A smug glance at the seventies—the so-called "Me Decade"—unveils a kaleidoscope of big hair, blaring music, and broken politics—all easy targets for satire, cynicism, and ultimately even nostalgia. American Cinema of the 1970s, however, looks beyond the strobe lights to reveal how profoundly the seventies have influenced American life and how the films of that decade represent a peak moment in cinema history.
Far from a placid era, the seventies was a decade of social upheavals. Events such as the killing of students at Kent State and Jackson State universities, the Watergate investigations, the legalization of abortion, and the end of the American involvement in Vietnam are only a few among the many landmark occurrences that challenged the foundations of American culture. The director-driven movies of this era reflect this turmoil, experimenting with narrative structures, offering a gallery of scruffy antiheroes, and revising traditional genre conventions.
Bringing together ten original essays, American Cinema of the 1970s examines the range of films that marked the decade, including Jaws, Rocky, Love Story, Shaft, Dirty Harry, The Godfather, Deliverance, The Exorcist, Shampoo, Taxi Driver, Star Wars, Saturday Night Fever, Kramer vs. Kramer,and Apocalypse Now .
A list of 10 essays discussing the films made between 1970-1979 and their themes. Although it definitely covers New Hollywood classic like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, American Cinema of the 1970s also gives room for small-budget features by independent filmmakers like Gal Youn'un and the works of black directors that would precipitate the LA Rebellion of the 80s and 90s. The 1970s is considered one of the worst of the sociological ages in America, right behind the 30s and the Great Depression but it did produce some of the best and most iconic films in the history of cinema. This book is for cinephiles hoping to identify recurrent themes in beloved 70s classics as well as lesser-known gems.
Many think of the 1970s as a decade of stagnation and resentment. It is often compared to one of the era’s inventions—the Pet Rock—symbolizing the absurdity of idleness at the time. Yet, if one was to investigate beyond the limited scope of disco balls and vegetative attitudes, one would find that America’s culture was growing, especially its cinema. Lester D. Friedman, editor of American Cinema of the 1970s: Themes and Variations argues this point through a collection of ten chronological essays that best represent American cinema of the 1970s. He chose compositions from an array of scholars that addressed the three most pertinent points of 1970s American cinema: the industries involvement with politics, the political and cultural atmosphere represented through theme, and the particular variations that is traditional of film making. America Cinema of the 1970s will enlighten any reader who feels disenchanted about a time that is often described as a split between an echo of the counter-cultural sixties and the latter a prelude to the conservative eighties.