Posted on 09/20/2023 8:35:40 AM PDT by Rummyfan
Staring at your local multiplex’s lengthy roster of superhero and science fiction movies, it’s easy to forget what an enormous sea change “Star Wars” created in Hollywood in 1977. The new breed of movies were built around family-friendly themes, happy endings, orchestral scores, and dazzling special effects. Out went a string of dark films with murky plots where the grizzled antihero inevitably died at the end.
One of the last of the latter group of films was William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer,” which “Star Wars” utterly demolished at the box office. As a result, it’s a film that was almost completely forgotten until Friedkin’s death at age 87 last month. It was considered a huge bomb initially in the wake of “Star Wars'” genuinely unexpected smash debut and long legs at the box office, but in the years prior to Friedkin’s death, critics began to reappraise Sorcerer, with Breitbart.com’s John Nolte calling it a “masterpiece.”
The film’s quality lies somewhere between those two extremes. It was one of the last films of the Hollywood auteur era of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, before “Star Wars” and “Jaws” created the template for audience-pleasing popcorn movies, and studio executives became increasingly reluctant to give directors not named Spielberg, Lucas, Kubrick, Eastwood, and Allen the final cut on a movie.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Heard it was a ‘masterpiece’.
Tried watching it a couple times. Was finally able to finish it. I couldn’t seem to get on its level.
For me it is the soundtrack. I’m a big, long-time tangerine dream fan. I was raised on the stuff.
The movie is now ethereal to me. Same for “The Keep”, also featuring tangerine dream.
Some of those movies worked with TD in the cinematography. Like how HR Giger worked hands in hand to create visuals.
Heartbreakers, risky business, legend, thief. Many more as well.
.. not to mention the music by the amazing Tangerine Dream.
Just saw an interview with Friedkin who had done the French Connection and the Exorcist who spoke about Sorcerer, where 4 criminals try to redeem themselves. He was frustrated by the timing. He was very honest and open.
I just saw the movie last month on Rumble, and it was good but had been swamped by Star Wars.
Friedkin was a great story teller.
The Exorcist was arguably the greatest horror movie ever made.
“Tried watching it a couple times. Was finally able to finish it. I couldn’t seem to get on its level.”
I have seen it about 1 and 1/2 times. Could not finish the 2nd viewing, thought maybe I had missed something the first time.
Not that good of a movie.
The scene where the truck is going over the rope bridge is incredible.
There isn’t even a wizard or magician in it, let alone a sorcerer. Any chance there’s a leprechaun?
I think there’s a hobbit.... oh, neverrr minnnndd..
This movie suffered greatly because it was released when Star Wars first hit the movie scene. I happened to see it, because when my friends and I went to the theater to see Star Wars, it was sold out. We decided to watch Sorcerer instead of going to the arcade. Happy I missed Star Wars that day.
I wouldn’t say lost. I mean it made no money, and cost and way too much. But it’s always been available in the age of home movie ownership. It’s a good movie. Probably shouldn’t have blown all that money to film it on location, but that was the auteur era for you. The guys in charge of Hollywood didn’t understand how these directors were making hits, so they just started giving them blank checks. Inevitably there was going to be one blank check too far. And that was Sorcerer. Also the name probably didn’t help it get marketed.
excellent film
original was “the wages of fear”
Sorcerer was OK, hardly a masterpiece. I saw it on TV in the ‘80s, never thought it was worth seeing again.
I forgot the name of that movie. But I remember watching it in theater in 1977.
Roy Scheider
Timex (?) watch
ENORMOUS EXPLOSION!!
That was a great movie!!
Lost film? Nonsense. People don’t care for it because it is a remake of a far better film THE WAGES OF FEAR.
I saw it years ago and thought it was not worth my time.
Before long, these four volunteer for a very dangerous job to drive cases of very old and sensitive dynamite to a burning well site so the company can extinguish the fire. The money they are offered is enough to get out of that country and start someplace else.
The movie involves driving those trucks very, very carefully past obstacles, cliff faces, bandits, fallen trees and across a rickety bridge the hundred miles or so to the fire.
I won't blow (get it?) the ending but it is a nerve-wracking fingernail biter from start to finish.
My dad and I watched it together and he was so nervous he giggled - something I've never seen him do before!
One of my top 10 movies for photography, character development, and sustained tension.
I worked at a theater where it played, and I don’t know how many refunds we gave to people who thought they were coming to see a horror movie; because the publicity emphasized it being from the director of The Exorcist and featuring the star of Jaws.
Although I actually like The Wages of Fear better (of which it was a remake), I have to give Sorcerer credit for ratcheting up the tension to the point where I nearly had to walk out because I wasn’t sure I could handle a second bridge scene (those who have seen it will know what I’m referring to).
Always liked Roy Scheider though.
7.7 / 10 on imdb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076740/
and for those with a vpn...
https://www.magnetdl.com/s/sorcerer-1977/se/desc/
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