Each time I'm at the dentist's (as I was today), I remember
Marathon Man and the "Is it safe?" scene.
And I stopped and realised the film is nearly a half century old by now, which is just... crazy.
Also, I wonder how long will that pop-cultural reference remain relevant. Do "kids" (
) still watch
Marathon Man these days? Or the rest of the 70s cinema?
Three Days of the Condor, All the President's Men, The Getaway - I always loved those, 70s Hollywood is among my favourite eras in film, but I wonder how much does (and will) it remain in public consciousness.
By now this era is similarly old as the 50s noirs were around the turn of the century.
The Godfather is safe. So are the films by the huge directors (
Barry Lyndon, Annie Hall) and those with huge reputation (like
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Apocalypse Now)
But
The Sting?
Patton?* Midnight Express? Julia? Kramer vs. Kramer? Chinatown, even?
Any thoughts?
* I remember an early episode of The Simpsons which was heavily parodying
Patton, obviously expecting people to know it by heart - which was much easier then, 20 years after it won the Best Picture, than now, since
the original episode is further ago in history to us (1990) than the film (1970) was when the episode was released. Like I said, crazy!