Cinema of the 70s: 101 Iconic Movies

Today, over half a century later, great films are measured by those of the 70s. Has there been a more impactful 10-year period? For the first time, cinema reflected life and society, presenting both on the big screen with a compelling and penetrating truth. Directors became household names, often overnight, and films routinely broke box office records.

With censorship relaxed, the subject matter could include alienation, descents into madness, drug addiction, dysfunctional relationships, promiscuity, alcoholism, PTSD, and any big news story of the day. Audiences gladly absorbed this new, shocking reality; in fact, they avoided films that candy-coated the truth.

Musicals evolved, westerns all but died for several years, science fiction and fantasy made an incredible resurgence, and horror dominated the box office along with disaster films. But by and large, films about social issues were the best draw.

John H Foote has been one of Canada’s best known film critics for the last thirty years. He was co-host and co-producer of the TV show Reel to Real, Canada’s Siskel and Ebert, for nine years before leaving for print criticism. He has written for such magazines as Toronto Life and Fashion, and is a feature writer for Cinema of the Seventies and its sister magazine Cinema of the Eighties. Among the websites he has written for are The Wrap.com, incontention.com and awardscircuit.com, all popular film sites. His first book Clint Eastwood: Evolution of a Filmmaker was published in 2008.