MOVIES OF THE 1970's

What was the Seventies? A decade that had Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell's psychotropic Performance, with its gender confusions and personality crises breaking down the walls of society at one end, and Francis Coppola's Apocalypse Now at the other end. What happened in between? That was some journey. . .

Hollywood changed radically in the 1970s in an attempt to snatch its audience back from the grip of television. It resorted to extremes and cinema in the seventies was chock full of icons - From the big shark in Jaws to the even bigger magnum of Dirty Harry. It was also the decade that brought us Rocky, Rollerball and Mad Max. This was not a decade of understatement.

New trends developed, old ones were cast aside and, most significantly, a breed of young movie directors launched themselves and the rest of us towards the glittering world of Oscars and sci-fi blockbusters. Special effects took over from stars as the main attraction. The ultimate effect was the 40 minute triumph to technology in Close Encounters of the Third Kind - the gigantic alien mother ship towering over (and landing in) mid-America.

For some bizarre reason, as the Seventies dawned, people decided that they wanted to be frightened. Seriously frightened! So much so, that they would pay good money to sit together in darkened rooms and watch films that threatened to scare the living daylights out of them (arguably the most powerful cinematic experience was provided by The Exorcist in 1973).

The 70s was also the decade of the Disaster Movie - Buildings burst into flames ( Towering Inferno), shook to the ground (Earthquake) or had planes crashing in or around them. Winning formulas hit the screen again and again . . . and again. Rocky (1976), The Godfather (1971), Superman: The Movie (1978), The Omen (1976), Star Wars (1977) and The Exorcist (1973) all made it to the box office a second, third and sometimes even fourth time round.

The Seventies saw the decline of the two movie companies most clearly identified with traditional family entertainment - MGM and Disney. The Disney organisation became more involved in its various non-film activities (such as Disneyland and Disney World) while MGM devoted its new investment to the hotel and casino business. On the other hand, Universal Pictures - for many years the "also ran" among the major companies - made a dramatic comeback. The fortunes of United Artists were more variable. It won three Best Picture Oscars in consecutive years - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Rocky (1976) and Annie Hall (1977) - but it shared only to a limited extent in the 1979 boom, and was ill-prepared for the debacle of Michael Cimino's doomed western epic Heaven's Gate (1981).

The issues of the Seventies provided fertile ground both for Hollywood and Europe. A whole series of films reflected the preoccupations of the world. The war in Vietnam was the subject of many films, notably The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now. The China Syndrome was released almost on the day that news broke of the disaster at Three Mile Island nuclear reactor.

But Hollywood was changing. Tinseltown was invaded by a new wave of directors - foremost amongst them were Francis Ford Coppola, Brian de Palma, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.

Between them they directed a fistful of films that made enormous money at the box office and were critical successes.

This is by no means an attempt at an exhaustive listing of movies from the 70s. It is a recollection of some of the movies which are either personal favourites, or which are particularly representative of the era (without necessarily being critically acclaimed).

ABBA: The Movie
The Abominable Dr Phibes
Absolution
Aces High
Across 110th Street
Adolf Hitler - My Part in his Downfall
Adventures Of A Plumber's Mate
Adventures Of A Taxi Driver
The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
The Adventurers
Airport
Airport 1975
Airport '77
Airport 79 - The Concorde
Alex & The Gypsy
Alex In Wonderland
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Alice Sweet Alice
Alien
All That Jazz
All The Presidents Men
All You Need Is Cash
Alvin Purple
Alvin Rides Again
American Graffiti
The Amityville Horror
And Justice For All
And Now For Something Completely Different
The Andromeda Strain
Andy Warhol's Bad
Andy Warhol's Dracula
Andy Warhol's Frankenstein
Animal House
Annie Hall
Anyone For Sex? (The Love Ban)
Apocalypse Now
The Apple Dumpling Gang
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
The Aristocats
Assault On Precinct 13
Asylum
At The Earth's Core
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes
The Au Pair Girls
Autobiography Of A Flea
Avanti!
Badge 373
Badlands
Bang Bang
Bang The Drum Slowly
The Barefoot Executive
Barry Lyndon
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes
The Bawdy Adventures Of Tom Jones
Bedknobs & Broomsticks
Bedtime With Rosie
Behind The Green Door
Being There
The Belstone Fox
Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra-Vixens
Benji
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls
Big Bad Mama
The Big Bus
Big Jake
The Big Sleep
Big Wednesday
Billy Jack
The Bitch
Black Beauty
Black Christmas
The Black Hole
Black Sunday
The Black Windmill
Blood Sucking Freaks
Blacula
Blazing Saddles
Bluebeard
The Boatniks
Bobby Deerfield
The Boy In The Plastic Bubble
The Boys From Brazil
The Boys In Company C
The Boys In The Band
A Bridge Too Far
The Brood
The Buddy Holly Story
Bugsy Malone
The Buttercup Chain
Butterflies Are Free
Cabaret
Caged Heat
Candleshoe
The Candy Snatchers
Cannibal Girls
Capricorn One
Captain Milkshake
Carnal Knowledge
Carrie
Carry On Abroad
Carry On At Your Convenience
Carry On Behind
Carry On Dick
Carry On Emmannuelle
Carry On England
Carry On Girls
Carry On Henry
Carry On Loving
Carry On Matron
Carry On Up The Jungle
The Cars That Ate Paris
Car Wash
The Cat From Outer Space
Caveman
The Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith
Charley and The Angel
Charley's Aunt
Charlie Muffin
Charlotte's Web
The Cherry Picker
The China Syndrome
Chinatown
C.H.O.M.P.S
Cleopatra Jones
A Clockwork Orange
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Coma
Come Play With Me
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
Confessions From A Holiday Camp
Confessions Of A Driving Instructor
Confessions Of A Pop Performer
Confessions Of A Window Cleaner
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes
The Conversation
Cool It Carol!
The Corpse Grinders
The Cowboys
Cries and Whispers
Cross Of Iron
Crucible Of Terror
Cruel Passion
Darling Lili
The Day Of The Jackal
Death In Venice
Death Race 2000
Death Wish
Debbie Does Dallas
The Decameron
Decoy For Terror
The Deep
Deep End
Deep Throat
The Deer Hunter
Deliverance
Demon Seed
Diamonds Are Forever
Digby, The Biggest Dog In The World
Dimboola
The Directors
Dirty Harry
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Dog Day Afternoon
Don's Party
Don't Look Now
Drum
Duel
The Eagle Has Landed
Earthquake
Eat My Dust
Edna, The Inebriate Woman
The Eiger Sanction
Electra Glide In Blue
The Electric Horseman
11 Harrowhouse
Elvis: The Movie
Emmanuelle In America
Entertaining Mr Sloane
Enter The Dragon
Equus
Eraserhead
Escape From Alcatraz
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes
Escape To Athena
Escape To Witch Mountain
Eskimo Nell
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask
The Exorcist
Exorcist 2: The Heretic
Eyes Of Laura Mars
Fantastic Planet
Felicity
The Feminist & The Fuzz
Fiddler On The Roof
Five Easy Pieces
The FJ Holden
Force 10 From Navarone
Foul Play
The Four Musketeers
40 Carats
Foxy Brown
Freaky Friday
Freebie & The Bean
The French Connection
Frenzy
Fritz The Cat
Full Circle
Fun with Dick and Jane
Funny Lady
The Fury
Futureworld
Games That Lovers Play
Gator
The Gauntlet
Get Carter
Go Ask Alice
The Godfather
The Godfather: Part II
Godspell
The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad
Gone In 60 Seconds
The Goodbye Girl
Grease
The Great Gatsby
The Great Waldo Pepper
Groupie Girl
Gumshoe
Gus
Hair
Halloween
Hanover Street Harold And Maude
Harper Valley PTA
Heaven Can Wait
Heavy Traffic
Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo
Herbie Rides Again
Heroes
The Hideaways
High Anxiety
Hindenburg
Hitch Hike To Hell
Holiday On The Buses
The Honeymoon Killers
House Of Whipcord
The Hunting Party
Ice Castles
Ilsa, She Wolf Of The SS
Interiors
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Island At The Top Of The World
I Spit On Your Grave
Jabberwocky
Jaws
Jaws 2
The Jerk
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Jubilee
Juggernaut
Kansas City Bomber
Kelly's Heroes
Kentucky Fried Movie
King Kong
Klute
Kramer vs Kramer
The Last Picture Show
The Last Remake Of Beau Geste
Last Tango In Paris
The Last Wave
Lemon Popsicle
Lenny
Life Of Brian
Lipstick
Little Big Man
The Little Convict
Live And Let Die
Logan's Run
The Long Good Friday
Looking For Mr Goodbar
The Lords Of Flatbush
Love At First Bite
The Love Ban
Love Story
MacArthur
Mad Max
The Magic Christian
Magnum Force
Mame
Man From Hong Kong
The Man Who Fell To Earth
The Man Who Would Be King
The Man With The Golden Gun
Mandingo
The Mango Tree
Manhattan
Marathon Man
The Marseille Connection
M*A*S*H
Mean Streets
Meatballs
The Medusa Touch
Melody
Midnight Express
Midway
The Mind Of Mr Soames
Money Movers
Monty Python And The Holy Grail
Moonraker
Mother, Jugs and Speed
The Muppet Movie
Murder By Death
The Music Lovers
My Brilliant Career
Napoleon And Samantha
Nashville
Ned Kelly
Network
Newsfront
New York, New York
Nightmare In Badham County
The Night Porter
1941
No Deposit, No Return
The North Avenue Irregulars
Not Now Darling
Now You See Him, Now You Don't
The Odd Angry Shot
The Odessa File
Oh, God!
The Omega Man
The Omen
On The Buses
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
One Little Indian
One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing
One On One
Ooh . . . You Are Awful
Orca : Killer Whale
Owl and the Pussycat
Panic In Needle Park
Papillon
Paradise Alley
Patton
Percy's Progress
Performance
Pete's Dragon
Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom Of The Park
The Phynx
Picnic At Hanging Rock
Pink Flamingos
Pink Panther Strikes Again
Plaza Suite
Portnoy's Complaint
The Poseidon Adventure
Psychomania
Pufnstuf
Pumping Iron
Quadrophenia
Rabid
The Railway Children
The Rescuers
The Return Of The Pink Panther
Revenge of the Pink Panther
The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer
Robin Hood
Rocky
Rocky II
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rollerball
Rollercoaster
The Rose
Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse
Royal Flash
The Rutles
Salem's Lot
Salon Kitty
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Saturday Night Fever
Satyricon
Scream Blacula Scream
Scum
Serpico
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Shaft
The Shaggy D.A.
Shampoo
The Shootist
Silent Movie
Silent Running
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Skateboard
Skatetown, USA
Slap Shot
Slave of the Cannibal God
Sleeper
Sleuth
The Slipper & The Rose
Smokey & The Bandit
Soldier Blue
Soylent Green
The Spy Who Loved Me
Sssssss
Stardust
Star Trek - The Motion Picture
Star Wars
The Stepford Wives
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
The Sting
Stone
Storm Boy
The Story Of O
Straw Dogs
The Strongest Man In The World
The Stud
Summer Of '42
Sunday Too Far Away
Superfly
Superman
Suspiria
Swallows And Amazons
Sybil
Take Me High
Taxi Driver
Telefon
10
10 Rillington Place
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
That'll Be The Day
There's A Girl In My Soup
The Three Musketeers
3 On A Meathook
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
THX 1138
Tim
Time After Time
Tommy
Too Late The Hero
Toomorrow
Tora! Tora! Tora!
The Towering Inferno
Two Minute Warning
Two Mules For Sister Sara
Up In Smoke
Uptown Saturday Night
Vampire Circus
Villain
Walkabout
The Warriors
Waterloo
Watership Down
The Way We Were
Werewolves On Wheels
Westworld
What's Up Doc?
When A Stranger Calls
Who Is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe?
The Wicker Man
The Wild Geese
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
The Wiz
Woodstock
The World's Greatest Athlete
Yanks
Young Frankenstein
ZPG (Zero Population Growth)