Movies turning 50 in 2022 that everyone should see

Well, the first movie to mention was easy enough to choose. “The Godfather” is considered by many to be the greatest film ever. It won Best Picture at the Academy Awards and was the highest-grossing movie of 1972. This is a truly iconic work of film, featuring an all-time great cast.

The Oscars that “The Godfather” wasn’t winning were being cleaned up by “Cabaret.” It took home a whopping eight Oscars, including Best Actress for Liza Minnelli and Best Supporting Actor for Joel Grey. While it wasn’t the Best Picture winner, it was still a huge film.

Ah, the days of star-studded disaster movies. Films like “The Poseidon Adventure” used to be common occurrences, but this one still stands out among those films. It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1972 behind the juggernaut “The Godfather,” and if you are going to watch movies from 1972 you should be sampling what was striking a chord with people.

You really have to be able to handle Barbra Streisand’s character to enjoy the farce of “What’s Up, Doc?” She’s basically live-action Bugs Bunny, which means she’s basically an agent of chaos. That feels a little more bracing when it’s a human and not a cartoon rabbit. And yet, audiences loved it, and there are plenty of times when it is clear to see why.

Steve McQueen (and Ali McGraw) in a movie written by Walter Hill and directed by Sam Peckinpah? You know you are going to get a grimy crime thriller from those three but in a good way. It’s got “Bonnie and Clyde” vibes but is more contemplative and a bit slow-moving, so be prepared. It’s not an action-packed romp.

Goldie Hawn spent years doing the hippy, free-spirit thing, and with a title like “Butterflies Are Free,” it’s unsurprisingly that’s the kind of role she has here. She plays a woman in San Francisco who falls in love with her blind neighbor against his mother’s disapproval. That mother is played by Eileen Heckart, who won an Oscar for this film.

Robert Redford is back! This time, he plays a congenial activist who is run as the Democratic candidate for the Governor of California by a career political strategist. Redford’s character compromises more and more as his candidacy goes from a lark to something substantive. The film won Best Original Screenplay and has an iconic ending.

Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in a two-hander that’s somehow a mystery, a comedy, and a thriller? Yeah, sign us up for that. Both Olivier and Caine managed to get Oscar nominations, and this movie serves them both well.

You’ve got to get a biopic in there whenever you are looking back at a year’s films. They help tell the story of who was on people's minds at the time. “Lady Sings the Blues” finished in the top 10 in the box office, and featured a notable turn by singer-turned-actor Diana Ross as Billie Holliday. It was one beloved singer playing another one, which definitely grabbed attention.

When people talk about Elaine May’s “What could have been?” directorial career, they are basically talking about “The Heartbreak Kid.” This is the one where things just clicked. You can even forgive the fact she cast her daughter Jeannie Berlin because Berlin is so good in the movie. Of course, in the end, it belongs to Charles Grodin. Feel free to skip the Ben Stiller remake.

John Huston’s film was a hit at Cannes and is considered one of his best movies, or at least an underrated hit. It’s perhaps Stacy Keach’s best work, and also a strong showing from Jeff Bridges. It’s a movie about an aging boxer and an up-and-coming protégé of his, so you may be able to guess it’s not exactly a chipper film. Still, it’s worth a watch for sports movie fans.

The third Redford film on the list. He had a big 1972, apparently. And yet, all three of the films have been worth recommending. It’s a heist movie with a plot that can be described succinctly in the title it was released under in the United Kingdom: “How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons.”

Bruce Lee’s star was soaring around this time, so naturally, we had to include a Lee movie. “Fist of Fury” has an evocative name, not to mention only Lee’s second major role. The Hong Kong action flick is a fine example of Lee’s martial arts abilities, not to mention his acting chops.

Sometimes a movie is worth seeing because of who people turn out to be. “Boxcar Bertha” is one of those. It’s a Roger Corman production, so obviously it has a low budget. However, it’s not without its high points. Why? Because it was directed by a then-unknown named Martin Scorsese. It was his second film, his first since the small “Who’s That Knocking at My Door?” in 1967. The next year he would get to make “Mean Streets” and the rest was history.

Let’s throw a Clint Eastwood Western into the mix. That definitely sounds like 1972 to us. Plus, this movie isn’t merely starring Eastwood as a former bounty hunter. It was also written by the legendary Elmore Leonard.

Blaxploitation films were big in the ‘70s, and “Blacula” is one of the first examples of that era a lot of people think of. Sure, a lot of that is because of the premise. “Blacula” isn’t exactly high art. However, if you’ve been making jokes about the name all these years, why not see what the film is actually like?

When Billy Wilder is directing Jack Lemmon in a comedy, it’s going to have some charms here and there. This isn’t their best collaboration, but that doesn’t mean it is lacking in laughs or fun moments. After all, Lemmon did win a Golden Globe for it.

A musical is also a good choice when sampling a year of movie offerings. “1776” is not the best musical, though it was successful. However, it’s definitely a curiosity. This is, after all, a musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Guys like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin are running around singing and dancing. It’s not exactly done like “Hamilton,” either.

A nasty little action film starring Charles Bronson? That tracks. He plays an assassin that gets mixed up in some things that threaten to turn very wrong for him. They remade the movie with Jason Statham in the Bronson role, another decision that tracks.

Luis Bunuel did not make films for everybody. His surrealist movies can be bizarre and alienating, and he’s also the dude who famously sliced that eyeball. And yet, this French-language film won Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, so apparently, some people were able to get on board.

We wanted to end on a light, family-friendly note. Sure, the movie wasn’t a hit, but critics at the time loved it. It’s Snoopy. If you like “Peanuts” at all, “Snoopy, Come Home” is worth watching. Notably, it’s also the first appearance of Woodstock.