70's film & cinema

Increasing drug use, and a growing energy crisis showed tremendous disillusion within the public.
People were questioning politics and taking action against the wrong causes, and there was a major lack of faith in institutions.
people where uprising against the lunacy of war and revealing the dark side of the American Dream.

•At the beginning of the 70’s Hollywood was experiencing a financial & artistic depression.

•The decade soon picked up as restrictions on language, adult content, sexuality, and violence had become looser.

•The hippie movement, civil rights, free love, drug use, rock n roll & the changing of gender roles had a massive impact.

•The counter culture at the time had influenced holly to take more risks and experiment with younger film makers as many of the older film makers had died out leaving room for a new generation of film makers.

•There was an increase in drug use, disillusion, and a lack of faith in politics, war and the American dream.

•The decade spawned many cult films.

•MGM films sold out many of its studios and assets leaving room for new studio’s to take change of the industry.

•The improvement in special effects made films like Star Wars & Jaws possible


1970 Strangers and Brothers, Maggie Smith, Forysthe Saga, 231 million TV sets

1971 A Clockwork Orange, no mail for 47 days, Preventive detention

1972 EEC, All the Family, Munich Olympics

1973 Common Market, Arab-Israeli fighting, Academy awards to Godfather & Cabaret

1974 Parliament bombed, Nuclear tests, Watergate, Wilson back, Glenda Jackson

1975 Thatcher Tory leader, Fighting in Beirut, Jaws

1976 £ falls, Wilson resigns, British Film Authority

1977 Queen Elizabeth I Silver Jubilee, Tenerife air disaster, Star Wars, Annie Hall

1978 Pope Paul VI dies, Last Carry on film, Oil spill

1979 Enter Thatcher - rejects devolution in Scotland & Wales, Colonies declare Independance