Title: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 13, 2021, 09:25:51 PM Since I just watched one at TCM, I thought of this list...
What do you think are the 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s? I don't mean "best" or "most violent" I mean movies you can't forget because of MERIT and the punch in your gut. Here's my list : 1. THE EXORCIST 2. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 3. THE GODFATHER 4. THE GODFATHER Part 2 5. JAWS 6. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT 7. TAXI DRIVER 8. ALIEN 9. THE DAWN OF THE DEAD 10. LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Trevor on May 14, 2021, 12:47:47 AM In South African cinema of the 1970s, there are a number of films which stand out as powerful.
1. Jannie Totsiens (Johnny Farewell): SA's first avant-garde / horror film. 2. Shangani Patrol: the battle between an expeditionary force and the Matabele army in 1893 is shown. 3. The Winners: SA's first international box office success. 4. Boesman & Lena: based on the play by Athol Fugard. 5. Breaker Morant (Australian film based on a SA story of the Anglo Boer South African War) Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: ralfy on May 14, 2021, 07:13:04 AM Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Barry Lyndon Dog Day Afternoon Jaguar Kagemusha Picnic at Hanging Rock Raging Bull Stalker The Tin Drum The Wicker Man Honorable Mention: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore All the President's Men Apocalypse Now Berlin Alexanderplatz Breaker Morant Bye Bye Brazil The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith Chinatown The Conformist Cousin, Cousine Cross of Iron The Day of the Jackal Days of Heaven Death in Venice The Deer Hunter Dersu Uzala The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie The Dogs of War Don's Party Dona Flor and Her Husband Eboli The Elephant Man The Emigrants with The New Land The Execution of Private Slovik The Exorcist Fame Fellini's Roma The Four Feathers The French Connection 1 and 2 The Garden of the Finzi-Continis Get Carter Go Tell the Spartans The Godfather 1 and 2 The Goodbye Girl Hearts and Minds Heavy Traffic Insiang Jaws Knife in the Head Klute Kramer vs. Kramer La Cage aux Folles Lacombe, Lucien The Last Detail The Last Picture Show The Last Wave Le Crabe Tambour Lenny The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum Macbeth The Magic Flute Man of Iron Man of Marble The Man Who Fell to Earth Manila in the Claws of Light The Marriage of Maria Braun Mean Streets McCabe and Mrs. Miller Mon Oncle d'Amerique Nashville Network One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Paper Chase Paper Moon The Parallax View The Perfumed Nightmare Playing for Time Rites of May Saturday Night Fever Serpico Solaris Soldier of Orange Stardoom Straw Dogs Stroszek Tess That Obscure Object of Desire Thieves Like Us Three Days of the Condor The Tree of Wooden Clogs This is How We Were Before...How Are You Doing Now? Walkabout Weighed But Found Wanting Young Frankenstein Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Rev. Powell on May 14, 2021, 08:00:55 AM Not in any order...
A Clockwork Orange Taxi Driver Chinatown Eraserhead Even Dwarfs Started Small Network The Tin Drum The Wicker Man One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Apocalypse Now I also considered "Pink Flamingos," which is unforgettable but probably doesn't have the gravitas to be considered "powerful." Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: bob on May 14, 2021, 08:23:28 AM The Godfather
Jaws Taxi Driver The Last House on the Left A Clockwork Orange The Deer Hunter Chinatown One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Elephant Man Dog Day Afternoon I also considered The Godfather Part 2 and I Spit on Your Grave Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: RCMerchant on May 14, 2021, 11:46:26 AM Hmmm...interesting topic. In no real order-
1. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) 2. the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) 3. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975) 4. TAXI DRIVER (1976) 5. the EXORCIST (1973) 6. the DEER HUNTER (1978) 7. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) 8. JAWS (1975) 9. the CONVERSATION (1974) 10. FIVE EASY PIECES (1970) Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 14, 2021, 01:41:04 PM ... Barry Lyndon Dog Day Afternoon ... Young Frankenstein First, I don't think all of your films could be described as "powerful" OR a punch in the gut. BARRY LYNDON is wonderful, but I don't think it's "POWERFUL" and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN? That ain't powerful at all. Second, too long a list. I mean really? :lookingup: Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: zelmo73 on May 14, 2021, 05:11:52 PM Please bear in mind that I was born in 1973, so some of these are based on my first memory of actually watching them in the movie theater so they "gut-punched" me harder as a little kid; I will note the ones that I saw in the movie theater with my dad during the late '70s; many of them were re-releases or shown at the discount theater a few years after they released. My "powerful" list in no particular order:
1. The Godfather (1972) 2. The Godfather (1974) 3. The Exorcist (1973) - movie theater 4. Star Wars (1977) - movie theater 5. Enter The Dragon (1973) 6. Taxi Driver (1976) 7. Apocalypse Now (1979) - movie theater 8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - movie theater 9. Jaws (1975) - movie theater 10. Alien (1979) - movie theater Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 14, 2021, 10:21:27 PM ... 4. Star Wars (1977) ... Your list is like mine. I don't know about CLOSE ENCOUNTERS but... STAR WARS??? As far as a "punch in the gut" I mean... :question: Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 14, 2021, 10:24:12 PM Not in any order... ... Chinatown ... Network The Tin Drum The Wicker Man One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Apocalypse Now... At least two of these were considered for my own list. Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 14, 2021, 10:30:38 PM The Godfather Jaws Taxi Driver The Last House on the Left A Clockwork Orange The Deer Hunter Chinatown One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Elephant Man Dog Day Afternoon I also considered The Godfather Part 2 and I Spit on Your Grave Most of your choices were on my list or considered. I will always reject I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE though it definitely fits the bill (my most despised film I never want to look at again). The fact i included another "despised" film on my own list is because I recognize it's importance in the market and under my own rules (LAST HOUSE). Yech I hate them both. Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: zelmo73 on May 15, 2021, 12:50:05 AM ... 4. Star Wars (1977) ... Your list is like mine. I don't know about CLOSE ENCOUNTERS but... STAR WARS??? As far as a "punch in the gut" I mean... :question: Hey, I was 3 1/2 years old when I saw it in the movie theater with my dad for the first time. That kind of experience sticks with you coming from that age. :cheers: Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: ralfy on May 20, 2021, 10:02:17 AM ... Barry Lyndon Dog Day Afternoon ... Young Frankenstein First, I don't think all of your films could be described as "powerful" OR a punch in the gut. BARRY LYNDON is wonderful, but I don't think it's "POWERFUL" and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN? That ain't powerful at all. Second, too long a list. I mean really? :lookingup: "merit" Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 20, 2021, 11:29:49 AM Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: pacman000 on May 20, 2021, 12:37:03 PM Star Wars has three scenes which might deliver a punch in the gut, especially if you're a little kid: the destruction of Alderan, the death of Luke's Aunt & Uncle, & the death of Old Ben.
I'm not sure Close Encounters delivers a punch exactly, but it is an interesting fantasy take on a family falling apart. When viewed as that I can see it as powerful. I usually think of powerful movies as inspirational. Young Frankenstein does have one scene which I found kinda inspirational, when Gene Wilder's character stopped pronouncing his name Fronk-een-steen & started pronouncing it Frankenstein. I don't think that's enough, but this is ultimately subjective, so I'll let it slide. Not sure I can come up with a list of 10 films great enough to qualify. Here I go: The Hiding Place - A holocaust movie. Not something I want to see often; even if they watered down the treatment of the prisoners (no nudity) it's not an easy watch. The Fox & The Hound - I feel silly listing a cartoon, but the end worked well, & it built up tension well. Battlestar Galactica - Mostly corny sci-fi stuff, but there is a scene early on which gets to me: Cylons attack one of the colonies, strafing civilians during a peace celebration. Heaven Can Wait - It's a goofy supernatural comedy, but the end, where he looses his memory, & where his friend dies, & where he looses part of his personality to continue to live, packs punch. If we'll allow inspirational movies, I'll add: Rocky - To try so hard & to come up just barely short. Maybe that should go in the punch category? I don't know; there's something inspirational about trying hard. Star Wars - Seeing Luke turn off his computer & seeing Han come back. That's it; only 6, & I'm not really sure they're good enough to be listed. Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 21, 2021, 01:10:29 AM ...The Fox & The Hound - I feel silly listing a cartoon, but the end worked well, & it built up tension well. :bouncegiggle: They're not! :teddyr: I will say you made me think of an animated film that fits the bill : WATERSHIP DOWN .... That's it; only 6, & I'm not really sure they're good enough to be listed. Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: zelmo73 on May 21, 2021, 10:20:24 PM I'm not sure Close Encounters delivers a punch exactly, but it is an interesting fantasy take on a family falling apart. When viewed as that I can see it as powerful. For me, it was when the aliens took the kid away from her mom and her reaction to it. When you're 4 years old and seeing that happen in a movie, I guess it can hit you pretty hard at that age. Quote The Fox & The Hound - I feel silly listing a cartoon, but the end worked well, & it built up tension well. He stuck up for his buddy at the end. That's some deep loyalty, man. Like mob movie sh*t...you know, "never rat on your friends," that sort of thing. :cheers: Quote Star Wars - Seeing Luke turn off his computer & seeing Han come back. That, and all the other stuff that led up to that moment, like Ben's ghost calling out from the grave "Use the Force, Luke!" And yeah, the destruction of Alderaan and Ben Kenobi getting killed (this was a couple decades before I read Lord Of The Rings and experienced the death of Gandalf) is stuff that can traumatize a 3 year old; think of all the Xanax cases years later that resulted from the death of Mufasa in The Lion King (1994). :bouncegiggle: Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Allhallowsday on May 21, 2021, 11:22:21 PM ... He stuck up for his buddy at the end. That's some deep loyalty, man... I don't think there's a higher quality than loyalty. I understand movies have a lot of power over the young. I thought CARNIVAL OF SOULS was powerful when I first saw it... at age like 9... though I still love it, it doesn't hold up that well... not so "powerful". NIGHT OF THE HUNTER was powerful too (and still is)... Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: ralfy on May 23, 2021, 04:12:29 AM I mentioned ten. The rest are honorable mentions. Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: TheBouncer on May 23, 2021, 01:48:14 PM 'Five easy pieces' 1970 - Jack Nicholson's blue collar character jumping into the back of the removal van and playing the piano amongst the traffic.
Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: RCMerchant on May 24, 2021, 10:26:57 AM 'Five easy pieces' 1970 - Jack Nicholson's blue collar character jumping into the back of the removal van and playing the piano amongst the traffic. I'm glad to see that someone besides me liked it! :thumbup: Title: Re: 10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s Post by: Rev. Powell on May 24, 2021, 12:52:11 PM 'Five easy pieces' 1970 - Jack Nicholson's blue collar character jumping into the back of the removal van and playing the piano amongst the traffic. I'm glad to see that someone besides me liked it! :thumbup: It would probably be in my next ten. The scene where he confronts his father is POWERFUL. |