Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

Western · Tense tone · Happy ending

Bastard, Go and Kill (1971)

Chaco, a Mexican on the run from just about everyone, is framed for the killing of a couple of Mexican cattlemen. Though everyone knows he’s innocent, the evidence against him is substantial. He manages to escape custody and, with the reluctant assistance of a bounty hunter, sets out to track down the true killers.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Happy ending

Buddha Mil Gaya (1971)

Bhola and Ajay, two idle friends, spot an ad for a missing millionaire elder. They find Girdharilal in Bombay’s Hanging Garden Park, pretend he’s their uncle, and shelter him in a cramped rented flat. Girdharilal oddly courts Ajay’s girlfriend Deepa. As the duo schemes to profit, a string of murders targeting Girdharilal’s former business partners points to them, entangling them in a deadly mystery.

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Action · Tense tone · Bleak ending

The Revolutionary (1971)

Set in the 1880s, a wealthy young man from a middle‑class background becomes enamored with the daughter of a local count. His pursuit triggers a chain of clashes with Zante’s aristocracy, igniting social and romantic turmoil throughout the region.

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Western · Tense tone · Mixed ending

Yuma (1971)

When the corrupt, down‑and‑dirty frontier town of Yuma finally welcomes a new marshal (Clint Walker), the residents must face their lawlessness. A secret plot soon emerges to undermine his authority, forcing the marshal to track down the conspirators and protect his reputation as he works to restore order.

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Drama · Dark tone

Sharapanjara (1971)

Adapted from Triveni’s novel, the story follows Kaveri and Sathish, whose loving marriage is shattered when Sathish learns of Kaveri’s childhood trauma. His changed attitude triggers a painful exploration of a woman’s chastity, societal rejection of mental illness, and the strain of unfaithful partners.

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Horror · Dark tone · Happy ending

Isle of the Snake People (1971)

Islanders practice voodoo and worship the evil priest Damballah, while corrupt officials ignore the cult. Captain Labesch arrives from the mainland to restore order and enlists plantation owner Carl Van Molder, a parapsychology believer who warns against meddling with ancient rites. Van Molder’s niece Annabelle falls for Lieutenant Andrew Wilhelm.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Sad ending

Death in Venice (1971)

Composer Gustav von Aschenbach journeys to Venice seeking a cure for his failing health. While staying at the Grand Hôtel des Bains on the Lido, he encounters the striking adolescent Tadzio, a Polish boy on holiday with his family. Captivated by Tadzio’s ideal beauty, Aschenbach becomes increasingly consumed by his obsession, reflecting his longing for perfection.

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Comedy · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Sporting Club (1971)

With trout season opening in May and deer season in September, the backwoods haven suddenly declares an open season on its own people. The affluent members of an exclusive retreat must confront an existential crisis provoked by a vengeful former manager and a subversive, anarchist member of the club.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Taking Off (1971)

Unable to cope with her parents, Jeannie Tyne runs away from home. Her mother Lynn and father Larry launch a frantic search, meeting other families whose children have also vanished. As the teens disappear, the bewildered parents find unexpected freedom, rediscovering themselves and embracing life anew.

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Drama · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Pursuit of Happiness (1971)

William Popper, the son of a stockbroker, is profoundly disillusioned with the system that raised him. After accidentally hitting a pedestrian with his car, he could prove his innocence, yet his contempt drives him to accept a manslaughter sentence, using the punishment as a statement against the world he despises.

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Comedy · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Cold Turkey (1971)

Reverend Brooks rallies his tiny Iowa community to quit smoking for a full month, entering a national “Cold Turkey” contest. As they struggle, scheming tobacco executives deploy every trick to tempt them back into nicotine. The townsfolk must resist cravings and keep their tempers in check to claim the sizable prize.

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Thriller · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971)

Carol Hammond, the daughter of a prominent politician, is plagued by vivid, drug‑filled nightmares that feature chaotic sex orgies and LSD trips. In one dream she kills a neighbor she envies, only to awaken and discover police have opened an investigation into her neighbor’s murder, forcing her to confront blurred line between fantasy and reality.

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Horror · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay (1971)

Francoise and Anna, two Parisian swingers on holiday, become lost in the woods and, by chance, stumble into Morgane’s domain, the enchanted realm of the sorceress Morgana Le Fay. She offers them a stark choice: remain forever youthful as her lovers, or be condemned to rot in a dungeon for eternity.

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Action · Tense tone · Ambiguous ending

Raid on Rommel (1971)

Captain Foster plans a daring raid on German‑occupied Tobruk, gathering elite commandos to strike Rommel’s forces in the Sahara. A clerical mix‑up leaves him in charge of a medical unit led by a Quaker conscientious objector, forcing the untrained squad to confront the Desert Fox under unlikely leadership.

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Thriller · Bleak tone · Sad ending

10 Rillington Place (1971)

The film recounts the grisly events at 10 Rillington Place, where British serial killer John Christie committed a series of murders inside his terraced house, while police investigations led to the wrongful arrest, conviction and execution of neighbour Timothy Evans, exposing a serious miscarriage of justice.

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Mystery · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Night Visitor (1971)

Trapped within the cold confines of his own mind, a seemingly sane man stalks his prey, while an unhinged Swedish farmer breaks out of a mental institution to exact revenge on his sister, her husband and anyone else he holds responsible.

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Comedy · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Little Murders (1971)

Darkly comic, the film follows a young, nihilistic New Yorker as he endures a summer of 1970s urban decay—constant violence, obscene phone calls, leaking rusty pipes, power outages, growing paranoia and ethnic‑racial tension that grip the city.

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History · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971)

After a fatal duel leaves Lei Li without his right arm, he learns to fight using only his left hand and his mastery of kung‑fu. With the support of his loyal friend Chung‑Chieng, Lei encounters the vulnerable Pao Chiao and, despite overwhelming odds, proves he remains a fearless warrior capable of surpassing even the deadliest weapons.

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Drama · Dark tone

Doctors’ Wives (1971)

The wives of several high‑powered doctors, accustomed to wealth and status, feel increasingly ignored as their husbands devote themselves to demanding careers. Frustrated by the neglect, they turn to a hedonistic lifestyle of sex, drugs and alcohol in search of excitement and companionship.

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Comedy · Light tone · Mixed ending

How to Frame a Figg (1971)

Don Knotts plays Hollis Figg, the town’s dim‑witted bookkeeper, who is promoted to watch over a second‑hand computer the city officials bought to hide their financial fraud. Confident and oblivious, Figg accidentally uncovers their corrupt scheme, sparking nonstop, family‑friendly hilarity as he bumbles through City Hall.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Countess Dracula (1971)

Set in 17th‑century Hungary, the widowed Countess Elizabeth Nádasdy of the infamous Báthory line discovers a dark ritual that restores her youth. As she regains her former beauty and power, the bargain exacts a gruesome toll on those around her, unleashing a trail of bloody vengeance.

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Dark tone · Happy ending

Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971)

Yusuf lives with his wheelchair‑bound businessman father, Safdarjang. After his nephew’s tutor quits, he hires Shabana and her grandmother as help and also employs Khairudin to care for his father. Yusuf and Shabana fall in love and plan to marry, unaware that Shabana is courtesan Najma’s daughter and Khairudin was hired to kill Yusuf.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Happy ending

Kati Patang (1971)

A runaway bride promises her dying widowed friend that she will assume her identity and look after her infant child.

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Horror · Dark tone · Happy ending

The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)

When a farmer's son uncovers a buried satanic altar in a 17th‑century English village, the unearthed relics awaken a malevolent force. The village children become increasingly drawn into a dark cult, their innocence eroding as they perform terrifying rituals and succumb to demonic influence.

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War · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Murphy’s War (1971)

Set in the closing days of World War II, the story follows Murphy, the sole survivor of a crew massacred by a German U‑boat. Rescued, he is taken to an abandoned mission station at the mouth of the Orinoco, where he plots revenge. Determined to sink the submarine by any means, he teams up with Louis, the local oil‑company manager, and launches a daring plan.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1971)

In a Japanese colony, a group of children stage a revolt against their adult guardians, seeking to create a new society of their own. Their utopian experiment quickly unravels, plunging them into a chaotic spiral of sexual deviance and escalating violence that consumes the fragile community.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

The Feminist and the Fuzz (1971)

A dedicated women’s libber and a male chauvinist cop become roommates.

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Western · Whimsical tone · Bittersweet ending

Zachariah (1971)

A head of his time A blacksmith and an amateur gunslinger embark on journey through the west together but soon separate and have surreal experiences of their own.

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Romance · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

The Raging Moon (1971)

After a soccer accident leaves Bruce Pritchard paralyzed, he is confined to a wheelchair in a convalescent home. Undeterred, his enthusiasm for life remains strong. When he meets Jill, their connection forces him to confront the practical and emotional realities of his new disability, prompting him to reassess his future and independence.

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Comedy · Light tone · Mixed ending

A Severed Head (1971)

Antonia Lynch‑Gibbon, the wife of wine dealer Martin, falls for his best friend, the respected psychiatrist Palmer Anderson. Both wish to remain in Martin’s life, yet he guards his own scandals—a mistress named Georgie, also pursued by his brother, and further secrets. Meanwhile, Palmer’s sister Honor appears to know everyone’s affairs.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Dr. Cook’s Garden (1971)

After a long absence, a young doctor returns to his New England hometown and reconnects with the kindly, elderly physician Dr. Cook, a mentor he has admired since childhood. As he settles back, unsettling clues reveal that Dr. Cook is hiding a dark secret, putting the young doctor’s life in jeopardy.

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Mystery · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh (1971)

When socialite and heiress Julie Wardh starts receiving blackmail letters linked to a mysterious serial killer, she suspects her cruel, sadistic ex‑lover Jean. With her husband Neil often away, she seeks comfort in her friend’s cousin George. As the unseen assassin closes in, Julie fears the killer may be one of the three men surrounding her.

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Comedy · Dark tone · Mixed ending

You Are a Widow, Sir (1971)

After a soldier severs the king’s cousin’s arm, the monarch orders the army disbanded. The generals plot his murder, creating an assassin shaped like actress Evelina Keleti but implanted with serial killer Fany Stubová’s mind. They kill astrologer Stuart Hampl; his brain is mistakenly transferred into the assassin, killing Keleti and sparking chaos.

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Comedy · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Say Hello to Yesterday (1971)

Approaching middle age and trapped in an unfulfilled marriage, a suburban British housewife encounters a brash young man on her commuter train. Drawn together by a fleeting attraction, she embarks on a sexual fling that blurs the edges of time, prompting both to confront how they perceive age and desire.

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History · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

The Flight (1971)

The story follows a disparate group—innocent bystanders and moral criminals—whose lives intersect as they flee Russia, travel through Constantinople and Paris, and confront the decision of whether to return. Some seek redemption, others face inevitable death, while a few remain in exile, questioning whether they are truly comfortable. The film blends tragedy and comedy with a bittersweet, unsentimental tone.

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Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Dasara Bullodu (1971)

Radha and Nirmala are both in love with Gopi. Nirmala’s father, hoping to secure Gopi’s property, arranges their marriage. When Nirmala discovers that Gopi’s heart belongs to Radha, she puts aside her own desires and works to bring the two lovers together, defying her father’s plans.

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Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

Anubhav (1971)

Newspaper editor Amar (Kumar) becomes increasingly distant from his wife Meeta (Tanuja) after hiring a new assistant, Shashi (Thakur), who is actually Meeta’s former lover. As Meeta’s affection shifts, Amar struggles to accept the loss of her love and the growing tension threatens both his marriage and his career.

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Drama · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Uphaar (1971)

Anoop, a law student in Calcutta, lives apart from his mother in a West Bengal village. His sister Sudha, married to Anil, stays in the city. When his mother arranges a match with Vidya, Shankarlal’s daughter, Anoop asks to see her first. He meets Vidya and also Minoo, who captures his heart. He returns home and tells his mother he will marry Minoo, not Vidya.

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Crime · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Night God Screamed (1971)

Death is the only way out! A woman is persecuted by Jesus freaks after they’ve crucified her preacher husband.

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Comedy · Dark tone · Mixed ending

Preacherman (1971)

In a sleepy North Carolina town, the slick but fraudulent preacher Amos T. Huxley arrives with grand promises, only to cheat his flock, siphon the earnings of a local moonshine operation, and pursue the naïve Mary Lou. When Mary Lou’s former boyfriend grows wary, he enlists the police to expose Huxley’s schemes.

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