Did They Get it Right? – Best Director – Oscars 1976

Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)

John G. Avildsen (Rocky)

Ingmar Bergman (Face to Face)
Sidney Lumet (Network)

Alan J. Pakula (All the President’s Men)

Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties: Lina Wertmüller)

Biggest Snub:

John Schlesinger – Marathon Man

My Overall Thoughts:

This is a year where four of the five nominees helmed amazing films that are all groundbreaking in some way or another. The fifth nominee shows an intriguing vision by a well known director yet fails to give a competent narrative storyline.

My Rankings:

Directing

5. Ingmar Bergman
4. Lina Wertmüller 
3. John G. Avildsen
2. Sidney Lumet 
1. Alan J. Pakula

Movies

5. Face to Face – Extremely abstract film that doesn’t manage to stay interesting at all. Bergman was a master of these kinds of films and many movie historians love these kind of films, but I have never been in that camp.  Certain parts of this film look beautiful, but the lack of a competent narrative is what completely turns me away from films like this.
4. Rocky – Had a new found appreciation for this film especially after watching the series as a whole. Really liked the way that this film deals more with going the distance than focusing on win or lose. Rocky is a great character and I loved his mild mannered way of courting the sister of his best friend. A great film, probably the best of the series, deserving of a Bets Picture nomination, but still not the best of the year.
3. Seven Beauties – Interesting story that show the lengths some people will go to in order to try and survive desperate situations. The story is told very well and I liked how it works in a semi non-linear fashion in order to help us understand the overall storyline and how things get to where they do. Giannani is great in the lead and was very deserving of his Best Actor Oscar Nomination. Wertmüller also does an amazing job directing this film and she was quite deserving of being the very first female director nominated for an Oscar.
2. All the President’s Men – Great depiction of how one of the biggest stories in US History unraveled before the whole country. Redford and Hoffman are excellent together.
1. Network – Excellent movie that truly portrays the lengths executives could possibly go to to get higher ratings. It’s movies like this that made Reality TV a possibility. Amazing cast which won 3 Oscars.

Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Not really!  I can sorta understand how Rocky could win both BP and BD this year but even the story of an underdog like him isn’t as compelling or interesting as 3 of the other nominees which were all groundbreaking in their respective genres

Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!