The Golden Age of American Cinema: Best Films of the 1970s

[Seneca]

The 70's was a return to the comic-book mentality of the 30's serials (Star Wars, Indiana Jones). It may have been great pap, but it was still pap.

That's hardly the whole story (or even an accurate one, since Indiana Jones was 80's...) - between Bonnie and Clyde and Heaven's Gate there was an almost constant stream of gritty, realistic, sassy, socially aware films like Taxi Driver, Deliverance, well, most of the films listed, really...

[Zopperoni]

Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola:

[Tolls]

No Clint films?
Where's Dirty Harry??



...or more likely Play Misty For Me...

The Conversation was on TV again a few days ago (late on a school night...bah!). Great film.

Of the ones that are up there I'd go for Cuckoo's Nest. One of the few films where Nicholson doesn't look like he's only there for the pay cheque...and he puts in a top performance.

[Grandpa Troll]

I thought the list a several excellent selections. I am a BIGTIME George C. Scott Fan and one movie not mentioned that was an excellent film:


THE NEW CENTURIONS 1972 if I remember correctly

It also featured Stacey Keach and a young Erik Estrada (Hey..an even younger Erick Estrada was in the Movie Midway..brief shot on deck of the ship with Charleton Heston son in Movie)
I remember it also had Issabel Sanford from the Jefferson

and James B. Sikking from Hills Street Blues


Also Clifton James..whom was in a large number of films..such as Cool hand Luke



Troll

[Lars-E]

Foxy Brown.

[Joseph]

...And Justice for All - don't remember
Annie Hall - did not see
Apocalypse Now - to far out
Chinatown - OK
A Clockwork Orange - stupid
Close Encounters of the Third Kind -A great movie
The Deer Hunter - did not like it.
Dog Day Afternoon - boring
The Exorcist - OK
The French Connection - good movie
The Godfather - A great movie
The Godfather Part II - same
Jaws - good movie
The last Pictur Show -OK
MASH - good movie
Nashville - Never saw it
Network - OK
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Saw the live play in SF, a great play
Patton - great movie
Rocky - OK
Saturday Night Fever - don't watch it.
Star Wars - great movie
Taxi Driver - don't watch it.
Other (Specify

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Seneca


That's hardly the whole story (or even an accurate one, since Indiana Jones was 80's...) - between Bonnie and Clyde and Heaven's Gate there was an almost constant stream of gritty, realistic, sassy, socially aware films like Taxi Driver, Deliverance, well, most of the films listed, really...

Raiders Of The Lost Ark was late 70s...

[Alexander's Horse]

...And Justice for All - crap - only Americans find those films credible

Annie Hall - films like that make me vomit

Apocalypse Now - brilliant - huge impact on my generation - like Fight Club on generation y - could once recite the whole script. The film only just manages to be credible however - could have been a howler.

Chinatown - Probably the best of the list - haunting

A Clockwork Orange - strangely I've never seen it

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - too cheesy

The Deer Hunter - Outstanding - top 3 - I always cry when the guy making the omlette cries

Dog Day Afternoon - Not bad - Pacino gave a good performance - he was either good or terrible

The Exorcist - Good for a laugh

The French Connection - not bad - excellent car chase

The Godfather - Good flick but teeters on the edge of self parody - I laugh a lot watching it.

The Godfather Part II - better than the first - chilling

Jaws - Okay for what it was

The last Picture Show - Puhlease! Did that have Tatum O'neill?

MASH - above average but only amusing

Nashville - Huh?

Network - Nah.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - this film and Nurse Ratchett have a lot to answer for - put the mentally ill on the streets.

Patton - I liked it when I was 12 - not now. Silly movie.

Rocky - Bleck! Can't stand Stalone.

Saturday Night Fever - saw it recently - better than I remember, excellent period flick.

Star Wars - entertainign but hugely overrated

Taxi Driver - Oh yes - very good film


You Missed:

Disaster movies: Towering Inferno, Poisedon Adventure - this was the decade for them

Investigative movies: The China Syndrome etc.

Remember "sensurround" I saw The Battle Midway in a creaking theatre

Comedies: No Mel Brooks? Blazing saddles, was that 70's? The caper movies - The Sting..., The Great Race and so on.

Cop films: You got French Connnection, what about Serpico? Dirty Harry?

Westerns: John Wayne did some of his most intersting work - The Shootist is my favorite. Bonny and Clyde springs to mind as a movie that might have made the list - its really a Western.

It was a great era for movies, no doubt about it. Going to the movies still meant something then. I went every week as a kid.

Also All the President's Men and that flick where Dustin Hoffman gets tortured by Lawrence Olivier with a dentist's drill - Marathon Man

The Deep should be in there just for Jacqueline Bisset's tits

But Chinatown was probably the best - it had a lot of depth, I found it moving.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
...And Justice for All - crap - only Americans find those films credible

Annie Hall - films like that make me vomit

Apocalypse Now - brilliant - huge impact on my generation - like Fight Club on generation y - could once recite the whole script. The film only just manages to be credible however - could have been a howler.

Chinatown - Probably the best of the list - haunting

A Clockwork Orange - strangely I've never seen it

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - too cheesy

The Deer Hunter - Outstanding - top 3 - I always cry when the guy making the omlette cries

Dog Day Afternoon - Not bad - Pacino gave a good performance - he was either good or terrible

The Exorcist - Good for a laugh

The French Connection - not bad - excellent car chase

The Godfather - Good flick but teeters on the edge of self parody - I laugh a lot watching it.

The Godfather Part II - better than the first - chilling

Jaws - Okay for what it was

The last Picture Show - Puhlease! Did that have Tatum O'neill?

MASH - above average but only amusing

Nashville - Huh?

Network - Nah.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - this film and Nurse Ratchett have a lot to answer for - put the mentally ill on the streets.

Patton - I liked it when I was 12 - not now. Silly movie.

Rocky - Bleck! Can't stand Stalone.

Saturday Night Fever - saw it recently - better than I remember, excellent period flick.

Star Wars - entertainign but hugely overrated

Taxi Driver - Oh yes - very good film


You Missed:

Disaster movies: Towering Inferno, Poisedon Adventure - this was the decade for them

Investigative movies: The China Syndrome etc.

Remember "sensurround" I saw The Battle Midway in a creaking theatre

Comedies: No Mel Brooks? Blazing saddles, was that 70's? The caper movies - The Sting..., The Great Race and so on.

Cop films: You got French Connnection, what about Serpico? Dirty Harry?

Westerns: John Wayne did some of his most intersting work - The Shootist is my favorite. Bonny and Clyde springs to mind as a movie that might have made the list - its really a Western.

It was a great era for movies, no doubt about it. Going to the movies still meant something then. I went every week as a kid.

Also All the President's Men and that flick where Dustin Hoffman gets tortured by Lawrence Olivier with a dentist's drill - Marathon Man

The Deep should be in there just for Jacqueline Bisset's tits

But Chinatown was probably the best - it had a lot of depth, I found it moving.

Well..Mr.AH..I usually tend to be slighlty amused and often even I tend to agree with your opinions on some matters..


HOWEVER...On your comment..Patton being a Silly Movie..

Patton, In 1970's Academy Awards won a Total of 8 Academy Awards..

Including BEST PICTURE

Now..maybe you didnt like it..Opinions are just that..but really..Silly doesnt exactly do it justice...but maybe thats an Aussie Term I am not privy too....

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
Raiders Of The Lost Ark was late 70s...

Early 80's not 70's.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Troll

Patton, In 1970's Academy Awards won a Total of 8 Academy Awards..

Yes many silly and forgotten movies have received bagfuls of academy awards. Their record on identifying great movies of artistic merit and lasting influence is terrible.

[Dauphin]

Invasion of the body snatchers.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
Invasion of the body snatchers.

Ah yes - horror - another category completely missed. The Shining was my favorite

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Keep going. It was the 60's when social issues were dealt with (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; Butterflies are Free; In the Heat of the Night).

The 70's was a return to the comic-book mentality of the 30's serials (Star Wars, Indiana Jones). It may have been great pap, but it was still pap.

Oh please; 'Guess' and 'In the Heat' hardly touch on race issues, except in the most patronising way. Look, Sidney Poitier is a saint, and he's black! You can let your daughter marry him/children be taught by him/meter be read by him.... Gah. The sixties was also a comic book era- Man From Uncle films, Bond films, Matt Helm, Our Man Flint, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello beach party films, obligatory 'Swingin' London' films (groovy baby! Yeah!)

Douglas Sirk dealt with race and its implications in a more adult (if lush) way in the fifties- try 'Imitation of Life'.

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/18/18_lana.html

[Seneca]

Raiders was 1981, I think you'll find, and kindly don't deign to question those who were around to actually see it