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Top 100 Movies from the 1970s

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Top 100 List

  1. The Godfather (1972) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  2. The Godfather Part II (1974) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  3. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  4. Taxi Driver (1976) - Directed by Martin Scorsese
  5. Chinatown (1974) - Directed by Roman Polanski
  6. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Directed by Stanley Kubrick
  7. Star Wars (1977) - Directed by George Lucas
  8. Jaws (1975) - Directed by Steven Spielberg
  9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Directed by Miloš Forman
  10. Annie Hall (1977) - Directed by Woody Allen
  11. The French Connection (1971) - Directed by William Friedkin
  12. Alien (1979) - Directed by Ridley Scott
  13. Rocky (1976) - Directed by John G. Avildsen
  14. The Exorcist (1973) - Directed by William Friedkin
  15. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  16. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones
  17. Network (1976) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  18. American Graffiti (1973) - Directed by George Lucas
  19. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - Directed by Steven Spielberg
  20. Barry Lyndon (1975) - Directed by Stanley Kubrick
  21. MAS*H (1970) - Directed by Robert Altman
  22. The Sting (1973) - Directed by George Roy Hill
  23. Deliverance (1972) - Directed by John Boorman
  24. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Directed by Michael Cimino
  25. Patton (1970) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
  26. All the President's Men (1976) - Directed by Alan J. Pakula
  27. The Conversation (1974) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  28. Papillon (1973) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
  29. A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - Directed by John Cassavetes
  30. Mean Streets (1973) - Directed by Martin Scorsese
  31. Serpico (1973) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  32. Midnight Cowboy (1969, but its influence carried into the 70s) - Directed by John Schlesinger
  33. The Wild Bunch (1969, similarly influential into the 70s) - Directed by Sam Peckinpah
  34. Badlands (1973) - Directed by Terrence Malick
  35. The Last Picture Show (1971) - Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
  36. Nashville (1975) - Directed by Robert Altman
  37. Cabaret (1972) - Directed by Bob Fosse
  38. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Directed by Jim Sharman
  39. Solaris (1972) - Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
  40. Days of Heaven (1978) - Directed by Terrence Malick
  41. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - Directed by Robert Benton
  42. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Directed by Mel Brooks
  43. The Man Who Would Be King (1975) - Directed by John Huston
  44. Blazing Saddles (1974) - Directed by Mel Brooks
  45. Don't Look Now (1973) - Directed by Nicolas Roeg
  46. The Towering Inferno (1974) - Directed by John Guillermin
  47. The Wicker Man (1973) - Directed by Robin Hardy
  48. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) - Directed by Mel Stuart
  49. Grease (1978) - Directed by Randal Kleiser
  50. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) - Directed by Clint Eastwood
  51. Carrie (1976) - Directed by Brian De Palma
  52. The Gumball Rally (1976) - Directed by Charles Bail
  53. Harold and Maude (1971) - Directed by Hal Ashby
  54. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - Directed by Tobe Hooper
  55. Superman (1978) - Directed by Richard Donner
  56. The Jerk (1979) - Directed by Carl Reiner
  57. Marathon Man (1976) - Directed by John Schlesinger
  58. The Omega Man (1971) - Directed by Boris Sagal
  59. The Godfather Part III (1990, but a continuation of the 70s saga) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  60. Enter the Dragon (1973) - Directed by Robert Clouse
  61. The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981, but based on the mood and style of 70s cinema) - Directed by Karel Reisz
  62. The Duelists (1977) - Directed by Ridley Scott
  63. The Mirror (1975) - Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
  64. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Directed by Lewis Gilbert
  65. Death in Venice (1971) - Directed by Luchino Visconti
  66. Autumn Sonata (1978) - Directed by Ingmar Bergman
  67. The Last Detail (1973) - Directed by Hal Ashby
  68. Fiddler on the Roof (1971) - Directed by Norman Jewison
  69. The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) - Directed by Blake Edwards
  70. Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  71. The Three Musketeers (1973) - Directed by Richard Lester
  72. The Seven-Ups (1973) - Directed by Philip D'Antoni
  73. The Andromeda Strain (1971) - Directed by Robert Wise
  74. The Boys from Brazil (1978) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
  75. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) - Directed by Martin Scorsese
  76. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) - Directed by Nicolas Roeg
  77. A Bridge Too Far (1977) - Directed by Richard Attenborough
  78. The Silent Partner (1978) - Directed by Daryl Duke
  79. The Hill (1975) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  80. Scarecrow (1973) - Directed by Jerry Schatzberg
  81. Saturday Night Fever (1977) - Directed by John Badham
  82. The Conversation (1974) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  83. The Last Waltz (1978) - Directed by Martin Scorsese
  84. The Hustler (1961, but its thematic continuation "The Color of Money" in the '80s reflects back on its influence) - Directed by Robert Rossen
  85. Shampoo (1975) - Directed by Hal Ashby
  86. The Shootist (1976) - Directed by Don Siegel
  87. The Goodbye Girl (1977) - Directed by Herbert Ross
  88. Coming Home (1978) - Directed by Hal Ashby
  89. The Great Gatsby (1974) - Directed by Jack Clayton
  90. Logan's Run (1976) - Directed by Michael Anderson
  91. The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) - Directed by Bob Rafelson
  92. Soylent Green (1973) - Directed by Richard Fleischer
  93. Play Misty for Me (1971) - Directed by Clint Eastwood
  94. The Parallax View (1974) - Directed by Alan J. Pakula
  95. The Omen (1976) - Directed by Richard Donner
  96. Mad Max (1979) - Directed by George Miller
  97. The Day of the Jackal (1973) - Directed by Fred Zinnemann
  98. Carnal Knowledge (1971) - Directed by Mike Nichols
  99. The Warriors (1979) - Directed by Walter Hill
  100. Escape from Alcatraz (1979) - Directed by Don Siegel
  101. Dirty Harry (1971) - Directed by Don Siegel
  102. The Conformist (1970) - Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
  103. The Last Emperor (1978) - Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
  104. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) - Directed by Werner Herzog
  105. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) - Directed by Peter Weir
  106. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) - Directed by Luis Buñuel
  107. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Directed by Jim Sharman
  108. Eraserhead (1977) - Directed by David Lynch
  109. The Man Who Would Be King (1975) - Directed by John Huston
  110. Cries and Whispers (1972) - Directed by Ingmar Bergman
  111. Solaris (1972) - Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
  112. Sleeper (1973) - Directed by Woody Allen
  113. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) - Directed by Clint Eastwood
  114. Love and Death (1975) - Directed by Woody Allen
  115. The Towering Inferno (1974) - Directed by John Guillermin
  116. Papillon (1973) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
  117. The Poseidon Adventure (1972) - Directed by Ronald Neame
  118. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Directed by Michael Cimino
  119. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) - Directed by Nicolas Roeg
  120. Harold and Maude (1971) - Directed by Hal Ashby
  121. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - Directed by Robert Benton
  122. Mad Max (1979) - Directed by George Miller
  123. The French Connection (1971) - Directed by William Friedkin
  124. The Warriors (1979) - Directed by Walter Hill
  125. The Conversation (1974) - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  126. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  127. The Sting (1973) - Directed by George Roy Hill
  128. Annie Hall (1977) - Directed by Woody Allen
  129. The Wicker Man (1973) - Directed by Robin Hardy
  130. Five Easy Pieces (1970) - Directed by Bob Rafelson
  131. Badlands (1973) - Directed by Terrence Malick
  132. The Mirror (1975) - Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
  133. Don't Look Now (1973) - Directed by Nicolas Roeg
  134. The Getaway (1972) - Directed by Sam Peckinpah
  135. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) - Directed by Robert Altman
  136. Patton (1970) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
  137. The Last Picture Show (1971) - Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
  138. Serpico (1973) - Directed by Sidney Lumet
  139. The Salzburg Connection (1972) - An overlooked thriller that captures the decade's mood.
  140. Being There (1979) - Directed by Hal Ashby

This list merges critical acclaim, popularity, and cinematic importance, reflecting the decade's diversity in storytelling, innovation, and style. The 1970s were a transformative period in cinema, paving the way for modern filmmaking and leaving a lasting legacy through these and many other films.

Other notable mentions