Wasthe 1970s the best decade for film ever? There’s a good argument to be made that trying to say one decade is better than any other is foolish and/or impossible, but also… maybe? Like, more than most other decades, it’s possible to say with a relatively confident “maybe” (if such a thing is possible) thatthe 1970s were the best, or the most jam-packed with bold and seminal titles.
The New Hollywood movement was in full swing by the early 1970s, and saw the rise of numerous great up-and-coming directors, all making revolutionary movies alongside some more established names. There were emotionally intense films and broadly appealing blockbusters alike, and too many to contain in one ranking (sorry,Jaws,Days of Heaven,The Deer Hunter,A Clockwork Orange, and who knows how many other titles worthy of honorable mentions). In any event, what follows are some of the best; those that come close to perfection or debatably outright attain it.
10’All That Jazz' (1979)
Director: Bob Fosse
Bob Fossemade two of the best musicalsof all time during the 1970s:Cabaretnear the beginning of the decade, and thenAll That Jazzright at the decade’s end. Both are masterpieces in their own right, butAll That Jazzmight just be the better of the two, or the one that feels closest to perfect, being entirely unique, moving, unsettling, creative, and self-indulgent (the last of those in a good way, it should be stressed).
It’s a movie that sees Fosse reflecting on his own life, his past, and his flaws, not to mention a film that saw him more or less reckoning with health concerns that would ultimately take his life less than a decade later.All That Jazzis one ofthe boldest and most vital movies about art ever made, not to mention an all-timer as far as semi-autobiographical films that dive into a creative individual’s mind.
All That Jazz
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9’Taxi Driver' (1976)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Taxi Driverfeelsmore about loneliness and isolationthan just about any other film out there, and it still strikes a chord while feeling admirably unnerving all these years later. It centers on an unstable Vietnam War veteran struggling to sleep and get by in New York City, with his outlook on life and the people around him gradually driving him to further isolation and, eventually, violence.
Itwasn’t the first great Martin Scorsese movie(Mean Streetscame out three years before), butTaxi Driverwas arguably the first outright masterpiece Scorsese ever directed. It’s bolstered immeasurably byan all-time greatRobert De Niroperformance, with his character, Travis Bickle, being one of the most distinctive, troubling, and fascinating protagonists of the 1970s… and maybe even all time, too.
Taxi Driver
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8’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest' (1975)
Director: Miloš Forman
The kind ofempathetic and undeniably moving drama filmthat’s essentially timeless, it’s hard to find anything wrong withOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It tells a story about rebellion and perseverance inside a psychiatric hospital run by anoverbearing nurse who’s a surprisingly great villain; up there with the most memorable of all time, really.
Jack Nicholsonis also at his bestinOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, andthe film overall works exceedingly well as something that prioritizes complex and oftentimes tragic charactersover having an intricate narrative. It’s hard to imagine someone watching this one without coming away from it feeling moved in one way or another, and even among the great films released during the 1970s, it seems particularly unlikely to ever do any considerable aging in any sort of detrimental way.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
7’Apocalypse Now' (1979)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Say what you want about some ofFrancis Ford Coppola’s later movies(many already have), buthis run throughout the 1970s was undoubtedly strong; arguably even unmatched. He made four indisputable classics between the years 1972 and 1979, with only one not being mentioned here:The Conversation. Released in 1974, it’s a great film, but his others from that decade – includingApocalypse Now– were even better.
It’s one of themost impactful and haunting war moviesof all time, even though the conflict of the Vietnam War takes a backseat at a point, withApocalypse Nowinstead exploring the fragility of the human psyche and humanity’s capability for cruelness more broadly. It’s not the easiest or most enjoyable of films, but it’s done on a scale that’s genuinely and continually awe-inspiring.How it got made and came togetheras well as it did is rather shocking, in all honesty.
Apocalypse Now
6’Alien' (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
1979 was a particularly good year for movies that had titles beginning with the letter “A,” it seems, with aforementioned films likeAll That JazzandApocalypse Now, as well as the likes ofAlienalso seeing release that year.Picking a favorite film in theAlienseriesusually comes down to the original or maybeJames Cameron’sAliens, but both are perfect within different genres, the first as a sci-fi/horror movie, and the sequel as a sci-fi/action/thriller film.
Aliencameearly inRidley Scott’s directorial careerand continues tohold up immensely well as perhaps the definitive sci-fi/horror movie of all time. Its simplicity is one of its greatest strengths, committing to a simple premise surrounding a terrifying alien life form hunting down a group of unequipped people in space, all the while having numerous iconic scenes, believable special effects, a slow-burn story, and undeniably strong atmosphere.
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5’Chinatown' (1974)
Director: Roman Polanski
One year beforeOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jack Nicholson lent his acting talents to another iconic 1970s movie that’s hard to fault:Chinatown. Joined by thesimilarly excellentFaye DunawayandJohn Huston, Nicholson plays a private detective in this film who unpacks an incredibly complex web of intrigue and conspiracy while taking on the initially (and seemingly) simple job of investigating a husband’s extra-marital affair.
It unfolds slowly at times, and intentionally feels overwhelming and even confusing at other points, butChinatownisincredibly well-controlled and confident, ultimately culminating in one of the most iconic ending sequences of all time. If it counts as a neo-noir film, then it could well be the best ever made, andit rivals the absolute greatest classic/original film noir movies (essentially, those made during the 1940s and 1950s), too.
4’Dog Day Afternoon' (1975)
Director: Sidney Lumet
In contrast tomore traditional heist moviesthat might focus on the planning stages a little more, or even show robbers succeeding,Dog Day Afternoonis about the fallout of a robbery gone wrong. Things weren’t sufficiently planned, and bad luck contributed, too, with a pair of bank robbers – plus some hostages – soon finding themselves caught up in a standoff with police, and the subjects of intense media scrutiny.
Dog Day Afternoonhits the ground running and stays consistently suspenseful throughout its entire runtime,impressively spinning a true storyinto something that feels both cinematic and grounded all at once. It’s an explosive movie, even if there isn’t much genuine action to speak of (a forcefulAl Pacinoperformance at the centerof it all helps), and it does an amazing job at staying engaging, even with so much of the film inevitably being confined to a small area.
Dog Day Afternoon
3’Star Wars' (1977)
Director: George Lucas
It might well be sacrilege to talk about perfect 1970s movies without a mention of the originalStar Wars, which is everything a blockbuster can and should be. It kicked off a massive film series that branched out to become an ever-expanding franchise that’s so much more than just a bunch of movies, but it all began here, impressively, with an expertly told story about good vs. evil in space.
There are variousmovies that were all blended and reshapedinto the film known asStar Wars, withGeorge Lucasdoing soin a way that still felt fresh. There are enough sources borrowed from, in bits and pieces, to makeStar Warsbe so distinctly Star Wars.It’s hard to imagine a world withoutit (or its music) now, with its release in 1977 being an event that changed everything, so far as cinema was concerned.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
2’The Godfather' (1972)
The Godfatherkicked off a saga that still feels like the mostsignificant and epic one in the gangster genre. It was what made Francis Ford Coppola a household name, and was the first of four masterpieces he directed in the 1970s, with this film focusing on Vito Corleone as he considers the future of his family and his family business, all the while his three very different sons exhibit flaws that emphasize they may lack the ability to lead the way their father has.
Marlon Brandois at his most iconic here, as Vito, withthe rest of the cast – including Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Diane Keaton – being phenomenal, too. The Godfather hits every note it needs to absolutely perfectly, and there’s only one other mass-appeal film from its decade that could debatably top it.
The Godfather
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1’The Godfather Part II' (1974)
And that movie is its sequel,The Godfather Part II, which is rightly held up as one of thegreatest follow-ups not just in cinema history, but maybe in sequel/follow-up history, spanning mediums. Whether it’s actually “more” perfect thanThe Godfatheris entirely up for debate, but it’s ranked higher here because it’s just easier to talk about the first one first (If you’ve got an issue,here’s a).
The structure ofThe Godfather Part IIis fascinating, with it furthering the story begun in the first movie while also flashing back to showing Vito Corleone at a younger age, where he’splayed by Robert De Niroinstead of Brando.De Niro’s in the past, Pacino’s in the present, and while following either path,The Godfather Part IIisutterly engrossing, emotionally devastating, and effortlessly profound.
The Godfather: Part II
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