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7 Essential Films From The 1970s

The 1970s are typically regarded as a period of Renaissance for the American movie industry. Financially, Hollywood was struggling, unable to match the heyday of the previous decades of the 40s and 50s, with television on the rise and new restrictions on the major studios. This resulted in a greater willingness for those with the big bucks to take chances on young filmmakers, many who had been studying film for their entire lives, and had been influenced by the evolving styles seen in Europe, France in particular.

[h2]7) Jaws[/h2]

Jaws

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The charm of Jaws is that while it’s a thriller, making use of famously foreboding music and suspenseful moments galore, it doesn’t lose its sense of enjoyment. It understands that audiences are more afraid about what could happen to the character on screen if they’re people that you don’t want bad stuff to happen to. So even if you’re not personally, physically affected by the scares, if you don’t get the shakes any time you hear the trademark notes indicating danger, you are invested in the story of these characters and their hunt for this great white shark. It would be fun to see Steven Spielberg return to a similar style of filmmaking, just one more time.

There are so many more films from the 1970s that are emblematic of what the decade meant for movies. While today’s movies, especially the independent variety, as well as cable television shows, are arguably back at the level of this prolific decade of quality, it’s a period that stands on a bit of an island in American film history, and deserves attention for that reason. If you like old movies that don’t feel like they’ve been pulled out a time capsule but instead like they’re fresh and contemporary in spirit if not in technology, then films from the 1970s are a good source to tap.