1974 — Year in Review
Fritz Golden Superlatives

1. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (dir: Werner Herzog; UK Release Date)

2. The Conversation (dir: Francis Ford Coppola)

3. Chinatown (dir: Roman Polanski)

4. Celine and Julie Go Boating (dir: Jacques Rivette)

5. The Godfather, Part II (dir: Francis Ford Coppola)

6. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (dir: Sam Peckinpah)

7. The Wicker Man (dir: Robin Hardy; US Release Date)

8. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (dir: Rainier Werner Fassbinder)

9. The Parallax View (dir: Alan J. Pakula)

10. Deathdream (dir: Bob Clark)

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order): Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (dir: Martin Scorsese), Black Christmas (dir: Bob Clark), Blood for Dracula (dir: Paul Morrissey), Cockfighter (dir: Monte Hellman), Foxy Brown (dir: Jack Hill), Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (dir: Toshiya Fujita), Love and Anarchy (dir: Lina Wertmüller; US Release Date), Phantom of the Paradise (dir: Brian De Palma), A Poem Is a Naked Person (dir: Les Blank), Score (dir: Radley Metzger), Taking of the Pelham One Two Three (dir: Joseph Sargent), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (dir: Tobe Hooper), A Woman Under the Influence (dir: John Cassavetes) and Young Frankenstein (dir: Mel Brooks)

Best Picture: Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Director: Werner Herzog Producer: Werner Herzog, Hans Precher
UK Distributor: Contemporary Films (1974), US Distributor: New Yorker Films (1977)

Best Director:
Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation AND The Godfather Part II
2. Werner Herzog, Aguirre, the Wrath of God
3. Jacques Rivette, Celine and Julie Go Boating
4. Roman Polanski, Chinatown
5. Bob Clark, Black Christmas AND Deathdream

Best Actor:
Gene Hackman, The Conversation
2. Jack Nicholson, Chinatown
3. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II
4. Warren Oates, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia AND Cockfighter
5. Klaus Kinski, Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Best Actress:
Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
2. Faye Dunaway, Chinatown
3. Gena Rowlands, Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
4. Brigitte Mira, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
5. Marilyn Burns, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Best Supporting Actor:
Christopher Lee, The Wicker Man
2. Udo Kier, Blood for Dracula
3. Robert De Niro, The Godfather, Part II
4. John Cazale, The Godfather, Part II
5. John Huston, Chinatown

Best Supporting Actress:
Margot Kidder, Black Christmas
2. Cloris Leachman, Young Frankenstein
3. Jessica Harper, Phantom of the Paradise
4. Madeline Kahn, Young Frankenstein
5. Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man

Best Original Screenplay:
Chinatown — Robert Towne
2. The Conversation — Francis Ford Coppola
3. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul — Rainier Werner Fassbinder
4. Deathdream — Alan Ormsby
5. Love and Anarchy — Lina Wertmüller

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Godfather, Part II — Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo
2. Blood for Dracula — Paul Morrissey and Pat Hackett
3. Young Frankenstein — Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder
4. The Parallax View — David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr.
5. The Wicker Man — Anthony Shaffer

Best Cinematography:
The Parallax View – Gordon Willis
2. The Godfather, Part II — Gordon Willis
3. Chinatown — John A. Alonzo
4. Aguirre, the Wrath of God — Thomas Mauch
5. The Conversation — Bill Butler and Haskell Wexler

Best Film Editing:
The Conversation — Richard Chew
2. Chinatown — Sam O'Steen
3. The Parallax View — John W. Wheeler
4. The Wicker Man — Eric Boyd-Perkins
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — Larry Carroll and Sallye Richardson

Best Original Score:
Chinatown — Jerry Goldsmith
2. Aguirre, the Wrath of God — Popol Vuh
3. Taking of Pelham One Two Three — David Shire
4. Young Frankenstein — John Morris
5. The Parallax View – Michael Small

Best Production Design: 
The Godfather, Part II — Dean Tavoularis and George R. Nelson
2. Daisy Miller — Ferdinando Scarfiotti
3. Chinatown — Richard Sylbert
4. Young Frankenstein — Dale Hennesy and Bob de Vestel
5. Murder on the Orient Express — Tony Walton and Jack Stephens

Best Costume Design:
Daisy Miller – Mariolina Bono and John Furniss
2. Phantom of the Paradise — Rosanna Norton
3. Murder on the Orient Express — Tony Walton
4. The Godfather, Part II — Theadora Van Runkle
5. Chinatown — Anthea Sylbert

Best Visual Effects:
Earthquake

Best Sound:
The Conversation

Best Documentary Feature:
Les Blank, A Poem Is a Naked Person

Best Animated Feature: 
Cesare Perfetto, Peynet: The Journey of Love

Best Ensemble Cast:
The Godfather, Part II

Orson Welles’ Best First Feature:
Robin Hardy, The Wicker Man

Best Ensemble Cast: 
The Godfather, Part II (dir: Francis Ford Coppola; in alphabetical order): John Cazale (pictured), Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Michael V. Gazzo, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino (pictured), Talia Shire, G.D. Spradlin and Lee Strasberg

Orson Welles' Best First Feature:
Diane Cilento in Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man

RECAP

W I N S :

The Conversation — 4,
The Godfather, Part II — 3, Chinatown — 2, The Wicker Man — 2, Aguirre, the Wrath of God — 1, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore — 1, Black Christmas — 1, Daisy Miller — 1, Earthquake — 1, The Parallax View — 1, Peynet: The Journey of Love — 1, A Poem Is a Naked Person — 1, Wicker Man — 1

M U L T I P L E
N O M I N A T I O N S :

Chinatown — 11,
The Godfather, Part II — 10, The Conversation — 7, Wicker Man – 6, Aguirre, the Wrath of God — 5, The Parallax View — 5, Young Frankenstein — 5, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul — 3, Deathdream — 3, Black Christmas — 2, Blood for Dracula — 2, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia — 2, Celine and Julie Go Boating — 2, Daisy Miller — 2, Murder on the Orient Express — 2, Phantom of the Paradise — 2, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre — 2

the year-end project:
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961, 1960, 1959, 1958, 1957, 1956, 1955, 1954, 1953, 1952, 1951, 1950, 1940 - 1949, 1930 - 1939, 1920 - 1929 + Superlatives Index

Best of the Decade:
2010s, 2000s, 1990s, 1980s