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THE
TOP 5
PROJECT

WEEK NO. 31
Main Page (including links to all past Top 5 weeks)

THE TOP 5 FILMS OF THE 1970's:

view full results       see how points are awarded
Rank Film Points L #1
#1 The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) 44 11 5
#2 The Godfather Part II (Francis Coppola, 1974) 39 9 4
#3 Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) 37 12 3
#4 Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979) 31 9 3
#5 Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975) 22 6 2
TIE A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) 22 6 2
L=How many lists each film appears on             #1=How many number one votes each film recieves

With not much surprise, The Godfather was the big winner this week, garnering 44 points, with The Godfather Part II coming in second with 39 (there were several votes for the two films combined). Personally I am not a big fan of Coppola's Corleone saga (does that make me an outcast in the world of cinephilia?), but there is no denying their power to enthrall.

Third place (and a very close third place at that) goes to Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, with 37 points, and right behind that is yet another Francis Ford Coppola film, Apocalypse Now with 31. Meanwhile, rounding out the top 5 this week was a tie between Stanley Kubrick and, um, Stanley Kubrick. A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon each had 22 points.

Several films just missed out on the top 5. Annie Hall and Chinatown were the top two votegetters in that category, missing the top 5 by just one and four points respectively. On a sidenote, my own personal top 5 (with the exception of the aforementioned Woody Allen film) was pretty much a bust with everyone else concerned - ah well.

Individual lists:

David Sterritt
Chairman, National Society of Film Critics

  1. American Hot Wax (Floyd Mutrux, 1978) - The best of many fine rock'n'roll movies. Runner-up: The Buddy Holly Story.

  2. The Godfather: Parts I & II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972-74) - The era's greatest gangster saga. Runner-up: Chinatown.

  3. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (Melvin Van Peebles, 1971) - The antidote to blaxploitation. Runner-up: Ganja and Hess.

  4. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) - A nasty masterpiece. Runner-Up: Mean Streets.

  5. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974) - Cassavetes's most popular film is also his best. Runner-up: Husbands.



Carrie Rickey
Film Critic, Philadelphia Inquirer

  1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

  2. The Godfather, Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

  3. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  4. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)

  5. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)



Jeffrey M. Anderson
Film Critic & Freelance Film Writer/Reporter

  1. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel, 1972)

  2. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)

  3. Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1971)

  4. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

  5. Celine and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette, 1974)

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972), Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975), The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979), Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972), Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978), Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978), Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977), F for Fake (Orson Welles, 1973), Frenzy (Alfred Hitchcock, 1972), The Last Waltz (Martin Scorsese, 1978), Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979), The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975), Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977), The Traveller (Abbas Kiarostami, 1974), Twitch of the Death Nerve (a.k.a. Bay of Blood) (Mario Bava, 1971).


Christopher Null
Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Filmcritic.com

  1. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

  2. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  3. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  4. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

  5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Milos Forman, 1975)



Dennis Schwartz
Film Critic Ozu's World Movie Reviews

  1. Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)

  2. Lancelot of the Lake (Robert Bresson, 1974)

  3. Providence (Alain Resnais, 1977)

  4. Performance (Nicholas Roeg, 1970)

  5. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)



Peter Sobczynski
Film Critic, eFilmCritic.com

  1. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)

  2. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  3. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)

  4. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)

  5. Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)



Eric Enders
Film Critic, Out There in the Dark

  1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

  2. The Godfather, Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

  3. All the President's Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)

  4. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  5. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)



Film Prophet
Film Critic, FilmProphet.com

  1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

  2. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)

  3. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  4. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  5. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

Others: The Godfather: Part II (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Manhattan (1979), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Young Frankenstein (1974), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972), Jaws (1975), Chinatown (1974), Halloween (1978), The Deer Hunter (1978), American Graffiti (1973)


Michael Parent
Film Student (recent Graduate with a Major in History & Archives)

  1. Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel, 1972)

  2. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

  3. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  4. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)

  5. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)

Special Mentions: Taxi Driver (I always put this one in my 5's, so this time I let it go away...) (Marty Scorsese, 1975), Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973), Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974), Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975), Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975), The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978), Nosferatu (Werner Herzog, 1978), Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979), Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979), Solaris (Andreï Tarkovski, 1972)

Runners-up: French Connection (Only for the car chase), Popeye! (William Friedkin, 1971), Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972), The Godfather & the Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1971-1974), Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974), Jaws - Yeah I know (Steven Spielberg, 1975), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Milos forman, 1975), Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976), Le Locataire (Roman Polanski, 1976), Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)


Lucifer Sam
Film Enthusiast

  1. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  2. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)

  3. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

  4. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

  5. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972)



Matt Severson
Film Enthusiast

  1. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)

  2. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  3. 3 Women (Robert Altman, 1977)

  4. The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970)

  5. The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)



Kevin Cassidy
Film Enthusiast

  1. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Joseph Sargent, 1974)

  2. The Dawns Here Are Quiet (Sergei Rostov, 1972)

  3. Assault on Precinct 13 (John Carpenter, 1976)

  4. Perceval le Gallois (Eric Rohmer, 1978)

  5. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)



Chris Cathcart
Film Enthusiast

  1. The Godfather: Parts 1 & 2 (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972-74)

  2. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

  3. Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)

  4. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  5. Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972)



Doug Pratt
DVD Critic, DVDLaser.com

  1. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)

  2. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)

  3. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

  4. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Vittorio De Sica, 1970)

  5. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)



Joel Webb
Film Enthusiast

  1. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  2. Zerkalo (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)

  3. Take the 5:10 to Dreamland (Bruce Conner, 1976)

  4. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)

  5. Céline et Julie vont en bateau (Jacques Rivette, 1974)

Runners-Up: La Maman et la putain [Jean Eustache, 1973], Gates of Heaven [Errol Morris, 1978], Out 1 [Jacques Rivette & Suzanne Schiffman, 1971], McCabe & Mrs. Miller [Robert Altman, 1971], Manhattan [Woody Allen, 1979].


Mathew Viola
Film Fanatic

  1. The Godfather Part II (Francis Coppola, 1974) – The traditional arch of the gangster film, beginning with Little Caesar and The Public Enemy and continuing through films such as White Heat and The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond, charts the rise of fall of the gangster protagonist. The Godfather Part 11 also follows a rise and fall curve, but does so in unique ways. Instead of happening to a single protagonist over a relatively short period of time, the rise and fall occurs between father and son over the course of two generations. Whereas Vito labored to build a Mafia empire for the sake of his family, Michael, who sadly lacks his father’s knack for balancing business and personal affairs, destroys the family with his ruthless pursuit of wealth and power. The Godfather Part 11, then, is not really about the rise and fall of a single person, or even of two people, but rather of an entire family and its attendant traditions and values, a theme which enables Coppola to transcend the particulars of the gangster genre and give his film universal significance. Also, whereas the traditional gangster’s downfall inevitably results in his physical death, Michael’s is a spiritual/moral death. In the course of consolidating his immense wealth and power, Michael loses everything that mattered to Vito – his honor, his religion, his family, and his soul.

    Interestingly, the contrast between Vito and Michael also extends to the film’s visual design. Gordon Willis’s stunning photography bathes the flashbacks in a warm, amber glow, which not only evokes nostalgia for times past but also reflects Vito’s hope for a bright future, while Michael always seems to be operating in the shadows of a dark, wintry environment, enhancing the sense of his moral and spiritual disintegration. Some misguided critics have suggested that Coppola should have dropped Vito’s part, but in fact it is crucial to the film’s greatness. Without the Vito flashbacks, The Godfather Part 11 would have been little more than a conventional genre movie; with the flashbacks, the film gains immeasurably in thematic sophistication, visual beauty, and emotional resonance.

    Even as Coppola contrast’s Vito’s rise with Michael’s fall, he also draws numerous parallels between Part 2 and Part 1, thus adding yet another layer to an already thematically rich storyline. The parallels that reverberate between Parts 1 and 2 (as well as between both sections of Part 2) create a stunning synthesis of thematic and emotional content, ensuring that the whole of The Godfather becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Learning about Vito’s immigrant experiences in Part 2 expands our understanding of and appreciation for Part 1, while knowing how and why Michael entered the “business” in Part 1 profoundly deepens our emotional response to his moral fall in Part 2. While each part is a significant achievement in its own right, together they constitute nothing less than the cinematic equivalent of Shakespearean tragedy.

  2. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorcese, 1976) - The degree of authenticity De Niro, Schrader and Scorcese achieve in this bleak vision of urban alienation and loneliness is staggering. As Travis Bickle, the lonely, unbalanced cab driver whose awkward attempts to reconnect with humanity only lead him toward an act of violence, Robert De Niro is genuinely frightening. Rarely has an actor inhabited his characters’ skin so completely; it’s as if De Niro weren’t acting so much as manifesting an alternate, deeply disturbed personality. Also, the voice over narration written by Schrader sounds as if were lifted directly from an actual diary of a crazed loner and delivered verbatim by De Niro. Finally, Scorcese’s feel for the seedy NYC locations is so palpably real the grime of the streets seems to have seeped into the very film stock.

    Yet for all its gritty realism, Taxi Driver is no social realist docudrama; Scorcese is too much the expressionist for that. He’s not only interested in the environment in which Travis operates, but also his subjective perception of and responses to that environment. And because everything we see is filtered through the prism of Bickle’s warped perspective, the film takes on a dreamlike aura alongside its naturalistic aspects, as if we were watching Travis’s waking nightmare. For example, his catatonic stare into that fizzing glass of water reflects his volatile state of mind, while those mesmerizing taxi rides through the city’s hellish underbelly, enhanced by Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score, establish Travis as an outsider who can’t make meaningful contact with the world around him. Travis Bickle, self-described as God’s lonely man, is one of cinema’s truly unforgettable characters, and this terrifying peak inside his disturbed mind is the definitive study of alienation, loneliness and insanity.

  3. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) – Whereas Scorcese views NYC as a hellhole of despair, ugliness and depravity, Woody Allen glorifies the city as a mecca of culture, beauty and romance. Using beautiful black-and-white widescreen compositions and Gershwin’s gloriously evocative music to capture the essence of his romanticized vision of the city, Woody crafts a stylish cinepoem to his beloved New York. And just as it was his most technically accomplished film to date, so it was his most artistically mature film. He refrains from resorting to the sight gags, slapstick, and self-conscious asides to the camera that characterized his earlier comedies, including parts of Annie Hall, and instead allows the humor to flow naturally from the situations and the characters. Happily, he still delivers some priceless one-liners, the funniest of which involves the similar mating habits of pigeons and Catholics, but this is only natural since he’s playing a comedy writer. The result is a near perfect balance of his philosophical concerns, his romantic/sexual preoccupations, and his verbal humor, making Manhattan one of the funniest and most touching sophisticated romantic comedies ever made. In one of the best scenes, Woody lists things that make life worth living, including Brando, Groucho, the second movement of the Jupiter symphony, and, poignantly, Tracy’s face. I would add one more thing: Woody Allen movies.

  4. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974) – Two weeks in a row for Polanski’s masterpiece!

  5. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971) – This was also in my number 1 spot for the Top 5 Altman films.



Jesse Richards
Filmmaker

Not necessarily in order:

  • Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia (Sam Peckinpah, 1974)

  • Cockfighter (Monte Hellman, 1974)

  • Edvard Munch (Peter Watkins, 1974)

  • Requiem for a Vampire (Jean Rollin, 1971)

  • The Foreigner (Amos Poe, 1978)

honorable mentions (also no particular order): Daughters of Dakness (Harry Kumel, 1971), Opening Night (John Cassavetes, 1979), Female Vampire (Jess Franco, 1973), The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975), Prime Cut (Michael Ritchie, 1972), Thieves Like Us (Robert Altman, 1974), Dillinger (John Milius, 1973), Trash (Paul Morrissey, 1970), Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1971), A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974), Le Cercle Rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970).


Norm Schrager
Senior Contributer, filmcritic.com, Meetinthelobby.com

  1. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) - Probably the greatest American film ever made. With Francis Coppola's touch, the excitement of the era's independent movement blends with the money and polish of the big studio. The result is an important movie that encompasses so much of the American experience: immigration, family, dedication, masculinity, power and, ultimately, unstoppable fate. And because of its scope and powerhouse ending, it's a better film than its predecessor.

  2. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973) - Why isn't this film in the AFI Top 100? William Friedkin's brilliant treatment emphasized classic, acting-driven drama rather than schlocky horror. Suspension of disbelief is practically easy with performances by Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller. And has anything in the past 30+ years been as shocking as the scene with the crucifix?

  3. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) - Influential almost beyond description. With his even demeanor and outward love for family, Brando's don invites us in ,and makes us want to stay. A great tale of corruption, political and personal. Has everything it should have been ... and then some.

  4. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) - An unlikely blockbuster -- and an unlikely work of art. Spielberg is its master, but Peter Benchley's fantastic screenplay is often overlooked. Consistently watchable, year after year.

  5. All The President's Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976) - Another completely unlikely masterpiece. Alan Pakula turns the day-to-day drudgery of newspaper journalism into a quiet mystery, with Redford and Hoffman acting as unwilling PIs rather than writers.



Kevin LaForest
Film Critic, Montreal Film Journal

  1. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  2. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  3. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

  4. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

  5. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)



Jason Mlinarsik
Film Enthusiast

  1. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  2. The Godfather: Parts I & II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972-74)

  3. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  4. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

  5. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)



Clark Day
Film Enthusiast

  1. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

  2. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

  3. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

  4. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  5. All the Presidents' Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)



Aaron W. Graham
Film Critic & Screenwriter

  1. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)

  2. Fat City (John Huston, 1972)

  3. China 9, Liberty 37 (Monte Hellman, 1978)

  4. Hard Times (Walter Hill, 1975)

  5. Husbands (John Cassavetes, 1970)



Jordan Canahai
Film Enthusiast

Trying to be totally objective, I feel that these are the greatest works to come out of the medium of film during the 1970s. Very tough to narrow it down, as the 70s is the greatest decade for American cinema post-Golden Age.

  1. The Godfather: Parts I & II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972-74)

  2. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)

  3. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  4. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)

  5. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)



Stephen Cone
Filmmaker/Playwright/Dayjobber

  1. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)

  2. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)

  3. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

  4. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)

  5. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1976)



Ben Dalton
Film Student & Enthusiast

  1. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  2. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)

  3. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

  4. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)

  5. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)



Rich Cline
Film Critic and Creator of Shadows on the Wall.

  1. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  2. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)

  3. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

  4. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

  5. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)



Piet Suess
Filmmaker

  1. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

  2. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick , 1978)

  3. New York New York (Martin Scorcese, 1977)

  4. Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)

  5. We Won't Grow Old Together (Maurice Pialat, 1972)



Mathieu Ricordi
Filmmaker

An impossible list to compile. As challenging a category as has ever been thought up - I shudder to even think of my list of omissions.

  1. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

    (Space Intended)

  2. The Pied Piper (Jacques Demy, 1972)

  3. Big Wednesday (John Milius, 1975)

  4. We Won't Grow Old Together (Maurice Pialat, 1972)

  5. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)



Ricardo Luis Alvarez
Film Enthusiast

  1. Superman (Richard Donner, 1978)

  2. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

  3. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)

  4. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

  5. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)

Honorable Mentions: Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Taxi Driver (1976), Chinatown (1974), Barry Lyndon (1975), Manhattan (1979), The Conversation (1974), Cria Cuervos (1976), The Exorcist (1973), Paper Moon (1973), Solaris (1972).


Kevyn Knox
Film Critic, Essayist + Historian

The seventies were such a strong decade that this was an especially difficult list to narrow down. If I had made this list yesterday or waited until tomorrow, it could very well be completely different (except for probably the top two), but here is what it is today.

  1. Céline et Julie vont en bateau (Jacques Rivette, 1974)

  2. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)

  3. F For Fake (Orson Welles, 1974)

  4. Amarcord (Federico Fellini, 1974)

  5. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

Runners-Up (just a few, and only one per director, for this would be quite a long list otherwise): Scenes From A Marriage (Bergman), Days of Heaven (Malick), A Woman Under the Influence (Cassavetes), Nashville (Altman), The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (Fassbinder), Two-Lane Blacktop (Hellman) Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Herzog), Stalker (Tarkovsky), Edvard Munch (Watkins), Taxi Driver (Scorsese), Alice in the Cities (Wenders), Lancelot du lac (Bresson) and so on and so on...

*points are given as follows: for numbered lists, first place recieves 5 points, second place recieves 4, third place 3, fourth place 2 and fifth place gets 1 point; for unumbered lists, each film will recieve 3 points; total points are then tallied up and a comprehensive Top 5 list is created


The Next Topic is:
Name The Top 5 Sports Films

e-mail me at kevynknox@thecinematheque.com with your picks for week #32,
no later than 6pm on Sunday, July 15, 2007.

HOME * REVIEWS * MIDTOWN * FESTIVALS * TOP 10 PROJECT * ESSAYS & ARTICLES * ODDS & ENDS * LINKS * CONTACT