Terrific but obscure '70s-era films worth a modern-day rediscovery (2024)

Mosfilm

You would think one of greatest films of all time (at least top 10) would get more attention. But not many people have seen Andrei Tarkovsky's reminisce about his childhood. That's a shame, since it's a window into what makes cinema so special — the ability of a director to transport us into another world; another time, place and mood that no other art form can, among other things.

United Artists

Yeah, yeah. I know. This movie is directed by Woody Allen. But if you can separate the art from the artist, Manhattan remains one of the smartest rom-coms ever made. It's too bad more people haven't seen it.

United Artists

We were constantly enthralled by this movie until the very end. When a clueless housekeeper becomes the voice of a generation, you can't help but draw parallels to the character and actual social figures. You can't help but laugh, either.

New World Pictures

Like all of David Cronenberg's work, The Brood goes to some weird places. This is the man who put body horror on the map, even if his movies are still relatively unknown. This story of a therapy camp where dreams become reality is highly influential.

Universal Pictures

Two-Lane Blacktop puts the peddle to the metal (sorry, had to!) when it comes to road movies. When two drifters race a stranger across America, they run into speed bumps in the form of '70s ennui. It's a countercultural classic that shares a lane with Easy Rider andVanishing Point.

Universal Pictures

I mean, it's not exactly forgotten. It's the movie that put Burt Reynolds on the map. But too many people still haven't seen this rollicking chase with Reynolds, Sally Field and Reynolds' mustache.

American International Pictures

One of Brian de Palma's finest works, this horror flick is about twins who are attached at the hip in more ways than one. In this Hitchcockian thriller, we unravel a mystery that doesn't have clear answers, only simmering questions.

B.E.F. Film Distributors

Another mystery without clear answers. The greatest mystery of Picnic at Hanging Rock is how Peter Weir could have made this movie. I mean, seriously. There is no precedence for this movie about girls who go missing on a field trip, just as there is no precedence for his movie about the battle of Gallipoli. It's a wholly unique experience that grows more mystical with time.

Paramount Pictures

Thanks a lot,Love Story. Because of you we now have a movie every year where teenagers are torn apart by cancer. If only today's youth would watch this movie instead, they might stop paying for the new YA romance flicks.

British Lion Films

Let's face it: this movie's sex scene is more famous than the movie itself. The scene between Sutherland and Julie Christie was so realistic, Warren Beatty thought his girlfriend was cheating on him on camera. What's even more impressive is the world Nicolas Roeg builds, where the trauma of losing a child manifests in a misty nightmare.

Universal Pictures

What would happen if hippies went to space? Silent Runninghas the answer. This science-fiction film is a classic for some, while many have yet to explore its ship.

Les Films Corona

Jacques Tati is one of the most underrated directors of all time. Despite being a favorite of many directors, most people don't know who he is. While we recommend you start with Playtime or Mon Oncle, Traffic is another joyride through his whimsically unique world.

Warner Bros.

Everyone knows All the President's Men and The Parallax View, or at least most people do. But Alan J. Pakula's other paranoid thriller is just as good. Jane Fonda delivers a perfectly terrified performance as a woman who's afraid she's being stalked, while Pakula builds tension better than almost any other director.

Warner Bros.

Clint Eastwood's been in some of the most famous Westerns of all time, from his films with Sergio Leone to his own directorial efforts. This one ranks among his best, even if it isn't as well-known as titles like Unforgivenor The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. It's an entertaining ride through the outskirts of Civil War-era America.

Toho

What on Earth am I watching? It's a thought that pops into your head throughout House, a haunted house movie with missing heads, acid visuals and very bright colors. It's a movie that makes you feel high even when you're sober, thanks to some truly bonkers scares.

Paramount Pictures

When a boy obsessed with death falls for a lady obsessed with life, they make the most of what time they have together. Frolicking through fields, funerals, gardens and cemeteries, they soak up every second together in some of the most romantic, hilarious and freeing scenes in movie history. Hal Ashby captured hippie optimism in cinematic form.

Warner Bros.

You'll notice that the '60s and '70s have more road movies than any other decade. That's because our country was trying to find itself on the road amidst the hippie revolution, the Vietnam war, the protests, the politics and many other factors. People didn't feel at home in their own homes. It's a feeling Badlands captures with poetic grandeur as two lovers go on the run.

Walt Disney Pictures

Animation was one of the few genres that didn't have a peak in the '70s, but there were still some gems. Pete's Dragon is one of them — a tale of a boy and a dragon who become friends.

20th Century Fox

Another road movie! Vanishing Point sees a man try to drive across multiple states and back within a short amount of time, putting countless cops on his tail. It's another countercultural road trip, this time with some seriously cool chases.

Warner Bros.

Amarcordis a film about Federico Fellini's childhood that could only be made by Federico Fellini. It's awash with his trademark touches, antics, characters, colors, humor, surrealistic flourishes and autobiographical emotions. It's a wonderful experience I can watch endlessly.