Is it an actual film set in the 70's that really gets the mood of the decade? Is it something like Saturday Night Fever...or is that more of a period piece that doesn't get the rest of the decade? How about Dazed and Confused? Made in 1993, but when I think 70's Dazed and Confused always comes to mind.

Boogie Nights.

The 70s is so diverse no one movie can really capture the spirit of the entire decade.

For the mid-70s, Saturday Night Fever and Taxi Driver are pretty good time-capsules. Can't really think of any movies that captured the feel of the early 70s. 24 Hour Party was about the late 70s-early 80s UK music/drug scene.

Nashville, which I just finished watching, captures the mood of the mid-'70s very well. I recommend it to everyone, if they haven't seen it.

Billy Jack

Almost Famous set in 1973 and Dazed and Confused set in 1976.  Almost Famous does a good job of capturing the concert/party scene that I remember and the house party was dead on. 1973 was a huge party year for me at 17years old.  Dazed and Confused's characters seem spot on for that time period  and the outdoor keg party in the orchard, at 20years old I went to many of those. The soundtracks of both also contribute nicely in helping to show the timeline. When they make these movies, the music is so important and if the director is someone like Cameron Crowe who was there in 1973, then of course they remember the music and include it in their movies with great timing.

I thought 'Almost Famous' was set in the 60s...but I watched it almost 4 years ago, so guess I'd forget...

I thought 'Almost Famous' was set in the 60s...but I watched it almost 4 years ago, so guess I'd forget...
Actually you are right . The opening scene of Almost Famous does start out in 1969 with a young 11 year o;d William Miller. Then his 18 year old sister moves out and leaves him all of her records. The movie then skips ahead in time and the year 1973 is flashed at the bottom and shows him now 15 years old in high school where he meets his music critic idol Lester Bangs. Plus the year 73' is on the tour bus.

What's wrong with you marshmellow sucking, fluffer nutter eating, retarded people? (No offence intended my friends; just sit here in dismay..................)
How can you forget Stanley Kubriks- "2001, A Space Odyssey" , Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver"; "The Godfather", "The Exorcist", "Scarface", "Serpico", etc, etc, etc.
Let's not forget the movies that were true groundbreakerrs, have set the standard, and have been a pioneering flix.
S

What's wrong with you marshmellow sucking, fluffer nutter eating, retarded people? (No offence intended my friends; just sit here in dismay..................)
How can you forget Stanley Kubriks- "2001, A Space Odyssey" , Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver"; "The Godfather", "The Exorcist", "Scarface", "Serpico", etc, etc, etc.
Let's not forget the movies that were true groundbreakerrs, have set the standard, and have been a pioneering flix.
S


Slow down,
"2001, A Space Odyssey" is from 1968.
;)


Edited to add:

Ok, I'm back...

"What's wrong with you marshmellow sucking, fluffer nutter eating, retarded people? (No offence intended my friends; just sit here in dismay..................)"

That's a great way to start a post.  >:(

What's wrong with you marshmellow sucking, fluffer nutter eating, retarded people? (No offence intended my friends; just sit here in dismay..................)
How can you forget Stanley Kubriks- "2001, A Space Odyssey" , Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver"; "The Godfather", "The Exorcist", "Scarface", "Serpico", etc, etc, etc.
Let's not forget the movies that were true groundbreakerrs, have set the standard, and have been a pioneering flix.
S


Scarface was released in 1983, my eeeeediotic little friend!  ;D

For contrast's sake:

Early '70s: A CLOCK WORK ORANGE
Late '70s: KRAMER VS. KRAMER

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/10/spin2.gif

For contrast's sake:

Early '70s: A CLOCK WORK ORANGE
Late '70s: KRAMER VS. KRAMER

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/10/spin2.gif
That's a good contrast of films there. I'll add the 2 sci-fi's that came out in 1977: Star Wars and Close Encounters Of the 3rd Kind. Both were superb and were a big event in that decade.

What's wrong with you marshmellow sucking, fluffer nutter eating, retarded people? (No offence intended my friends; just sit here in dismay..................)
How can you forget Stanley Kubriks- "2001, A Space Odyssey" , Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver"; "The Godfather", "The Exorcist", "Scarface", "Serpico", etc, etc, etc.
Let's not forget the movies that were true groundbreakerrs, have set the standard, and have been a pioneering flix.
S

Slow down,
"2001, A Space Odyssey" is from 1968.
;)


Edited to add:

Ok, I'm back...

"What's wrong with you marshmellow sucking, fluffer nutter eating, retarded people? (No offence intended my friends; just sit here in dismay..................)"

That's a great way to start a post.  >:(





I was going to say The Exorcist too.

I think that spielberg's flicks, close encounters and poltergeist (okay, that was tobe hooper and released in 80, I think, but spielberg produced it, ja?), did a real nice job of capturing the rise of the suburb in the late 70s.

I think that spielberg's flicks, close encounters and poltergeist (okay, that was tobe hooper and released in 80, I think, but spielberg produced it, ja?), did a real nice job of capturing the rise of the suburb in the late 70s.
I would concur with your observance and dam if we didn't start seeing UFO's on a more regular basis after close encounters. We chased one for miles thru Modesto, Califoria, of course we were high as a kite and our ufo ended up being some biplane with advertisement lights on it  ;D

I would concur with your observance and dam if we didn't start seeing UFO's on a more regular basis after close encounters. We chased one for miles thru Modesto, Califoria, of course we were high as a kite and our ufo ended up being some biplane with advertisement lights on it  ;D
CEotTK is such a great movie. I remember when it came out I was OBSESSED with it and with UFOs and stuff, although it still didn't quite manage to unseat Star Wars and Witch Mountain as my number one faves.

There's a hilarious star wars/close encounters knockoff called "starship invasions" that came out in 77 or 78 starring Christopher lee and Robert Vaughn. All about aliens who use a suicide ray to make everyone on earth commit suicide so they can take over. It's uproariously bad. but it really freaked me out when I was a kid.

CEotTK is such a great movie. I remember when it came out I was OBSESSED with it and with UFOs and stuff, although it still didn't quite manage to unseat Star Wars and Witch Mountain as my number one faves.

There's a hilarious star wars/close encounters knockoff called "starship invasions" that came out in 77 or 78 starring Christopher lee and Robert Vaughn. All about aliens who use a suicide ray to make everyone on earth commit suicide so they can take over. It's uproariously bad. but it really freaked me out when I was a kid.


I've never heard of that flick but would take a chance just to see how bad it is and maybe get a laugh at the campiness

I've never heard of that flick but would take a chance just to see how bad it is and maybe get a lauch at the campiness
Funny thing is for how bad it is everyone who saw it as a kid remembers it because it was really violent but it was also a star wars ripoff and it was PG so lots of little rodents like me saw it with their mommies and then were totally traumatized by it.

Anyway, watching CEotTK or poltergeist or any of the other big blockbusters, like Jaws, I'm usually struck by how they really don't look very dated. The faddish or sci-fi movies like logan's run or Saturday night fever look very 70s but really, life in the suburbs back then doesn't seem very different from today

I've never heard of that flick but would take a chance just to see how bad it is and maybe get a laugh at the campiness
For me CEotTK is CE3K, which is Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

For me CEotTK is CE3K, which is Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
As a huge mystery science theater 3000 (mst3k) fan, I'd have a hard time not reading that as "close encounters 3000." Which is really what "3k" means. But I've seen both.

For me CEotTK is CE3K, which is Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
this is this first time I've seen the movie abbreviated like that.  ???

this is this first time I've seen the movie abbreviated like that.  ???
This abbreviation was used back in 1978 when the film first opened.

This abbreviation was used back in 1978 when the film first opened.
It came out in 77, I think, just in time for starship invasions and return from witch mountain to rip it off. yeah, I remember the abbreviation, but personal computers got hot like the next year and after that having a number with a K after it came to mean thousands of bytes of memory so it sorta looks funny to me now.

Imdb sez

"Also Known As:
CE3K (USA) (informal short title)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Special Edition (USA) (reissue title)
The Close Encounter of the Third Kind (USA) (working title)
Watch the Skies (USA) (working title)
Runtime: 132 min (special edition) / 135 min (70 mm version) / USA:137 min (Collector's Edition) "

so they got your back on that one, philip.
Anybody know what a close encounter of the fourth kind is? it's when they "have their way" with you.

I didn't live in the '70s, but I would say some that really fit the era would be:

Early '70s -
Poseidon Adventure
Towering Inferno
Deliverance
MASH
Dirty Harry
The Last Picture Show

Mid-1970's
Rocky
All the President's Men
Network
Jaws

Late '70s
Star Wars (although set in a different galaxy  ;D )
Saturday Night Fever
Kramer vs. Kramer
Annie Hall

I didn't live in the '70s, but I would say some that really fit the era would be:

Early '70s -
Poseidon Adventure
Towering Inferno
Deliverance
MASH
Dirty Harry
The Last Picture Show

Mid-1970's
Rocky
All the President's Men
Network
Jaws

Late '70s
Star Wars (although set in a different galaxy  ;D )
Saturday Night Fever
Kramer vs. Kramer
Annie Hall

Watch for the remake in the cinemas.

I didn't live in the '70s, but I would say some that really fit the era would be:

Early '70s -
Poseidon Adventure
Towering Inferno
Deliverance
MASH
Dirty Harry
The Last Picture Show

Mid-1970's
Rocky
All the President's Men
Network
Jaws

Late '70s
Star Wars (although set in a different galaxy  ;D )
Saturday Night Fever
Kramer vs. Kramer
Annie Hall



Those are pretty good time capsules of the 70s, although 'Taxi Driver' is probably as essential a 70s 'spirit-capturer' as a film can be...

I would concur with your observance and dam if we didn't start seeing UFO's on a more regular basis after close encounters. We chased one for miles thru Modesto, Califoria, of course we were high as a kite and our ufo ended up being some biplane with advertisement lights on it  ;D


;D :) ;D brilliant

;D :) ;D brilliant
Yeah, brilliant  ;D  we thought we had one for sure.    anyway, I just remembered a movie from 1971 that I believe captures the spirit as well. Billy Jack  that half white, half indian who was a  pacifist, but was always forced to fight to protect the native americans and kids at a peace flower child style commune/school. The local punks and bikers and cops were all bigots and bullies and the message of peace was what Billy Jack wanted, and for the kids of the school to be treated fairly and decently, but he had to kick ass to make peace  :o It was prettty cool that he was a black belt in Hapkido martial arts. good 70's movie

When I think 70s, I think of sexual and spiritual freedoms with lots of blatant flamboyant expressiveness. Here's my picks:

-Vanishing point
-Looking for Mr Goodbar
-Kramer Vs. Kramer
-A piece of the action

When I think 70s, I think of sexual and spiritual freedoms with lots of blatant flamboyant expressiveness. Here's my picks:

-Vanishing point
-Looking for Mr Goodbar
-Kramer Vs. Kramer
-A piece of the action
I've never heard of a piece of the action but those others are great picks. Goodbar is one of my all-time favorites and I just saw vanishing point recently, loved it.

I remember when KvK came out. I think it was PG, we went to see it, I was like eight or nine. EVERYBODY was talking about it at school cuz divorce was this huge topic back then.

I've never heard of a piece of the action but those others are great picks. Goodbar is one of my all-time favorites and I just saw vanishing point recently, loved it.

I remember when KvK came out. I think it was PG, we went to see it, I was like eight or nine. EVERYBODY was talking about it at school cuz divorce was this huge topic back then.



yeah me too, I was 9 when my folks took me to see KvK, I remember asking them why the Dustin Hoffman character had the lady sleep over, my dad told me "because she was sleepy"

A piece of the action is an excellent film, it was released in '77, has James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby and Sydney Poiter in it, a very funky movie, you should have seen Cosby dance in that flick, the man is out of sight!

When I think 70s, I think of sexual and spiritual freedoms with lots of blatant flamboyant expressiveness. Here's my picks:

-Vanishing point

good pick  8)

^although it's no "dirty mary crazy larry." :)

^although it's no "dirty mary crazy larry." :)
another fine flick, wasn't that the one with the chevy impala and Susan George?? she's hot if thats her in DM,CL

another fine flick, wasn't that the one with the chevy impala and Susan George?? she's hot if thats her in DM,CL
Speaking of Susan George, how about Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, it was a masterpiece.

Speaking of Susan George, how about Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, it was a masterpiece.
susan george worked with the dm cl director on a 1970 movie called eyewitness. i have it at home, it's pretty cool.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0066420/

http://www.bargainflix.com/reviews/img/shaft_175x240.jpg

Speaking of Susan George, how about Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, it was a masterpiece.


I have that movie on DVD. Probably one of the most suspenseful movies I can remembering watch in recent memory, although it kind of dragged on a bit early on. Hoffman was great as usual.

straw dogs is amazing, a real classic. grueling, though. i love it when hoss gets some payback at the end, it's like the ultimate revenge flick.

it's funny, though susan george turns up in a lot of movies i like, i don't think she's a very talented actress. charismatic, but in terms of craft she's kinda an amateur.

straw dogs is amazing, a real classic. grueling, though. i love it when hoss gets some payback at the end, it's like the ultimate revenge flick.

it's funny, though susan george turns up in a lot of movies i like, i don't think she's a very talented actress. charismatic, but in terms of craft she's kinda an amateur.


I thought she was very amatuerish in 'Straw Dogs' - part of my frustration in the film was directed at her character. I mean, even nerdy Dustin Hoffman could do better than a whiny, spoilt, little biatch who was silly enough to lead those brain-dead ogres on...My favourite scene was when that old guy is about to invade the house with a shotgun, and Hoffman intercedes at the last minute, resulting in the old man shooting his own foot. Classic!

I thought she was very amatuerish in 'Straw Dogs' - part of my frustration in the film was directed at her character. I mean, even nerdy Dustin Hoffman could do better than a whiny, spoilt, little biatch who was silly enough to lead those brain-dead ogres on...My favourite scene was when that old guy is about to invade the house with a shotgun, and Hoffman intercedes at the last minute, resulting in the old man shooting his own foot. Classic!
i remember that! there was some retrospective in like fangoria or soemthign about the bit where that dude's foot gets shot off. it's all gnarly and gross and stuff.

gotta check out "cross of iron" for some vintage 70s peckinpah. (i'm pretty sure it was 70s.) apparently he was hanging around the set of "apple dumpling gang" or "hot lead and cold feet" or somewhere and ended up offering don knotts a role in an upcoming western he wanted to do. never happened, but i'd have LOVED to see don knotts in a serious role in a peckinpah western, that would have been so unbelievable. i bet it'd have been like jerry lewis in "king of comedy."

Jaws...the battle of authority, the environmentalism...the fishy smell

Does anyone know of any good documentaries that really capture the society and times of the 1970s?

In terms of Australian films, the F.J. Holden (1977) is probably the best document for anyone interested about how it was to grow up in the 'burbs in the late 70s.

^although it's no "dirty mary crazy larry." :)

Where can I find "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry"? I've been dying to see that movie again for years. The studios would not issue it on video, and I don't know why. It must be around somewhere, maybe pirated on DVD. I've said before the '70s had the best car chase movies. The cinema technology was ready for it, and you can't beat a big American '70s V8 engine roadboat for peeling rubber and crashing off bridges:
"Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry"
"Vanishing Point"
"Smokey & the Bandit"
"White Lightning."
"The Blues Brothers" (1980, technically, but the orgasm of the car chase movie build-up throughout the '70s.)

Anybody mention Cheech & Chong "Up In Smoke"?

More than a stoner movie, this was a California movie, a tour of SoCal subcultures of the hippies, the Chicanos, and even the nascent punk scene via bands in the "Rock Fight."

Trivia: Harry Dean Stanton had a bit part in UIS, but his scenes got left on the cutting room floor. Too bad, eh?

The other Cheech & Chong movies were half-baked (no pun intended) ribald comedy scenes thrown together with no cohesion!

dirty mary crazy larry is now out on DVD with a very cool commentary track by john hough!  :) you can get it on netflix.

dirty mary crazy larry is now out on DVD with a very cool commentary track by john hough!  :) you can get it on netflix.


As I recall second-run theaters were showing DMCL as a double-feature with "Vanishing Point," and they are a perfect double feature. Same car chase theme, same muscle car (Dodge Charger, different model year, though) and same type of explosive crash ending (DMCL--freight train, VP--bulldozers).
DMCL should run first in your double feature because it's lighter and more comedic. VP should go second because it's much more intense and plays on more complex themes.

And there goes the Challenger, being chased by the blue, blue meanies on wheels. The vicious traffic squad cars are after our lone driver, the last American hero, the electric centaur, the, the demi-god, the super driver of the golden west! Two nasty Nazi cars are close behind the beautiful lone driver. The police numbers are gettin' closer, closer, closer to our soul hero, in his soul mobile, yeah baby! They about to strike. They gonna get him. Smash him. Rape...the last beautiful free soul on this planet.
--Cleavon Little's DJ Super Soul

Kelly's Heroes

Kelly's Heroes
Certainly released in 1970, but the film is WW2 based so it is not depicting the 70s.

Certainly released in 1970, but the film is WW2 based so it is not depicting the 70s.


Obviously the subject matter isnt of that decade, but the treatment of that subject matter I think was very much so.

turns out the car in vanishing point is actually a dodge challenger. a little less flashy looking than the charger, but still just about as fast. they WOULD make a good double feature, and yes, vanishing point is much more ambitious.