My 70's Movie Countdown

Another Top 10 list?...or will this one be different?

Yeah, the whole point of Retrojunk is to talk about memories of your childhood. We all remember the 80's; we all know they were awesome. The 90's were also well-remembered; some people loved that decade, while others not so much. But what about the 70's? Where's the love for the decade of Disco?
For those of you who have been a member of this site for a while and have been reading a lot of articles. I know, Top 10 lists have been getting very common here: "Top 10" this and "Top 10" that. People have been making these lists for their favorite 80's movies, video games, cartoons, celebrities, etc. However, I'm going to attempt to make a countdown on a topic that I don't think has been done yet. These are my Top 10 movies from the 70's. I hope you enjoy.

10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Of all the James Bond movies that came out in the 70's, this one I believe is the best one. Lots of awesome action, the acting is great, the special effects in this movie were mind-blowing for the time, and it even has some humor to lighten the mood. Not to mention, the movie's theme song, Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better", is one of the most classic Bond movie themes ever.

9. The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
"The Phantom Tollbooth" should definately be considered one of the best animated movies of the decade. Watching this movie for the first time, you might be weirded out by it and call it something like Alice in Wonderland on crack, but those of you who've read the awesome book it's based on are sure to enjoy it. I happen to be a big fan of animated movies, and this one really stood out to me being that it had a lot of familiar and famous voice actors as well as being directed by one of the greatest cartoon directors of all time (Chuck Jones). This movie definately gets my reccomendation for a viewing. It may be hard to find, though.

8. Jaws (1975)
This movie is definately one of Steven Spielberg's masterpieces. It's one of my dad's all-time favorites, and it's a movie that made people too frightened to go into the water. Regardless, with it's famous music and classic dialogue, "Jaws" is a movie that deserves a spot on my list.

7. Robin Hood (1973)
Disney did not make very many movies in the 70's, and they were all eh...okay. If I had to pick just one Disney movie from that decade to put on this list, I'm going to have to go with "Robin Hood" (I almost picked "Pete's Dragon") since I find it to be the most well-made. This movie does a fine job telling the classic English tale of Robin Hood along with some catchy songs as well as hilarious villains. Even though the whole movie was reinacted by animals, I still find it to be a great effort being that it was one of the first projects the Disney company made without Walt.

6. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
I'm sure most everybody has seen this movie as a kid. It's definately one of the most wonderful movies I have ever seen, and it has captured the hearts of many. Of course, the magic of this movie was all ruined thanks to a guy named Tim Burton, and ever since he released his remake on this movie in 2005, people have been trying to pretend this movie doesn't even exist! Who (besides Roald Dahl) cares if it didn't follow the book? I mean, sure, Tim Burton's may follow it better, but what's wrong with just accepting things for what they are? Man, pop culture has been nearly ruined since the new millenium began.

5. Star Wars (1977)
It would be a sin to make a Top 10 70's Movies list and not include "Star Wars"! This franchise of movies has been George Lucas' baby. While other "Star Wars" movies may be better or worse than this one, this is the movie that started it all, and it's clearly one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. The whole world was amazed by all the special effects in this movie, as they had never seen anything like them ever before (and that was quite amazing for a crew who was working on a small budget at the time). Mix that in with an incredible score, a lovable female, a purely evil villain, and some of the wackiest characters you've ever seen, and you've got yourself an A+ movie.

4. The Muppet Movie (1979)
If you love the Muppets, then this is a movie you'll definately love. This movie set the standards for Jim Henson classics, and even without Jim, the Muppets still live on. This movie does a fine job telling the story of how the Muppets first met with comic relief that's classic Henson as well as some awesome songs including the catchy "Moving Right Along" and the beautiful "Rainbow Connection" (which is apparantley the Muppets' "When You Wish Upon a Star"). Kermit runs into not only the other Muppets, but other characters like Big Bird? I'm surprised the Foster Farms chickens aren't in this movie too! Well, overall, this is a great movie and definately essential to Muppet fans.

3. Young Frankenstein (1974)
This is definately one of the most cherrished comedies I've ever seen. I watch this movie every year around Halloween time. If you pair Gene Wilder up with Mel Brooks, you've got yourself a genius comedy. This movie does a great job parodying the classic "Frankenstein" movies, and it's also one of the most quotable comedies of all time. This is like a perfect movie, and it should be included in everyone's Halloween movie collection.

2. Rocky (1976)
This is definately Sylvester Stallone's signature movie. What makes this movie so great? Well, you've got to see it to believe it! This is not my favorite Rocky movie, but since that one came out in the 80's, I am going with this one for my countdown. Rocky Balboa is one of the greatest movie heroes of all time. How often do you see an incredible out-of-control boxer with a good heart? This movie launched a great series of movies. The last five aren't quite as good, but the first four are definately worth watching.

1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
This movie is the Holy Grail of comedy movies! Okay, with that pun out of the way, my choice for the #1 best movie of the 70's is none other than Monty Python's best movie ever: "The Quest for the Holy Grail". This movie featured Monty Python's cast reinacting a famous medival tale using their genuine comedic nature. If you have friends who can recite quotes or reinact scenes from this movie, I commend you for it! Some may say that this is Monty Python's best movie, some may say that it's the only Monty Python movie worth watching, but one thing I can say without a doubt, this is everybody's favorite Monty Python movie.

There you have it, folks. My Top 10 70's Movies. Yeah, I know, there are a few other good ones I left out, but I'm not going to even bother. I'm probably going to keep hearing those complaints anyway: "Hey! Where's Close Encounters of the Third Kind?" Well, overall, I hope this countdown was a little more unique from most of the other countdown articles we've had on here.

Comments

This is definately a good list. I definately enjoyed it. Thumbs up, definately! However, you should definately check your articles for redundancy before submitting, definately. In all fairness though, it's a small edit and I did enjoy it. Keep up the positive work. You're at your best when you stay positive.

rocky horror?

This list could be better.

Great article. I too was born in the 70's and have no problem with the movies you highlighted. All classics! prophetsword lighten up

Seen them all. Love them all

great list like all of these movies and who doesn't

The Exorcist? Horror still counts as quality.

And so few can recall a movie about a girl who survived a plane crash in the jungle. You would most likely remember her having worms under her skin and her pushing and prodding them out like stringy pus.
This was a very powerful 70's film shown well into the early to mid 80's and made quite an impression on the few children who saw it.
This film (1974) was in fact based on a true story, the "Story of Juliane Koepcke" in it's book form.
This gem of a film is more than difficult to come by.
You may have seen it titled "Miracles Still Happen" is that movie you remember with the girl in the jungle? Long lost, yet not still present in there somewhere in the the archived, without forget for not memory bank of a 1970's movie.

I haven't been too critical of anyone. I'm just stating my opinion the same as you. I think your list is flawed.

When you post on a public forum where people give feedback, not all of it will be to your liking.

Yeah, lighten up, prophetsword. You've been way too critical on people's articles. Remember, this is just my list of my favorite movies from the decade. For the ones I didn't have on the list, I probably didn't care much for those movies or haven't seen them. Also, prophetsword, did you even read the first sentence on what I said about "Star Wars"???

Hey prophitsword......... the article was about dalmationlover's favourite movies from the 70's....not "my favourite movies while I was alive in the 70's". Lighten up.
Also, why does this matter to you? I was born in 74 and I dont see why I cant write a list of my favourite movies from the 20's. And...I was born in the 70s. By your logic I should be able to give full reviews on anything made in the 70s. I dont even remember the 70s. Theres only som much to know when your 5.

I loved the list. I would add....The Warriors....Clockwork Orange.......Heavy Traffic. I should stop, as I could go on forever. Jaws is my favourite though.

hey prophetsword,
friday the thirtennth came out in the 80's
anyway
dude this a sweet article
when i first started reading it i was thinking
" if star wars isnt on this list ">

but then it was but ya i would of put in superman,grease,halloween and a few others
BUT MONTY PYTHON IS F***IN GREAT!

Okay, first point I want to make is that you were born in 1985, so you didn't live in the 70s, and you seriously underestimate or overestimate a lot with this list.

I realize these are your favorites, but this list would be better served by someone who lived in that decade.

For starters, Star Wars should be at the top of the list. It was an innovative technical achievement that had never been seen before. It ran for TWO YEARS straight in some theaters (no movie today would see 104 weeks of play in any theater). It spawned a fan base that is still rabidly strong 30 years later. And without this movie, many of the movies that followed would likely never have been made. It changed everything. Unless you were there, you don't have a clue about that.

Secondly, you miss many of the biggest movies of that decade completely. I'm not a fan of the film, but even I know the impact that The Godfather had on viewing audiences. And the first slasher films in the forms of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Friday the 13th were also borne of the 70s. That's a genre you seem to have skipped altogether.

The French Connection, Grease, Superman, Alien, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saturday Night Fever, Silver Streak...

Explore the 70s some more.

I would have added "Superman the Movie", but that's just me.

I would have put "Duel" some where and also "Smokey and the Bandit" maybe among the Top 5, but otherwise nice one.

ahhhh!!! you beat me to it! i was going to do this list!
oh well, this list was still good. monty python and young frankenstien were good choices.

Are you kidding me with "The Spy Who Loved Me"?!? Way better Bond movies in the 70's. Diamonds are forever, Live and let die, The Man with the golden gun, Moonraker. I understand on your opinion you might think that was the best but again I am going to hate on you that you are too young to know any better.

I'm surprised that you didn't include Grease and Saturday Night Fever! The soundtracks of both movies dominated the airwaves during the late 1970s!

Great list, I have seen and enjoyed all of those movies. The Muppet Movie is still to this day one of my all time favorite films.

hrm...I love all those movies, but I don't think I've ever seen or heard of the phantom tollbooth.

Yessir, awesome list, and a new topic too

Robin Hood is definitely one of the more underrated Disney movies.

Good list, major props for ranking Holy Grail at the top, definately one of the most quotable movies ever, a few horror movies I would've included are Dawn of the Dead, Halloween and Alien. Nicely done.

Great list, I'm glad you put Disney's Robin Hood on there.

I remember watching Rocky when I was younger and enjoying it. Then, I watched several years later and relaized that every punch connects! Com'on Rocky! Put those gloves up! Just once! I still enjoyed it, but nowhere near as much because the fights came across as a bit silly. But then, like The Karate Kid, Rocky isn't really about the fights, so I can forgive the poor coreographers--assuming they hired one--of the day. Well, at least a little.

great article..all of these films are classics..keep up the good work

A couple movies I would have had on the list were "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", and "Alien".

Hmmm good countdown.

Some pretty great movies on this list. I had never seen Rocky before until sometime last year, and I was actually blown away by how awesome it was. I never expected it to be such a great movie.

I just realised a typo in my bio for "Rocky"! I meant to say the last two, not the last five!

That's a really good there. I'll approve this list.