Steven Spielberg names his favourite movies of the 1970s
The 1970s was a landmark decade for cinema, with the New Hollywood era welcoming a fresh new batch of filmmakers to the scene. Among these faces were people like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg.
While some might argue that Coppola’s The Godfather was the first modern blockbuster, when Spielberg released his third picture, Jaws, in 1975, it truly spawned the beginning of the summer blockbuster phenomenon.
The movie, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider, follows the men as they hunt down the terrifying shark that has been attacking beachgoers. An instant box office and critical success, Jaws paved the way for imminent popular releases such as Star Wars and Spielberg’s next movies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Since then, Spielberg’s career has only continued on the up, with movies such as the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Catch Me If You Can making him the highest-grossing director of all time.
While Spielberg cites a wide variety of movies as his favourites, influencing his approach to filmmaking, we’re going to focus on the ones released in the 1970s, the director’s most pivotal decade. Unsurprisingly, Spielberg cites The Godfather as one of his all-time favourite movies. Speaking as part of a DVD bonus feature, Spielberg discussed how profound of an effect the movie had on him upon its release in 1972.
He explained: “I was pulverized by the story and by the effect it had on me, and I also felt that I should quit. There was no reason to continue directing because I would never achieve that level of confidence in the ability to tell a story such as the one I had just experienced.”
Spielberg’s other ‘70s favourite is Day for Night, directed by Francois Truffaut. Made as an ode to filmmaking, Truffaut’s delightful movie is perhaps his funniest, depicting the trials and tribulations of making a film. Truffaut stars as the director of an imaginary film, Meet Pamela, with actors such as Jean-Pierre Leaud, Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese and Jean-Pierre Aumont starring as the chaotic cast and crew.
Truffaut ended up starring in Close Encounters of the Third Kind due to Spielberg’s obsession with Day for Night and the French New Wave icon. Spielberg called the 1973 film one of the “most accurate portrayals of what it’s like to make one movie, telling one story, casting one film, where nothing goes right. Which is so often the case.”
Steven Spielberg’s favourite 1970s movies:
- The Godfather – Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
- Day for Night – François Truffaut (1973)
