The 10 Best Films of the 1970's

Here is a continuing look at my picks of the best films of each decade. The 1970's introduced the world to new, young and innovative filmmakers. These filmmakers dared to explore subjects previously taboo and often came away with masterpieces. With the studio system all but dead directors had free reign to re-invent movies and created, in my opinion, the best decade to date for film.

Gone were the big studio epics after the disaster that was David Lean's "Ryan's Daughter." Save for "Cabaret," the big budget movie musical vanished.

The movie comedy came roaring back to life thanks to the likes of Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Elaine May and Neil Simon.

With "Airport," the disaster movie was born and would become the most successful genre of the decade.

Drive-ins were still popular and low budget horror and car chase films came out weekly and almost always made back their costs in two weeks.

"Jaws" changed everything in the summer of 1975 and "Star Wars" cemented the fact that blockbusters were born to be found in the summer months. From then on the decade became known as the decade "In search of the blockbuster."

Francis Ford Coppola was the director of the decade as he made only 4 films and three of them are on my list. The fourth film, "Apocalypse Now," could arguably have made the list as well.

Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds and Barbra Streisand were the top three box office stars of the 70's.

Here are my choices for the ten best films of the 1970's listed in alphabetical order.

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN - The greatest film on journalism ever made was this taut thriller about two young reporters (Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford) thrown together after a simple hotel break-in eventually leads a scandal so great it brought down President Richard Nixon. Jack Warden, Hal Holbrook, Martin Balsam, Jane Alexander and Best Supporting Actor winner Jason Robards co-star. This fascinating film slowly goes step by step as we watch these reporters dig deeper and deeper finding out more information then they likely wished they would. This is another film that benefits from repeated viewings.

AMERICAN GRAFFITI - More known as the film George Lucas made before "Star Wars" is this nostalgic look at one night in the life of a group of teenage friends circa 1962 in California just after high school graduation as some prepare to head off to college. Filled with wall to wall rock music of the era along with the verbal musings of disc jockey "Wolfman" Jack, Graffiti starred a host of unknowns, most of whom would go on to some level of stardom. Ron Howard was the best known in the group that also featured Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams, Paul LeMat, Mackenzie Phillips, Bo Hopkins, Candy Clark, Charles Martin Smith, Kathleen Quinlan and Suzanne Somers.

BEING THERE - One of the most overlooked films of the decade also turned out to be one of the most perceptive looks at American politics ever made. Peter Sellers stars as Chance, a simple minded gardener whose boss has died and who must go out into the real world for the first time where his only knowledge comes from watching television. Through a series of incidents he soon becomes tight with a dying politician whose friends misinterpret Chance's simple musings as brilliance, and suddenly finds himself rising in the political world. This satire is filled with biting dark humor and terrific performances not only by Sellers but also by Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas, in an Oscar winning role. Another thought provoking film with a final shot that has been debated since its release.

THE CONVERSATION - Another overlooked masterpiece of the decade is Francis Ford Coppola's thriller about voyeurism, privacy and paranoia during a time when Watergate was dominating the news and no one knew who to trust. Gene Hackman gives his best performance as a surveillance expert hired to record the conversations of a man and woman for an unknown businessman. Soon the recorded conversation takes on different meanings causing Harry Caul (Hackman) to become unhealthily obsessed with the case and soon becomes entangled in murder. This is one of the best thrillers of the last 40 years with an ending that leaves you talking long after it has passed. This is a must see.

THE EXORCIST - Based on William Peter Blatty's explicit novel, director William Friedkin fashioned perhaps the scariest movie ever made that, when viewed uncut on the big screen, still packs a wallop and makes for a terrifying film experience. The film grabs you and never lets go and stays with you long after you have seen it. This is a masterpiece.

THE GODFATHER - Francis Ford Coppola's epic story of a mafia family is, in my humble opinion, the greatest film ever made. Running nearly three hours long we meet the Corleone family headed by don Vito (Marlon Brando) and his 3 sons - the violent Sonny (James Caan), the cowardly Fredo (the unforgettable John Cazale) and the quiet Michael (Al Pacino) who would go on to become an even deadlier head of the family then his father was. Robert Duvall co-stars as the family lawyer along with Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Richard Conte, Sterling Hayden, John Marley and Al Martino as a singer who may or may not be modeled after Frank Sinatra. The film is filled with memorable images and a hauntingly beautiful musical score.

THE GODFATHER PART II - This is not quite as good as the original but the fact that Coppola (along with co-writer Mario Puzo) pulled off any kind of sequel that works deserves high marks. The film follows two parallel stories: The rise of young Vito (Oscar winner Robert DeNiro) in Sicily along with the seeming fall of Michael (Al Pacino) as he faces senate hearings for his violent role in a mafia family. This nearly three hour and thirty minute epic is not without its faults unlike the original. A few times the story is difficult to follow and the sudden change from one story to the other is sometimes too jarring. You are just getting caught up in one story when Coppola shifts to the other. Coppola should have either told it chronologically or eliminated the Vito flashbacks altogether. Perhaps he was not confident he had a strong enough story with the present Michael material. Still this is a terrific film and a perfect companion piece to the classic original.

JAWS - Though the film is best known as the first true summer blockbuster, it should also be remembered as a superb thriller with Steven Spielberg's sure handed direction taking us through it all the way. The film was based on Peter Benchley's often silly novel that was, thankfully, changed to eliminate personal relationships and politics to concentrate on a simple man versus beast story. John Williams' now famous theme makes your skin tingle and the film truly scares one out of wanting to go swimming. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss all give competent performances that are, unfortunately, second banana to the mechanical shark with looks frighteningly real.

NETWORK - Paddy Chayefsky's scathing satire on the news and television industry was way ahead of its time in 1976 but today almost makes him look like a brilliant prognosticator. A longtime network news anchor (Peter Finch - a posthumous Oscar winner) who is fired announces on the air he is going to commit suicide and soon finds himself a ratings hit. William Holden co-stars as his longtime friend and boss who wants no part of the television circus and Faye Dunaway as a power hungry executive wanting to rise to the top and eagerly takes the news anchor with her to success while having an affair with the married Holden. Robert Duvall, Beatrice Straight and Ned Beatty all give masterful performances in a script with some of the most perceptive and real dialogue you will ever hear.

WOODSTOCK - One of the greatest documentaries ever made is this brilliant film that captured three days of music at an outdoor festival where 300,000 people gathered, many of them gate crashers. The film is about the festival organizers, the townspeople - some of whom liked the teenagers and some of whom disliked them, the workers behind the scenes (I will never forget the Port-o-Potty man who talked about one son in the festival and one fighting in Vietnam, all while he was doing his work), the crowd (in the most memorable scene we see everyone band together as a severe thunderstorm approaches and then hits) and the music itself. The film is a video time capsule as we see the youth of the day enjoying music, drugs and one another and how they kept the festival (as the film was billed) "3 days of music and peace." Some of the more memorable musical scenes include The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Santana, though it should be noted none of the musical sequences are less then good. The three-hour film is often shot in beautiful split screen images that will be lost on television and demands to be seen on the big screen. Not even able to imagine what it was like to be there, the film is an unforgettable experience.