The 1970s were a major turning point for filmmaking, ushering in an era of cinematic splendor in the forms of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, thriller, and various other genres. Movies had previously relied on largely understated approaches, only for this decade to prove the monumental success of the exact opposite. Today, the 1970s are remembered as the pinnacle of New Hollywood, an era that saw some now-legendary directors start their careers.
Interestingly, Western cinema wasn’t the only one to benefit from the seventies, which was packed with cinematic transformations across the world — in Europe as well as East and South Asia. A focus on renewed storytelling formats and the birth of the blockbuster would go on to define the decade, including numerous movies that are as perfect today as they were fifty years ago. That said, this list isn’t exhaustive by any measure.
Jaws Ushered in a New Era for Modern Hollywood
The era of the blockbuster commenced with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, a defining cultural moment that turned into a cinematic watershed. It quickly became the highest-grossing film of all time — even if it was soon surpassed by Star Wars, movie buffs rarely consider the latter among the greatest films ever made. Even ignoring the sequels, which only grew worse with time, Jaws can singlehandedly carry the franchise on its back.
One of the main reasons for the movie’s success was, ironically, the repeated malfunctions of Bruce, the mechanical shark. This forced Spielberg to take on a Hitchcockian approach, relying more on suggestion and atmosphere to create tension before ramping it up in the third act.
John Williams’ legendary two-note theme remains a masterclass in scoring, a perfect symbol of the ominous shark lurking secretly in the sea. Ultimately, Jaws has endured thanks to its meticulous craftsmanship, cultural prescience, and terrifying minimalism.
La Cage aux Folles Deconstructs Camp Without Losing Its Spark
Although better known to the English-speaking world as The Birdcage, La Cage aux Folles achieved both critical and commercial fame in 1978. Earning three Oscar nominations and winning the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, it marked a triumph of comedy during the seventies.
The international box office of La Cage aux Folles also proved that audiences were ready for queer stories told with warmth and humor rather than fear or ridicule. The movie blends farce with subversive camp, slyly critiquing the political hypocrisy that remains a severe problem even today.
La Cage aux Folles explored the intersections of queer domesticity, drag culture, and chosen family, earning Roger Ebert’s praise as “a great time at the movies.”
Enter the Dragon Brought Martial Arts to Global Cinema
Martial arts cinema blossomed across Hong Kong and China in the 1970s, although the most famous movie from the era was a Hollywood co-production. Debuting shortly after superstar Bruce Lee’s shocking death, Enter the Dragon established a range of benchmarks for the martial arts genre.
Cinema scholars and academics are still studying the movie’s examination of Asian history and culture following the Second World War, but Enter the Dragon has an even bigger claim to fame: it inspired everything from video games to Dragon Ball.
Defined by a newfound appetite for countercultural concepts and anti-establishment heroes, the seventies were the perfect setting for Bruce Lee. Enter the Dragon may have triggered the martial arts craze worldwide, but it also offered an alternative to Western masculinity.
While the message was undoubtedly the same, Bruce Lee’s portrayal of protagonist Lee — lean, limber, and quoting philosophy — demonstrated that manhood could come in multiple forms.
Cabaret Proved that Hollywood Could Push More Boundaries
Bob Fosse’s Cabaret was a scintillating vehicle for Liza Minnelli and contained her greatest performance. Loosely adapted from the 1966 stage musical of the same name, Cabaret earned an impressive eight Oscars — including Best Director, Best Score, and Best Actress for Minnelli.
The film was one of the first to receive an X-rating for its sexually-charged atmosphere and controversial content, engulfing the viewer in torrents of passion and equally fiery music.
Cabaret became a landmark of New Hollywood, all thanks to its mixture of decadent eroticism and political dread, making it unlike any musical before. Set in Berlin before the rise of the Nazi Reich, the film showcases the apex of the Weimar Republic and its so-called perversions that inevitably led to its fall.
Portrayed by Jaws‘ Roy Scheider, Bob Fosse would eventually be commemorated in 1979’s All That Jazz, another great example of the decade.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Is Nuanced, Powerful, and Profound
A delicately nuanced yet depressingly accurate depiction of mental health in the US, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest belongs in every American library. Miloš Forman’s adaptation strategically summarized the award-winning novel, distilling Kesey’s words into cinematic perfection.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest holds a unique Academy Award record: it is one of only three films to win for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Actress.
The film arrived at a critical time in American history. From Watergate to Vietnam, the general public was increasingly distrustful of authority structures, allowing them to relate wholeheartedly to Randle P. McMurphy, arguably Jack Nicholson’s most charismatic rogue. The antiheroic obsession of the 1970s encapsulated the spirit of rebellion through McMurphy’s dynamic with Nurse Ratched, echoing broader debates about psychiatry and the limits of authority.
Sholay Was an Iconic Blockbuster That Shaped Bollywood
Indian cinema comprises dozens of film industries, with Bollywood being the most famous. And there are few Bollywood movies as impactful and memorable as Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, starring two of the industry’s greatest actors who made a name for themselves as the “angry, young men” of Indian cinema.
Sholay‘s twin protagonists follow the same anti-establishment trend popularized in the 1970s, albeit in earwormy musical form. A story of friendship that turns into sacrifice, Sholay presents a powerful story with continued relevance.
Occasionally referred to as a “Curry Western,” an admittedly problematic turn of phrase, Sholay does feature common Western themes but also injects a dose of Samurai cinema, with a comprehensive topping of spicy Indian masala.
Bollywood wasn’t really hip to genre-blending in the 1970s. Still, the scale, ambition, and emotional intensity of Sholay made it the Bollywood equivalent of a blockbuster — the same year that Jaws was released.
The Exorcist Established the Horror Genre as Fans Know It
William Friedkin’s The Exorcist was the first X-rated feature to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Although it only won two Oscars, the movie’s ten nominations firmly proved that horror was here to stay. In fact, The Exorcist was the highest-grossing R-rated horror film for nearly fifty years. With an Oscar-winning screenplay by the original author, The Exorcist is an example of collaborative success between the novel and its adaptation.
Just like public disillusionment, the seventies were marked by a rise in occult hobbies and New Age movements, granting the ideal clay for Blatty and Friedkin to mold. Exposed to an unprecedented level of unadulterated horror, many viewers fainted, vomited, or even fled theaters screening The Exorcist.
Modern audiences feel that same terror, as Regan twists her head around and walks upside down on the staircase, nightmarish scenes that were completely undiluted by the passage of time.
Annie Hall Was the Pinnacle of Woody Allen’s Artistry
Woody Hall’s approach to filmmaking has always fallen into the quirky category, alongside auteurs like Wes Anderson, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Tim Burton. Unlike these later directors, however, Allen’s films derive their oddness from character neuroses and conversational chaos rather than stylistic playfulness or surreal genre-bending.
Annie Hall, featuring the recently deceased Diane Keaton in her biggest role, effectively revolved around a doomed relationship.
Released in 1977, Annie Hall reframed the romantic comedy through the optics of surrealism, improvisation, and emotional introspection. Perhaps best known for snatching the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay from George Lucas’ Star Wars, Annie Hall went on to influence cinema, fashion, and the comedy genre as a whole. It can be argued that Allen peaked with Annie Hall, making this ’70s movie all the more compelling.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Has Never Stopped Its Theatrical Run
There’s no 1970s movie with a theatrical run longer than The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which continues its limited release even today. The cult following that emerged from this wacky feature remains one of the most devoted in cinema, a clear justification for calling it a musical masterpiece.
Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter would be immortalized in camp culture, performing a spectacular subversion of manhood and sexuality that clashed most deliciously with other hyper-masculine heroes of the era.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is queer delight from rocking start to balladesque finish, incorporating a canon of songs as popular as the film itself. An incendiary cocktail of sexual iconography, camp horror, and sci-fi satire, The Rocky Horror Picture Show serves as a precursor to the mainstreaming of modern drag, queer representation, and gender-fluid aesthetics.
A strange, bold, and enduring creation of seventies cinema, this movie created a new cultural ecosystem that’s thriving in the 21st century.
The Godfather’s Brilliance Was Matched By Its Sequel
Adapted to perfection by Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo’s The Godfather was arguably the highlight of Marlon Brando’s career, even including his role in 1979’s Apocalypse Now. A stellar cast, including Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, James Caan, and Al Pacino, offered a smorgasbord of fierce performances, although the first installment only won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Actor.
Soon enough, The Godfather Part II became the first sequel to prove the merits of an extended franchise, nearly surpassing its predecessor.
Both these movies were considerably better received than 1990’s The Godfather Part III, from their impeccable craftsmanship to their themes of power, corruption, and identity. As legendary critic Pauline Kael once wrote, “The second film shows the consequences of the actions in the first; it’s all one movie, in two great big pieces, and it comes together in your head while you watch.”
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II prove the power of the 1970s.