THE FIRST EXTREME

There is an undeniable trend toward the extreme in 1960s and 1970s cinema around the globe.  Here is a short list of some of the most infamous films in history as well as some directors that have always navigated the extreme in cinema.  This is by no means definitive:  If you think of some more films, please add them.

THE SILENCE (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)

RED DESSERT (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1964)

WEEKEND (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967)

THE HOUR OF THE WOLF (Ingmar Bergman, 1968)

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George A. Romero, 1968)

REPULSION (Roman Polanski, 1965)

PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman, 1966)

MADEMOISELLE (Tony Richardson, 1966)

BELLE DU JOUR (Luis Bunuel, 1967)

I AM CURIOUS – YELLOW + BLUE (Vilgot Sjoman, 1967-68)

PARTNER (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1968)

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

PINK FLAMINGOS (John Waters, 1972)

LAST TANGO IN PARIS (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1972)

THE HOUSE ON THE LEFT (Wes Craven, 1972)

THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache, 1973)

MAITRESSE (Barbet Schroeder, 1973)

HI MOM (Brian De Palma, 1973)

LA GRANDE BOUFFE (Marco Ferreri, 1973)

SWEET MOVIE (Dusan Makavejev, 1974)

THE NIGHT PORTER (Liliana Cavani, 1974)

JEANNE DIELMAN (Chantal Akerman, 1975)

SALO, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM (Pasolini, 1975)

THE MIRROR (Andrey Tarkovskiy, 1975)

CHINESE ROULETTE (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1976)

ERASERHEAD (David Lynch, 1976)

A VERY YOUNG GIRL (Catherine Breillat, 1976)

IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Nagisa Oshima, 1976)

SUSPIRIA (Dario Argento, 1977)

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (Ruggero Deodato, 1980)

L’ARGENT (Robert Bresson, 1983)