This was the best decade for American film … ever. The artistic revolution had begun to take root in the mid-’60s. The studio system broke down at the end of that decade and paved the way for “New Hollywood” directors who were allowed the freedom to do their best work. The movies of this decade are so distinctive from what came before, and eventually after. Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas, Altman, Allen, Bogdanovich, Carpenter, Friedkin, Fosse, Hopper, Malick, Lynch, Ashby, Schrader, Cimino, De Palma and Ridley Scott all came of age during the decade, along with older directors making some of their best films, Lumet, Mel Brooks, Cassavetes, Kubrick, Peckinpah. And émigrés from Europe like Polanski and Milos Forman. As far as critics go, a good blueprint would be the massive critics poll I conducted earlier this year. None of the films in the ensuing top 50 should really be counted as underrated, they all clearly have massive support. So, how about the underrated gems of the 1970s? The term “underrated,” for me, at least, means a film that slipped under the radar and wasn’t talked about much at the time of its release, or even now. I went through my archives and found these 20 titles that deserved better. Elaine May’s A New Leaf, Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, Peter Yates’ The Friends of Eddie Coyle, John Houston’s Fat City, Alan Pakula’s The Parallax View, Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, Walter Hill’s Hard Times, Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Robert Altman’s 3 Women, Wim Wenders’ The American Friend, William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar, DustinHoffman’s Straight Time, Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends, George Romero’s Martin, Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Shout, Karel Reisz’s The Gambler, Robert Altman’s California Split, John Flynn’s The Outfit, Don Siegel’s Charlie Varrick, Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise If you’re looking for good viewing recommendations this weekend then these should do the trick. Time for some recommendations. What are your undervalued movies of 1970s? Contribute Hire me
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