Best movies from the 1970s

There is a thread going on about the films of the 1980s. I think the earlier decade of the 1970s produced some of the best movies ever made. Here is a list from the top of my head (in no particular order), and feel free to add your favorites:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Jaws
Star Wars
American Graffiti
Taxi Driver
Mean Streets
Annie Hall
Manhattan
Bananas
Sleeper
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
Silent Movie
Network
The Godfather Saga
The Conversation
The French Connection
A Clockwork Orange
The Sting
Rocky
Apocalypse Now
The Deer Hunter
The China Syndrome
The Exorcist
Carrie
Hair
Coming Home
M*A*S*H
The Last Picture Show
Kramer Vs Kramer
Saturday Night Fever
The King of Marvin Gardens
The Last Detail
Chinatown
Amarcord
Fellini's Roma


There are more to come as I think of them.

[edit on 3/5/2009 by kidflash2008]

oops...hit wrong key... see below

[edit on 5-3-2009 by desert]

Deliverance
Mad Max
Alien
The Poseidon Adventure
Soylent Green
Capricorn One
The Stepford Wives
Summer of '42
Kramer vs. Kramer
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Breaking Away
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Electric Horseman

From Network is a favorite quote
"There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those *are* the nations of the world today."

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Halloween

Dawn of the Dead

Dog Day Afternoon

The Deer Hunter

I agree with you KidFlash2008. The 1970's was the start of a new era in the movie industry. The industry had lost its momentum and production was in a decline. We saw the likes of Kubrick, Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, Scorsese make some huge blockbuster movies and they made the 70's into a golden era.

Some of my favourites have to be:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Mean Streets
The Godfather
ET
Jaws
Star Wars
Chinatown
Alien
Halloween
Apocalypse Now
Logans Run
The Warriors
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Smokey and the Bandit ..LOL
Animal House
Enter the Dragon

And who can forget The Kentucky Fried Movie

reply to post by The Real Deal


It is interesting because I kept thinking of movies to add to the list. The 1970s made movies for adults, not children and teenagers. They were about characters and not car explosions and CGI. The movie industry was bought out by corporate conglomerates as tax write-offs, and the directors and movie makers were given the freedom to do what they wanted to do. The actors were all top notch, from Di Nero, Pacino, Clayburn, Keaton, Hackman, and many, many others.

Gritty movies were made about adults and adult situations. Most of the actors were in their 40s, and age was not a problem. Now, many actors are considered to old once they reach 30.

An Unmarried Woman
Harry and Tonto


Many of the movies listed by the others are also good, and I thought of them when I wasn't on line.

Hello!

Some of my favorites include,

Star Wars, Blazing Saddles, Dawn of the Dead, Grease, Smokey and the Bandit, Amityville Horror, Close Encounters, Halloween, Carrie, Willy Wonka, Bad News Bears, The Muppet Movie, and Young Frankenstien.

I know this one isn't a 70's movie, but it's set in the 70's and I love it, Dazed and Confused

reply to post by The_Truth_Seeker


Dawn of the Dead for me too.

Love that movie in so many ways.

Duel and Jaws are up there for me too.

reply to post by s4dreamlnd93


BTW, "Duel" was a TV movie that ended up being released theatrically overseas. I remember watching it when it first aired and it was interrupted so President Nixon could give a speech. My brother and I were so upset, but the speech was quick and we got to see the ending. It was Stephen Spielberg's first movie he directed, and is considered one of the best.

The Godfather saga gets my vote. Every once in a while, I still spent all day Sunday snuggled under a blanket on the couch watching the Godfather.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Last Picture Show
Hud


One Eyed Jacks
Up in Smoke
All the Andy Warhol flicks
Easy Rider
The Graduate
Patton
On The Beach
Pink Flamingos
Silent Running
Solent Green
Planet of the Apes
Zardoz
A Boy and His Dog
Attack of the Killer Tomato's
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Vanishing Point
El Topo
Convoy....I was in that one as an extra
Cheyenne Social Club....I was in that one as an extra
The Man Who Fell to Earth...I was an extra in that one too.
Billy Jack
Eraserhead
Harold and Maude
A Clockwork Orange
The Conversation

The 70's were great!! What I can remember of them.








[edit on 7-3-2009 by whaaa]

reply to post by whaaa


Since you have added some late sixties titles and the second golden age began then, I will modify this thread to include the late 1960s.

Some others I have thought of:

What's Up Doc?
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Marathon Man
All the President's Men
For Pete's Sake

Best movies of the 70's? How about Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third King?

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
1900
Superman: The Movie
The Gauntlet
Nashville
McCabe and Mrs Miller
The Long Goodbye
Sitting Bull's History Lesson
Three Women
Brewster McCloud

Most of the one's listed I've seen, maybe will look at the ones I haven't seen. Here's one I would add.

The Wickerman (1973)

Love and Death
Love at First Bite (Ok, this one is silly, but a tanned Dracula played by George Hamilton?)