1970s in film
Movies in the
1970s came in a wide variety, as the socially-conscious young directors that emerged in the late '60s grew in different directions, influenced by music, literature, and the nature of crime and war. The decade is most notable for excelling in the crime drama and horror genres. The early part of the decade focused on increasingly realistic, gritty movies, including
Francis Ford Coppola's first two
Godfather pictures and
Robert Altman's
black comedy M*A*S*H. A trend that lasted through the decade was the popularity of
disaster films, starting with
Airport in 1970. Another trend was the birth of the big-budget horror film, initiated by
William Friedkin's
The Exorcist which spawned numerous imitators. A pivotal moment in movies was the 1975 release of
Steven Spielberg's first major hit,
Jaws, widely regarded as the birth of the
blockbuster motion picture (a trend sealed two years later with the release of
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The end of the decade saw two epic
Vietnam War movies, from directors
Michael Cimino (
The Deer Hunter) and Coppola (
Apocalypse Now).
Blaxploitation films were also created and peaked during the 1970s.
Movies made in the 1970s include:
A-B
AbbyAguirre: The Wrath of GodAirportAlienAll That JazzAll the President's MenAmarcordAmerican GraffitiAnimal HouseAnnie HallApocalypse NowThe AristocatsBananasBarry LyndonBedknobs and BroomsticksBlazing SaddlesThe Boys from BrazilBring Me the Head of Alfredo GarciaC-G
Capricorn OneCarnal KnowledgeCar WashCarrieCharlie Muffin (aka A Deadly Game)The China SyndromeChinatownA Clockwork OrangeClose Encounters of the Third KindComaComing HomeThe ConversationConvoyDawn of the DeadDay for NightThe Day of the JackalDays of HeavenDeadly WeaponsThe Deer HunterDeliveranceDiamonds Are ForeverDirty HarryDog Day AfternoonDon't Look NowThe Eagle Has LandedEraserheadThe ExorcistFarewell My LovelyFive Easy PiecesThe French ConnectionFritz the CatGet CarterThe Go-BetweenThe GodfatherThe Godfather Part IIThe Goodbye GirlGreaseH-S
HalloweenThe Harder They ComeThe Hired HandJawsJuliaKramer vs. KramerLacombe LucienLittle Big ManLive and Let DieThe Long GoodbyeMad MaxThe Man with the Golden GunMarathon ManM*A*S*HMcCabe & Mrs. MillerMean StreetsMidnight ExpressMonty Python and the Holy GrailMonty Python's Life of BrianMoonrakerMurder on the Orient ExpressNashvilleNew York, New YorkObsessionThe Omen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestPattonPicnic at Hanging RockPink FlamingosThe Poseidon AdventureThe Private Life of Sherlock HolmesThe Railway ChildrenThe RescuersRockyRocky IIThe Rocky Horror Picture ShowSaturday Night FeverShaftSilver StreakSleuthSoldier BlueThe Spy Who Loved MeStar Trek: The Motion PictureStar Wars Episode IV: A New HopeThe StingSupermanSweet Sweetback's Baadasssss SongT-Z
The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeTaxi DriverThemroc...tick...tick...tick...Three Days of the CondorThe Towering InfernoThe Greatest (
Muhammad Ali's biography, with Ali playing himself)
WalkaboutWaterlooWatership DownThe Wicker ManThe Wild GeeseThe Wind and the LionWilly Wonka and the Chocolate FactoryYanksZulu Dawn*
List of 'years in film' in the 1970s
**
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979*Decades in Film:
**
1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
1980s 1990s 2000s*
List of moviesSee also The Seventies in CinemaSee also History of cinemaSee also 1930s Nostalgia FilmsSee also 1950s Nostalgia Films
