1974 remains to this day considered one of the greatest years for cinema of all time by critics and audiences. There were box office smashes, awards sweepers, and some films that somehow managed to do both. Let’s take a look at some of the greatest films from one of the greatest years in cinema history: 1974.
1. ‘The Godfather: Part II’
Francis Ford Coppola had arguably the greatest decade ever as a filmmaker in the 1970s, and possibly the greatest year for a director in history in 1974. The Conversation was released in April of that year and has absolutely stood the test of time. However, in December of that same year, Coppola also released The Godfather: Part II. A film that, by many people’s standards, surpasses its already gargantuan predecessor in every way.
A dual prequel/sequel combo, The Godfather: Part II expands on the lore of the first film by following Vito Corleone’s early life before the first film, and his son, Michael Corleone’s life as a don in life after the first film.
The film remains an absolutely masterful depiction of familial cycles, repetitions of violence, and the downfall of a potentially great man. The film examines treatment of immigrants, family, and power structures to deliver one of the most epic character odysseys in the history of the medium. The quality of the subsequent film in the trilogy remains up for debate by many, even Coppola himself after recutting it multiple times. But this double header of a Best Picture winner was, and still is, one of, if not the greatest sequel ever made.
2. ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’Credit: Bryanston Distributing Company
This may seem like a bit of an odd inclusion, but the ways in which The Texas Chainsaw Massacre revolutionized horror are not talked about a lot, but cannot be overstated.
It’s clear when you watch the film today and examine it within the context of its release that it’s an utterly fearless film. It is incredibly violent and disturbing even by today’s standards, so thinking about how boundary-pushing it actually was 50 years ago can be difficult to surmise.
If you don’t recognize the name of Bryanston Distributing Company, that’s because there’s not much else the company is really known for. The violence was seen as so transgressive at the time that nobody established wanted to touch it. Filmmaker Tobe Hooper had to go to the much smaller company to satisfy any hopes of getting the film properly distributed.
Aside from the boundary-pushing content of the film, its structure has had a dramatic influence on the films we love that succeeded it. Films like The Evil Dead, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and so many others have this film to thank for one reason or another. Pretty much if there’s any film released post-1974 that follows a group of young people being stalked or hunted down by some form of evil being, it has to give at least some of its credit to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Clocking in at a brutal, yet brisk 83 minutes, the film remains a horrifying, but sickly entertaining ride that produces so many iconic, unforgiving, and unforgettable images.
3. ‘The Parallax View’
‘The Parallax View’Credit: Paramount Pictures
The Parallax View is the unofficial second installment of Alan J. Pakula’s unconnected “Paranoia Trilogy”. Succeeding Klute (1971), and preceding All the President’s Men (1976), the film follows a journalist who uncovers a shadowy government organization that is in charge of orchestrating political assassinations and tragedies.
The film is directly inspired by the political assassinations of the 1960s and the actions of the Nixon administration. Widely respected for being a proper representation of the cynicism of the time by the American public, given our own times 50 years later, the film remains more relevant than ever.
The most groundbreaking element to the film is its incredibly dark, cynical conclusion. Obviously, it was characteristic for films of the time to have central characters meet more tragic endings, but the overt representation of the current cultural moment made the film sting even harder.
Honorable Mentions
All of these films are exceptional and should still be in conversation with essential films released in 1974. Whether you’re looking for comedy, drama, action, thriller, or even horror, there will always be something for you from this year.
- Chinatown
- Blazing Saddles
- The Conversation
- A Woman Under the Influence
- The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
- Young Frankenstein
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
- Female Trouble
- Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
- The Phantom of the Paradise
- F For Fake
