While Ronald Reagan is elected President in the United States, we look to Japan where master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa rekindles his career with Kagemusha. Arthur and Andrew geek out and profess their love for all things Kurosawa, his use of color, and his attention to historical details. Find out how George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola got involved in this film's production.

In our Patreon episode, we talk about our favorite and least favorite movies from Kurosawa's career and Arthur confronts the idea that Kurosawa actually did make bad films.

• Join our Patreon for bonus episodes and more discussion on Kurosawa
• Where to watch Kagemusha
• Kurosawa's painted storyboards
• Where to watch Escape from New York (1981)

New York City went through many infamous changes in the 1970s, but director Woody Allen held an affection for the city's past life. Arthur and Andrew welcome self-appointed Woody Allen expert Noah Cannon to the show to talk about Manhattan and the life of its director, writer, and star. We discuss why so many people hate Woody Allen and why Woody Allen hates himself. We also lavish praise on Gordon Willis' cinematography and look back on the decade to discuss our favorite and least favorite films we watched for the podcast.

And in our bonus episode available to Patreon subscribers, we ask the question: how would Manhattan fare in today's box office?

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• Where to watch Manhattan
• Vincent Canby's NYT review of Manhattan
• Where to watch Kagemusha (1980)

Three years after the US military evacuates from Saigon, Hollywood begins to tackle the Vietnam War with Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter. We talk about the controversy surrounding this film upon its release, how the story holds a mirror to US society's attitude towards Vietnam, and Andrew's mom's reaction to The Deer Hunter. We also talk about Oscar bait as a concept.

• A Century in Cinema Patreon
• Where to watch The Deer Hunter
• Roger Ebert's review of The Deer Hunter
• Where to watch Manhattan

One film overshadows the box office and pop culture in 1977, so do not worry, we speak about the importance of Star Wars before getting to our main topic: The Ascent by director Larisa Shepitko from the Soviet Union. We talk about this film's victory against the Soviet censors and our experience taking in challenging anti-war films like this one.

For our Patreon bonus episode we talk about the future we'd like to see for the Star Wars franchise.

• Join A Century in Cinema Patreon
• Where to watch The Ascent
• NYT Review of The Ascent
• Where to watch The Deer Hunter

Government conspiracies and sinister secrets are on the public's mind in the wake of Watergate. We start with a discussion of All the President's Men, but Arthur and Andrew meander through various conspiracy theories, Alan J. Pakula's paranoia trilogy, the intricacies of the Watergate scandal, and what on Earth a split diopter is.

For our Patreon bonus episode, we get into the holiday spirit and discuss gift giving, Christmas films, and the new movie Spencer!

• Join A Century in Cinema Patreon
• Where to watch All the President's Men
• Roger Ebert's review
• Where to watch The Ascent (1977)

What does Nashville have to say about the American psyche? What is the public's response to so many recent and unprecedented political events? How does director Robert Altman achieve such an epic scope to explore these themes? While Jaws dominated the box office in 1975, Nashville became a critical and award-winning film that defined the era in a different way.

For our Patreon bonus episode, Andrew compares the new West Side Story (2021) to the 1961 version we watched for the podcast.

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• Where to watch Nashville
• Pauline Kael's review of Nashville
• Where to watch All The President's Men (1976)

With the Watergate scandal and the worldwide recession continuing through 1974, you could blink and miss a true cult-classic from director Brian De Palma: Phantom of the Paradise. Composer Kagan Breitenbach joins us to talk about this underground rock-opera, how the music subtly highlights dark themes, and the many influences in pop culture that were clearly inspired by this film.

In our Patreon episode for premium listeners, we talk about Halloween Kills and its place in the Halloween franchise.

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• Where to watch The Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
• NYT Review
• Where to watch Nashville (1975)

Internationally, the early 1970s are filled with political upheavals and economic recessions around the world, so filmmakers capture the dizzying mood with bold and controversial films. We continue our exploration of cult cinema with Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain, one of the strangest but most unique and exciting films on our list. Among our topics of discussion you can expect us to interpret religious symbolism, debate animal deaths on film, and sort through the wild [alleged] life story of director Jodorowsky.

In our Patreon episode for premium listeners, we talk about Jodorowsky's Dune and our thoughts before going into the new 2021 adaptation.

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• Where to watch The Holy Mountain (1973)
• 1974 NYT article on animal cruelty in film
• Where to watch The Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

** EXPLICIT CONTENT AHEAD **

At midnight screenings in the 1970s, new films push up against societal norms. In this shocking new episode... Arthur and Andrew take a look at Pink Flamingos from director John Waters and starring Divine. We talk about our initial reactions to this movie, how the public reacted to it in 1972, the state of independent cinema at the time, and we consider what makes a cult film a "cult film".

• Become a Patron on Patreon
• Where to watch Pink Flamingos
• A "review" of Pink Flamingos from the NYT
• Where to watch The Holy Mountain (1973)

The next generation of filmmakers and their nostalgia for early Hollywood genres begins to influence a new wave of films in Hollywood. Arthur and Andrew take a look at A New Leaf from writer, director, and star Elaine May. We discuss the controversies between May and Paramount upon the film's release. Then we compare this film to an earlier movie on our list.

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• Where to watch A New Leaf 
• A New Leaf reviewed by Roger Ebert
• Where to watch Pink Flamingos (1972)