10 most POWERFUL FILMS of the 1970s

[Allhallowsday]

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

[Trevor]

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)

[ralfy]

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

[Rev. Powell]

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."

[bob]

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

[RCMerchant]

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)

[Allhallowsday]

...
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?   

[zelmo73]

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

[Allhallowsday]

...
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...    

[Allhallowsday]

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. 

[Allhallowsday]

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. 

[zelmo73]

...
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...    

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. 

[ralfy]

...
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?   

"merit"

[Allhallowsday]

..."merit"

 
... 10 ...

[pacman000]

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.