1. "The Godfather Part II"(1974)
The sequel to "the greatest movie of all time" did the near-impossible- it deepened our love and devotion to the Corleone clan, en route to taking it's permanent place alongside 1972's Best Picture winner as it's esteemed equal. Al Pacino's chilling transformation from idealistic war hero to cold and calculating crime boss is complete, as Michael presides over the Family's expanding interests in the late '50s. The parallel early 20th Century flashback story provides young Vito, Robert De Niro with his own foundation- the Best Supporting Actor Oscar has rarely been more deserved. Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, and Lee Strasberg offer rich support in Francis Ford Coppola's third masterpiece(keep reading).
2. "Chinatown"(1974)
Jack Nicholson was at his most pristine in director Roman Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne's peerless film noir. Once upon a time, "The Maltese Falcon" was the definitive detective story. Then dapper 1930s private eye Jake Gittes uncovered startling incest and a problem with SoCal's water supply while sporting a big bandage on his face(he's a nosy fella). John Huston was a fitting foil as the enigmatic Noah Cross, while Faye Dunaway's dark secret stayed with viewers for decades. Polanski's much-publicized legal troubles robbed Gittes of a proper encore(1990's "The Two Jakes" was too little, too late), but if you're looking for great, it's "Chinatown".
3. "The Conversation"(1974)
With Richard Nixon raising serious questions about the legitimacy of secret surveillance, Francis Ford Coppola made the best movie ever on the subject(amazingly, he managed this the same year as "Part II"). A subdued Gene Hackman commands the screen as Harry Caul(his personal favorite role), whose profession breeds paranoia and isolation as the head of a San Francisco spy outfit. Does a standard infidelity assignment lead to murder? Coppola started writing the ambiguous script in 1966, and recruited Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Allen Garfield, and Teri Garr for more '70s flavor. There's an alternate reality where Harrison Ford is a smarmy character actor. This is a film that's truly of it's time, and yet somehow, timeless.
4. "Lenny"(1974)
Dustin Hoffman joined Pacino and Nicholson on the '74 Best Actor slate. Are you GETTING what a great year this was?! Oddly enough, none of them won(apparently, we owed Art Carney one). Lenny Bruce was a legendary libertarian whose colorful stand-up performances furthered the fight for free speech and changed the complexion of comedy. His trek was hardly a smooth one, however, as obscenity trials, a failed marriage and drug abuse comprised the compelling journey into counterculture iconography. "Cabaret" director Bob Fosse captured all the highs and lows, and Hoffman is typically terrific.
5. "Death Wish"(1974)
Charles Bronson blasted holes through NYC scum in Michael Winner's endlessly re-watchable revenge fantasy. This is one of those cool-as-fuck '70s movies, replete with startling violence and cynicism, that arrived just in time to capitalize on Watergate weariness and a cable TV aftermarket about to spread through urban America as quickly as the street trash that inspired Paul Kersey's one-man crusade. "Wish" is unapologetic about advocating vigilantism, and the cathartic joy brought to inner-city residents led to a five-film franchise that would reinvigorate the stoic star at it's center.
6. "Blazing Saddles"(1974)
We have to talk about Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. The most beloved comedy this side of "Some Like It Hot", lampooned the dying Western genre(a fading John Wayne lacked the foresight to take part) and was a genuine phenomenon that went unchallenged in the laughs-per-minute stakes until 1980's "Airplane!"(another spoof). It's difficult to describe how game-changing those campfire farts were in Feb 1974. You just had to have been there. Brooks was truly on another level, as was his 'uninsurable' un-PC co-writer Richard Pryor. Last but not least is the late Madeline Khan, whose saucy scene-stealing may have been the most enjoyable part of this reappraisal.
7. "Young Frankenstein"(1974)
For a brief moment in time, Gene Wilder was the hottest comedic performer on the planet. If you're under the age of 40, you might not understand how huge "Saddles" and "Frankenstein" were(both were among the three biggest moneymakers of the year). You're reading this blog, though, which means that you're willing to learn. It's Fran-ken-shteen, and this black-and-white trip to Transylvania, is another comic masterclass. Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman and yes, Madeline Kahn all showed up for Brooks, so it's hardly a one-man show. If you're thinking that they don't make comedies with as much creative energy as this anymore, you're exactly right.
8. "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"(1974)
Ellen Burstyn took home the Best Actress Oscar that she probably should have won for playing Regan's mother in Martin Scorsese's slice-of-life dramady, that arguably did as much for his career as the more openly-praised "Mean Streets". "Alice" is an anomaly in the fabled director's filmography, but the Arizona adventures of this widowed waitress and her preteen son(Alfred Lutter) actually inspired a long-running sitcom of the same name. Will a roadside diner and Kris Kristofferson equal a well-deserved happy ending? And you thought Scorsese only did cool criminals.
9. "A Woman Under the Influence"(1974)
Gena Rowlands' horrific housewife is the last thing you want waiting for you after a hard day's work. That's actually a polite way to describe Peter Falk's home life in this emotionally-punishing probe into the dark days of mental illness. Actor-turned-writer/director John Cassavetes reached his artistic peak in the mid-'70s, as if we needed another reason to call this the most fruitful period for quiet character-driven drama. At 2 hours and 35 minutes, "Woman" isn't an easy watch, but it IS a worthwhile one.
10. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"(1974)
Is the '70s the greatest decade in horror history? Sandwiched in the middle of "The Exorcist" and "Halloween" we have Leatherface, the chainsaw-wielding cannibal careening through one of the genre's defining entries. Director Tobe Hooper is among the titans of terror with Craven and Carpenter, for making "Massacre" such a superior shocker, and he did it with only 83 minutes, $300,000 and the most unsettling dinner companions imaginable to work with. Let me know how scary all these new horror hits are in forty years.
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