1970s Films
- Justacinephile
- Jul 9, 2020
- 7 min read
9 July 2020
Pam Grier in "Jackie Brown" (1997) by Quentin Tarantino
Why I love films from the 1970s
Since starting to watch film, I’ve enjoyed international movies from the 1970s. In the U.S.A., the rating restrictions loosened, allowing films to feature more language, adult content, sexuality, and violence in film; this allowed for the expressiveness and ambition of film to widen and grow (AMC Film Site). New possibilities in film making, new story-telling techniques, and various artistic options came about during this decade; many of these were influenced by the European “New Wave” movements in the 1950s and 1960s (Indie Film Hustle).
This decade introduced some of the most influential and commercially successful films people still celebrate today such as “Star Wars”, “Jaws”, “The Godfather”, “The Exorcist”, and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (AMC Film Site). Their influence shines through in Star Wars films still being made, summer blockbusters still being enjoyed, organized crime films still being produced, the horror genre still developing, and extraterrestrial films are still enjoyable. These films are re-watchable (with the exception of “The Exorcist” – this film still creeps me out and I’ve only seen it twice).
Some of my favorite films were made in the 1970s: “The Godfather: Part I”, “The Godfather Part II”, “Star Wars”, “Alien”, “Apocalypse Now”, “Taxi Driver”, “A Clockwork Orange”, “Annie Hall”, “The Exorcist”, “Drunken Master”, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, “Serpico”, “Blazing Saddles”, and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” I believe these films cover almost every film genre out there; this speaks to the depth and breadth of filmmakers’ abilities in the 1970s. My favorite director, Quentin Tarantino, is heavily influenced by cinema from this decade; martial arts, blaxploitation, exploitation, western, action, horror, and more inspired his film career.
Two types of films made in the 1970s continue to intrigue, confound, and excite me: horror and blaxploitation. (Colored titles contain a link to a film trailer).
Horror films such as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” which made it into my Top 100 list a few years ago, still haunts me because of the film making methods, cool storytelling, and iconic creepy scenes. Not long after seeing “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” I was treated by “The Last House on the Left” which still leaves a mark on me today with its horror in the daylight sequences and unforgettable conclusion. I later viewed the sweet and bloody combination of music and horror featured in Jim Sharman’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show” with the memorable Tim Curry and the brilliant Susan Sarandon. A film in my Top 10 films, is “Alien” made by the illustrious Ridley Scott. By combining horror and science fiction, Scott pushed the boundaries of storytelling, production design, and mystery. A film which creeps me out more than any 1970s horror film is “The Wicker Man” with the dedicated Edward Woodward and the terrific and super-talented, Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. Finally, horror in the 1970s cannot be discussed without mentioning John Carpenter’s “Halloween” which gave the world the iconic Michael Myers and the scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Blaxploitation films are in a subgenre of exploitation films. Exploitation films, given the nature of name, exploit current trends, niche genres, and lurid content; they are largely considered “B” or grindhouse movies and attract critical attention and cult followings (Screen Rant). Examples of exploitation films are “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”, “Beyond the Valley of Dolls”, “Sleepaway Camp”, and “Blood Feast.”
I’ve enjoyed Blaxploitation films for quite a while; these are films originally made by black people for black audiences in response to the lack of films featuring black people in major roles (Screen Rant). I think my first blaxploitation film was a tribute to the genre made by Quentin Tarantino called “Jackie Brown”; since I learned about its history, I was hooked on seeing authentic blaxploitation films. I started off with “Super Fly” and “Cleopatra Jones.” This year, I saw a string of films such as “Coffy”, “Foxy Brown”, “Ganja and Hess”, “Across 110th Street”, “Shaft”, and “Dolemite.” I was drawn to “Dolemite” after seeing the biographical film, “Dolemite is My Name” featuring the fantastic Eddie Murphy. I enjoy blaxploitation films because they are unlike many films I previously viewed; the production design, storytelling, acting, and costume designs are brilliantly unique to this genre.
There is criticism of blaxploitation films, stemming from Junius Griffin, the former head of the NAACP-Los Angeles in the early 1970s because of the less-than-positive messages depicted in blaxploitation films; his influence contributed to its demise (Viddy-Well). However, with the genre being almost fifty years old, I agree with many film lovers as blaxploitation films empowered black people and enabled progress; before the 1970s, black actors were depicted as sidekicks or victims (Viddy-Well). Yes, some negative stereotypes arose from the genre. Above all, black voices were seen and heard at the forefront on the big screen. From “Super Fly,” an entire fashion movement was born. Pam Grier became a prominent actress in Hollywood. The story of Shaft still continues today. Blaxploitation cinema helped influence hip-hop. From this era of cinema, black filmmakers of all kinds, found energy, enthusiasm, and voice.
This is my love letter to 1970s films. As you can tell by the extensive list below, I have a soft spot for cinema from this decade. There are hundreds of films to see and I cannot wait! If you have any 1970s cinema recommendations, please send me them.
Sources:
List of Films (Name, Year, Main Actor) – 157 films, so far
A Clockwork Orange (1971) Malcolm McDowell
Across 110th Street (1972) Anthony Quinn
Act of Vengeance (1974) Jo Ann Harris
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) Ellen Burstyn
Alien (1979) Tom Skerrit
All the President's Men (1976) Robert Redford
American Graffiti (1973) Richard Dreyfus
…And Justice for All (1979) Al Pacino
Animal House (1978) John Belushi
Annie Hall (1977) Diane Keaton
Apocalypse Now (1979) Martin Sheen
The Arena (1974) Margaret Markov
The Aristocats (1970) Phil Harris
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) Austin Stoker
A Star is Born (1976) Barbara Streisand
Bad Lieutenant (1992) Harvey Kietel
Barry Lyndon (1975) Ryan O'Neal
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) Angela Lansbury
Beware! The Blob! (1972) Robert Walker Jr.
Big Bad Mama (1974) Angie Dickinson
Black Stallion (1979) Kelly Reno
Blazing Saddles (1974) Cleavon Little
Bloody Mama (1970) Shelley Winters
Bonnie's Kids (1973) Tiffany Bolling
Cabaret (1972) Liza Minnelli
Caged Heat (1974) Juanita Brown
Caligula (1979) Malcolm McDowell
Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) Horst Janson
Carrie (1976) Sissy Spacek
The Cassandra Crossing (1976) Sophia Loren
Charlotte’s Web (1973) Debbie Reynolds
Chinatown (1974) Jack Nicholson
Cleopatra Jones (1973) Tamara Dobson
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Richard Dreyfuss
The Conversation (1974) Gene Hackman
The Count of Monte Cristo (1974) Richard Chamberlain
Count Dracula (1970) Christopher Lee
Coffy (1973) Pam Grier
Convoy (1978) Kris Kristofferson
Dawn of the Dead (1978) David Emge
Death Race 2000 (1975) David Carradine
Death Wish (1974) Charles Bronson
The Deer Hunter (1978) Robert DeNiro
Deliverance (1972) Burt Reynolds
Diamonds are Forever (1971) Sean Connery
Dillinger (1973) Warren Oates
Dirty Harry (1971) Clint Eastwood
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Al Pacino
Dolemite (1975) Rudy Ray Moore
Drunken Master (1978) Jackie Chan
Eaten Alive (1976) Neville Brand
The Electric Horseman (1979) Robert Redford
Enter the Dragon (1973) Bruce Lee
Escape from Alcatraz (1979) Clint Eastwood
The Exorcist (1973) Ellen Burstyn
Firepower (1979) Sophia Loren
Fist of Fury (1972) Bruce Lee
Five Fingers of Death (1972) Leih Lo
Foxy Brown (1974) Pam Grier
The French Connection (1971) Gene Hackman
Frenzy (1972) Jon Finch
Ganja and Hess (1973) Duane Jones
Gator (1976) Burt Reynolds
Gas Pump Girls (1979) Kirsten Baker
Get Carter (1971) Michael Caine
The Godfather Part I (1972) Marlon Brando
The Godfather Part II (1974) Al Pacino
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) John Phillip Law
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) Ronald Halicki
Grease (1978) John Travolta
The Great Gatsby (1974) Robert Redford
The Great Train Robbery (1978) Sean Connery
Halloween (1978) Donald Pleasence
Hannie Caulder (1971) Racquel Welch
High Anxiety (1977) Mel Brooks
High Plains Drifter (1973) Clint Eastwood
The Hitchhikers (1972) Misty Rowe
The Hobbit (1977) Orson Bean
The Hot Rock (1972) Robert Redford
Il Giardino die Finzi Contini (1970) Dominique Sanda
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) Donald Sutherland
Jaws (1975) Rob Scheider
Jaws 2 (1978) Rob Scheider
The Jerk (1979) Steve Martin
Jeremiah Johnson (1972) Robert Redfort
King Kong (1976) Jeff Daniels
Kramer Vs Kramer (1979) Dustin Hoffman
The Last House on the Left (1972) Sandra Peabody
Let's Do It Again (1975) Sidney Poitier
Little Big Man (1970) Dustin Hoffman
Live and Let Die (1973) Roger Moore
Logan's Run (1976) Michael York
Love Story (1970) Ryan O'Neal
Mad Max (1979) Mel Gibson
Magnum Force (1973) Clint Eastwood
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Roger Moore
Manhattan (1979) Woody Allen
Marathon Man (1976) Dustin Hoffman
M.A.S.H. (1972) Alan Alda
Mean Streets (1973) Harvey Keitel
Meatballs (1979) Bill Murray
The Mechanic (1972) Charles Bronson
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Graham Chapman
Moonraker (1979) Roger Moore
Mr. Majestyk (1974) Charles Bronson
Murder on Flight 502 (1975) Farrah Fawcett
Murder on the Oriental Express (1974) Albert Finney
The Muthers (1976) Jeannie Bell
Network (1976) Faye Dunaway
1941 (1979) John Belushi
Obsession (1976) Cliff Robertson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Jack Nicholson
The Omen (1976) Gregory Peck
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) Clint Eastwood
Patton (1970) George C. Scott
Pete’s Dragon (1977) Sean Marshall
Play It Again, Sam (1972) Woody Allen
Robin Hood (1973) Brian Bedford
Rocky (1976) Sylvester Stallone
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Tim Curry
Saturday Night Fever (1977) John Travolta
Serpico (1973) Al Pacino
Shaft (1971) Richard Roundtree
Shoot (1976) Cliff Robertson
Silver Streak (1976) Gene Wilder
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) Patrick Wayne
Sleuth (1972) Michael Caine
Soylent Green (1973) Charlton Heston
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) Burt Reynolds
The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) Ana Torrent
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Roger Moore
Starcrash (1979) Caroline Munro
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Mark Hamill
The Stepford Wives (1975) Katharine Ross
The Sting (1973) Paul Newman
Super Fly (1972) Ron O’Neal
Swept Away (1974) Giancarlo Giannini
The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974) Jo Johnston
Taxi Driver (1976) Robert De Niro
The Teacher (1974) Angel Tompkins
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Marilyn Burns
3 Days of the Condor (1975) Robert Redford
The Thirty Sixth Chamber of Shaolin (1978) Lieh Lo
THX 1138 (1971) Robert Duvall
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) Clint Eastwood
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) Martin Balsam
The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971) Jon Finch
An Unmarried Woman (1978) Paul Mazursky
Up! (1974) Elain Collins
Walking Tall (1973) Joe Don Baker
Walking Tall II (1975) Bo Svenson
Walking Tall: Final Chapter (1977) Bo Svenson
The Warriors (1979) Michael Beck
White Lightning (1973) Burt Reynolds
The Wicker Man (1973) Edward Woodward
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) Gene Wilder
Young Frankenstein (1974) Gene Wilder
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