Your Favourite Top Five of the 70s Movies EVER?

[Mod: please re-post and identify the clip. Thanks]

 

All the President's Men
Annie Hall
A Clockwork Orange
Dirty Harry
Taxi Driver

 

I replied before, but I have to add another five

The Last Picture Show
Annie Hall
The Deer Hunter
Apocalypse Now
The Conformist

 

gutsy call there with Zardoz...

 

Le Cercle Rouge
The Abominable Dr Phibes
The Warriors
Rollerball
Charley Varrick

Runners up:
Bof
Newsfront
Frenzy
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
The Goodbye Girl
Stone
Westworld

 

Taxi Driver
All The Presidents Men
Network
The Conversation
The French Connection

 

Alien
What's Up Doc?
Jaws
Paper Moon
Life Of Brian

 

Top five.
Ever changing but I'd say.
Magnum Force
Outlaw Josey Wales
The Getaway
Barry Lyndon
Close Encounters

 

My choices are:
1.Performance
2.Greasers Palace
3.A Clockwork Orange
4.Any Pam Grier movies
5.The Godfather

 

5. Alien
4.Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
3.Halloween
2.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1.Star Wars A New Hope

 

Ummm....Carwash-Shaft-Come Back Charlston Blue-Buck And The Preacher-Superman.

 

High Plains Drifter

What can I say? Grim, grim, grim movie, very dark and nihilistic, italian in style and american in its wonderful cast. A truly singular western.

Eraserhead

When I finally understood the movie's message, the genius of the whole idea of parenthood as one everlasting, paranormal nightmare without escape swept over me - rarely has anybody been so cynical on the concept of expecting a child.

The Godfather (plus Part II)

I can't... just go listen to Nino Rota's score and you'll fully understand what I want to say.

Apocalypse Now

As the war rages on, Martin Sheen fully understands the evil roots of mankind, himself and everyone else, are deeply connected to human's ideas of "good" and "bad", transcending the thin line that lies between those two seemingly opposite ideas of life.

Aguirre, Wrath of God

Again, a man who goes completely mad just slightly above the rim of the world. Klaus Kinski lived this role and you FEEL it deep down, where your true self is waiting...

 

The Godfather
Taxi Driver
Star Wars
Apocalypse Now
Chinatown

 

Chronologically:

1. The French Connection (1971) - an absolutely gripping, and extremely well acted, action thriller with arguably the best chase scene in film history, which deserved to win "Best Picture" as did many if not most of the other Oscar winners from the 70's (IMHO, this would not always hold true in later decades). The overall atmosphere created here, a combination of its brilliant score set against the "urban jungle" of NYC aided perhaps by period grainy film stock, defines "70's grit" for me, and the movie remains both a time capsule plus a classic for the ages.

2. The Day of the Jackal (1973) - while I agree with an earlier post that the 70's was a "(second) golden age" of Hollywood filmmaking, there were indeed great non-U.S. features from that decade which should not be missed, and this was one of my favorites. Compared to The French Connection, the locales presented here were arguably more "glamorous" but no less deadly/treacherous, and the film plays like a steady build-up to an intense climax, with fine performances all around especially from the two leads (Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale). I've never bothered watching the remake starring Bruce Willis(!).

3. The Bad News Bears (1976) - not your average "kiddie" fare, or even ordinary "adult" entertainment for that matter. What sets this one apart for me, aside from the obviously period clothing/hairstyles/etc., is the realism in the performances (IMHO, one of Walter Matthau's very best), and the timelessness of the themes presented, particularly now in a world that seems more obsessed with "winning" at all costs than anything remotely resembling pure sportsmanship, or even common decency. Sure these were ragamuffin misfit kids who cussed, which may have been the tag that sold this picture back in the day (and which the sequels/remake failed to understand was not what made it great), but if you can get past the political incorrectness of the language, I think you'll find a highly quotable movie bursting with heart and soul. "And another thing, just wait 'til next year!"

4. Star Wars (1977) - I'm tempted to agree with the somewhat depressing sentiment that "you had to be there" to fully get what this phenomenon was all about, for a cultural phenomenon it surely was. No discussion of this fantasy sci-fi film "event" would be complete without mention of all the toys, video games, underwear(!), and countless other paraphernalia it spawned. All that came to a crashing halt for me with the release of Return of the Jedi in '83, but despite those inferior prequels and sequels (I still haven't seen the latest installment and currently have no plans to do so), the original film was absolutely a game-changer I will never forget.

5. Smokey and the Bandit (1977) - y'know, it's easy to dismiss the career of Burt Reynolds as one who "didn't live up to his potential" per another thread over in the Music Forum, and certainly following Deliverance he seemed poised to become a major "A"-list player like, say Paul Newman, but his continual choices of "light" material such as this effectively rendered any Oscar hopes unobtainable, at least until Boogie Nights decades later (I thought he should've won more than just a Golden Globe for that). Still, I cannot deny the re-watchability value this very fun flick has, and it's always a hoot to see Jackie Gleason playing that redneck sheriff here (though it didn't work nearly as well in the inferior sequels), but my favorite scene is probably where the Snowman (arguably the film's most realistic character played by Jerry Reed) gets his revenge on a group of mean bikers.

 

Alien
The Sting
Slapshot
The Out of Towners
Blazing Saddles

 

Godfather 1
Serpico
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Barry Lyndon
Blazing Saddles

Runners-up: Taxi Driver, The Groove Tube,. Dog Day Afternoon, Godfather II

 

Three Days Of The Condor
Papillon
Jerimiah Johnston
Taxi Driver
Pretty Maids All In A Row

 

That last one with Rock Hudson?

 

The Man Who Would Be King
The Godfather
Deliverance
Patton
A Clockwork Orange

 

So...
Many...
AWESOME...
Movies...

 

The Godfather
Apocalypse Now
The Deliverance
Little Big Man
Dirty Harry

 

The Godfather
The Godfather Part 2
Alien
Apocalypse Now
The Exorcist

 

The 1970s was a great decade for movies! This is going to take a little thought, but this one is definitely on the list:

Jaws

 

Since others are listing an additional five...

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
The Godfather Part II
Nashville
The Story of Adele H.
The Black Stallion