Zach’s Favorite Films of the 1970s

1979

  1. BUSH MAMA (Haile Gerima, USA)
  2. DIRTY HO (Liu Chia-Liang, Hong Kong)
  3. FROM THE CLOUDS TO THE RESISTANCE (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, Italy/Germany/UK/France)
  4. SOFT FICTION (Chick Strand, USA)
  5. ALIEN (Ridley Scott, USA/UK)
  6. THE BATTLE OF CHILE: PART III (Patricio Guzmán, Chile)
  7. BEING THERE (Hal Ashby, USA)
  8. THE HUMAN FACTOR (Otto Preminger, UK)
  9. MAD MAX (George Miller, Australia)
  10. THE BROOD (David Cronenberg, USA)
  11. THE MUPPET MOVIE (James Frawley, UK/USA)
  12. NO MAPS ON MY TAPS (George T. Nierenberg, USA)
  13. BOSTON FIRE (Peter B. Hutton, USA)
  14. THE REFLECTING POOL (Bill Viola, USA)
  15. TICKET OF NO RETURN (Ulrike Ottinger, West Germany)
  16. ALL THAT JAZZ (Bob Fosse, USA)
  17. REAL LIFE (Albert Brooks, USA)
  18. HARDCORE (Paul Schrader, USA)
  • APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola, USA)
  • STALKER (Andrei Tarkovsky, USSR)
  • PENITENTIARY (Jamaa Fanaka, USA)

1978

  1. THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  2. REMEMBER MY NAME (Alan Rudolph, USA)
  3. KILLER OF SHEEP (Charles Burnett, USA)
  4. DAWN OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero, Italy/USA)
  5. LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA (Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France/Germany)
  6. HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter, USA)
  7. FUTURE PERFECT (Roberta Friedman and Grahame Weinbren , USA)
  8. PERCEVAL (Éric Rohmer, France/Germany/Italy)
  9. THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Lau Kar-leung, Hong Kong)
  10. DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick, USA)
  11. GOING OUT OF BUSINESS (Christopher Gamboni, USA)
  12. MONGOLOID (Bruce Conner, USA)
  13. GATES OF HEAVEN (Errol Morris, USA)
  14. SNAKE IN THE EAGLE’S SHADOW (Yuen Woo-ping, Hong Kong)
  15. CONVOY (Sam Peckinpah, USA)
  16. THE SILENT PARTNER (Daryl Duke, Canada/USA)
  17. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (Philip Kaufman, USA)
  18. THAMP - THE CIRCUS TENT (Govindan Aravindan, India)
  • AUTUMN SONATA (Ingmar Bergman, France/Germany/Sweden)

1977

  1. NEWS FROM HOME (Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France)
  2. NEW YORK, NEW YORK (Martin Scorsese, USA)
  3. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  4. 21 UP (Michael Apted, UK)
  5. BETWEEN THE LINES (Joan Micklin Silver, USA)
  6. ERASERHEAD (David Lynch, USA)
  7. VALSE TRISTE (Bruce Conner, USA)
  8. SORCERER (William Friedkin, USA/Mexico)
  9. STAR WARS (George Lucas, USA)
  10. MARTIN (George A. Romero, USA)
  11. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen, USA)
  12. THE DUELLISTS (Ridley Scott, UK)
  13. THE DEVIL, PROBABLY (Robert Bresson, France)
  14. DESPERATE LIVING (John Waters, USA)
  15. THE REPORT (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran)
  16. HOUSE (Nobuhiko Obayashi, Japan)
  • ROLLERCOASTER (James Goldstone, USA)

1976

  1. HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A. (Barbara Kopple, USA)
  2. THE MARQUISE OF O (Éric Rohmer, France/West Germany)
  3. ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (John Carpenter, USA)
  4. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (Alan Pakula, USA)
  5. TAKE THE 5:10 TO DREAMLAND (Bruce Conner, USA)
  6. FORTINI/CANI (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, France/Italy/UK/USA/West Germany)
  7. INSIANG (Lino Brocka, Philippines)
  8. THE BATTLE OF CHILE: PART II (Patricio Guzmán, Chile)
  9. MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (Jimmy Wang Yu, Hong Kong)
  10. CHESS OF THE WIND (Mohammad Reza Aslani, Iran)
  11. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese, USA)
  12. ROBIN AND MARIAN (Richard Lester, USA/UK)
  13. GOD TOLD ME TO (Larry Cohen, USA)
  14. THE SIGNALMAN (Lawrence Gordon Clark, UK)
  15. DUELLE (Jacques Rivette, France)
  16. MR. KLEIN (Joseph Losey, USA)
  17. KINGS OF THE ROAD (Wim Wenders, West Germany)
  • CARRIE (Brian De Palma, USA)
  • LIFEGUARD (Daniel Petrie, USA)

1975

  1. JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DE COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France)
  2. INDIA SONG (Marguerite Duras, France)
  3. MOSES AND AARON (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, West Germany/Austria/France/Italy)
  4. WELFARE (Frederick Wiseman, USA)
  5. BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick, UK/USA)
  6. SHIVERS (David Cronenberg, Canada)
  7. SHAMPOO (Hal Ashby, USA)
  8. MIRROR (Andrei Tarkovsky, USSR)
  9. JAWS (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  10. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Bette Gordon and James Benning, USA)
  11. FAR FROM HOME (Sohrab Shahid Saless, Iran/West Germany)
  12. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman, USA)
  13. THE BATTLE OF CHILE: PART I (Patricio Guzmán, Chile)
  14. NEW BOOK (Zbigniew Rybczynski, Poland)
  15. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, UK)
  16. GREY GARDENS (David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer, USA)
  17. FOX AND HIS FRIENDS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  18. NIGHT MOVES (Arthur Penn, USA)
  19. MOTHER KÜSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  20. THE PASSENGER (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy/Spain/France/USA)
  • XALA (Ousmane Sembène, Senegal)
  • ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (Miloš Forman, USA)

1974

  1. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Tobe Hooper, USA)
  2. CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski, USA)
  3. ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  4. THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Joseph Sargent, USA)
  5. THE TEXT OF LIGHT (Stan Brakhage, USA)
  6. LANCELOT DU LAC (Robert Bresson, France)
  7. ATTICA (Cinda Firestone, USA)
  8. THE CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola, USA)
  9. THE GODFATHER: PART II (Francis Ford Coppola, USA)
  10. DEAD OF NIGHT (Bob Clark, Canada/USA)
  11. ALICE IN THE CITIES (Wim Wenders, West Germany)
  12. THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  13. BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (Sam Peckinpah, Mexico/USA)
  14. JERRY’S (Tom Palazzolo, USA)
  15. THE TRAVELER (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran)
  16. JUGGERNAUT (Richard Lester, UK/USA)
  17. THE STREET FIGHTER (Shigehiro Ozawa, Japan)
  18. THE ENIGMA OF KASPER HAUSER (Werner Herzog, West Germany)
  19. METHADONE: AN AMERICAN WAY OF DEALING (Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, USA)
  20. CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (Jacques Rivette, France)
  21. BLACK CHRISTMAS (Bob Clark, Canada)
  22. FEMALE TROUBLE (John Waters, USA)
  23. PHASE IV (Saul Bass, UK/USA)
  24. I-94 (Bette Gordon and James Benning, USA)
  • STAVISKY... (Alain Resnais, Italy/France)
  • SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden)

1973

  1. PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID (Sam Peckinpah, USA)
  2. THE LAST DETAIL (Hal Ashby, USA)
  3. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache, France)
  4. TOUKI BOUKI (Djibril Diop Mambéty, Senegal)
  5. THE HORSE (Charles Burnett, USA)
  6. DUVIDHA (Mani Kaul, India)
  7. BADLANDS (Terrence Malick, USA)
  8. THE CRAZIES (George A. Romero, USA)
  9. LUDWIG (Luchino Visconti, France/Italy/West Germany)
  10. CHARLEY VARRICK (Don Siegel, USA)
  11. BEACH OF THE WAR GODS (Jimmy Wang Yu, Hong Kong)
  12. THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman, USA)
  13. THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin, USA)
  14. THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR (Ivan Dixon, USA)
  15. THE HOURGLASS SANTITORIUM (Wojciech Has, Poland)
  16. WINDMILL II (Chris Welsby, UK)
  17. THE FATE OF LEE KHAN (King Hu, Hong Kong/Taiwan)
  18. PAPER MOON (Peter Bogdanovich, USA)
  19. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles, France/Iran/West Germany)
  20. A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING (Phil Roman and Bill Melendez, USA)
  21. ENTER THE DRAGON (Robert Clouse, Hong Kong/USA)
  22. INTRODUCTION TO ARNOLD SCHOENBERG'S ACCOMPANIMENT TO A CINEMATIC SCENE (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, West Germany)
  23. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER (Clint Eastwood, USA)
  • DON’T LOOK NOW (Nicolas Roeg, Italy/UK)

1972

  1. WHAT’S UP, DOC? (Peter Bogdanovich, USA)
  2. THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  3. HISTORY LESSONS (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, Italy/West Germany)
  4. TOUT VA BIEN (Jean-Luc Godard, France)
  5. COCKSUCKER BLUES (Robert Frank, USA)
  6. LA CHAMBRE (Chantal Akerman, Belgium)
  7. THE RIDDLE OF LUMEN (Stan Brakhage, USA)
  8. DEATH LINE (Gary Sherman, UK)
  9. AVANTI! (Billy Wilder, Italy/USA)
  10. SAMBIZANGA (Sarah Maldoror, Angola/France/Republic of Congo)
  11. CÉSAR ET ROSALIE (Claude Sautet, France)
  12. THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola, USA)
  13. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Luis Buñuel, France/Italy/Spain)
  14. AGUIRRE THE WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog, Peru/West Germany)
  15. PRIME CUT (Michael Ritchie, USA)
  • DOWNPOUR (Bahram Beizai, Iran)
  • CRIES AND WHISPERS (Ingmar Bergman, USA)

1971

  1. BARN RUSHES (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  2. BUSHMAN (David Schickele, USA)
  3. SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG (Melvin Van Peebles, USA)
  4. A NEW LEAF (Elaine May, USA)
  5. THE MURDER OF FRED HAMPTON (Howard Alk, USA)
  6. UFOS (Lillian Schwartz, USA)
  7. MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (Robert Altman, USA)
  8. VANISHING POINT (Richard C. Sarafian, USA)
  9. KLUTE (Alan Pakula, USA)
  10. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (William Friedkin, USA)
  11. HARMONICA (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  12. MEETING THE MAN: JAMES BALDWIN IN PARIS (James Baldwin and Terence Dixon, UK/France)
  13. THE ACT OF SEEING WITH ONE’S OWN EYES (Stan Brakhage, USA)
  14. DIRTY HARRY (Don Siegel, USA)
  15. THE MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  16. MEDITATION (Jordan Belson, USA)
  17. WALKABOUT (Nicolas Roeg, Australia/UK)
  18. BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  19. CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (Mike Nichols, USA)
  20. GROWING UP FEMALE (Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, USA)
  21. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (Peter Bogdonavich, USA)
  22. RABBIT’S MOON (Kenneth Anger, USA)
  23. THE BEGUILED (Don Siegel, USA)
  • LA REGIÓN CENTRALE (Michael Snow, Canada)
  • STRAW DOGS (Sam Peckinpah, UK/USA)
  • SHAFT (Gordon Parks, USA)

1970

  1. CLAIRE’S KNEE (Éric Rohmer, France)
  2. FOG LINE (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  3. HOSPITAL (Frederick Wiseman, USA)
  4. WANDA (Barbara Loden, USA)
  5. GIMME SHELTER (Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, USA)
  6. SERENE VELOCITY (Ernie Gehr, USA)
  7. DOORWAY (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  8. ZORNS LEMMA (Hollis Frampton, USA)
  9. THIRD WORLD, THIRD WORLD WAR (Julio García Espinosa, Cuba)
  10. THE END OF THE TRACK (Mou Tun-fei, Taiwan)
  11. ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: COMPANY (D. A. Pennebaker, USA)
  12. THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE (Sam Peckinpah, USA)
  13. OTHON (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, Italy/West Germany)
  14. GODS OF THE PLAGUE (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  15. COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (Joseph Sargent, USA)
  16. I AM SOMEBODY (Madeline Anderson, USA)
  17. 7 PLUS SEVEN (Michael Apted, UK)
  18. LE CERCLE ROUGE (Jean-Pierre Melville, France/Italy)
  19. THE BREAD AND ALLEY (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran)
  20. FIVE EASY PIECES (Bob Rafelson, USA)
  • M*A*S*H (Robert Altman, USA)
  • THE CONFORMIST (Bernardo Bertolucci, France/Italy/West Germany)
  • TRISTANA (Luis Bunuel, Spain/France/Italy)