Although I'm a big fan of cinema from the 1920s-1940s, perhaps my favorite decades involving American films, but, even I must admit, the 1970s were an amazing decade. Perhaps the last great decade in American cinema.But it wasn't just American cinema that proved to be exceptional. Even international cinema was creating masterpiece after masterpiece. There must have been something in the water!
In America, what could have caused it? Did artist feel repressed by the Nixon and Ford administrations? Nixon was suppose to be a big movie buff. But the films of the 1970s just seemed to reflect the American conscience of the times. Nixon spoke of a "silent majority", it very well may have existed, but the problem with a "silent majority" is that, well, they are "silent". The 1970s represents a time of liberal uprising. Anti-war protesters. Draft card burners. Feminist activist. These issues found there way in American films during the period. Outrage at the political system, at Vietnam. Films at that time were truly a reflection of the world. Today, I don't know what the Hell is going on. These filmmakers are wasting my time. Cinema in the 80s for example played it so safe. Where are the daring bold films of that decade?
Think of all the great talents which started to come into their own in the 1970s. Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Robert Altman and Peter Bogdanovich. And what about the great international filmmakers? Old pros such as Ingmar Bergman were still alive and Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci. We saw the emergence of German New Wave cinema and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The Hungarian New Wave was just coming to its end.
It was such an exciting time. To be alive during the 70s and to have been able to see these classic films on the big screen. To have been in an environment where people actually discussed cinema intelligently and mentioned filmmakers like Truffaut, Godard, Kurosawa and films such as "Last Tango in Paris" (1972) and "The Godfather".
When I knew I was going to make this list I sort of dreaded it. There were simply too many films to limit a list to ten. So I made a runner's up list. But I still left great films off the list. Every film on the runner's up list could have easily been on the first ten best list. In fact the runner's up list is almost just as satisfying as the original top ten.
Making this list I tried to do something different. With my list of the 80s and 90s I listed the films in alphabetical order. This time I'm going to try and list them in order of preference. I'm sure tomorrow when I look at the list I'll regret putting my number 6 choice before number 5 and number 3 before number 4 and so forth. But the bottom-line is, these are great films of the decade. If you haven't seen all of the films on the list, honestly, what are you waiting for? Each is a classic.
And that is ultimately the important thing about this list and the films of the 1970s. So many films have stood the test of time. That is what makes a film great. Not what a bunch of critics say. Even if every critic bashed a movie but 30 years later we are still talking about, guess what? Screw the critics. Clearly the film was able to reach out to be people and resonant with them. That's one of the things which makes a film great. Being able to connect with people. That's largely why I made the cut off point for my "Masterpiece Film Series" to be the 70s. These films have been around long enough to be important. Anything after that hasn't really been tested by time. Oh sure, there are a small handful of films which the public often considers great films but by and large it is too soon. Films of the 1980s did not have the cultural influence of the 70s.
Here now is my list for the best films of the 1970s:
1. (TIE) THE GODFATHER/ THE GODFATHER PART II (1972/ 1974 Dir. Francis Ford Coppola; U.S.) - Arguably two of the greatest American films ever made. What Coppola was able to do with these films is still trying to be attempted by filmmakers today. His ability to create characters, whom despite how flawed they are, resonate so deeply with us. How often do we find ourselves justifying the actions of gangsters and promoting violence. All of a sudden we are saying the most awful things. "Well, he had to kill him", "I would have done the same".
These films have become the stuff of legend. By now everyone knows the background stories. Coppola was not the original choice to direct. The producers and studio was ready to fire him at any moment. They disapproved of his cast, especially Marlon Brando. Every actor in Hollywood auditioned for the role of Michael Corleone.
But despite all the problems, somehow this adaption of Mario Puzo's novel, worked. Everything came together. You couldn't change one frame of this film.
The first "Godfather" was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 3, "Best Picture", "Best Actor" and "Best Screenplay". The second film, which gave us Robert DeNiro and Lee Strasberg, went on to earned 11 Oscar nominations also but walked away with 6 including "Best Picture", "Director", and "Supporting Actor (DeNiro)". Oddly enough Coppola lost the directing Oscar for the first film to Bob Fosse for "Cabaret" (1972).
2. (TIE) ANNIE HALL/ MANHATTAN (1977/1979 Dir. Woody Allen; U.S.) - Besides "The Godfather" films what else managed to represent the time period as well as these two classic Woody Allen comedies? "Annie Hall" set the standard of the modern romantic comedy. It is probably the most influential screen romance since "Casablanca" (1943). Look at the fashion in the film. The political views. Even the social message. Allen managed to show a true reflection of the sexual/political/social hangups of a generation. This is of course in addition to being one very funny movie. It probably has the best performance Allen has ever given. Definitely his most typical.
"Manhattan" I've always thought of as the "sister" to "Annie Hall". It is more stylize however. It has better cinematography by the great Gordon Willis and a fantastic Gershwin score. I'd even say it is the more romantic of the two. But it is a continuation of the classic Allen persona as well as a view into 1970s society and its fleeting values.
"Annie Hall" went on to earn 5 Oscar nominations winning four including "Best Picture", "Director" and "Screenplay" while "Manhattan" went on to win 2 Oscar nominations for its screenplay, both films were co-written by Allen and Marshall Brickman, and for "Supporting Actress (Mariel Hemingway).
3. (TIE) SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE/ CRIES & WHISPERS (1974 /1973 Dir. Ingmar Bergman; Sweden) - Two of Bergman's most harrowing, poetic and haunting films. "Scenes From A Marriage" is probably the most gritty and realistic film on the subject of love and marriage. "Cries & Whispers" is one of the most powerful films you will see dealing with death. These films, without question, show the genius of Bergman. Made at a time when Bergman may have been considered "old hat" by pretentious film snobs, Bergman shows society's most ugly moments. He makes us face the ugly truths we'd rather not confront. But that is why Bergman is my favorite director.
"Scenes From A Marriage" shamefully didn't receive a single Oscar nomination. All the proof one needs to tell the Academy to go fuck itself (excuse my language). But his "Cries & Whispers" went on to earn 5 Oscar nominations winning one for Sven Nykvist's cinematography. Bergman was even nominated for "Best Director" and Roger Ebert placed both films on the top of his top ten list back in 1973 and 1974.
4. TAXI DRIVER (1976 Dir. Martin Scorsese; U.S.) - Maybe my favorite Scorsese film. A film which looking back on it I realize just how political it was. DeNiro shines here taking us deep into the mind of a madman. Paul Schrader's script, much like a Bergman film, only more violent, shows us human nature's ugly side.
How the film didn't win "Best Picture" is often a topic for debate. It lost to of all things "Rocky" (1976). And why did the Academy overlook Scorsese for "Best Picture"? But, fuck 'em. At least the film went on to win the palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival.
5. THE CONFORMIST (1971 Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci; Italy) - Bernardo Bertolucci's films are primarily known for two things. The way he blends sex and politics. No film he made before this or after has ever been able to combine the two so masterfully. This is one of the few films I can watch and say to myself now this is art! Bertolucci is at the top of his game here and Jean-Louis Trintignant as a hit-man sent to kill an old professor, has rarely been better. We can truly sense the conflict he is going through. And Stefania Sandrelli has never looked more beautiful.
6. CHINATOWN (1974 Dir. Roman Polanski; U.S.) - One of the last great noir films ever made and considered by many to be Polanski's best film. And it has to be considered as one of Jack Nicholson's best early performances. The film won 11 Oscar nominations only winning one for Robert Towne's screenplay. But, what do you except when the film went up against "The Godfather Part II"?
7. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (1970 Dir. Eric Rohmer; France) - One of the most popular films in Rohmer's series of "Six Moral Tales". Here Rohmer teaches us the art of conversation. As a young man thinks he has found the perfect woman but then he meets Maud. She is not what he was expecting. But within that one night he learns a lot about himself.
Many criticize Rohmer because they say his films are all dialogue but I enjoy his work. He might be my second favorite director (behind Bergman). I love the way he shows love in all its complexity.
8. LUDWIG (1973 Dir. Luchino Visconti; Italy) - Perhaps not a title you were expecting to find on this list but this is my favorite Visconti film. I think it is one of his most ambitious pieces. Here he looks at the life of King Ludwig of Bavaria. The sets, the costumes (which were nominated for an Oscar) are pure eye candy and the performances by Helmut Berger and Romy Schneider are the heart of the film while Trevor Howard manages to steal whatever scenes he is in.
Most people are probably more familiar with Visconti's "The Leopard" or "Rocco & His Brothers" but there is just something about "Ludwig" that I have not been able to forget it since the first time I saw it many years ago.
9. THE MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS (1971 Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Germany) - To me Fassbinder's greatest film. As is the case with most of Fassbinder's films we see a human being crushed by society but we come to feel such sympathy for the lead character. Lots of people prefer his "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul" but that's got nothing on this.
10. THE EXORCIST (1973 Dir. William Friedkin; U.S.) - The greatest horror film I've ever seen. They just don't make them like this anymore. One of the most influential films of its genre. I wrote a review for this film on here before and I stated one of the reasons the films works, for me, is because of the religious aspect of it. As a Catholic we believe in exorcisms, so the film feeds on my perception of reality. That, to me, is what makes a film scary. When we say to ourselves, that could happen in real life.
RUNNER'S UP! (In no order)
1. SZERELMESFILM (1971 Dir. Istvan Szabo; Hungary)
2. IMAGES (1972 Dir. Robert Altman; U.S.)
3. NETWORK (1976 Dir. Sidney Lumet; U.S.)
4. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976 Dir. Alan J. Pakula;U.S.)
5. KRAMER VS KRAMER (1979 Dir. Robert Benton; U.S.)
6. (TIE) CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON/CLAIRE'S KNEE (1972/1971 Dir. Eric Rohmer; France)
7. BLAZING SADDLES (1974 Dir. Mel Brooks; U.S.)
8. ADOPTION (1975 Dir. Marta Meszaros; Hungary)
9. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1971 Dir. Norman Jewison; U.S.)
10. SAVE THE TIGER (1973 Dir. John G. Avildsen; U.S.)
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