Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

Comedy · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker (1970)

Jonathan, fresh from Princeton, immediately takes a job as a New York City cab driver, rejecting the conventional climb up the corporate ladder. Embracing a carefree, street‑level existence, he finds solace and unexpected romance when he meets Jennifer, a fellow passenger who challenges his outlook on life.

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Drama · Whimsical tone · Mixed ending

The Twelve Chairs (1970)

A wild, comedic race unfolds as a disgraced aristocrat, a priest, and a clever con‑artist hunt for a stash of jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs scattered after the Russian Revolution of the 1920s.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

I Start Counting (1970)

In the world of the nightmare, a little blood adds colour! An English schoolgirl suspects the foster brother she worships is a serial killer.

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Horror · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The House That Would Not Die (1970)

Dark mysteries lurk within the walls of the old Campbell house, where whispered cries echo from a violent struggle and a woman's scream. The story weaves witchcraft and black magic into a haunting tale set against the quiet backdrop of Amish country, turning a simple farmhouse into a terrifying, cursed place.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Waterloo (1970)

On an unforgettable afternoon at Waterloo, Napoleon confronts the Duke of Wellington. After his defeat and exile to Elba, Europe is stunned when he escapes, wins back the loyalty of the French army, and threatens the restored monarch. Wellington, who had outmaneuvered Napoleon’s forces in Spain and Portugal, now leads an Anglo‑Allied army to meet the French emperor in a decisive battle.

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Horror · Tense tone · Mixed ending

Trog (1970)

When anthropologist Dr. Brockton discovers a living Ice‑Age “missing link” – a half‑caveman, half‑ape troglodyte – in a nearby cave, she employs experimental medical techniques to communicate with and tame the creature. However, an angry land developer releases it, sparking a violent rampage that terrorizes the surrounding community.

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Horror · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

The Wizard of Gore (1970)

When a television talk‑show host and her boyfriend begin probing a mysterious magician, they discover his uncanny talent for hypnotizing and controlling people’s thoughts. He employs this ability to stage gruesome, blood‑splattered on‑stage tricks, blurring the line between illusion and real slaughter.

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Drama · Tense tone · Mixed ending

The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (1970)

Her first mistake was getting into the car. Dany Longo, a striking red‑haired, beautiful but disturbed and passionate woman who is also nearsighted, steals a Thunderbird and races across the south of France on an errand for her employer and his wife. As the chase intensifies, neither Dany nor anyone else knows her destination or the purpose of the mission, heightening the suspense.

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Horror · Dark tone · Happy ending

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

In Transylvania, a general and a baron confront Carmilla, a captivating vampire who threatens their daughters. Carmilla’s dark allure ensnares the young women, and the men must find a way to stop her before she consumes them entirely. The story explores themes of innocence, corruption, and the dangers of forbidden desire within a world of aristocratic power and ancient secrets.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Conformist (1970)

In 1930s Italy, a man seeks acceptance and stability by joining the Fascist party. His pursuit of conformity is intertwined with a dark past, revealed through unsettling flashbacks. These memories depict a passionate and forbidden romance, a traumatic event involving violence, and the enduring burden of guilt that shapes his present actions and motivations.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Spring (1970)

Part of Hanoun’s four‑film series named for the seasons, the work weaves two parallel narratives. A man on the run from authoritarian forces seeks shelter in a deep forest, living in perpetual flight. Simultaneously, a young girl who stays with her grandmother in a nearby village stands on the brink of puberty, gradually opening herself to the wider world and to her own emerging identity.

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Horror · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Bigfoot (1970)

America’s abominable snowman…breeds with anything! Bigfoot kidnaps some women and some bikers decide to go on a rescue mission to save them.

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Comedy · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970)

Set against the dusty desert tracks of Arizona, the story follows two dirt‑bike racers whose friendship is thrown into turmoil when a runaway joins their road‑racing crew. Both men become infatuated with her, sparking jealousy and a fierce rivalry that threatens to break their bond as they chase speed and desire across the circuit.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Bleak ending

Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

No place to hide, nowhere to run. After French criminal Corey is released from prison, he swears off the underworld, but a chance meeting with escaped murderer Vogel drags him back in. Teaming with former cop‑turned‑alcoholic Jansen, they plan a jewel heist while the quirky Commissioner Mattei—who lost Vogel’s custody—determines to catch them.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Sad ending

I Never Sang for My Father (1970)

Hackman portrays a New York professor who, yearning for change, plans to marry his girlfriend and move to California. His mother, supportive yet warning about the strain on his estranged father, dies just before the wedding. His disowned sister, ostracized for marrying a Jewish man, urges him to live on his own and not be dominated by their father.

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Fantasy · Whimsical tone · Happy ending

The Projectionist (1970)

A projectionist bored with his everyday life begins fantasizing about his being one of the superheroes he sees in the movies he shows.

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Western · Tense tone · Ambiguous ending

Deadlock (1970)

After pulling off a bank robbery two bandits meet in a deserted mining town to divide their loot but an old miner tries to steal it from them.

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Adventure · Whimsical tone · Ambiguous ending

On the Comet (1970)

When a comet passes the Earth very closely, it pulls a small part of North Africa, and a small swathe of humanity, along with it.

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Drama · Bleak tone · Bleak ending

Trash (1970)

Joe, a heroin addict, spends a single day pursuing his next fix while his volatile, on‑and‑off relationship with his sexually frustrated girlfriend unravels. He overdoses in front of an affluent couple, tries to deceive welfare officials by having Holly fake a pregnancy to secure methadone treatment, and repeatedly disappoints the women around him with drug‑induced impotence.

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Drama · Bittersweet tone · Happy ending

Spring and Port Wine (1970)

Raising a family feels like a lifetime, yet a single weekend can threaten to unravel everything. In the working‑class town of Bolton, a strict father and a permissive mother grapple with the triumphs and troubles of their four children, confronting love, rebellion and the pressures of everyday life.

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Western · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Cannon for Cordoba (1970)

In 1912, amid the Mexican Revolution, raids by Mexican insurgents who call themselves freedom fighters set the Texas‑Mexico border ablaze. The United States commissions General John J. Pershing to capture the notorious rebel leader General Héctor Córdoba. Pershing tracks Córdoba to his fortress, prepares his troops, and makes the decisive move to storm the stronghold.

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Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Equinox (1970)

An ancient mystic book draws four friends into a deadly encounter when a demon attacks their picnic, thrusting them into a shadowy realm that mirrors and invades their own world. The film began as Dennis Muren’s 1967 short The Equinox: Journey into the Supernatural, and was later expanded with additional footage shot by Jack Woods, creating a longer, atmospheric horror piece.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Crime and Punishment (1970)

Raskolnikov, a former law student, murders a pawnbroker and her sister, driven by greed and a belief in his superiority. The police link him to the victim as a client, and his behavior makes him Porfiry’s prime suspect. His mother and sister arrive in St. Petersburg, and he meets Sonia, a prostitute who urges him to confess and promises to share exile.

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Western · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Monte Walsh (1970)

The film follows an aging cowboy as the era of the open range draws to a close. Barbed‑wire fences and expanding railroads replace the need for cattle‑driving men, leaving him and his companions with dwindling choices. Though new jobs appear, they yearn for the freedom of the prairie, ultimately must part with the life they know and attempt to begin anew.

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Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Blood Rose (1970)

Artist‑botanist Frédéric Lansac leaves his party‑girl lover Moira for the refined Anne and marries her. At their wedding Moira crashes the event, and Anne falls into a bonfire. Frédéric confines the couple to his mansion, staffed by mute dwarf servants. Anne becomes bitter and demanding; Frédéric pretends she’s dead while secretly hiring a nurse to tend her.

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Romance · Tense tone · Happy ending

Pieces of Dreams (1970)

The most provocative love story of our time… The love story of a priest. A young priest questions his faith after he falls in love with a social worker.

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Action · Tense tone · Sad ending

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

As tensions rise between the United States and Japan, a pivotal moment approaches: the attack on Pearl Harbor. Diplomatic relations deteriorate due to an American embargo on vital resources, leading Air Staff Officer Minoru Genda to devise a surprise aerial assault. Despite intercepted Japanese communications hinting at a potential conflict, American intelligence dismisses the possibility of an attack on US soil. This misjudgment tragically sets the stage for a devastating surprise, forever changing the course of history.

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Horror · Tense tone · Ambiguous ending

How Awful About Allan (1970)

A tense psychological thriller that follows a tormented man released after an eight‑month stint in a mental hospital. He returns to live with his sister, only to discover a mysterious boarder has moved in. As unsettling events unfold, he begins to suspect the newcomer may be plotting his murder.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Bleak ending

Violent City (1970)

Amid a city on the brink of chaos, a professional hitman discovers his girlfriend has betrayed him and narrowly survives an assassination attempt. Determined to settle the score, he embarks on a relentless quest for vengeance against her and the crime‑lord who ordered the betrayal.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

R.P.M. (1970)

Set on a West Coast college in the tumultuous late 1960s, the film follows a liberal professor (Anthony Quinn) who has long supported student activism. When radical protesters seize the campus and the president steps down, he is thrust into the presidency. He must decide whether to restore order or allow the revolutionary fervor to spiral into chaos.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Bleak ending

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

A talented pianist rejects his privileged background and chooses a life working in the oil fields of California. He finds connection and romance with a waitress named Rayette, embracing a more unconventional lifestyle. However, a sudden family emergency forces him to return to his wealthy relatives in Washington, bringing his two disparate worlds into conflict and challenging his sense of identity.

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Drama · Dark tone · Happy ending

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970)

War erupts between soldiers stationed at a quiet Southern army base and the nearby town’s civilians. Officer Brian Keith strives for peace, but Sheriff Ernest Borgnine—a bumbling, trigger‑happy lawman—quickly calls in the militia. Playboy sergeant Tony Curtis lands in jail, prompting Keith to commandeer a tank to free him, and the situation spirals into chaotic mayhem.

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Drama · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

The Wild Child (1970)

Raised by wolves in the wilderness, a young boy is discovered and brought to Paris to be integrated into civilized society. A dedicated educator, Dr. Itard, believes he can nurture the boy’s development and overcome the challenges presented by his isolated upbringing. Through patience and understanding, Dr. Itard strives to help the boy adapt, revealing that his difficulties stem from a lack of human interaction, not from any intellectual or sensory impairments.

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Mystery · Tense tone · Mixed ending

And Soon the Darkness (1970)

Inspired by Hitchcock’s suspense, the film follows two young English women cycling through the French countryside. When one disappears, the remaining friend launches a frantic search, confronting unsettling clues and questioning everyone around her as trust becomes a deadly gamble.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Hornets’ Nest (1970)

An American commando who’s the sole survivor of a parachute jump into WWII-era Italy leads a group of children in a campaign of sabotage against the Nazis.

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History · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

My Seven Sons (1970)

Based on Samad Vurgun’s Komsomol poem, the story follows seven young men likened to samurai who become Komsomol activists sent to a village to establish Soviet power. They are depicted as romanticized heroes of the people, ready to take vengeance for their cause.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Mixed ending

The Executioner (1970)

Every day he lives, somebody else dies! A British intelligence agent must track down a fellow spy suspected of being a double agent.

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Comedy · Bittersweet tone · Bittersweet ending

Leo the Last (1970)

Prince Leo, the last heir of a deposed continental European monarchy, is jaded by the restless, pleasure‑seeking jet‑set. He returns to his father’s London townhouse hoping for quiet, only to confront what it means to be the final member of his lineage.

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Drama · Dark tone · Ambiguous ending

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)

Valerie, a Czechoslovakian teen living with her grandmother, is on the cusp of womanhood when she discovers enchanted earrings that alter her perception. The jewels thrust her into a surreal realm populated by a lecherous priest, a vampire‑like stranger, and other carnival folk. Amid this magical realism she navigates her sexual awakening while trying to discern reality from fantasy.

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Thriller · Tense tone · Bleak ending

Fragment of Fear (1970)

Murder in Pompeii. Voices in the night. Despair in the gutter. A phantasmagoria of fright! A reformed drug addict travels to Italy to find out who murdered his aunt.

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