The seventies wasn’t just the most revolutionary decade for the film industry, but it was arguably one of the most exciting. Films like Jaws and Star Wars brought new life to the cinema and gave life to the term blockbuster. Films such as these have since become a staple of the industry and summer blockbusters continue to rule the box office.
The other long-lasting revolution to occur in the 70s was the application of computer-generated imagery to film. 2-D imagery and 3-D imagery were both used in this decade to create some of the first CGI effects in any film. The use of these techniques is another staple of the industry and has become the most important invention in film.
I addition to the blockbuster and CGI, the seventies also produced some truly great films, with Epic’s taking on a new meaning and films transcending the previous limitations to seek out new realms. Science fiction and fantasy both made astounding leaps and bounds in this decade and inspired some truly amazing films.
My picks for each year are as follows:
- 1970 – Patton
- 1971 – A Clockwork Orange; Straw Dogs; Dirty Harry
- 1972 – The Godfather; Solaris
- 1973 – Westworld; The Wicker Man; The Sting; Enter the Dragon
- 1974 – Chinatown; Blazing Saddles; The Towering Inferno
- 1975 – Jaws; One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
- 1976 – Network; All the President’s Men; Carrie
- 1977 – Star Wars; Annie Hall; Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- 1978 – Halloween; Superman; The Deer Hunter
- 1979 – Alien; Mad Max; Life of Brian; The Jerk
Movies 