Ziggy587 wrote:Here's just a few movies off the top of my head that are from the 70's and still hold up today. These movies are full of intense action and/or tension.
Star Wars (1977)
Jaws (1975)
The French Connection (1971)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Gone In 60 Seconds (1974)
The Exorcist (1973)
Halloween (1978)
Alien (1979)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Mad Max (1979)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Rocky (1976)
Some of the above movies have that distinct 70's grainy film look to them, which I know some people don't like, but I believe all of the above movies are just as watchable in 2022 as ever. But some of the above movies, if you showed a young fella a recent HD remaster they would never guess it was from the 70s.
I just looked up The Shining and saw it was 1980, but it always felt like a 70's flick to me (and it basically is). Speaking of Kubrick, there's 2001 A Space Odyssey, but that's actually 1968. And although it's somewhat entertaining to watch, it's not exactly a suspense/action/thriller like the above movies. I was going for edge-of-your-seat movies. So although Grease (1978) or American Graffiti (1973) hold up well, they also didn't fit that bill.
Hmm, there's also Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from 1971. Although that film looks really dated now, fuck you it's Gene Wilder! Speaking of Wilder, go watch Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles (both from the 70s) right now if you haven't seen them! There's plenty of other action or thriller movies from the 70's that I haven't seen yet, so I can't speak first hand about them, but they are known to be good. Like Dirty Harry or the first two Godfathers. Then there's some movies that are still watchable and have decent action, but I can admit they are dated. Like Superman. There's a few that's been on my to-watch list for a while, like Chinatown and Taxi Driver.
I focused on the 70s, but you actually said 70s and prior. Well, there's also tons of movies from the preceding decades that also proved to be timeless. Probably the best example is The Wizard of Oz, which is from 1939!
Yeah thats why I said for most of them. movies like Exorcist, Halloween, Dog Day Afternoon, The Shinning, The Godfather hold well or better than the current offering actually. I do not recall them clearly now but IIRC Star Wars, Rocky, and Mad Max were ok too. Rocky was a bit slow but given the movie is more drama than action its understandable. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is an all time favorite of mine, didn't realise it was that old. I saw Young Frankenstein its funny for its time.
Its movies like The French Connection, Jaws, and I know I will be hated for this and Apocalypse Now that I can't stand. The pacing is so slow and boring talk for hours. I thought Jaws was action filled by it was a snooze fest for me. I do not recall Apocalypse Now and maybe its held in high regard for its "philosophical" critism or something but IIRC it was slow and boring for me that is what I remember. I was not impressed. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I need to watch again.
I am currently watching Kramer vs Kramer and its ok but a bit slow. Although from the 80s, they still probably have been affected by the 70s movie production style, After Hour I had to stop early because of the slow pace (will give another shot) and Manhunter felt more from the 70s than the 80s. They don't feel released in the same decade of Ghost Busters and Back to the Future.
