Top 50 Movies of the 1970s

My favorites.. Feel free to name as many as you can, or to criticize/praise some of my selections.



Harry and Tonto
Nashville
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Network
A Woman Under The Influence
Harold and Maude
Fat City
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
A Clockwork Orange
Mikey and Nicky
The Godfather
The Godfather II
Next Stop, Greenwich Village
One Is A Lonely Number
An Enemy of the People
Sunflower
Five Easy Pieces
Chit-Chat On the Nile
Autumn Sonata
The Yellow Handkerchief
A Special Day
Taxi Driver
Annie Hall
Stroszek
A Brief Vacation
Dog Day Afternoon
Le Chat
Lulu the Tool
La Horse
Payday
The New Centurions
Blume In Love
Whity
Made For Each Other
Johnny Got His Gun
Serie Noire
The Conversation
Opening Night
The Fifth Seal
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Last Detail
Mr. Klein
Nuts in May
Minnie and Moskowitz
Zandy's Bride
Lies My Father Told Me
Wise Blood
Manhattan
Last Tango In Paris
Chinatown
Joe

I think our MoFo '70s List predated your arrival, but about twenty of your top fifty made the collective top hundred.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Wow, I remember that list.. I remember seeing "A Woman Under The Influence" and thinking what an interesting title it was. Then, I found out John Cassavetes directed it (I had seen "Minnie and Moskowitz") and checked it out immediately since it was on YouTube.

Am wondering what is the metric by which you came up with that list, Matt? There are some films listed there that I am not familiar with, so am not in a position to assess it in full, however there are some surprising films left out.

For example, and just to preface this by stating that the Oscars are not necessarily the most reliable benchmark and the quality of films on offer can vary considerably in any given year, let alone a decade's worth. However, leaving out 6 Best Picture winners - Patton, French Connection, The Sting, Rocky, Deer Hunter & Kramer v Kramer - let alone a number of social and pop culture phenomenons, such as Apocalypse Now, Jaws, Saturday Night Fever and Star Wars etc, o name but a few.

So it was omissions such as these which prompted to wonder how it is that this list was compiled. Am not questioning the OP's selections persay, rather was just wondering how that list came about, as there is nothing of note about how these were the 50 arrived at, rather it is just a list of the 50 selected films.

They are my favorites. I could have named more, and it might have been easier. Rocky and Deer Hunter would have made my Top 60, Apocalypse Now and Patton would have made my Top 70, and Kramer vs. Kramer would have made my Top 80.


I actually have a question for you. How do I ask this.. Are you from a non-English speaking country? I'm curious because I see the word "Am" (especially to start a sentence) used instead of the proper "I'm" and was wondering where this is coming from and how (and why) it is being spread.

No, I'm from an English speaking background, and yes I know I do that from time to time. Ironically, only really noticed that it started to happen once moving to the UK. Never used to do that when I was growing up in Australia, but over the years of moving about and now having lived here in Scotland for roughly the past 20-odd years, do hear it a lot here.

Maybe picked it up from listening to my daughter and her friends etc, but can as easily be from anyone from here abouts. it is pretty common and far from the only grammatical idiosyncracities or diction that I sometimes adopt without realizing it. Like those times when I sometimes use 'ken' instead of 'know', makes me realize I'm becoming one of them, lol

Interesting, thanks for that story. I'm ALWAYS interested in the development of modern language, especially the influences/trends, how they became that way.. I think the internet's inter-connectivity makes it quicker to do that.

Being a Woody fan, I would add "Play it Again Sam" which I have always believed was under rated. Some might want to see Altman's Mash on the list also.

One of my favorite decades ever! Choosing only 50 is a task in itself since so many other incredible works will get shutout by this limit. But anyway, here's 50 of my faves that I also think reflect the best of what cinema has to offer in the 70s (or in any decade for that matter).

My list is numbered, not necessarily for ranking but to make it easier to know when I've named 50

1. Out 1, noli me tangere
2. Fortini/Cani
3. News from Home
4. Duelle
6. Lancelot du lac
7. From the Clouds to the Resistance
8. History Lessons
9. Numero Deux
10. Avanti!
11. Benilde, or the Virgin Mother
12. Impostors
13. Six Fois Deux / Sur et sous la communication
14. Wise Blood
15. Beware of a Holy Whore
16. World on a Wire
17. That Obscure Object of Desire
18. 3 Women
19. Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom
20. Mirror
21. The Immortal Story
22. Badlands
23. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
24. Chinatown
25. The Man Who Sleeps
26. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
27. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
28. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
29. Donkey Skin
30. Hotel Monterey
31. Hi, Mom!
32. The Decameron
33. Vampir-Cuadecuc
34. Je, Tu, Il, Elle
35. L'Enfant Secret
36. Eyes Do Not Want to Close at All Times, or, Perhaps One Day Rome Will Allow Herself to Choose in Her Turn
37. Perceval
39. Noroit
40. Moses and Aaron
41. We Can't Go Home Again
42. Socrates
43. Cousin Jules
44. The Godfather, Part II
45. Vladimir and Rosa
46. Little by Little
47. Rapid Dogs
48. The Third Generation
49. Family Plot
50. The Conformist

I'm looking into it and need it, can you say more?

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run 3

Can you be a bit more descriptive?

Good list bro !

Thank you!