The New Hollywood is a term used to describe a time when filmmakers were given more freedom from the studios to explore and experiment, ushering in a decade of incredibly inventive and emotionally powerful American films. That decade would be the 1970s, but it wasn’t just Americans making masterpieces. There were terrific new movies coming out worldwide, many of which are still considered classics to this day. Honorable mentions that could easily be considered essential 70s cinema includeA Clockwork Orange,Chinatown,The Deer Hunter,The Last Picture Show,Badlands,All the President’s Men,every movieAndrei Tarkovskymadeduring this period,Jeanne Dielman, and so many more. Frankly, everything mentioned here and below should be thought of as merely the beginning of an exploration of this wonderfully inventive decade in cinema.
You don’t have to be a hardcore cinephile to be heavily invested in the 70s, though. Some casual movie-watchers might even be 70s fans without even knowing it, given all the famous works from this decade. From an American lens,some movies are so popular, so iconic, so pervasive in the media and everyday conversationsthat you need to see them in order to feel like you can have a decent grasp on the references constantly getting thrown around. The entries below contain many of those references, and they’re each so aesthetically and culturally significant that it makes more sense to simply order them by the years in which they came out.
10’The Godfather' (1972)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Might as well just get this one out of the way.The Godfatheris so ingrained in our culture that even people who aren’t much interested in movies have heard of it and some of its famous lines, whether it’s regarding an offer that can’t be refused or a guy who’s sleeping with the fishes. The mafia had never been portrayed in such a powerful and dramatic fashion before this film, and we haveFrancis Ford Coppolato thank for taking this approach.
Legendary performances from the likes ofAl Pacino,Marlon Brando,Robert DuVall, and basically everyone else make this a must-watch for fans of many famous actors. It may be just under three hours long, but the story is told so well that they fly by.Part IIalso got released in the 70s, but even people who prefer the sequel have to watch the original first. Besides,the firstGodfatheris the best. As much as any other movie here, it helped define the decade.
The Godfather
9’The Exorcist' (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
Even people who aren’t horror fans have probably heard ofWilliam Friedkin’sThe Exorcist. LikeThe Godfather, it was both an enormous hit at the box office and a critical success. Sure, many people took issue with its portrayals of violence, religion, and other things, but the movie still wound up getting a whopping ten Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and two wins (for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay).
Anyone who’s heard a version of “The power of Christ compels you!” has felt this movie’s influence on the cultural zeitgeist, but the movie is also unnerving in less action-packed ways. Just watching the realistic medical exams fills the viewer with dread, perfectly evoking the desperation of trying to figure out the cause of a little girl’s extreme shift in appearance and behavior. All possession movies take from this one to some extent, which is quite possiblythe greatest horror movie ever made.
The Exorcist
8’Jaws' (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Bum bum. Bum bum bum bum. Even the soundtrack toSteven Spielberg’s breakout blockbuster is extraordinarily famous. That movie, of course, isJaws, and it’s a much more approachable horror classic thanThe Exorcist. One might even call it a thriller; but, in any case, it was a fantastic showcase of Spielberg’s ability to create and sustain tension. From the first scene, we’re aware of the problem and invested in how it will be addressed.
That problem is a giant shark. Significantly, this antagonist goes largely unseen throughout the film, which is a superb decision for more than one reason. Since the period’s lack of believable special effects makes the shark look fake when it finally appears, it would have been distracting if its appearance came any earlier. The shark’s absence is also better for the mood, though; the characters (and audience) are left wondering where it is, which is where the suspense lies. It’s not a very accurate depiction of sharks, but it’s still one of the decade’s most significant films—along with being amongSteven Spielberg’s most career-defining moviesin general.
7’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest' (1975)
Directed by Milos Forman
The ultimate mental hospital movie,One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestis about a guy named Randall McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) who pretends to have mental health issues in order to avoid prison time. Things aren’t as luxurious here as he’d like, though; Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) rules over the ward with an iron fist, and no one seems to be getting the help they need. When McMurphy stirs things up, we get a story that’s by turns funny, insightful, and eloquently dramatic.
This ispeak Jack Nicholson—and peak everyone else, for that matter. The actors (both major and minor) create utterly real and unique characters, and the screenplay (adapted fromKen Kesey’s novel of the same name) helps them all make the most of their roles. Still a masterpiece fifty years after it first came out in theaters,Cuckoo’s Nestis one of those Best Picture-winners you can watch over and over again and still feel its pull.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
6’Rocky' (1976)
Directed by John G. Avildsen
Notall theRockymoviesare great, but the first one sure is. Directed byJohn G. Avildsenand written by starSylvester Stallone,Rockyis the ultimate underdog story. As much about the American Dream as any other film, a scrappy boxer who’s at a low point in his career (Stallone) is suddenly given a chance at the title by the heavyweight champion of the world (Carl Weathers). One of the movie’s most poignant moments is when Rocky is first asked if he wants to fight the champ. He turns it down initially, since his faith in his abilities is so low.
Along with his wooing of Adrian (Talia Shire), his conflict with Mick (Burgess Meredith), and his relationship with Paulie (Burt Young), this is just as moving and inspiring a story as it was when it came out. This Best Picture-winner launched a franchise so popular that even theCreedmovies were a big deal upon their release, soit’s pretty important for any fan of boxing (or Stallone in general) to check out the original.
5’Network' (1976)
Directed by Sidney Lumet
If you’re as mad as hell about something, maybe you should give thistotally flawless satirea try:Network. A broadcaster played by an electricPeter Finchbecomes the anti-television preacher of the airwaves, trying to break the illusions that his medium feeds to the people to keep them in thoughtless contentment. At first, his pulling back the curtain captures the public’s attention on such a scale that the capitalistic powers-that-be ironically give him a program to vent his frustrations further.
Networkpulls back the curtain of the televised world and the corporations in charge of them. It’s also about how much influence it holds on everybody watching at home. Now, almost fifty years later, we have countless channels and streaming services where we can watch anything at any time. We can watch them on televisions, laptops, smartpads, smartphones; it’s just never-ending. For those who want to be a bit more self-aware, who want to get better at being more critical viewers, or who barely watch TV,Networkmight be a good fit.
4’Taxi Driver' (1976)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Not every great work byMartin Scorseseis about the mob, andTaxiDriveris perhaps the epitome of that. His character studies starringRobert de Niro, from this toRaging BulltoThe King of Comedy, are all brilliant—andTaxi Driveris the most famous of them. Among the reasons why are four famous words: “You talkin' to me?” In a nutshell, a New York City cab driver goes through a gradual psychological breakdown. He’s a sleep-deprived Vietnam vet who drives around the city at its darkest hours, and he develops even darker thoughts.
Along with the screenplay forNetwork, this script is hailed as one of the greatest ever written.Paul Schraderis the one to thank for that, as he perfectly conveys how a troubled mind who means well can take a turn for the worse, another turn for worse than that, and so on. Featuring some of the most disturbing voice-over in cinema, thisPalme d’Or-winning masterpieceabout inner turmoil and political violence isn’t justessential viewing for Scorsese fans; it’s just as relevant today as it was when it came out. Perhaps even more so.
Taxi Driver
3’Star Wars' (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
Long beforeDisney took control of theStar Warsfranchise, long before the prequels, and further back to when the sequels hadn’t even come out yet, the audience wasn’t shownStar Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. It was justStar Wars, and ittook the world by storm.Many attribute the beginning of the end of the Hollywood New Wave toJaws, as it was the first summer blockbuster that started a kind of formula that could appeal to wider audiences. Well,Star Warswas another huge factor.
It’s so ubiquitous that people who haven’t seen it still probably have a rough idea of the plot: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) flies through space with others to return a droid and its special cargo to a princess (Carrie Fisher), who’s fighting with rebels against the evil galactic Empire. They wind up trying to destroy the Death Star, a giant space station that destroys planets. And, of course, he learns about the Force. It may have started some less-than-ideal trends in movie-making, but it’s still a good time.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
2’Alien' (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scotthas built up a formidable resumeby now, but his sci-fi horror classic from 1979 is still clearly one of his best works. That would beAlien, starringSigourney Weaveras one of the most badass female protagonists of all time. Most famous for its depiction of an alien bursting out of a poor guy’s stomach, this story has a fairly simple plot: an alien has invaded a spaceship, and it’s going to try and kill every single person on it.
Typical monster-movie premise, but the execution elevates the material. It’s not just about people fighting a monster; it’s also about corporate greed, teamwork (or lack thereof), and perseverance. The special effects in this film are essential to its power, and they don’t disappoint even now. Not many horror movies from so long ago can make such a claim, but perhapsthe most impressive part is the consistency of tension throughout the movie.
1’Apocalypse Now' (1979)
It’s one ofthe greatest war movies ever made, it’s one of the most ambitious movies ever made, and its production difficulties are almost as famous as its plot. It’sApocalypse Now, and it’s about Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) traveling by boat through Vietnam and Cambodia to “terminate” Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). When it comes to character introductions in cinema, nothing beats when we meet Kurtz—showing once again how Brando and Coppola are among the finest actor-director collaborations ever.
Everything that happens along the way is haunting as well, creating a portrait of the Vietnam War that conveys the God-complex some people develop while those who manage to survive all the senseless violence become damaged in both physical and psychological ways. This adaptation ofJoseph Conrad’s novellaHeart of Darknessshows how disorganization can bring chaos, how confusion can become a distortion of reality, and howwar between two countries can serve as a microcosm for humanity’s endless tendency towards self-destruction.
