I think the period between "Bonnie and Clyde" in '68 and "Apocalypse Now" in '79 produced the best movies Hollywood has ever made. O.K. I know there were some great ones in the thirties, especially '39, and the '40's and '50's. But the early '70's unleashed some serious talent on the world.
  My picks for the best of the decade: '70: Patton. '71: The French Connection. '72: The Godfather. '73: American Graffiti. '74: toss-up between Chinatown and Godfather II. '75: Jaws ( I hate to pick this one because it started the whole "blockbuster" mentality in Hollywood that eventually killed the smaller, better movies. There were also a couple of other good ones...Dog Day Afternoon and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but having said all that...Jaws is still a great movie. '76: Network ( It pretty much predicted our current T.V. era..."I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore"...and yes, Rocky was pretty good). '77: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Speilberg pulls out all the stops and creates a great movie out of his imagination...on a smaller scale...Annie Hall was  good). '78: The Deer Hunter. '79: The Black Stallion. Apocalypse Now was very, very good...but The Black Stallion is perfect. If you haven't seen it, rent it immediately.
  O.K., so those are my choices, what're yours?

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/given/rb/tyd-door.jpg

IMO the eighties was a better movie decade overall than the seventies.  That being said, here's some favorites from the decade.  I'm partial to comedies, so favorites of mine include: Animal House, Smokey and the Bandit, The Entertainer, and Silver Streak.  Star Wars was pretty awesome, although I really didn't get into it until a few years after the fact. 

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/given/rb/tyd-door.jpg



I was thinking the same thing.


My pick (no order):

Star Wars
Close Encounters
Young Frankenstein
Animal House
Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Fiddler on the Roof
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
The Sting
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Grease


BTW, here is one list of the top 100 movies of the decade. I don't agree with it because I never liked the Godfather movies-but that is just my personal opinion. I know MANY people who love the movies-including my husband.


http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_70s.html



Cat

Among those I like:
The Sting
Grease
Towering Inferno
Kramer Vs Kramer
Chinatown
Godfather (Part I)
Deer Hunter

we agree with robby76 & Cat  http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S0202PGwpLcRUAVNCjzbkF/SIG=12k3bcb9m/EXP=1259040015/**http%3A//artfiles.art.com/images/-/Star-Wars-Magnet-C11750468.jpeg

 

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S020xoGwpLetYAd3OjzbkF/SIG=13q1ca9l6/EXP=1259039976/**http%3A//a1259.g.akamai.net/f/1259/5586/1d/images.art.com/images/-/Star-Wars-Movie-Poster-C10053847.jpeg

there were many great movies in the 70's, but in my humble opinion, this one is the greatest

Am I the only one who didn't really like Star Wars that much?

I am a bi fan of films from the 70s..all countries.  I think we were on the edge of a lot of technological discoveries.  This makes film watching pretty fun.

I also thought that acting was taken seriously by a good number of great actors then. 

Although I agree that many of the movies from that era are goofy and poorly made, I like them, too.  I especially like some of the british films that came from the 70s. 

good thread!

One interesting factor to remember that may have impacted 70's movies: this was the first decade where the MPAA rating system was widely used.  Before that, films were not rated.  The introduction of the MPAA rating system had a definite impact on the content of movies.

Nothing special, just films that made an impact on me and changed the way I saw and see films today...

American Graffiti
Dirty Harry
Star Wars
Taxi Driver
Chinatown
Dog Day Afternoon
The Godfather (I & II)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
A Clockwork Orange
Vanishing Point
Jaws
Blazing Saddles
The Exorcist
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Apart from the obvious Star Wars, I also liked American Graffiti and More American Graffiti.  It was more or less a 'Happy Days' for the big screen, which in some way makes no sense because 'Happy Days' was based on American Graffiti LOL

Mine are:


The Poseidon Adventure
Five Easy Pieces
Taxi Driver
Alien
Papillon
Carrie
The getaway (1972)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Earthquake

Apart from the obvious Star Wars, I also liked American Graffiti and More American Graffiti.  It was more or less a 'Happy Days' for the big screen, which in some way makes no sense because 'Happy Days' was based on American Graffiti LOL



That is not true. Apart from the fact that they took place in the 50s & both had Ron Howard & Cindy Williams in them, they were really nothing alike. Happy Days actually started in 1972 on Love American Style in a segment called "Love and the Happy Days" which had much of the same cast as the show when it premiered in 1974 (Howard & Joanie were different). American Graffiti premiered in between in 1973.

During the 70s, there was a big 50s revival thing going on. Grease also came out during this time-first as a play on Broadway and then as a movie. Many schools had sock hops, 50s music & fashions were in vogue, etc. etc. 



Cat

That is not true. Apart from the fact that they took place in the 50s & both had Ron Howard & Cindy Williams in them, they were really nothing alike. Happy Days actually started in 1972 on Love American Style in a segment called "Love and the Happy Days" which had much of the same cast as the show when it premiered in 1974 (Howard & Joanie were different). American Graffiti premiered in between in 1973.

During the 70s, there was a big 50s revival thing going on. Grease also came out during this time-first as a play on Broadway and then as a movie. Many schools had sock hops, 50s music & fashions were in vogue, etc. etc. 

Cat

I saw that epidose of Love American Style ( great theme song too). I need to buy that on DVD. I liked that show.
Altho I was in school in the 70s, we didn't have any sock hops. Sadly.

That is not true. Apart from the fact that they took place in the 50s & both had Ron Howard & Cindy Williams in them, they were really nothing alike. Happy Days actually started in 1972 on Love American Style in a segment called "Love and the Happy Days" which had much of the same cast as the show when it premiered in 1974 (Howard & Joanie were different). American Graffiti premiered in between in 1973.

During the 70s, there was a big 50s revival thing going on. Grease also came out during this time-first as a play on Broadway and then as a movie. Many schools had sock hops, 50s music & fashions were in vogue, etc. etc. 



Cat


And here I thought that LAS episode aired after American Graffiti.  Whatever website I was reading had incorrect information LOL

And here I thought that LAS episode aired after American Graffiti.  Whatever website I was reading had incorrect information LOL



I just went to IMDB and searched Ron Howard's profile since he was in all of them. 



Cat

There are lots of good movies from the '70s!

Like this one
(sorry about the sound quality, it's the best vid I could find)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVn6Yz9W-ng

(Ah...A bear in his natural habitat -- a Studebaker!)

  Ah, Fozzie and Kermit.  Those were the days...

Complete movies at links below...

They Call Me Trinity {1970}

http://www.classiccinemaonline.com/cinema/sp-western/theycallmetrinity.html


Trinity Is Still My Name {1971}

http://www.classiccinemaonline.com/cinema/sp-western/trinityisstillmyname.html



Dan

  http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1193336/SupermanOpeningSequence.jpg

  This movie is so great that even the opening sequence is great.  The wooshing credits was the most utterly awesome thing I'd ever seen up to that point, and is still kicka$$ today.  It's the dazzling effect coupled with the unbearable expectation.  I still get a lump in my throat when I watch this...

  Can ya give me a HELL YEAH!...?

   http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1193336/SupermanOpeningSequence.jpg

   This movie is so great that even the opening sequence is great.  The wooshing credits was the most utterly awesome thing I'd ever seen up to that point, and is still kicka$$ today.  It's the dazzling effect coupled with the unbearable expectation.  I still get a lump in my throat when I watch this...

   Can ya give me a HELL YEAH!...?


Superman?

Yeah, the opening seq was different, but Superman II was a way much better movie with Gene Hackman & Ned Beatty.

Remember the Superman movie original song?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyInno0Jxeg

Superman?

Yeah, the opening seq was different, but Superman II was a way much better movie with Gene Hackman & Ned Beatty.

Remember the Superman movie original song?



  Really?  You like Supes II better?  I like them both but I gotta give the edge to The Movie, possibly because I was crazed over it.  By the time II was released I had turned my attention elsewhere.  Barely noticed it...

  Can You Read My Mind.  You betcha I remember it.  The love theme from that score warms me ol' heart... :)

What About Chris Makepeace?

Breaking Away

and

My Boduguard

Last time I checked, you can watch "Kramer vs. Kramer" in those 10 minute segments on Youtube.  So I did.  Hoffman's a great actor in anything, but then you've got Meryl Streep running around like a frightened bird and she's soooo elegant and soooo exquisitely gorgeous you end up feeling sad for her too...even though she was a TOTAL sh*theels to her husband and her son (I mean her character in the movie). 
::)

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
White Lightning
Carrie
The Exorcist
Star Wars
Freaky Friday
The Godfather 1,2,and 3
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Halloween

http://bibliotecadefilme.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/a-clockwork-orange-poster.jpg

to free associate:

1970 Patton
1971 THX1138
1972 Deliverance
1973 Westworld
1974 The Conversation
1975 Dog Day Afternoon
1976 The Song Remains The Same
1977 Looking for Mr Goodbar
1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1979 Time After Time

More good ones from the '70s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQMjrGnGHDY
Annie Hall (1977)

From a spider the size of a Buick, black soap and Minstrel shows to this 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu1TZVX72Aw
"I just hope we don't see no Muslims"
Silverstreak  (1976)

And since it's Christmas time and a new year is coming, this is a popular film in Russia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdNYGETsoWg
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath (1975)