The Amazing 1970s
The prolific period from the tail end of 1960s to the end of 1970s, which I will call the 1970s, is an anomaly in mainstream American cinema. Partly due to the cultural success of television, bringing realism to American living rooms, the financial success of films like Easy Rider (1969) and Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and also the global influence of Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave on all filmmakers—including the socially conscious American auteurs some of whom graduates of film schools, the system allowed an array of socio-political films to be made. Not only do we have an inventory of creative and boundary-crossing films in this period, but also a historical moment where American cinema for purpose of social change makes its mark on the global map.
First, there were financially successful and critically acclaimed films like John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate (1962) which looks at the dark nature of politics and its deceptive secret programs (after the assassination of John Kennedy this film was pulled from the market and re-released in 1987 to great reception), The Graduate (1967) pointing to the absurdity of modern society, Bonnie and Clyde (1967) locating antiheroes in a sterile society and using self-conscious cinematic techniques such as slow motion (in the controversial violent ending) and jump cuts (like Godard in France), Medium Cool (1969) looking at the dehumanizing tendencies of television and political volatility of American society, and Midnight Cowboy (1969) problematizing the American dream and male-bonding.
Starting in the 1970s talented American directors had the green light to make the following powerful films:
Five Easy pieces (1970) directed by Bob Rafelson: an existential meditation about an accomplished pianist who gives up a promising career in music to become a drifting oil rig roughneck.
Little Big Man (1970) directed by Arthur Penn: The first major release Western that tells the side of the Native Americans during the bloody history of the United States.
M*A*S*H (1970) directed by Robert Altman: a powerful blending of comedy and melodrama to reveal the absurdity of war and its place in American life. Later, of course, MASH became a hit TV series.
Soldier Blue (1970) directed by Ralph Nelson: one of a handful of revisionist Westerns of the period which, in dramatic fashion, shows the massacre of Indians (Native Americans) by the US military—meant to be analogous to the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese by the US military.
Woodstock (1970) directed by Michael Wadleigh: a revolution in documentary cinema, depicting the reality of communal living in form of a real live concert featuring great musicians like Joan Baez and Jimi Hendrix.
The French Connection (1971) directed by William Friedkin: a raw and compelling approach to police drama where the grey area rules, and of course its famous car chase scene is quite exciting even by today’s standards.
A Clockwork Orange (1971) directed by Stanley Kubrick: Depicting the dark side of human nature and its societal institutions.
Harold and Maude (1971) directed by Hal Ashby: A romantic comedy par excellence, which shows an unlikely love story about an eccentric young man with money bored with life and a much older woman with no money but zest for life. This film offers a new perspective on love.
The last Picture Show (1971) directed by Peter Bogdanovich: It is a new approach to melodrama that shows a coming of age premise in a very innovative way in a small Texas town.
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) directed by Robert Altman: an atypical Western about a small time entrepreneur who is killed by hired assassins to make way for a corporation to take over his market. The film anticipates the corporate takeover of American society.
The Godfather (1972) directed by Francis Ford Coppola: A story about America–dressed as a gangster family melodrama. This film is an epic about the contradictory element of doing business at the expense of morality.
Badlands (1973) directed by Terrence Malick: A story of the incomprehensible dark side of human nature against a backdrop of magnificent shots of America’s badlands.
The Iceman Comet (1973) directed by John Frankenheimer: An intimate drama about American barflies in the early 1900s. This film was a surprising box office success.
Mean Streets (1973) directed by Martin Scorsese: An honest portrayal of life in New York’s Little Italy with a unique complexity.
Serpico (1973) directed by Sidney Lumet: A great approach to neorealist tradition in an American setting, dealing with serious ethical issues in the police force.
Chinatown (1974) directed by Polish auteur Roman Polanski who has made his masterpieces in America using American actors: A treatise of Watergate scandal in form of a detective noir.
Godfather II (1974) directed by Francis Ford Coppola: Continuation of the great epic series, more impactful than the first one.
The Day of the Locust (1975) directed by John Schlesinger: A psychologically deep look at Hollywood’s 1930s and its impact on the citizens of Tinseltown.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) directed by Sidney Lumet: A sophisticated examination of gender issues in America.
Nashville (1975) directed by Robert Altman: A perceptive examination of American culture and history, specifically a bloody history of political assassinations.
Night Moves (1975) directed by Arthur Penn: A magnificent achievement in blending a police drama with a psychological study of the American types.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) directed by Milos Forman: Based on Ken Kesey’s landmark novel, this is a powerful story of resistance, persistence, and fight for freedom and self-actualization in a society that wants to beat you into submission by any means necessary, including medication and lobotomy.
Shampoo (1975) directed by Hal Ashby: A clever blending of satire with serious critique of American values.
All the President’s Men (1976) directed by Alan J. Pakula: An excellent newspaper social drama about the Watergate scandal, which had real life world-changing ramifications.
Marathon Man (1976) directed by John Schlesinger: A suspense thriller about a dark history of Nazism and the criminals who got away.
Network (1976) directed by Sidney Lumet: An ominous and prophetic look at the world of television news and its future (present) off-spring reality TV.
Rocky (1976) directed by John G. Avildsen: A real life once in a lifetime shot for Sylvester Stallone turned into a landmark American film about the American dream.
Taxi driver (1976) directed by Martin Scorsese: Psychological drama about alienation and existential angst in contemporary America.
Annie Hall (1977) directed by Woody Allen: The most successful of neurotic comedies about New Yorkers, romantic comedy par excellence.
Eraserhead (1977) directed by David Lynch: A blueprint for cult films of the future.
Saturday Night Fever (1977) directed by John Badham: A probing look at the youth culture in New York.
Three Women (1977) directed by Robert Altman: A meditative examination of human relations.
Blue Collar (1978) directed by Paul Schrader: An intense look at labor unions and the politics of big business in trying to break up unions.
Days of Heaven (1978) directed by Terrence Malick: A mesmerizing cinematography in tandem with a philosophical look at human desires and motivations in life.
Apocalypse Now (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola: A landmark film based on Joseph Conrad’s famous novel Heart of Darkness. It can be read as anti-war as well as Coppola’s personal psychological probing into humanity’s dark side. It took nearly three years to make and Coppola reportedly had many an existential moment where he questioned everything in life.
Being There (1979) directed by Hal Ashby: A story about an idiot who walks on water and pronounces very profound aphorisms. A precursor to Forrest Gump (1994), one might argue.
Norma Rae (1979) directed by Martin Ritt: An empowering film about one woman’s awakening and winning the struggle against exploitation of labor.
North Dallas Forty (1979) directed by Ted Kotcheff: One of the best films made about professional football from a socio-economic perspective. The film is a serious critique of pro football’s dehumanizing practices.