It's Alive, starring John P. Ryan and Sharon Farrell

J

• Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje! (Joachim, Put It in the Machine) - (Czechoslovakia)
• Jock Petersen, starring Jack Thompson - (Australia)
• Journey Back to Oz
• Juggernaut, starring Richard Harris, Omar Sharif, Anthony Hopkins - (U.K.)
• A Jungle Book of Regulations (Nie ma rózy bez ognia) - (Poland)

K

• Karafuto 1945 Summer Hyosetsu no Mon - (Japan)
• The Klansman, directed by Terence Young, starring Lee Marvin and Richard Burton
• Kunwara Baap, directed by and starring Mehmood - (India)

L

• Lacombe, Lucien, directed by Louis Malle, starring Pierre Blaise and Aurore Clément - (France)
• Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, a concert film
• Lancelot du Lac, directed by Robert Bresson - (France)
• Lenny, a biopic of Lenny Bruce, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine
• Little House on the Prairie
• The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, starring Dan Haggerty
• The Longest Yard (aka The Mean Machine), directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad, Richard Kiel
• The Lords of Flatbush, starring Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler
• Lost in the Stars, starring Brock Peters, Melba Moore, Clifton Davis
• Lovin' Molly, starring Blythe Danner, Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges

M

• Macon County Line, starring Max Baer, Jr.
• Madhouse, starring Vincent Price
• Mahler, a biopic of Gustav Mahler directed by Ken Russell - (U.K.)
• Majboor (Compulsed) - (India)
• Mame, directed by Gene Saks, starring Lucille Ball, Beatrice Arthur, Robert Preston
• The Man Who Sleeps (l'homme qui dort) - (France) - winner of the Prix Jean Vigo
• The Man with the Golden Gun, directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Roger Moore (as James Bond), with Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland - (U.K.)
• The Mark of Zorro
• The Marseille Contract, starring Michael Caine, James Mason, Anthony Quinn
• Mashti Mamdali's Car by Reza Fazeli (Iran)
• McQ, directed by John Sturges, starring John Wayne, Al Lettieri, Eddie Albert, Clu Gulager, Colleen Dewhurst, Diana Muldaur
• Le meravigliose avventure di Zorro
• The Middle of the World (Le Milieu du monde) - (France/Switzerland)
• The Midnight Man, directed by and starring Burt Lancaster, with Susan Clark, Cameron Mitchell, Ed Lauter
• The Missiles of October, made for TV, directed by Anthony Page, starring William Devane, Martin Sheen, Ralph Bellamy, Howard Da Silva, James Hong
• Mr. Majestyk, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Charles Bronson, Linda Cristal, Al Lettieri
• Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Ingrid Bergman, John Gielgud, Anthony Perkins, Richard Widmark - (U.K.)
• My Little Loves (Mes Petites Amoureuses) - (France)

N

• Newman's Law, starring George Peppard
• The Night of the Scarecrow (A Noite do Espantalho) - (Brazil)
• The Night Porter (Il Portiere di notte), directed by Liliana Cavani, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling - (Italy)
• The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat, an adult animated film

O

• The Odessa File, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell - (U.K./West Germany)
• One or the Other of Us, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Jürgen Prochnow - (West Germany)
• Les Ordres (Orders), starring Jean Lapointe - (Canada)

P

• Parade, directed by and starring Jacques Tati - (France/Sweden)
• The Parallax View, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Paula Prentiss
• Pastoral: To Die in the Country (Den-en ni shisu) - (Japan)
• A Peasant on a Bicycle (Selyaninat s Koleloto), directed by Lyudmil Kirkov, starring Georgi Georgiev-Getz and Georgi Rusev - (Bulgaria)
• The Phantom of Liberty (Le Fantôme de la liberté), directed by Luis Buñuel - (France)
• Phantom of the Paradise, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Paul Williams and Jessica Harper
• Phase IV, directed by Saul Bass, starring Michael Murphy and Nigel Davenport
• La prima Angélica (a.k.a. Cousin Angelica), directed by Carlos Saura - (Spain)

Q

• QB VII, mini-series for TV, starring Anthony Hopkins, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick, Leslie Caron

R

• The Red Snowball Tree (Kalina krasnaya) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Rehearsal (I Dokimi), directed by and starring Jules Dassin with Olympia Dukakis - (Greece)
• Report to the Commissioner, starring Michael Moriarty and Yaphet Kotto
• Return of the Street Fighter (Satsujin ken 2) - (Japan)
• Rhinoceros, starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel

S

• Sandakan No. 8 (Brothel 8) - (Japan)
• The Sannikov Land (Zemlya Sannikova) - (U.S.S.R.)
• Scent of a Woman (Profumo di donna), directed by Dino Risi, starring Vittorio Gassman - (Italy)
• Sister Street Fighter (Onna Hissatsu Ken) - (Japan)
• Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (Onna hissatsu ken: kiki ippatsu) - (Japan)
• Son of Dracula, starring Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr - (U.K.)
• The Spikes Gang, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Lee Marvin, Ron Howard, Gary Grimes, Charles Martin Smith
• S*P*Y*S, starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould
• Stardust, directed by Michael Apted, starring David Essex, Adam Faith and Larry Hagman - (U.K.)
• Stavisky, directed by Alain Resnais, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo - (France/Italy)
• Still Life (Tabiate bijan) - (Iran)
• Stone, a cult Australian film
• The Street Fighter (Gekitotsu! Satsujin Ken), starring Sonny Chiba - (Japan)
• The Street Fighter's Last Revenge - (Japan)
• The Sugarland Express, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, Ben Johnson
• Sweet Movie, directed by Dušan Makavejev - (Canada/France/West Germany)
• Swept Away (Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto), starring Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato - (Italy)
• Symptoms, starring Angela Pleasence - (U.K.)

T

• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, directed by Joseph Sargent, starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Héctor Elizondo, Jerry Stiller
• The Tamarind Seed, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif - (U.K./U.S.)
• The Terminal Man, starring George Segal and Joan Hackett
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, directed by Tobe Hooper, starring Marilyn Burns
• That's Entertainment!, a documentary directed by Jack Haley, Jr., featuring Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Bing Crosby, Mickey Rooney, Liza Minnelli
• Thieves Like Us, directed by Robert Altman, starring Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall
• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges
• Torkaman by Amir Shervan (Iran)
• The Towering Inferno, starring Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Jennifer Jones, Robert Wagner, O. J. Simpson, Fred Astaire
• Three Tough Guys, starring Lino Ventura, Fred Williamson, Isaac Hayes
• Truck Turner, starring Isaac Hayes
• The Traveler (Mossafer), directed by Abbas Kiarostami - (Iran)

U

• The Ultimate Thrill, starring Barry Brown and Britt Ekland

V

• Vampyres, starring Marianne Morris and Anulka - (U.K.)
• Vase de Noces, directed by Thierry Zéno - (Belgium)

W

• We All Loved Each Other So Much (C'eravamo tanto amati), directed by Ettore Scola, starring Stefania Sandrelli and Vittorio Gassman - (Italy)
• Weighed But Found Wanting (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang) - (Philippines)
• Where the Lilies Bloom, starring Harry Dean Stanton
• The White Dawn, starring Warren Oates, Louis Gossett, Jr., Timothy Bottoms - (Canada)
• Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (animated short)
• A Woman Under the Influence, directed by John Cassavetes, starring Gena Rowlands (Golden Globe Award) and Peter Falk

Y

• Young Frankenstein, directed by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Peter Boyle

Z

• Zandy's Bride, starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann
• Zardoz, starring Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling - (U.K.)

1974 film releases

U.S.A. unless stated

January-March

• February 1974
  • 2 February
    • The Street Fighter
  • 7 February
    • Blazing Saddles
  • 27 February
    • Man on a Swing
• March 1974
  • 20 March
    • The Super Cops
  • 21 March
    • Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - (Japan)
  • 29 March
    • The Great Gatsby

April-June

• April 1974
• Dark Star
  • 5 April
    • The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
    • The Sugarland Express
  • 7 April
    • Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter
    • The Conversation
  • 11 April
    • The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
  • 14 April
    • Lovin' Molly
• May 1974
• Chosen Survivors
  • 1 May
    • The Lords of Flatbush
  • 2 May
    • Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
  • 17 May
    • Alice in the Cities
  • 22 May
    • Daisy Miller
• June 1974
  • 6 June
    • Herbie Rides Again
  • 14 June
    • The Parallax View
    • Newman's Law
  • 20 June
    • Chinatown
  • 26 June
    • The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat
    • For Pete's Sake
  • 28 June
    • S*P*Y*S
  • 31 June
    • The Bears and I

July-September

• July 1974
  • 17 July
    • The Education of Sonny Carson
  • 21 July
    • The White Dawn
  • 22 July
    • The Girl from Petrovka
  • 24 July
    • Death Wish
• August 1974
  • 2 August
    • The Black Windmill
    • The Castaway Cowboy
  • 12 August
    • Harry and Tonto
  • 14 August
    • Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
• September 1974
• Phase IV
  • 20 September
    • Nightmare Honeymoon
  • 25 September
    • The Mutations

October-December

• October 1974
• The House on Skull Mountain
  • 1 October
    • The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  • 9 October
    • Shanks
  • 18 October
    • It's Alive
    • The Odessa File
    • A Woman Under the Influence
    • Airport 1975
  • 25 October
    • The Klansman
  • 31 October
    • Phantom of the Paradise
    • The Four Musketeers
• November 1974
  • 1 November
    • Open Season
  • 7 November
    • The Little Prince
  • 8 November
    • Confessions of a Window Cleaner
  • 15 November
    • Earthquake
  • 18 November
    • A Woman Under the Influence
  • 24 November
    • Murder on the Orient Express
• December 1974
  • 9 December
    • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
  • 14 December
    • The Towering Inferno
  • 15 December
    • Young Frankenstein
  • 20 December
    • The Godfather Part II
    • The Island at the Top of the World
    • Black Christmas
  • 25 December
    • Abby

Births

• January 5 - Daisy Bates, actress
• January 30 - Christian Bale, English actor
• February 9 - Amber Valletta, American model and actress
• February 9 - Erra Fazira, Malaysian actress
• March 24 - Alyson Hannigan, actress
• April 24 - Jennifer Paz, Filipino actress
• April 28 - Penélope Cruz, actress
• May 21 - Fairuza Balk, actress
• June 25 - Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress
• July 8 - Tami Erin, American actress
• July 22 - Franka Potente, actress
• July 30 - Hilary Swank, actress
• August 7 - Michael Shannon, actor
• August 15 - Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress
• August 20 - Amy Adams, American actress
• August 23 - Ray Park, English actor
• September 10 - Ryan Phillippe, American actor
• September 19 - Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish actress and model
• October 17 - Matthew Macfadyen, English actor
• October 28 - Joaquin Phoenix, Puerto Rican-born actor
• November 11 - Leonardo DiCaprio, actor
• November 16 - Chloë Sevigny, American actress
• December 1 - Erica Rivas, Argentinian actress
• December 7 - Habieb Naseer, Bollywood director
• December 17 - Sarah Paulson, American actor
• December 17 - Giovanni Ribisi, American actor

Notable deaths

Film debuts

• Armand Assante - The Lords of Flatbush
• Chevy Chase - The Groove Tube
• Jeff Goldblum - Death Wish
• John Rhys-Davies - The Black Windmill
• Fred Ward - Ginger in the Morning
• Denzel Washington - Death Wish

References