We turn the clock back one more decade to the 70s. This being my most favorite decade for cinema, it was a bit tough making the selections for every year as there is a lot of great movies I have seen to choose from. But this in the end is the final list of my selections for my most favorite movie per year from the 1970s.
ALIEN (1979)
Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Horror classic is a tense edge of the seat experience that first establishes the helplessness of being trapped in space while slowly unraveling its horrors as the crew of the spaceship Nostromo is unaware of what is coming for them and in the process creating one of the most iconic heroines of all time, Ellen Ripley.
THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
One of the most haunting portrayals of the psychological effects of war, The Deer Hunter follows the lives of a group of friends before during, and after the Vietnam war. Now the portrayal of the Vietnamese and the war is quite questionable but where this movie achieves its classic status is in its portrayal of how friendships and relations are changed by the wars with the excessively long first act helping in setting up the characters and the bonds they share such that when it starts falling apart the horrors get amplified.
ERASERHEAD (1977)
David Lynch’s classic surrealist nightmare of a debut, Eraserhead is a movie that defies conventional attempts at understanding its plot, and therein lies its enduring appeal. Is it about the horrors of fatherhood, a commentary on the alienating aspects of industrialization and modernization, a nightmare brought to life, or just a relentless onslaught of disturbing and confusing atmosphere? It can be interpreted in any way, but for me, the charm of this movie lies in the gripping unsettling atmosphere that makes your viewing experience itself feel a suspension between reality and dreams.
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
One of the many collaborations between Scorsese and DeNiro, Taxi Driver is a deep dive into the mind of a deranged man further losing control of his mental state, a supposed vigilante in his own head, Travis Bickle is one of the most enduring characters of cinema as he works as a Taxi driver in the streets of New York going about his business late at night, a time when all the filth of the city comes to life, and while his actions might seem like that of a hero, there is nothing heroic about the character who in end is a commentary on our flawed idolization of individuals based on our definition of a hero.
BARRY LYNDON (1975)
One of Stanley Kubrick’s many masterpieces, Barry Lyndon with its extreme adherence to the use of natural lighting creates one of the most immersive historical movie experiences of all time, that brings alive the past it’s set in creating a movie that progressively grips you further as you delve in following Redmond Barry Lyndon’s his rise through the ranks with Kubrick’s classic cold and distant approach creating a terrific setting with at atmosphere as real as it comes.
THE GODFATHER: PART II (1974)
A sequel matching the greatness of its predecessor, Godfather Part 2 narrates two stories simultaneously one acting as a prequel focussing on Vito’s rise and the establishing of the Corleone family and the second being the consolidation of power by Michael in the present, as we contrast the two very different nature of their respective rise one which brings people closer to Vito and the other that drives people away from Michael perfectly weaving in and out of each other and using Gordon Willis brilliant cinematography to contrast between the nature of the two stories.
THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1973)
Alejandro Jodorowsky goes absolutely off the rails in this bizarre trip following a Christ-like figure who along with seven obsessed materialists each with their extreme vices is guided by an alchemist played Jodorowsky himself in a quest to the Holy Mountain. It’s a movie where things don’t seem to make any sense before ultimately revealing themselves in a way Jodorowsky alone can pull off.
THE GODFATHER (1972)
Not only my most favorite movie of ’72 but also my most favorite movie of all time, Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic builds on its source material to create a compelling story of the Corleone family and of Michael Corleone’s rise in power contrasting his fall from his attempts to carve a path for himself as the mob life pulls him set to Nino Rota’s beautiful score, Godfather is perfection with every single actor fitting their role perfectly to create a tale for the ages.
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
Stanley Kubrick’s controversial masterpiece is set in a dystopian futuristic Britain with rampant lawlessness following Alex DeLarge leading his own gang satisfying their urge for ultraviolence. Clockwork Orange can be a deeply unsettling work with its absolutely reprehensible protagonist but then it takes a turn as it makes us question the fate of Alex and how much of a method is justified just to attain the required end, with no easy answers in sight.
THE CONFORMIST (1970)
A haunting portrait of a spineless man who has reduced himself to conform with a fascist regime in order to save his own skin, and in the process getting reduced to nothing but a shell of a human with none of his own individuality. Bertolucci’s direction, the hauntingly melodious score, and the cold cinematography create a world devoid of humanity in which our lead roams resigned to his fate as a cog in the massive machinery of the government while attempting to lead a life subservient to the system.
