Editing John Huston (section)

=== 1972–1987: Later career and final films ===
After several films that were not well received, Huston returned to critical acclaim with ''[[Fat City (film)|Fat City]]''. Based on [[Leonard Gardner]]'s [[Fat City (novel)|1969 novel of the same name]], it was about an aging, washed-up alcoholic boxer in [[Stockton, California]], trying to get his name back on the map, while having a new relationship with a world-weary alcoholic. It also featured an [[Amateur boxing|amateur boxer]] trying to find success in boxing. The film was nominated for several awards. It starred [[Stacy Keach]], a young [[Jeff Bridges]], and [[Susan Tyrrell]]; she was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]. [[Roger Ebert]] stated ''Fat City'' was one of Huston's best films, giving it four out of four stars.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fat-city-1972 | title= Fat City :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews | date= January 1, 1972}}</ref>

Perhaps Huston's most highly regarded film of the 1970s, ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'' was both a critical and commercial success. Huston had been planning to make this film since the '50s, originally with his friends Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable.{{fact|date=October 2024}} Eventually, the lead roles went to [[Sean Connery]] and [[Michael Caine]]. The movie was partly filmed on location in [[Morocco]] and the [[French Alps]].<ref>Simon, John (12 January 1976). "Over the Mountains, Across the Oceans, Beyond the Pale". New York. p. 58.</ref> The film was praised for its use of old-fashioned escapism and entertainment. [[Steven Spielberg]] has cited the film as one of the inspirations for his film ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.

After filming ''The Man Who Would Be King'', Huston took his longest break between directing films. He returned with an offbeat and somewhat controversial film based on the novel ''[[Wise Blood (film)|Wise Blood]]''. Here, Huston showed his skills as a storyteller, and boldness when it came to difficult subjects such as religion. ''[[Under the Volcano (1984 film)|Under the Volcano]]'', Huston's last film set in Mexico, stars [[Albert Finney]] as an alcoholic ambassador during the beginnings of World War II. Adapted from the 1947 novel by [[Malcolm Lowry]], the film was highly praised by critics, most notably for Finney's portrayal of a desperate and depressed alcoholic. The film was a success on the independent circuit.

John Huston's final film, 1987's [[The Dead (1987 film)|''The Dead'']], is an adaptation of the classic short story by [[James Joyce]]. This may have been one of Huston's most personal films, due to his citizenship in Ireland and his passion for classic literature. Huston directed most of the film from a wheelchair, as he needed an oxygen tank to breathe during the last few months of his life. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards and was praised by critics. [[Roger Ebert]] eventually placed it in his Great Movies list; a section of movies he claimed to be some of the best ever made.{{fact|date=October 2024}} Huston died nearly four months before the film's release date. In the 1996 [[RTÉ]] documentary ''John Huston: An t-Éireannach'', [[Anjelica Huston]] said that
"it was very important for my father to make that film." She contends that Huston did not think that it was going to be his last film, but that it was his love letter to Ireland and the Irish.<ref name= Eireannach />