The 70s were an amazing time for film, and today we are going to go over some of the greatest movies that Hollywood had to offer. So get ready for some great performances from some of your favorite actors. What movies did we miss?
1970 brought with it the Arthur Penn film Little Big Man. It features Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb, a white boy who was raised by a tribe of Native Americans. In this tale you follow Jack Crabb as he recounts his long and checkered past. The cast also featured great performances from Faye Dunaway, Richard Mulligan, and Chief Dan George.
The 1971 film Harold and Maude focuses on the lives of two people that are obsessed with death. Harold is a young man that just can’t find any meaning in his world, and Maude is a woman dwelling on the fact that she is going to die sooner rather than later. The two meet and become one of the cutest, most sincere couples in a Hollywood film.
Directorial wunderkind Terrence Malick started out his career with the 1973 film Badlands. This film is based on Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate, who went on a murder spree in the late 50s. The movie follows Kit and Holly (Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek) through the midwest as they kill without remorse. Fun fact, the 1994 film Natural Born Killers was also based on Charles Starkweather.
1973 also saw the blossoming of Martin Scorsese with his film Mean Streets. This flick features Harvey Keitel and Robert DeNiro as they portray low level thugs in New York. They aren’t the brightest guys but at least Harvey Keitel’s Charlie is trying to better himself, professionally and spiritually.
Jack Nicholson has a reputation for being an amazing actor, he earned that reputation in spades during the 70s. One of his best performances from the decade is from the Roman Polanski film Chinatown. At the time of this film’s production the major players in the film were at the top of their game. Roman Polanski’s directing, with Robert Towne’s script, and Jack Nicholson the film transcended time and is still considered one of the greatest films ever made.
1974 was a busy year for Francis Ford Coppola, Godfather II was released and also the terrifying The Conversation. The reason that The Conversation can be so terrifying is because it revealed just how vulnerable we all are to technology, it’s only gotten worse over the years. The film follows Gene Hackman’s Harry Caul as he uses his technology to unravel a mystery.
From 1974, we jump to 1978 with Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven. This flick follows three unemployed people looking for work, which they find in the fields of Texas. The rag tag group is made up of Richard Gere, as Bill, his girlfriend Abby, and his young sister Linda. But the wheat fields aren’t full of happiness and joy, they’re filled with the realities of life. A somber and beautiful film that can only make you a better person.
1978’s The Deer Hunter follows three friends from Pennsylvania as they all go to fight in Vietnam. From the beginning you see them as rough people but through war you begin to see more of their humanity. With a cast that features Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep it’s a slam dunk.
