100 Favorite Films from the 1970s
Inspired by IndieWire’s 1970s week. I decided to compile a list of my 100 favorite films from the 1970s, as this is my favorite decade in film.
California Split (1970)
100. The Visitor (1979) – Giulio Paradisi
A bonkers movie with a killer score.
99. Coonskin (1975) – Ralph Bakshi
Not for the easily offended, but it’s one of the best about racism in America.
98. Sugar Cookies (1973) – Theodore Gershuny
A diamond in the rough of Troma’s filmography.
97. Apocalypse Now (1979) – Francis Ford Coppola
Love the bookend use of The Doors’ “The End”.
96. The American Friend (1977) – Wim Wenders
One of the most beautiful-looking films of the 70s. No one does green like Wenders.
95. Sisters (1972) – Brian De Palma
Margot Kidder at her finest!
94. California Split (1974) – Robert Altman
I prefer the 2015 remake Mississippi Grind, but I’m down for any gambling film.
93. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – Dario Argento
Art will make you go insane, art and trauma.
92. Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979) – Joan Micklin Silver
A fascinating character study of a man who thinks he’s doing right.
91. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) – Peter Weir
Hallucinatory, muddling, and at times frustrating. An inspiration for every Netflix true crime doc.
An Unmarried Woman (1978)
90. Jaws (1975) – Steven Spielberg
Never been a favorite Spielberg, but I still do love it.
89. Truck Turner (1974) – Jonathan Kaplan
Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto go toe-to-toe in this Blaxploitation flick.
88. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) – John Huston
Paul Newman hangs out with a bear. What more do you want?
87. Ganja & Hess (1973) – Bill Gunn
All vibes with an indelible final image.
86. Joe (1970) – John G. Avildsen
Unfortunately, more poignant than ever, given the time we live in.
85. Coming Home (1978) – Hal Ashby
One of the best endings of the 1970s. Jon Voight gives a stunner of a monologue.
84. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – Jim Sharman
Just a good time at the cinema!
83. Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) – Richard Brooks
On the flipside, a true bummer time at the cinema.
82. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam
I hadn’t seen it in 20 years and could quote it like I saw it yesterday.
81. An Unmarried Woman (1978) – Paul Mazursky
Jill Clayburgh self-actualizes, and I fell in love.
Shaft (1971)
80. Coffy (1973) – Jack Hill
Pam Grier being effortlessly cool, with a great soundtrack. R.I.P. Roy Ayers.
79. The Last Wave (1977) – Peter Weir
Hard to articulate in a sentence, Weir’s dreamlike courtroom drama of Aboriginal/white murder.
78. Gator Bait (1974) – Ferd & Beverly Sebastain
Fun revenge/exploitation film starring Playmate of the Year 1970 Claudia Jennings.
77. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Robert Altman
Buffalo Bill has a historically inaccurate traveling show about conflicts between U.S. troops and Native Americans.
76. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – John Carpenter
An L.A. Street gang wages war against cops at a closing precinct. Great touches on racism and police brutality.
75. The Conversation (1974) – Francis Ford Coppola
We’re all alone in this world, and everyone is listening.
74. The Longest Yard (1974) – Robert Aldrich
One of the best shaggy dog 70s sports films.
73. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) – Joseph Sargent
Remember when people in movies just looked like normal people?
72. Shaft (1971) – Gordon Parks
Richard Roundtree brings to life one of the coolest characters in all of cinema.
71. Burnt Offerings (1976) – Dan Curtis
Karen Black and Oliver Reed chew the scenery in this haunted house flick.
Hardcore (1979)
70. Solaris (1976) – Andrei Tarkovsky
Do we fall in love with a person? Or the idea of the person?
69. The Yakuza (1974) - Sydney Pollack
Cool crime thriller starring an old Robert Mitchum
68. The Last American Hero (1973) – Lamont Johnson
Jeff Bridges is a small-time racecar driver attempting to earn money for his imprisoned father for moonshining.
67. Escape from Alcatraz (1979) – Don Siegel
Probably my favorite Clint Eastwood acting performance. Maybe his best?
66. Trafic (1971) – Jacques Tati
Mr. Hulot sets out from Paris to the annual Amsterdam car show with his new car design, and hilarity ensues with signature Tati silliness.
65. The Godfather Part II (1974) – Francis Ford Coppola
Just one of the greatest storytelling movies ever.
64. The Long Goodbye (1973) – Robert Altman
Every generation has its version of a drug-fueled P.I. The boomers have Elliot Gould as cool as a cucumber, Phillip Marlowe
63. Five Easy Pieces (1970) – Bob Rafelson
Karen Black sings Tammy Wynette, oh, and Jack Nicholson gives one of his best performances.
62. Hardcore (1979) – Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader’s look into religion and its relation to sex, all in the sleazy L.A. Porn scene.
61. The Brood (1979) – David Cronenberg
True blue Cronenbergian body horror about motherhood. anchored by Samantha Eggar.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
60. Prime Cut (1972) – Michael Ritchie
Scuzy exploitative crime film with Gene Hackman’s most vile performance.
59. Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972) – Lucio Fulci
Giallo horror about a serial killer murdering young boys, need I say more?
58. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) – Luis Buñuel
Absurdist comedy about a group of friends attempting to have a dinner party, but things keep getting interrupted.
57. Fast Company (1979) – David Cronenberg
An unexpected film about drag racing from Cronenberg. Super fun and goofy, you can smell the burnt rubber through the screen.
56. $ (Dollars) (1971) – Richard Brooks
Always charming Goldie Hawn teams with Warren Beatty to rob banks.
55. The Exorcist (1973) – William Friedkin
Only one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
54. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) – Peter Yates
Another cool crime film starring an older Robert Mitchum, this time in Boston.
53. Halloween (1978) – John Carpenter
One of the most influential horror films ever made, creating the final girl blueprint.
52. Slap Shot (1977) – George Roy Hill
Definitely not PC, but it is still hilarious.
51. Animal House (1978) – John Landis
Also not PC, but also still hilarious.
Suspiria (1977)
50. Deep Red (1975) – Dario Argento
Put this in the pantheon of terrifying dolls right next to Annabelle.
49. White Lightning (1973) – Joseph Sargent
Gator McKlusky is one of the coolest character names. Gator is released from prison to help incriminate a corrupt sheriff, who killed Gator’s kin.
48. Messiah of Evil (1974) – Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz
A WTF horror film with a couple of indelible, terrifying scenes.
47. A New Leaf (1971) – Elaine May
Elaine May in front and behind the camera in this incredible comedy. I would like to see the 3-hour cut.
46. Badlands (1973) – Terrence Malick
A doomed love story in signature Malick beauty.
45. Mikey and Nicky (1976) – Elaine May
An incredible film about male friendship.
44. Suspiria (1977) – Dario Argento
Rich colors, beautiful cinematography, horrifying imagery, haunting score, the best Giallo film.
43. Don’t Look Now (1973) – Nicolas Roeg
Beautiful and confounding, until it all comes together in the end. A deeply sad horror film.
42. Sorcerer (1977) – William Friedkin
Maybe the best allegorical film for Vietnam. One of the best films of the 1970s.
41. Cabaret (1972) – Bob Fosse
I could watch Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) at the Kit Kat Club every night.
Klute (1971)
40. Phantom of the Paradise (1974) – Brian De Palma
What if someone combined The Phantom of the Opera, Faust, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, and made it wonderfully bizarre?
39. The Seven-Ups (1973) – Philip D’Antoni
One of the, if not the greatest, car chases in movies.
38. What’s Up Doc? (1972) – Peter Bogdanovich
Hilarious screwball comedy with Babs showcasing what makes her so great.
37. The Silent Partner (1978) – Daryl Duke
An awesome shaggy dog crime film with an evil Christopher Plummer.
36. Klute (1971) – Alan J. Pakula
Jane Fonda in the coolest Best Actress win ever.
35. Barry Lyndon (1975) – Stanley Kubrick
Looks like a painting, yet sardonically hilarious.
34. Deliverance (1972) – John Boorman
A subversive film about toxic masculinity.
33. Rolling Thunder (1977) – John Flynn
A nasty exploration of a Vietnam vet POW. Not for the faint of heart.
32. Harold and Maude (1971) – Hal Ashby
A beautiful film about finding your people and learning how to embrace your weirdness.
31. The Crazies (1973) – George A. Romero
Another paranoid horror film about the inability to trust our government.
The Devils (1971)
30. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) – Werner Herzog
The better Heart of Darkness film from the 1970s.
29. Stalker (1979) – Andrei Tarkovsky
Tarkovsky’s masterpiece on faith and religion.
28. The Heartbreak Kid (1972) – Elaine May
Uncomfortably honest comedy. I want to laugh, but it’s almost too painful.
27. The Gambler (1974) – Karl Reisz
Huge inspiration on many modern gambling movies. The pinnacle of 70s gambling movies.
26. The Student Nurses (1970) – Stephanie Rothman
The feminist ideals being snuck into exploitation movies, this is the best of them.
25. The Last of Sheila (1973) – Herbert Ross
If you love Knives Out, check this one out. Rian said it was a huge inspiration, and that’s clear.
24. The Devils (1971) – Ken Russell
To think of the people who got into religion just to do weird sexual things in the name of religion.
23. North Dallas Forty (1979) – Ted Kotcheff
A football film so honest about the NFL it didn’t get the league’s signature of approval.
22. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – Philip Kaufman
A terrifying 70s paranoid horror film with a devastating ending.
21. Taxi Driver (1976) – Martin Scorsese
It is one of the most important American movies ever made.
Night Moves (1975)
20. Heaven Can Wait (1978) – Warren Beatty & Buck Henry
Warren Beatty convinces everyone he could’ve been a professional football player. Grodin and Cannon are comedic geniuses.
19. American Graffiti (1973) – George Lucas
The most Boomer thing about me is loving this movie and Easy Rider.
18. Network (1976) – Sidney Lumet
Hilarious in 1976. Frightening today because it’s become all too real.
17. Nashville (1975) – Robert Altman
Altman’s best film, one of America’s best films. An Americana masterpiece.
16. Days of Heaven (1978) – Terrence Malick
Malick is known for the beauty in his films. Just like many of his others, this is one of the most gorgeous films ever.
15. Night Moves (1975) – Arthur Penn
Life is crazy, shit happens, and you just keep rolling.
14. Black Christmas (1974) – Bob Clark
Bob Clark toggles between comedy and horror effortlessly. As funny as it is terrifying.
13. The Last Picture Show (1971) – Peter Bogdanovich
Crazy that a guy from New York could capture every facet of small-town life.
12. Fiddler on the Roof (1971) – Norman Jewison
Probably have this film to thank for my love of musicals.
11. A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Stanley Kubrick
I love how Kubrick changed the story to fit a narrative he wanted to tell. So you can get different things from the book and the movie.
Shampoo (1975)
10. The Wicker Man (1973) – Robin Hardy
Takes aim at white Christianity and its need to get everyone to conform to their way of life.
09. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – Steven Spielberg
Rewatching Spielberg movies post The Fabelmans is crazy, like watching his movies with a key or legend.
08. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) – Robert Altman
My favorite film that serves as a metaphor for Vietnam. Also, my favorite Western.
07. All That Jazz (1979) – Bob Fosse
A fever dream of smoke, sweat, and sex. A captivating vision of a director’s self-reflection.
06. Alien (1979) – Ridley Scott
Just one of those films that is in my DNA at this point.
05. Shivers (1975) – David Cronenberg
Cronenberg doing what he does best, finding the erotic in body horror.
04. The Parallax View (1974) – Alan J. Pakula
“All the President’s Men represents … my hope, The Parallax View, my fear.” – Alan Pakula.
03. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – Tobe Hooper
I don’t know if it’s a perfect film. But as an exercise in terror, it’s a masterpiece.
02. The Deer Hunter (1978) – Michael Cimino
Still think this is the best film about war and its effects on the soldiers and their families back home.
01. Shampoo (1975) – Hal Ashby
No one does a melancholy comedy like Hal Ashby. This has become one of my comfort movies
