Top Ten Films of the 1970s
1979
1. MANHATTAN (Woody Allen)
2. BREAKING AWAY (Peter Yates)
3. THE ONION FIELD (Harold Becker)
4. ALIEN (Ridley Scott)
5. BEING THERE (Hal Ashby)
6. APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola)
7. ALL THAT JAZZ (Bob Fosse)
8. THE CHINA SYNDROME (James Bridges)
9. HARDCORE (Paul Schrader)
10. THE IN-LAWS (Arthur Hiller)
Honorable Mention
IN A YEAR OF 13 MOONS, LIFE OF BRIAN, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, LOVE ON THE RUN, THE MUPPET MOVIE, OVER THE EDGE, SAINT JACK, and STALKER.
1978
1. DAWN OF THE DEAD (George Romero)
2. DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick)
3. THE DEER HUNTER (Michael Cimino)
4. HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter)
5. BLUE COLLAR (Paul Schrader)
6. THE GREEN ROOM (François Truffaut)
7. THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Liu Chia-Liang)
8. AUTUMN SONATA (Ingmar Bergman)
9. WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN (Karel Reisz)
10. FINGERS (James Toback)
Honorable Mention
ERASERHEAD, GATES OF HEAVEN, GET OUT YOUR HANKERCHIEFS and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
Most Overrated
COMING HOME
1977
1. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen)
2. 3 WOMEN (Robert Altman)
3. STAR WARS (George Lucas)
4. STROSZEK (Werner Herzog)
5. PROVIDENCE (Alain Resnais)
6. THE DEVIL, PROBABLY (Robert Bresson)
7. INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (Enzo G. Castellari)
8. MARTIN (George A. Romero)
9. THE AMERICAN FRIEND (Wim Wenders)
10. THE GAUNTLET (Clint Eastwood)
Honorable Mention
CELENE AND JULIE GO BOATING, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN, SOLIDER OF ORANGE, SORCERER, and SUSPIRIA
1976
1. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese)
2. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
3. NETWORK (Sidney Lumet)
4. ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (John Carpenter)
5. ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES (Francesco Rosi)
6. SEVEN BEAUTIES (Lina Wertmuller)
7. SMALL CHANGE (François Truffaut)
8. MIKEY AND NICKY (Elaine May)
9. THE MARQUISE OF O (Eric Rohmer)
10. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (Alan J. Pakula)
Honorable Mention
BUGSY MALONE, FAMILY PLOT, HEART OF GLASS, JONAH WHO WILL BE 25 IN THE YEAR 2000, THE MIDDLEMAN and WHO CAN KILL A CHILD?
1975
1. JAWS (Steven Spielberg)
2. DEEP RED (Dario Argento)
3. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
4. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (Milos Foreman)
5. BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick)
6. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
7. HARD TIMES (Walter Hill)
8. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (John Huston)
9. FRENCH CONNECTION II (John Frankenheimer)
10. THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
Honorable Mention
LOVE AND DEATH, MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE, MIRROR, NIGHT MOVES, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, and SWEPT AWAY...
Most Overrated
SHAMPOO
1974
1. DERSU UZALA (Akira Kurosawa)
2. THE CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola)
3. THE GODFATHER 2 (Francis Ford Coppola)
4. CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski)
5. CALIFORNIA SPLIT (Robert Altman)
6. ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (Martin Scorsese)
7. HEARTS AND MINDS (Peter Davis)
8. JUGGERNAUT (Richard Lester)
9. RABID DOGS (Mario Bava)
10. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Tobe Hooper)
Honorable Mention
ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL, BLACK CHRISTMAS, BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA, COCKFIGHTER, LENNY, THE PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK, PHANTOM OF LIBERTY, THE PHANTOM OF PARADISE, and TAKING OF PILHAM 1, 2, 3.
Most Overrated
GOING PLACES, LANCELOT OF THE LAKE, and XALA.
1973
1. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
2. BADLANDS (Terrence Malick)
3. THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman)
4. SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Ingmar Bergman)
5. DON'T LOOK NOW (Nicholas Roeg)
6. THE WICKER MAN (Robin Hardy)
7. DAY FOR NIGHT (François Truffaut)
8. THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin)
9. PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (Sam Pekinpah)
10. TORSO (Sergio Martino)
Honorable Mention
BLUME IN LOVE, THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE, THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE, PAPER MOON, SERPICO, SEX & FURY, SLEEPER, and TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL: LYNCH LAW CLASSROOM
Notable Shorts
LUCIFER RISING (Kenneth Anger)
Most Overrated
LAST TANGO IN PARIS and THE WAY WE WERE.
1972
1. CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON (Eric Rohmer)
2. THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola)
3. THE RULING CLASS (Peter Medak)
4. THE HEARTBREACK KID (Elaine May)
5. DELIVERANCE (John Boorman)
6. FRENZY (Alfred Hitchcock)
7. SOLARIS (Andrei Tarkovsky)
8. SLEUTH (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
9. FAT CITY (John Huston)
10. CRIES AND WHISPERS (Ingmar Bergman)
Honorable Mention
AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD, CABERET, CISCO PIKE, DEATHDREAM, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH, THE HOT ROCK, LISA AND THE DEVIL and THE NEW LAND.
1971
1. MCCABE AND MRS MILLER (Robert Altman)
2. WALKABOUT (Nicholas Roeg)
3. STRAW DOGS (Sam Pekinpah)
4. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick)
5. MURMUR OF THE HEART (Louis Malle)
6. TWO ENGLISH GIRLS (François Truffaut)
7. FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER (Robert Bresson)
8. WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Mel Stuart)
9. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (William Friedkin)
10. SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS (Aldo Lado)
Honorable Mention
BANNANAS, A BAY OF BLOOD, THE BEGUILED, DUEL, THE EMIGRANTS, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE HOSPITAL, KLUTE, LITTLE MURDERS, MACBETH, PLAY MISTY FOR ME, and TWO LANE BLACKTOP
Most Overrated
JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, and TAKING OFF.
1970
1. CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer)
2. THE CONFORMIST (Bernardo Bertolucci)
3. M.A.S.H. (Robert Altman)
4. DEEP END (Jerzy Skolimowski)
5. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (Billy Wilder)
6. BED AND BOARD (François Truffaut)
7. TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA (Don Siegel)
8. I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER (Gilbert Cates)
9. PATTON (Franklin Schaffner)
10. CATCH 22 (Mike Nichols)
Honorable Mention
BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE, FIVE EASY PIECES, LITTLE BIG MAN, PERFORMANCE, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS and WHITY.