If
you missed the opening post for my new Netflix Series, check below.
I
have this ongoing inner debate with myself concerning which was the best decade
for film (awesome, I know) and it’s always between the ‘50s, ‘60s, and
‘70s. The ‘70s are consistently regarded
as a sort of turning point in American cinema, a time when auteurs who grew up
watching European cinema from the ‘50s and ‘60s were able to thrive, taking the
medium to a place beyond what the traditional studio system had been offering up
to that point. The ‘70’s, of course,
brought us directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven
Spielberg, and saw the coming out parties of others such Woody Allen and Robert
Altman. So, the point here is that I won't be doing a Top-5 for every decade of cinema, only this one and maybe one other, because it's so chalk full of great classics that are available right now.
At
various points in time, several of my all-time favorites from this period have
been available to watch instantly on Netflix: Network, Annie Hall, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, Taxi
Driver, etc. All of these would
probably make this list were they still available. So the key here is that you need to take
advantage of watching the films on this list while you can.
One
other quick note before my list: two films that aren’t from the ‘70’s, but
resemble the style and themes of that era in just about every way (and it could
even be argued that they paved the way for the ‘70’s) are Midnight Cowboy (1969) and The
Graduate (1967). If for some insane
reason you haven’t seen these, then please add them to your queue, along with
the others listed below.
Top
5 of the 1970’s:
1. One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
There’s
a reason that Jack Nicholson is simply referred to as “Jack” in Hollywood, and
if you’ve ever wondered why, then look no further than this film. His performance as R.P. McMurphy, a recent admittee
to a mental institution, certainly goes down as one of the best all-time leading
performances in my book. As McMurphy
begins to win over the other patients in the institution and undermines the
terribly evil Nurse Ratched, an uplifting Christ-figure story plays out with
such humor and effortless charm that it will make you grin from ear to ear at
points and tear up in others.
2. A
Clockwork Orange (1971)
My favorite
Stanley Kubrick film, Orange is an
endlessly stylish tale of adolescence in futuristic Britain. Malcolm McDowell stars as Alex DeLarge, one
of the creepiest lead characters in any film ever, who leads a band of “droogs”
in a series of violent crimes before being subjected to a government
brainwashing program. Kubrick’s use of
explosive colors and his patented long takes are just a couple of the things
that make his direction a perfect complement to the source material.
3. Paper
Moon (1973)
Father-daughter
combo Ryan and Tatum O’Neal star as a couple of depression-era cons in this
hilarious comedy by Peter Bogdanovich.
The dialogue is sharp and quick, and the O’Neal team (Tatum in
particular as a 10-year-old) develops amazing chemistry throughout the movie as
they deliver this dialogue. The always
amazing Madeleine Kahn also stars as a call girl. Don’t miss this one.
4. Chinatown
(1974)
It’s
Jack again. In this Hollywood crime
drama by Roman Polanski, Jack stars as Jake Gittes, a private investigator who
gets caught up in a case that’s simply way over his head. As the ball of yarn unravels on the case, the
eerie atmosphere is amplified and strange details emerge (to say the
least). Faye Dunaway (who’s always
great) costars here in a particularly meaty role.
5. Kramer
vs. Kramer (1979)
Dustin
Hoffman and Meryl Streep. That’s really
all it should take to get you to watch this if you haven’t already. A very realistic story about the parents of a
young child splitting up, something that sadly, millions of American families
must go through every year. There’s a
scene where Dustin Hoffman makes French toast with his son, and it’s one of the
more touching moments I can recall in any family drama.
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