# What is the greatest Movie from the 70's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333 "2011-05-26T18:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/21 "2011-05-26T22:42:30Z")
The greatest movie from the 1970s is _The Godfather_. There’s really no question about this. I did enjoy _Zardoz_, though. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/22 "2011-05-26T22:50:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > _Star Wars_ certainly had a bigger impact on the art as a whole. _Enter the Dragon_ had a lot of impact on martial arts movies. But _Star Wars_ had impact on movies in general. Yes. And this is where the definition of ‘great’ makes a difference. In terms of cinematography and acting, I consider \*Raging Bull \*to be the best. If you go with story and cinematography I’d go with _The Godfather_. If it’s about influence on other films and/or cultural impact, and porn is considered, \*Deep Throat \*is probably the winner. If porn is left out, it’s _Star Wars_. Most of the films named in this thread could take the top spot with reasonable qualifications of ‘great’. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/23 "2011-05-26T23:10:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > _Star Wars_ certainly had a bigger impact on the art as a whole. _Enter the Dragon_ had a lot of impact on martial arts movies. But _Star Wars_ had impact on movies in general. But _Enter the Dragon_ gave us _Bolo_. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/24 "2011-05-26T23:35:01Z")
“The Opening of Misty Beethoven” ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/25 "2011-05-26T23:40:18Z")
The Seven Ups had one of the greatest car chases of the 70s (the French Connection had the other). The Warriors. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/26 "2011-05-26T23:44:28Z")
_Jaws_. The Godfather never made me scared to swim. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/27 "2011-05-26T23:48:22Z")
The Godfather. Godfather 2 is better if you have seen the first one and have the background. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/28 "2011-05-26T23:49:32Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > _Jaws_. The Godfather never made me scared to swim. In the ocean. Godfather made me afraid to ride in the front seat if any passenger was buying pastries. ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/29 "2011-05-26T23:50:30Z")
Another vote for _The Godfather_. But I did just re-watch _One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest_ a couple of weeks ago for the first time in years, and it holds up very well. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/30 "2011-05-26T23:52:39Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > In the ocean. Godfather made me afraid to ride in the front seat if any passenger was buying pastries. I was 8 years old when I saw Jaws in the theater. I lived on a teeny, tiny lake. Never set foot in the water that summer. 8 year olds cannot be convinced sharks don’t live in lakes. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/31 "2011-05-27T00:05:15Z")
I just assumed _The Godfather_ would be the choice when I read the OP title. I liked _Star Wars_ when I was 7, but was surprised how slow and boring I found it later in life. I’d also add _Five Easy Pieces_ and _Mean Streets_ to **Morphy** ’s list. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/32 "2011-05-27T00:09:15Z")
Star Wars [I just think seeing this opening moment in the theater back then must have blown everyone away in a way we haven’t seen since.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z33-qOXOWS4#t=15s) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/33 "2011-05-27T00:11:03Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > What, no love for _Zardoz_? 😛 I like it but the \*\*Godfather \*\*is the movie of the decade and quite possible the best ever. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/34 "2011-05-27T00:33:37Z")
_The Godfather._ It’s a landslide! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/35 "2011-05-27T02:46:13Z")
WTF?? _Little Big Man_, indubitably. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/36 "2011-05-27T02:55:44Z")
Too many to choose from… Shying away from choosing “best”, I’ll go with my favorite - “The Sting”, although “Blazing Saddles” holds more precious memories…my first drive-in movie, my first beer, my first beer-out-the-nose experience… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/37 "2011-05-27T14:12:44Z")
_Chinatown_ is, imho, just a tad better than _The Godfather_, though GF was a far more influential (and successful) movie. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/38 "2011-05-27T14:17:02Z")
_Convoy._ ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/39 "2011-05-27T14:31:03Z")
> [@dbx820](#): > > Enter the Dragon > 1973 > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enter\_the\_dragon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enter_the_dragon) > > It has everything but a hot-rod Duster throwing gravel around a parking lot of bikers, but I can forgive that one shortcoming. 🙂 > > I _dare_ you to come up with something better. Heh. \*Enter the Dragon \*came on TV a few months ago and I made like I had to drop everything and watch it. My then-girlfriend didn’t understand, but I soon explained to her that the making of EtD was almost certainly the pinnacle of human achievement and that the end result demanded my attention. She disagreed. More seriously, I’d have to take \*Apocalypse Now \*as the best film from its decade. \*The Godfather \*is a fine piece, but \*Apocalypse \*is a more thorough examination of the depth and breadth of the human psyche, and it is splashed across the context of world affairs to boot. \*Apocalypse \*also makes more extensive use of the vocabulary of film. It’s ultimately more satisfying to me than it’s admittedly excellent predecessor about change and continuity in a family struggling with corruption and honor. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333/40 "2011-05-27T14:35:40Z")
Gotta be Star Wars. It transcended the disco jive bell-bottom CB radio decade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-greatest-movie-from-the-70s/583333.md?page=3)