The 70s were good for American movies. In that decade many of the best American directors of the final decades of the 20th century--Allen, Altman, Copola, Scorcese--absorbed the lessons of innovative European directors of the previous decade and hit their stride.
My parents noticed this. They've been watching the 100 best films from some list. They say the 70s are full of grim post-Vietnam stuff and giddy let's-avoid Vietnam stuff. So it depends on whether that's your thing, I guess.
There are a few gems, but for the most part, I hate the fashion, I hate disco and most of those movies came out of breaking the hold of Technicolor, so I find to colors to be dull and flat. Most of the movies from that decade just make me cringe. I was born in December of 72, but I did my real growing up in the 80s.
Star Wars, Jaws, the Dirty Harry films, nah, the 70's had some good stuff. I like the grittiness of many films of that era - they had the guts to end films with the sort of unhappy endings that would be unthinkable today.
I like the grittiness, too. Filmmaking was not as polished, in general. Sometimes I'm amazed at how much time some directors let run during city scenes, walking scenes, etc.
It was a good decade for horror flicks as well. The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby. The Shining, for crying out loud.
I think there was a lot more craft when horror movies(and sci-fi films too) had to rely upon animation and model-making and makeup rather than the quick and dirty cgi so often used detrimentally.
See: The Mummy, an otherwise entertaining sort of film, wrecked by awful cgi where an actor in makeup would have been a vast improvement.
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-10 02:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 09:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 10:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 11:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-10 02:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 09:38 pm (UTC)Also, there was the Watergate scandal.
This is just my own obnoxious opinion.
Date: 2008-08-10 05:24 pm (UTC)opinions are good
Date: 2008-08-11 09:42 pm (UTC)I grew up in the '80s as well, but I lived in a rural area, so we didn't see a lot of first-run movies after the drive-ins folded.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-10 06:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 09:52 pm (UTC)I like the grittiness, too. Filmmaking was not as polished, in general. Sometimes I'm amazed at how much time some directors let run during city scenes, walking scenes, etc.
It was a good decade for horror flicks as well. The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby. The Shining, for crying out loud.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 10:37 pm (UTC)See: The Mummy, an otherwise entertaining sort of film, wrecked by awful cgi where an actor in makeup would have been a vast improvement.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 07:47 am (UTC)Assault on Precinct 13 was wonderfully nihilistic.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 09:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 11:58 am (UTC)last tango in paris
soylent green
the godfather
the godfather II
klute
M*A*S*H
and Rocky
were all excellent movies from the 70s as well...
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 09:44 pm (UTC)Yeah, I was thinking people were forgeting M*A*S*H.