A Glean movie guide
The Definitive 70s Cinema Guide
The decade that changed movies forever.
From gritty New Hollywood dramas to the birth of the modern summer blockbuster.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Godfather
A masterclass in storytelling that redefined the crime epic and remains the gold standard of American cinema.
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
- 02
The Godfather Part II
A rare sequel that expands its predecessor’s scope with a haunting and ambitious dual-timeline narrative.
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
- 03
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
The foundational space opera that launched a global phenomenon and the modern blockbuster era.
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.
- 04
Jaws
A masterclass in suspense that turned a mechanical shark into a generation's primal fear and created the summer hit.
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to kill the beast before it strikes again.
- 05
Taxi Driver
A searing, neon-soaked descent into the psyche of a lonely man in a decaying, 1970s New York City.
Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city.
- 06
Apocalypse Now
A visually stunning and hallucinatory journey into the heart of darkness during the Vietnam War.
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
- 07
Alien
A claustrophobic and terrifying blend of high-concept science fiction and relentless slasher horror.
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
- 08
Chinatown
A flawless neo-noir mystery that uncovers deep-seated corruption beneath the bright Los Angeles sun.
Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.
- 09
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
A powerful and rebellious drama about the human spirit's struggle against institutional oppression.
A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.
- 10
The Exorcist
A visceral and terrifying landmark that remains the gold standard for supernatural horror cinema.
When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
- 11
Annie Hall
A witty and innovative look at modern romance that broke the fourth wall and the genre's rules.
New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.
- 12
Network
A prophetic and razor-sharp satire of media sensationalism that feels more relevant today than ever.
When veteran anchorman Howard Beale is forced to retire his 25-year post because of his age, he announces to viewers that he will kill himself during his farewell broadcast. Network executives rethink their decision when his fanatical tirade results in a spike in ratings.