Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

Drama · Dark tone · Sad ending

Cabaret (1972)

In 1931 Berlin, American singer Sally Bowles navigates the city’s dazzling cabaret world while pursuing a complicated relationship with Brian Roberts, a young academic. Their romance unfolds against the backdrop of a society on the brink of collapse as the Nazi party rises to power. Amidst the vibrant nightlife and artistic expression, a sense of unease and impending doom permeates the atmosphere, blurring the lines between pleasure and peril.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

I Love You Rosa (1972)

A celebrated entry at Cannes in 1972, this Israeli drama follows a poignant tradition: when a man dies childless, his unmarried brother is expected to marry the widow. The younger sibling is only twelve when his brother passes, and the community skirts the law with a legal fiction. As years unfold, the arrangement and the characters’ feelings evolve in unexpected ways.

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Horror · Dark tone · Sad ending

Crawlspace (1972)

Desperate for a child, a childless middle‑aged couple discovers a troubled teen living in the crawlspace beneath their house. They adopt him, believing they can guide him back to normal life. Their well‑meaning intentions, however, unleash a nightmarish series of violent and tragic consequences.

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Thriller · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)

She’s Taking a STAB at Motherhood! A demented widow lures unsuspecting children into her mansion in a bizarre “Hansel and Gretel” twist.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

There's Always Vanilla (1972)

A young couple's relationship faces a pivotal challenge with an unexpected pregnancy. Forced to navigate a complex moral dilemma, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and confront difficult choices. As their lives become increasingly uncertain, they must grapple with the responsibilities of parenthood and the future of their relationship.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

The Countess of Corfu (1972)

A businessman, Sotiris Karelis, asks piano teacher Antzolina to sell her mansion for a hotel conversion. Meanwhile an Italian music group lands in Corfu after singer Alinda Ritsi leaves. Antzolina is urged to host the band and replace the missing vocalist. Chaos follows when Alinda arrives with her fiancé, forcing everyone to untangle mistaken identities now.

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Mystery · Melancholic tone · Ambiguous ending

Solaris (1972)

A psychologist is dispatched to a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris to investigate a doctor’s death and the crew’s unsettling mental disturbances. He discovers that the planet’s ocean acts like a sentient brain, manifesting the astronauts’ repressed memories and obsessions, turning their deepest nightmares into reality.

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Music · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Pakeezah (1972)

A stunning courtesan, trapped in the relentless cycle of prostitution, longs for freedom. When a forest ranger discovers her and falls deeply in love, hope blossoms, but his wealthy, disapproving family stands in the way, threatening any chance of their union.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Glass House (1972)

Adapted from Truman Capote’s story that inspired In Cold Blood, the film opens a view into prison life, a micro‑cosm mirroring the outside world. As the narrative unfolds, a system appears, with accommodation, honesty, cynicism, violence and societal forces. It follows three new inmates, documenting grim, terrifying and fascinating events they face.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Sanjog (1972)

A woman accept a new job only to discover she is now the boss of the man she married in secret a few years ago.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bleak ending

The Jerusalem File (1972)

Terror and sudden death grip a city torn apart by violence as the Six-Day War looms. An American student teams up with an Arab colleague, trying to set politics aside, but doubts arise about his partner’s true motives, weaving personal tension into the broader conflict.

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Horror · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972)

If You Don’t Have the Guts - STAY AWAY! The daughter in a family of werewolves decides to put an end to the family curse.

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Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

The Screaming Woman (1972)

A wealthy former mental‑patient returns to her sprawling estate to rest and recuperate, but while wandering the grounds she suddenly hears a woman's screams rising from beneath the earth. Her relatives dismiss her warnings, treating the episode as a convenient pretext to label her unstable, prove her mind has slipped, and seize control of her significant fortune.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Amar Prem (1972)

After her husband deserts her, a rural woman is compelled to turn to prostitution in Kolkata, where she develops a complex, unnamed bond with a wealthy patron and a protective friendship with an abused neighborhood boy, navigating hardship and resilience amid the city’s bleak underworld.

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Action · Light tone · Happy ending

The Hot Rock (1972)

Two art thieves devise a complex plan to steal a valuable diamond from a museum in Brooklyn. Assembling a team including a getaway driver and explosives expert, they meticulously prepare for the heist. However, the operation goes awry when the diamond is lost, triggering a chaotic pursuit filled with humorous mishaps and unexpected twists as they attempt to recover their prize.

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Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

Women in Chains (1972)

A parole officer goes undercover to investigate prison brutality but is trapped when the only person on the outside who knows why she’s there is killed.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)

The opening entry of the Lone Wolf and Cub saga, drawn from Kazuo Koike’s manga, follows the tragic downfall of Ogami Ittō, the shogunate’s official executioner. Framed for treason by the powerful Yagyū clan, he becomes a lone ronin, traveling the road with his infant son Daigoro, seeking vengeance while protecting his child.

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Thriller · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Madame Sin (1972)

A CIA agent is used as a pawn in an insane woman’s plan to steal a Polaris submarine.

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Comedy · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Up the Chastity Belt (1972)

Frankie Howerd stars as Lurkalot, a cheeky serf serving Sir Coward de Custard on the road to Custard Castle. In the marketplace he peddles racy love potions and battered chastity belts, but the peace is shattered when the brutish Sir Graggart de Bombast attacks, intent on looting the castle and winning the fair Lobelia Custard. Lurkalot must rally to help his master fend off the invader and protect the coveted lady.

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Adventure · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Cowboys (1972)

Amidst the harsh landscape of the American West, a determined lawman relentlessly pursues Simon Knight, a notorious outlaw who terrorizes the region. Driven by a desire for justice, the detective faces numerous dangers as he closes in on Knight, hoping to end his reign of terror and bring peace to the innocent people caught in the crossfire.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Night Stalker (1972)

Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak is assigned to cover a series of grisly murders in Las Vegas. Convinced a vampire is behind the killings, he faces skepticism from his editor, who deems him delusional, and from the police, who see him as a nuisance. Undeterred, Kolchak decides to pursue the hunt himself.

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Romance · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Scarecrow (1972)

Set shortly before the Salem Witch Trials, an embittered elderly woman who has mastered witchcraft makes a pact with the Devil. She animates a scarecrow to serve as a weapon in her vengeful plot against the judge who was once her lover, unleashing diabolic terror.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bleak ending

A Thief in the Night (1972)

Patty, a carefree young woman focused on the present, awakens to discover her husband gone and a radio broadcast announcing that millions worldwide have mysteriously vanished. She soon learns there will be nowhere to hide as extraordinary, earth‑shaking events unfold, and realizes she is living through the biblical end‑times prophecy.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Astronaut (1972)

When an American astronaut disappears on a Mars mission, space agency officials fearing loss of public support and funding orchestrate a cover‑up by recruiting an identical double. The deception unravels as the astronaut’s wife discovers the impostor; despite her anger she falls for him and initially keeps the secret. As a new Mars mission looms, both decide to reveal the truth.

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Crime · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

The Valachi Papers (1972)

Based on true events, the film follows mobster Joe Valachi, who learns that Don Vito Genovese has placed a bounty on his life. While incarcerated, Valachi resorts to desperate measures to stay alive, including a failed suicide attempt. The ordeal drives him to abandon the Mafia’s oath of silence and cooperate with authorities.

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Animation · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

The Three Robbers (1972)

An animated adaptation of the picture book by Toni Ungerer

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Action · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Corky (1972)

Corky’s comin’: Smell the rubber burn. Hear the women scream. A country boy wants to make it big as a stockcar racer.

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Comedy · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Laksamana Do Re Mi (1972)

Do, Re and Mi, poor friends, live in a treehouse and earn by gathering, cutting and selling firewood at the market. One night a cry leads them to a wounded bamboo tree; after they pull out the lodged arrow, it becomes a spirit who gifts each of them. Do gets a flying carpet, Re a telescope that shows any view, and Mi a harmonica that grants any wish.

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Dark tone · Bleak ending

Undertone (1972)

In this infamous early‑performance video, Acconci sits at a table and narrates a masturbatory fantasy about a girl rubbing his legs beneath it. His rambling monologue shifts between addressing the camera and himself, foregrounding the voyeuristic contract that makes the viewer essential to the work by completing the imagined scene.

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Action · Bleak tone · Bleak ending

An American Hippie in Israel (1972)

Incited by a disillusioned young man who abandons civilization, four strangers set out for freedom and happiness on a remote island. Their boat runs aground, leaving them without food; as desperation mounts, their primal instincts surface, leading to a catastrophic conclusion.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Up the Front (1972)

Frankie Howerd plays Lurk, a coward dodging the WWI draft. A hypnotist (Stanley Holloway) forces him into bravery, dispatching him to the army where he meets spies like Zsa Zsa Gabor, has the German attack plan tattooed on his backside and returns to Britain. The film brims with cheeky humor and witty asides, a fitting close to Howerd’s Up… series.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Endless Night (1972)

Raised by his striking blonde aunt, Yves experiences his early sexual awakening amid her illicit affair. The unsettling way his curiosity is managed drives him into voyeurism, and when he later watches her brutally murdered by her husband, the trauma reshapes him into a murderous sexual predator in adulthood.

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Crime · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

The Ragman’s Daughter (1972)

Adapted from Alan Sillitoe’s short story, the film follows Tony, a cheese‑factory employee who supplements his wages by stealing. After a series of robberies he encounters Doris, the ragman’s daughter, and gradually falls for her. He must choose between his criminal ways and a fresh start beside Doris.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Lal Patthar (1971)

Raja Kumar Bahadur, aka Gyan Shankar Rai, has long abstained from alcohol, women and vice. He falls for a young woman, Saudamani, learns her background, essentially buys her freedom and brings her to his mansion, where he starts drinking, courts her as “Madhuri”, but does not marry her. Later he meets the beautiful Sumita, half his age, repays her parents’ debts and marries her.

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Family · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971)

A dog tries to become a canine star with the help of Zsa Zsa Gabor.

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Action · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Dirty Harry (1971)

A relentless killer, known as Scorpio, terrorizes San Francisco, taunting the police with cryptic threats and deadly actions. Detective Harry Callahan, a hardened and uncompromising officer, is tasked with stopping him. As Scorpio's crimes become increasingly audacious, Harry's pursuit of justice pushes him to the edge, challenging his methods and forcing him to confront the boundaries of the law. He must stop the killer before more lives are lost, even if it means risking everything.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Star Spangled Girl (1971)

A patriotic, chaotic comedy A pair of 60’s hippies fall in love with the girl next door, who is exactly the kind of square that they are fighting against.

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Romance · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Melody (1971)

After their magnetic pairing in Pierre Grimblat’s Slogan, Gainsbourg and Birkin appear in Melody, a series of interwoven video vignettes set to Serge Gainsbourg’s 1971 album. Director Roger Averty layers video filters, overlays, camera moves and chroma‑key effects that sync with songs chronicling an older man’s affair with a young girl. Alan Parker’s buzzing guitar, fat bass, steady drums and occasional strings give the short a sultry, glossy feel.

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Adventure · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Kidnapped (1971)

In 18th-century Scotland, young David Balfour’s search for his inheritance takes a dangerous turn when his uncle attempts to defraud him. Wrongfully kidnapped and sold into slavery, David faces a bleak future until the charismatic rebel Alan Breck Stuart arrives to help. Together, they embark on a thrilling adventure across the rugged Scottish Highlands, encountering perilous situations and fierce adversaries while fighting for survival and ultimately, David's freedom.

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Biography · Dark tone · Sad ending

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

This biographical drama tells the story of Mary Stuart, who became Queen of Scotland at just six days old. Facing imprisonment by her rival, Elizabeth Tudor, Mary’s life becomes entangled with that of the English monarch. As years pass, their differing personalities and ambitions lead to conflict and a complex power struggle. The narrative explores themes of loyalty, ambition, and the weight of responsibility as their fates become intertwined, ultimately leading to a tragic climax.

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