It’s hard to believe it’s been over half a century since Hollywood last experienced a true creative renaissance. Just what happened back then?
Starting in the mid-sixties, the film industry underwent a dramatic transition as the major studios realized their approach to moviemaking was no longer working. Too many big-budget releases were falling flat at the box office; the losses were staggering.
Out of desperation came the need to try something different. A dirty word then and now, the studios actually had to start taking risks. They turned to a new generation of filmmaker with unfamiliar names like Coppola, Friedkin, and Scorsese, who were given more modest budgets but also greater creative freedom to do original and compelling work.
Variously referred to as the American New Wave, the New Hollywood, or the Hollywood Renaissance, this period of creative foment extended through the seventies, yielding a bumper crop of brilliant films that still hold up, and always will.
To isolate them, I did a decade search on our site and compiled an initial short list of 35 outstanding American features made between 1971-79. From there I culled further and came up with the ten titles below that, in my view, represent the very best of the decade.
If somehow you’ve missed any of these films, the time to see them is now. All are readily streamable, mainly on Amazon Prime.
Let’s hope the next Renaissance is somewhere on the horizon. Hollywood is past due for another shake-up, and we need more movies like these — the kind that never get old.
10) THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971)
In a Nutshell: Pungent, bittersweet drama from Peter Bogdanovich, with screenplay by Larry McMurtry, traces the lives of residents in a dying Texas town in the early fifties, including a group of graduating high-schoolers (Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, and Timothy Bottoms).
Did You Know: Film won Oscars for Supporting Actor (Ben Johnson) and Supporting Actress (Cloris Leachman). Bogdanovich began an affair with 21-year-old co-star Cybill Shepherd, which ended his marriage to Polly Platt, the film’s production designer.
9) NETWORK (1976)
In a Nutshell: Directed by Sidney Lumet, this black satire from writer Paddy Chayefsky portrays a struggling, ratings-obsessed TV network whose fortunes rebound when they unleash psychotic anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) on their viewers, creating a media sensation. But with Beale increasingly erratic, how long can it last?
Did You Know: “Network” was the second movie to win three acting awards at the Oscars (for Finch, Faye Dunaway, and Beatrice Straight), and the first to win a posthumous acting Oscar, for Finch, who died before the film’s release.
8) THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
In a Nutshell: Searing war drama directed by Michael Cimino follows a group of working class buddies from a Pennsylvania steel town (Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, and John Cazale), who get drafted for Vietnam and are irrevocably changed by the experience.
Did You Know: The winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, “Deer Hunter” brought the first of Meryl Streep’s 21 (and counting) Oscar nominations. This was also the last film for Cazale, her real-life companion, who was dying of cancer.
7) ANNIE HALL (1977)
In a Nutshell: A neurotic Jewish comedy writer (Woody Allen) falls for a flaky nightclub singer (Diane Keaton), sparking an unlikely romance. Allen’s masterpiece is, all at once, clever, perceptive and touching.
Did You Know: Co-stars Allen and Keaton, who both won Oscars for this, were a real-life couple at the time. The film features early career performances from Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum; this was also Sigourney Weaver’s film debut.
6) THE EXORCIST (1973)
In a Nutshell: Hair-raising film about a girl’s demonic possession was based on William Peter Blatty’s book. Mother Kris (Ellen Burstyn), understandably desperate, calls in a priest, Father Karras (Jason Miller), to perform an exorcism on daughter Regan (Linda Blair). Will it work?
Did You Know: Author Blatty won the screenplay Oscar, and all three leads (Burstyn, Blair, and Miller) were nominated. Also the film debut of playwright Miller, who that same year won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize for “That Championship Season”.
5) TAXI DRIVER (1976)
In a Nutshell: Robert De Niro plays a mentally unstable cabbie who cruises the grimy underside of Manhattan. He tries to protect Iris (Jodie Foster), a child prostitute, an act which ends in violence. Martin Scorsese’s thriller about societal alienation and urban decay still resonates.
Did You Know: The quintessential method actor, De Niro prepared for his role by driving a New York City cab at night. Since his fame was so recent, most passengers didn’t recognize him.
4) JAWS (1975)
In a Nutshell: In this breathless nail-biter based on the Peter Benchley bestseller, a great white shark is terrorizing summer vacationers in the coastal town of Amity. A police chief (Roy Scheider), oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and shark hunter (Robert Shaw) make up the unlikely trio assigned to kill it.
Did You Know: Shooting on water proved challenging, causing delays and cost overruns. The mechanical shark looked fake and kept malfunctioning, forcing Steven Spielberg to minimize its use. Considered our first summer blockbuster, this movie changed the way Hollywood did business.
3) CHINATOWN (1974)
In a Nutshell: In 1930’s LA, private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) takes on a delicate assignment for alluring widow Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), and gets embroiled in a dense mystery involving murder, and more. Roman Polanski’s thriller, scripted by Robert Towne, is close to perfect.
Did You Know: Director Polanski and star Dunaway, both temperamental, clashed frequently during the shoot. Both were grateful to have Nicholson on-hand as peacemaker.
2) THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
In a Nutshell: Scrappy detective Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) teams up with partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) to investigate the source of a huge heroin shipment. Based on a real case, the film is lean, tense and atmospheric, evoking the grit of New York back then.
Did You Know: Friedkin took significant risks, filming the immortal chase scene under the subway tracks without a permit from the city. Hackman won the Best Actor Oscar and became a star.
1) THE GODFATHER (1972)
In a Nutshell: Powerful gangster saga based on Mario Puzo’s book (he also scripted) follows the fortunes of the Corleone crime family in the 40’s and ‘50s, the hey-day of the Mafia. Ageless film catapulted Francis Ford Coppola to the first rank of directors and made a star out of Al Pacino.
Did You Know: It was Marlon Brando’s idea to puff out his cheeks to make Vito Corleone look like a bulldog. Just 47 at the time, the actor had to look 20 years older. This comeback for Brando brought him his second Oscar.
