My 100 Best Loved From 1964 – 1976
Whether you are a fan of George Clooney or not, he does come up with some interesting things to say about film from time-to-time. Case in point, his recent interview with Parade magazine (and summarized and highlighted by Slash Film) that lists his 100 most loved films from a specific 13-year, mid-decades span. Why that particular period, you’d ask? His answer really spoke to those (including me) who lived through that distinct period:
“There were great filmmakers—Mike Nichols, Hal Ashby, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese—you go down the list of these insanely talented filmmakers all working at the top of their game and kind of competing with each other. Pakula, Sidney Lumet—I mean, you can just keep going down the list of these guys. And they were all doing really interesting films… That era [1964 to 1976] was a reflection of the antiwar movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, the sexual revolution, the drug counterculture. All those things were exploding at the same time. And these films were reflections of it. Movies are really good when they do that. They give us a sense of what was going on in our psyche.”
How very true. And the films he selected surely display just that. So much so, I decided to come up with a collection of my own for the same period — many seen by me during or within that era at a theatre or on a TV set for the first time. No doubt, some of mine will be considered great and others not. Still, these are the films I love because they came out of that unmistakable period of upheaval and reflection, one that I literally grew up in. For better or for worst, these were the movies that fixed the criteria for me. They set the tone and shaped this movie-goer to the extent they’d affect my choices in cinema even way down the line. Each can put my mind right back to that specific time anytime I re-watch them.
Since my wife thinks I’m analytical by nature (sometimes painfully so), I looked to breakdown and categorize the list I came up with (anal… I know). Besides, I was curious myself about what I’d chosen. So before I reveal my list, here are those results [if you’re interested, the graphs were created using the Kids Zone site, Create a Graph page]:
I invite anyone interested to join in on this exercise. For this period, or another span you consider appropriate. By the way, I made no distinction between theatrical and TV movies in this endeavor (the latter I marked in gray). Drumroll, please (and in no particular order):
- A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
- Chinatown (1974)
- The Godfather (1972)
- Fail-Safe (1964)
- The Hot Rock (1972)
- Shampoo (1975)
- The Sting (1973)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Jaws (1975)
- High Plains Drifter (1973)
- The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
- Hickey & Boggs (1972)
- Three Days of the Condor (1973)
- Bullitt (1968)
- The Wild Bunch (1969)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
- Catch-22 (1970)
- Brian’s Song (1971)
- Goldfinger (1964)
- Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
- Dirty Harry (1971)
- Duel (1971)
- Get Carter (1971)
- The Andromeda Strain (1971)
- Deliverance (1972)
- The Godfather Part 2 (1974)
- Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
- The French Connection (1971)
- The Longest Yard (1974)
- The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
- The Professionals (1966)
- Father Goose (1964)
- Patton (1970)
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Junior Bonner (1972)
- The Getaway (1972)
- The Night Stalker (1972)
- A Cold Night’s Death (1973)
- Harold and Maude (1971)
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
- Dr. Strangelove (1964)
- Badlands (1973)
- Theatre of Blood (1973)
- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
- Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- Murder by Death (1976)
- Houston, We’ve Got A Problem (1974)
- Outrage (1973)
- The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)
- Marlowe (1969)
- Help! (1965)
- What’s Up Doc? (1972)
- The Long Goodbye (1973)
- Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
- Night Moves (1975)
- Rollerball (1975)
- The Dirty Dozen (1967)
- Carrie (1976)
- Fists of Fury, aka The Chinese Connection (1972)
- Prime Cut (1972)
- Ulzana’s Raid (1972)
- The Day of The Jackal (1973)
- Emperor of the North Pole (1973)
- The Missiles of October (1974)
- The Shootist (1976)
- Network (1976)
- All the President’s Men (1976)
- The Great Race (1965)
- Wait Until Dark (1967)
- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)
- Where Eagles Dare (1968)
- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
- Hush, Hush… Sweet Charlotte (1964)
- Enter the Dragon (1973)
- The Bedford Incident (1965)
- MASH (1970)
- McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
- Pocket Money (1972)
- Monte Walsh (1970)
- Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
- Point Blank (1967)
- The Anderson Tapes (1971)
- Serpico (1973)
- Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
- The Yakuza (1974)
- Farewell My Lovely (1975)
- El Dorado (1966)
- Cool Hand Luke (1967)
- Sometimes a Great Notion (1970)
- Hombre (1967)
- What a Way to Go! (1964)
- A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
- The Wind and The Lion (1975)
- The Sound of Music (1965)
- The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
- To Sir With Love (1967)
Related articles
- George Clooney’s List of Top 100 Films from 1964 to 1976 (geektyrant.com)
- Best Faye Dunaway Movies (popculturetales.com)
- Project: 50 Movies I Need to See by the End of the Year (twscritic.com)
It Rains... You Get Wet 
144 Responses to “My 100 Best Loved From 1964 – 1976”
I’m afraid I don’t watch enough films from the 60s and 70s to make a top 100 list, maybe top 25 😀 Oh, I so love Sound of Music, glad it made your list, Michael.
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It was a great span for film. But, if you wanted to participate, you wouldn’t be limited to this specific era, Ruth. Especially, if it’s one that contains a 100 films that you love.
Believe it or not, I’m probably the only one in my house that loves The Sound of Music. And the woman I love, my bride of 22 years, likely hates it the most ;-). Thanks for the comment.
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What a fun post! I think it is interesting that film was in its hayday during that period. Now, the re-making of all of those films speaks to the generation that watched the first getting old enough to “re-do” their old faves to add in what they thought would have been cool, PLUS turn a whole new generation onto those timeless stories. Plus we went through a period where original screen play was hard to come by. Thanks for a great blog idea for when I am stuck on what to write! AmberLena
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Very kind of you to say, AmberLena. Though I’ve been critical of remakes, if they’re done well and have updated the material so that they are relevant to the time and newer generations, then it’s a positive to film viewers. And perhaps, the byproduct is current moviegoers get to examine the original films (which is always a good thing, I believe). Many thanks.
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So you’re essentially saying films went down the tubes once I was born, huh? Joking, though it was one helluva a span for cinema.
In addition to the much lauded (and appropriately so) films on your list, I really dig seeing some off-the-beaten-track selections as High Plains Drifter, Duel, Ulzanna’s Raid and The Anderson Tapes.
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Ha! Good one. Glad to see you picked up on the more rarely-named films on the list. They definitely made an impression (and all of those you mention were seen first-run). Thanks, Kevin.
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[…] My 100 Best Loved From 1964 – 1976 (le0pard13.wordpress.com) Rate this: Share this:TwitterEmailFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]
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Wow I have only seen 6 of those list….most I have already forgotten what’s its about.
the graph is really cool, I like it a lot
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Thanks, Novroz.
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I’d be interested to know the order of preference you’d put these in Michael. Like Ruth, I the end of that decade is 9 years before I was born 😉 So I think it’s safe to say it’s before my time. I’ve seen a fair few of your list but even if I were to make a list of my own I don’t know if I could pick 100 from just one decade. I like your graph, graphs are cool, thanks for the link.
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Great question. Hmm… Though I didn’t stick them in their own category, I’d say to look at the crime films on this list as they will likely tell you more about us (in the U.S.) during this unique time. Thanks, Ronan.
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Fun list — I agree with many of your choices, which makes me want to watch those I haven’t yet seen even more!
🙂
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Welcome, Mikalee (love that name, btw). Glad to hear there are some we have in common. And thanks for the kind words.
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AWESOME movie rundown. Thank you!
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Thank you very much for stopping by and the comment. 🙂
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So many good movies in those years. 🙂
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It was a remarkable period for film, no doubt reflecting a lot that was going on. Many thanks.
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Great movies! Ah, The Wind and the Lion…SO great. Thanks for sharing this with us and congrats on FP!
Kate
http://ukate.wordpress.com/
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Very kind of you to say, UKate. And The Wind and the Lion holds a good place in my library (hoping for the Blu-ray Disc one day whenever it’s released). Thank you.
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I must of read the list wrong because theres no A Clockwork Orange(1971)
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That’s the trouble with these kinds of lists. You gotta cut it off somewhere. Personally, I think A Clockwork Orange is a great Kubrick. I just ran out of slots ;-). Thanks, David.
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Glad Jaws and Goldfinger made it, but where are all the Godzilla movies. I mean you must have liked at least 1 of them right? Also I know it was rare back then, but how come to animated features made it?
Overall Goldfinger is my favorite on the list
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No doubt the Godzilla films impacted greatly on me. But those, Gojira (1954) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) landed outside of this span ;-). Great to meet another Goldfinger fan. Thanks, David.
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Hard to go wrong with Jaws. Gigantic sharks and a mayor that just can’t see the problem.
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I think I saw Jaws three times in the first month it was released in ’75. Course, I ended up watching it another 60 times (estimated) a year later (if you’re interested, I covered why that was in an old post on my former blog). Thank you.
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2001: A Space Odyssey will always be one of my favorites. Excellent list!
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Yeah, that one made an impression that’s lasted. I covered that experience earlier this year in a post, if you’re interested. Thanks for stopping by, drwebs.
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Plenty of good choices. Though I’m not a huge fan of James Bond movies, I like “Goldfinger.”
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Thank you very kindly. Much appreciated. 🙂
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I was wondering why Dr. Strangelove (1964) did not make the list. Otherwise, this is a great list.
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Oh, it did. Look at #43 (though, that’s just a number and not a priority or ranking). If I had Fail Safe on this, I couldn’t leave that one off. Thank you very much.
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I wonder how you guys do it. Having all the time to watch so many movies. But well, would love to watch some of the movies here.
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It’s probably cause I’m old ;-). Really, I just started watching movies very young and kept it going (much to my wife’s chagrin — though, I did get my kids hooked on film). Thanks so much for coming by.
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I haven’t watched many 60s or 70s English language movies but I have watched the Godfather series and The Beatles’ films.. I loved ‘A Hard day’s night’ and ‘Help!’ ..(although the latter wasn’t well made)… Being a die hard Beatles fan , the films were a treat to me .. 🙂 🙂
I’ve been meaning to watch some films in your list for a long time…Must do …:)
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It’s a reward if this list gets others to catch some of these films for the first time. I agree with you about Help! It’s not in the class of as A Hard Day’s Night film-wise. But, anything with The Lads in it I’m not going to miss. This memory may have a similar correlation with you, my friend. Many thanks.
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Alas .. I’ve never watched their movies or their songs during ‘their time’. I’m 19 .. But I can imagine how great it would be to watch them in theatre in the peak of their career .. lucky you ! 🙂 🙂
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Very kind of you to say, my friend. Thanks.
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So many good choices you made! I loved “Harold and Maude”, “Kelly’s Heroes”, “The Shootist”…
One title I’d add to your list, however, is “The Man Who Would Be King”, with Sean Connery and Michael Caine. It was made in 1975, and probably would fall into the drama category. It’s truly a man’s movie, filled with old fashioned male ideals like adventure, honor and selflessness. Highly recommended!
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I’m not going to disagree [take a look at my #99 ;-)]. Thank you very much.
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Your post does make me wonder what current movies (apparently) indicate about our collective psyche today. I wonder… and then I shudder…
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Good point. Especially, given the amount of studio remakes generated today. The 80s seem to be making a comeback. Thank you so much for the great comment.
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Catch 22 – the book is sooo much better -Great list!
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You’ve reminded me that I need to finally read that book and re-watch the film. You’ve inspired me! Thanks.
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Enjoyed the list. I thought I loved old school movies and such, but some of those I never heard of 🙂
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Very kind of you to say, Lakia. If you catch some these, I’m always hear to listen to your reaction. Many thanks.
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Michael, that’s a wonderful list that strikes a nice balance between the familiar, expected titles and some more offbeat choices. I love that you included stuff like Fail Safe, Father Goose, The Bedford Incident and Marlowe – movies that rarely get a mention when such lists are compiled.
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Thank you so much, Colin. I wanted to include those that elicited good memories during this span, whether they were well known or not.
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ok…i love this list! i was not alive during that time, but i always hear about great classics with no real concept of what people are talking about. i’m going to take this list, in addition to a few other (older) classics, and gradually make my way through them. thanks for inspiring me!
http://www.icouldntmakethisshitup.wordpress.com
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I’m very glad you enjoyed it enough to want to screen the films, Eva. You’ve inspired me right back. Thank you for that and your comment.
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I think 72 and 73 were probably the best years for Cinema. For a start we had The Godfather and the Exorcist. While I’m generally open minded, I doubt quality in Cinema will ever see better days.
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You won’t get much argument from me in that respect (those were the two years with the most picks by year on my list — to my surprise when I looked at that). A remarkable period for what was going on at the time. Many thanks, Gnstr.
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Thanks for this wonderful list!!! This is one of my favorite time periods in film too. I’ve heard part of the reason the movies during this time were so superior has not just to do with all that was going on in the country, but also that the film makers you mentioned were allowed to make those movies the way they did. These were not Blockbuster movies, the Blockbuster had a different purpose, it was to make money, not to necessarily provide a reflection of the culture. I’m so glad we have thise movies, I’m so glad our cultural heritege, our arts really, had yet to go to the dogs. What will it take to bring it back? What will it take for people with all that money to start making movies that don’t just entertain, but teach us something about ourselves. Maybe those days our gone. Maybe we just don’t have the ears to eyes to see them anymore (sorry to sound down…) Long live Harold and Maude.
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Great comment, patricemj! We certainly saw the introduction of the summer blockbuster late in this span (with Jaws). And I guess, we’ve been feeling the effects (almost a pun) ever since. As well, your point regarding our cultural heritage and arts is very thoughtful. Perhaps, we’re seeing that resurgence just beginning (only time will tell) hidden amongst all the studio remakes. I certainly hope so. Thank you very much for thoughts and comment.
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I’ve only seen 40 of those movies. You brought back some great memories and now some of those catch phrases are stuck in my head! “Go ahead, make my day!” “Open the bay doors, Hal!” Good stuff there.
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Thank you very kindly. 🙂
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Oh yes Dr. Strangelove 🙂 Great list!
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I had to get at least a couple of Kubrick’s in there. Many thanks.
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Great List!:)
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Thank you. I appreciate it.
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Catch-22 has such wonderful cinematography and such a perfect cast. It really is a better movie than the initial reviews would have you believe. Plus the audio commentary on the DVD with Mike Nichols and Steve Soderbergh is a delight. I am glad you called it out with the graphic at the top.
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Thank you, Wilhelm. I saw this first-run way back when. This one landed almost in the middle of this span, and I don’t think it’s ever left me.
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I agree with most selections. What I would have on my list not included on yours:
The Landlord (1970)
Dark Star (1974)
THX-1138 (1971)
The Tenth Victim (1965)
The Bride Wore Black (1968)
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I’m a long-time John Carpenter fan and it pained me to leave off Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13 from this. There’s never enough slots when you need them ;-). THX-1138 is another great one (tell me, what do you think of the changes Lucas has made to it in subsequent disc releases?). I’ve not seen the others on your list. I’ll have to fix that. Thank you for adding to this.
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I haven’t seen any updates on THX-1138. I usually avoid changes even if they’re from the original Director. I’m also not a fan of remakes since there’s so much untapped material around. There’s always the arguement that some movies can be made better with today’s technology. Maybe so but the storyline usually gets lost in the technical wizadrey.
I liked “Logan’s Run” (1976) but not enought to put it on a best of the best list. I am dreading a remake scheduled for 2014. I know I’ll avoid it.
This is a fun blog. I’m glad wordpress featured it.
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Great point. Oh, man — they’re remaking Logan’s Run? [head shake]
Thanks for the kind words.
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A pretty populist list when you get right down to it. In the era in question (60’s) Europe and Japan roundly asserted themselves as the hubs of important provocative and intelligent cinema. Unfortunately you wouldn’t be able to tell this from this ‘list’. All this list proves is that you will, under no circumstances, NEVER see a film where you need to read subtitles.
Better luck next time, maybe you should pick up Thomson’s Encyclopedia and start seeing some films.
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I won’t argue as I’d agree with most of what you have to say. I expanded my subtitled viewing later in the 70s (more towards Japan initially and discovering the cinema you pointed out in your comment). This list was purely intended to cover the films that I either enjoyed, or which provoked me. In many ways, those filed here pushed me to other films beyond the borders of this country. It is what it is. But, I’m happy to hear from those who disagree with me. Thank you for offering your thoughts and opinion.
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Great list! I’m doing a 70s poll on my blog, and I’m interested in how that will end.
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Thank you very much. I’ll check out your blog and that 70s poll.
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A wonderful and thought provoking list. I’ve always admired people who have the power of recall to be able to remember and then rank favorite Anythings!
If I had to choose my favorite food as a last meal it would take forever to work up a menu. But maybe that would keep the hangman at bay for a while.
See you all later; I’m going to the movies.
Ronnie
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Thank you very much, Ronnie. I’m all for favorite foods and movies, my friend. Even keeping that hangman at bay ;-).
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Wow, impressive list! I haven’t even made a dent into that list, I’ve only watched a small handful – though I am partial to a good oldie. Sigh of relief to see Thomas Crown Affair on there – definitely my favourite film of all time, or at least 60s//70s time! Beautifully shot. MASH is hilarious too. You’ve got to love the Sutherland-Gould combo there.
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Y’know, I didn’t mind the ’99 Thomas Crown Affair remake. But when you have Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, 60s chic and a unique crime caper film, that the original was, it is hard to top. Now, if we can only prevent someone in this day and age with coming up with an idea to remake MASH, we’ll be all the better for it ;-). Thanks, Georgia.
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Great list – these years were the peak of my movie-going career. I love so many of these movies. Nice to see Hot Rock – I didn’t think anyone remembered that gem. I’d move Serpico higher.. and I’d Klute and Two For The Road.
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Thanks very much. I’m a Audrey Hepburn fan, but I’m afraid Two For The Road is one of the few of her’s that I’ve missed. Klute is a great one, too. BTW, I didn’t rank these on the list (the numbers were just to keep me from over adding). I think I’d give myself an ulcer if I had to list them in any kind of precedence ;-).
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There’s not in the list Romeo and Juliet in 1968 – the year I was born, it just a classic love story. I love the theme song much more than the movie.
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That is a good one alright. And probably the one I most remember Olivia Hussey for, too. Didn’t Nino Rota compose that theme? Thank you very much for the comment.
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King of Hearts (1966) Great story, and an absolutely gorgeous Geneviève Bujold.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) Great musical – an opera, really, with an absolutely gorgeous Catherine Deneuve.
Maybe it’s too limiting to come up with a “100 best” movie list. I think we (or they) should do categories: “100 best comedies”, “100 best Westerns”, ….
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I remember King of Hearts (and definitely Geneviève Bujold), but I should try to see it again. I’ll probably will have to wait till it returns to one of the revival theaters nearby as the DVD is hard to find (same for Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which I haven’t seen). Thank you very much for the comment and recommendations.
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Wait Until Dark made your list! Makes me smile not only because I adore Audrey Hepburn but also because it’s an incredible film.
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We agree on both counts (Audrey and the film). And I never looked at Adam Arkin the same way afterward ;-). Thank you.
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When I saw Wait Until Dark, our theater decided to add to the mood. When Hepburn goes around the building breaking all the lights – as she broke a light, the theater turned out a light… to the point where only the emergency exits were lit. I still remember how terrifically scary that was!
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Now that is some movie experience! I can only imagine what that must have been like. Pretty awesome, I’d say. Thanks for sharing that.
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Absolutely! I never looked at a refrigerator or “under the stairs” the same again. I’d occasionally try to navigate my way from the kitchen to the living room with my eyes closed. To see if i could do it.
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My aunts, at the time of this movie’s release, talked about nothing else, too. Thanks.
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I own everyone of these movies! This was the best movie making genre so far to date 🙂
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That is pretty darn impressive. I’ll gladly bring the popcorn for movie night at your place ;-). Thank you.
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1977 was a game-changing year that brought about the special effects blockbuster thanks to Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There were great movies made after that, but there was definitely a different attitude than the era preceding that.
For more thoughts on film and TV, check out http://filmverse.wordpress.com/
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The decade of the 70s was pretty remarkable for the game-changers that came with it (along with the upheavals going on with civil and women’s rights, along with the social revolutions of the time). Very true about those SFX blockbusters in ’77 (and summer blockbuster was itself heralded by Jaws in ’75). Great comment. I’ll be sure to drop by your blog and check out more of your thoughts. Thanks.
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Holy crap this is awesome! And although it will take me forever I am starting on my own list tonight!
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That’s great! When you have it posted, please think about leaving its link here. Thanks.
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i like his movie but i am not a fan of him. 🙂
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Hmm… which film? Thanks.
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I liked this post and made sure I can find it on posts I like. I’m going to try to watch all those movies you’ve listed but surprised that “They Way We Were” wasn’t on the list. And maybe you can list down your top movies for the 80s and 90s too.
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I love the graphs. Since I am on a quest to watch 50 movies I’ve never seen before this year, I will probably do some of my own analysis at the end.
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Cool, and an inspired project to take on. Doing analysis and graphs on the results would be something I’d be interested in reading. Please leave me a link. Thanks.
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Yes! Jaws. That movie can’t NOT be in a top 100 list of vintage motion pictures. I actually watched that movie in 8th grade in a class called Film Analysis. Wasn’t much more than watching a movie and talking about it… Thanks for sharing! Cheers.
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Jaws is that kind of movie, alright. And it’s probably the one film I’ve seen the most on this list (I once projected that film for six straight weeks in ’76). Thanks.
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Good to see Chinatown near the top, especially over The Godfather. Chinatown is a noir masterpiece that is ruthlessly cool.
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Very true. Recently, I attended the mystery writers world convention. One of its discussions covered the films most meaningful to a panel of mystery/crime authors, and Chinatown was universally praised. Thank you for the thought and comment.
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Nice lists.
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Thank you.
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Ah the psychedelic era. 🙂 #43 is a favorite as well. Movies these days lack the wit that Strangelove has.. Nice post. 🙂
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It was a time. Thank you.
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Dig it, I like allot of these and have senn most of them, nice charts!
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Thanks, Joel. I’ve used that site a few times for ad hoc charts.
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I like The Godfather too
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It’s great one. Thanks.
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very interesting – some names in there I never even heard about, but will be adding to my “to watch” list for sure!
cheers!
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When you catch them, please let me know what you think. Thanks very much.
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My favourite time-period for movies, by far! It thrills me no end just to see someone even mention, “Theatre of Blood” and “Murder by Death”.
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Thank you very kindly. Yeah, there’s really no way I couldn’t include those two.
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This comprehensive list gives me tons of stuff I’ve never seen. Thanks for that. I love film from this era. They’re raw and often have that unpolished sheen, especially the westerns.
I’m thinking you’ve excluded foreign stuff but I recently saw a great film called Spirit Of The Beehive from this era.
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Good point. Except for the original Get Carter (and the Hong Kong martial arts films), foreign cinema isn’t cover much on this list. My film taste did expand later this decade, no doubt influenced with what I was exposed to here. Great comment. Thank you.
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Terrific list. Father Goose, Goldfinger (especially the music), Network and All The President’s Men are four of my all time favorites. I would also add The Graduate which I think was 1966.
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The Graduate is a great one, no doubt. Culling this down called for some painful choices. Thanks.
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Not a single movie past the 70s? Did you stop watching films? I assure you there are “100 greatest” list quality movies from the 80s and beyond.
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The list just examined a period (inspired by George Clooney’s list) that proved influential, or had impact, on what I remembered dearly during a span that I grew up in. What came afterward in the 80s, 90s, and 00s had their seed planted here as a moviegoer. There are plenty of favorites in each of those later decades, I assure and agree with you. Thank you for your comment and thoughts.
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Scanning your list, the first few that jumped out at me were some Westerns followed by a couple of Martial Arts films. I then used your handy graph (LOL) to see I had found all 2 of the Martial Arts ones, probably cos they are my favourites.
Obviously tho, the Catch-22 image is what drew me in, and I thought it would be higher on your list as you used the image. However, as a lover of the book, which cannot be given enough praise IMO, I really didn’t enjoy the film! It doesn’t capture much of the brilliance of the book, and all the lines in the film add up to probably less than half a chapter of the book, which you may expect as the book is not dialogue driven. Maybe if I’d watched the film in the timespan it would have meant more to me…. but not being born until the 80’s, that can’t be helped. Good blog post tho, have you read Catch-22?
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My numbering of films on this list is purely as a counting mechanism. In no way did I try and prioritize those here (I’d be arguing with myself endlessly and still not have it published). I love Catch-22 the film, and since it seemed to land right in the middle of this span, it seemed a natural choice as the lead graphic. Because of the comments this post has generated, and the number who have spoken with great praise about the Joseph Heller’s source original novel, I’m going to finally read this classic (it’s long overdue). Thanks very much, Peter.
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Great list! I also liked Death Wish and the Stepford Wives for social implications, but you touched on most of the big ones.
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Great point about the social implications of Death Wish and The Stepford Wives. Great you highlighted them. Thanks.
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These movies are way before my time, but I have heard of many of them. Sadly, I’ve only seen two (Jaws and The Sound of Music; how pathetic am I?!). I think my library list just got a lot longer….
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As I’ve mentioned, if this list can get someone to screen one of these for the first time, it is very much a reward. Many thanks, Sophia.
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The only one I’ve ever seen among all those is the Sound of Music, which is definitely one of my favorite movies ever! I know all the songs and get a happy, cozy feeling when I watch it! 🙂
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I’m the only one in my home (between my wife and kids) who continues to love this one. When my wife was reading this post and the comments quietly to herself last night, all I remember hearing in reaction was, “The Sound of Music?!?” Go figure ;-). Thank you for your comment.
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Kudos to you for narrowing it down to 100 films. Not an easy task. Good list!
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Thank you very kindly, James.
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101. Midnight Cowboy
http://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3369088
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Yep, that is a great one. Thanks for the comment, Val.
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What a daunting chore you are up to! I’ve tried the very same a few times before and I don’t get to finish my list because at the last minute I remember one the definitely MUST be among that number. Many of your choices are mine as well, but while reading it I probably remembered another one hundred. lol Well, that means that we’ve watched many, many flicks and we truly love cinema. Thank you for sharing yours and taking the amazing time I must to taken!
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Very true. Those who’ve commented on this post continue to bring up great films that didn’t make this particular list. Daunting, indeed. Glad to hear we have some films in common. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a thoughtful comment.
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Well, you have a list of movies, some of which i loved others i didn’t care for at all and some i would never watch. To each their own. I’ll keep in touch just to see if you change favorite’s over time.
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More than fair. Thank you for commenting on this post.
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My top five were there! Godfather I & 2, The Wild Bunch, Dr. Strangelove and The French Connection, but oh what follows! GREAT List of films!
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That’s a great set of films for this time span (and The French Connection recently celebrated its 40th anniversary). Thank you very much for your comment.
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Never watch any movies there and it give me sort of curiousity. Anyway, thanks for the review.
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Thanks for the list. There’s definitely some movies I need to watch!
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Thank you so much for reading and leaving a comment about it.
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Has anybody asked what makes a film “great” (or even “not all that bad”)? What makes “Citizen Kane” better than “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”? And why is “Lawrence of Arabia” better than “Heaven’s Gate” (both really long epic films)?
Is it the acting? The story? The writing (without which, no movie)? The directing? Cinematography? Or maybe, “all of the above”?
And why do some people nowadays recoil in horror when a movie comes on and it’s in black-and-white?
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Excellent question. You can get all sorts of descriptions and criteria on what makes a film ‘great’… and they’d all be unique and tied to the individual, IMO. I tend to express what makes a film ‘special’ to me, but I’m fully aware what is that for me is not what it is for others. And I’m fine with that. It is why I usually label lists of this sort purely on personal terms (and the reason this post was listed as ‘Best Loved’ instead of the ‘Greatest’). Great to hear your thoughts on the matter and this post. Thank you.
p.s., I’m a big fan of b&w cinema.
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Wait Until Dark, The Exorcist, The Godfather, and The Sound of Music- I LOVE THESE MOVIES WITH ALL MY HEART (no caps lock, no passion).
Some of my friends told me how boring Wait Until Dark was, but I just rolled my eyes upon hearing it. Who in their right minds would say that such beauty is a drag? I wouldn’t. I appreciated Audrey Hepburn on her wonderful performance on the film, considering that it was one her last movie before she decided to take a break in starring in motion pictures.
The Exorcist’s my favorite movie of all time. Some of my friends also told me that the film was really disturbing and all I said was: “Exactly! That’s the point why they made the film in the first place!”. And for me, having people say that kind of remark whenever they hear The Exorcist is a big accomplishment because it’s a sign that you made a MEMORABLE film! (And oh, Audrey Hepburn was offered the role of Chris McNeil, but she said that she’ll only accept the role if the movie will be shot in Paris. I had hoped she accepted the role, because Audrey Hepburn as Chris McNeil would be so awesome!)
The Godfather, such a classic movie! I also love this film even though people kept on telling me that they got bored watching this.
Who would not love The Sound of Music? This was a classic movie! Julie Andrews was so glamorous as Maria and her voice was so wonderful!
Nice post, by the way!
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I hear ‘ya. I’m a long-time Audrey fan (she is my favorite Hepburn, in fact). And that would have been somethin’ if Audrey had accepted the Chris McNeil role in ‘The Exorcist’. It seems in today’s market, if a film doesn’t immediately grab the audience, and hold it with action or plot (or contrivance), many label it as uninteresting. Certainly, I don’t accept that pretense. There are filmmakers who aren’t afraid to take their time telling a story because it’s worth telling well. Anyway, good to find another Audrey fan and one who shares some favorites with me. Thanks for the kind words.
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[…] the only easy one for me, all care of WP’s Freshly Pressed. It’s the list article for My 100 Best Loved From 1964 to 1976. My Recommendation » just about anything in the Everybody’s Chattin’ category over […]
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