The 1970s were an incredibly creative and important decade for filmmaking, producing an outsized number of classics.One of its most impactful years was 1977, which offered up blockbusters likeSaturday Night Fever,Smokey and the Bandit, andStar Warsalongside critical darlings likeEquus,Julia, andThat Obscure Object of Desire.
This was a year of sci-fi epics and intimate character studies, simply, dialogue-driven rom-coms and effects-heavy spectacles. It saw certain filmmakers delivering on all their potential, while others laid the foundations for world-conquering franchises. Directors experimented with narrative structures, visual styles, and themes, resulting in a few films that still feel edgy today. With this in mind, this list looks at some of the must-see movies from that year.
10’Suspiria' (1977)
Directed by Dario Argento
“Bad luck isn’t brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.” One ofthe most accessible moviesfromgiallomasterDario Argento,Suspiriacenters on Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper), an American ballet student who enrolls in a prestigious dance academy in Germany. There, she witnesses a series of bizarre and terrifying events, leading her to uncover the academy’s dark and supernatural secrets.
Though Suspiria is a horror,its aesthetic is unlike the bleak, muted darkness usually found in the genre.Instead, the director serves up vibrant colors (“We were trying to reproduce the color ofWalt Disney’sSnow White,” Argento has said), surreal imagery, and tense music by the prog rock band Goblin. The color palette is rich with lurid reds, greens, and blues, making for a sensory assault. In this regard,Suspiriaexemplifies the kind of cinema where aesthetics are the substance. It’s stylish, unique, and dreamlike, understandably becoming a cult classic.
9’Opening Night' (1977)
Directed by John Cassavetes
“I wish someone would tell me what’s wrong with me.“Opening Nightrevolves around Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands), a renowned actress struggling to come to terms with her advancing age while preparing for a new stage role. After witnessing the tragic death of a young fan, Myrtle spirals into a crisis of confidence, leading to conflicts with her colleagues and a deep introspection about her life and career.
Opening Nightdoesn’t simply explore the psychology of an actress;it’s a meta-tragedy about what happens when the script of life diverges from the character we believe ourselves to be.DirectorJohn Cassavetescaptures this all through araw and improvisational stylethat gives Rowlands room to shine. She turns in a phenomenal performance, utterly believable as someone overwhelmed by fears and insecurities, an unstable mix of vulnerability and resilience. Surprisingly, the movie was widely panned on release, but is now viewed as one of Cassavetes' strongest efforts.
Opening Night
8’The American Friend' (1977)
Directed by Wim Wenders
“I’m not going to murder you, Mr. Ripley.“The American FriendbyWim Wenders(Wings of Desire,Paris, Taxis) is a moody, existential retelling ofPatricia Highsmith’s novelRipley’s Game.Bruno Ganzleads the cast as Jonathan Zimmermann, a mild-mannered picture framer in Hamburg who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Enter Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper), a cunning American art forger who exploits Jonathan’s desperation by convincing him to carry out a murder in exchange for financial security for his family.
The performances are solid. Ganz is magnetic, nailing Zimmermann’s internal struggle. Hopper’s Ripley, by contrast, is a murky presence—inscrutable with menacing undertones. The plot stumbles a little in the third act, butthe film compensates with its character depth and abundance of style. It’s an enjoyable slow burn as well as a pitch-perfect tribute to ’50s noir. Much of this is thanks to the stellar cinematography byRobby Müller, who also collaborated with the likes ofLars von Trier,Peter Bogdanovich, andJim Jarmusch.
The American Friend
Directed by David Lynch
Image via Libra Films International
“In heaven, everything is fine.“David Lynch’s debut feature remains one of his most potent. This surreal, disturbing gem follows Henry Spencer (Jack Nance), a man living in a desolate industrial landscape, who becomes the caretaker of his grotesquely deformed child. Lynch drenches the whole affair in haunting black-and-white imagery and unsettling sound design, creating an otherworldly experience that defies conventional interpretation.
Indeed,the soundscape is Eraserhead’s strongest element.Ceaseless industrial sounds permeate every scene, as if Henry lives within the bowels of some biomechanical behemoth. Then there’s the mewling of the alien-like baby, which is unsettling in a different way. As always with Lynch, body horror is front and center: the bird he cust up for dinner writhes and bleeds, the baby is covered in sores and, when he removes its swaddling clothes, its organs spill out. In the center of all this grimness is Nance’s eerie lead performance, his blank stare reflecting the monstrous absurdity of the world around him.
Eraserhead
6’Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
“We are not alone.” Though many of its ideas have since been done to death,Steven Spielberg’sClose Encounters of the Third Kindwas fresh and bold on release. This sci-fi epic follows Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), a man who experiences a close encounter with a UFO, leading him on a quest for answers. As mysterious events unfold worldwide, scientists and civilians alike converge at a remote location, anticipating contact with alien beings.
Close Encountersis a grand genre spectacle, but one boasting an unusual depth of atmosphere and thematic resonance. Here, the director marshals an array of fantastic elements. Visually,Vilmos Zsigmond’s Oscar-winning cinematography bathes everything in dazzling, otherworldly light; sonically,John Williams' minimalist, now-iconic five-tone motif complements the story perfectly. The whole movie is suffused with curiosity and awe, with a hopeful rather than a dystopian view of technology, the future, and interspecies interaction. It all builds to an entertaining and suitably satisfying climax.
Close Encounters of The Third Kind
53 Women' (1977)
Directed by Robert Altman
“I had the most wonderful dream.“Robert Altmanmade a string of classics, includingNashvilleandThe Player, but his most hypnotic, boundary-pushing project is arguably3 Women, chronicling the shifting dynamics between three women in a dusty California desert town. Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek) arrives at a spa facility where she becomes enamored with her coworker, Millie Lammoreaux (Shelley Duvall). There, Pinky suffers a near-fatal accident that triggers a dramatic personality shift while a third woman, the enigmatic Willie (Janice Rule) watches from the sidelines.
The movie abides by dream logic rather than narrative formulas. It’s a hallucinatory tale about identity and repression, reality and fantasy, channeling the weirdness of filmmakers likeLuis Buñuelbut grounding it in the mundane and everyday. For all these reasons,3 Womenis a challenging movie but a powerful and creative one, years ahead of its time. It oscillates between funny, sad, satirical, and horrifying.
4’That Obscure Object of Desire' (1977)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
“A woman is like your shadow: chase her and she runs, run from her and she chases.“Buñuel’s final film,That Obscure Object of Desirefocuses on aging French aristocrat Mathieu (Fernando Rey), who becomes infatuated with Conchita, a young and elusive woman played by two different actresses (Carole BouquetandÁngela Molina). Conchita continually teases and torments Mathieu, drawing him in with affection only to abruptly reject him, leaving him in a perpetual state of frustrated longing.
This destructive romance is mirrored by the backdrop of political violence and terrorist attacks. Buñuel’s decision to cast two actresses as Conchita is both quirky and clever, emphasizing the character’s contradictions and Mathieu’s inability to understand or control her. In the process, the movie becomes a subversive meditation on desire, control, and the irrationality of human attraction. The director’s signature surrealist flourishes—including bizarre interludes and moments of dry humor—elevate the film beyond a simple story of doomed love into something more profound.
That Obscure Object of Desire
3’Aguirre, the Wrath of God' (1977)
Directed by Werner Herzog
“I am the wrath of God! Who else is with me?“Aguirre, the Wrath of Godisa mesmerizing tale of obsessionand madness, following a doomed expedition deep into the Amazon jungle.Klaus Kinskistars as Don Lope de Aguirre, a ruthless and increasingly unhinged conquistador who leads a band of Spanish soldiers and indigenous slaves in search of the mythical city of El Dorado. As the journey progresses, Aguirre’s megalomania swells as even as his men succumb to disease, starvation, and the unrelenting hostility of the jungle itself.
The movie is an odd hybrid of a historical epic and a fever dream. It’s tense as well as satirical, critiquing conquest, colonial arrogance, and self-delusion. DirectorWerner Herzoghammers home these themes with a bevy of memorable images, including the closing shot of Aguirre alone on a raft, surrounded by monkeys.Aguirreleft a lasting impression;Francis Ford Coppola, for example, hascitedit as a major influence onApocalypse Now.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
2’Annie Hall' (1977)
Directed by Woody Allen
“A relationship, I think, is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies.” One of the defining romantic comedies of that decade,Annie Hallfollows Alvy Singer (Woody Allen), a neurotic comedian, and his whirlwind romance with the quirky and free-spirited Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). It crafts an entertaining, intelligent story using a fragmented narrative structure, breaking the fourth wall, and incorporating surrealist asides, at the time representing a significant step forward for the controversial writer-director.
The movie itself has aged well, with terrific chemistry, a steady stream of jokes (“a spider the size of a Buick!"), iconic moments like the lobster scene, and a bittersweet commentary on love and relationship.The film crams a lot into just 93 minutes.The witty dialogue and introspective humor struck a chord with audiences:Annie Halldominated that year’s Oscars, taking home Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture, and securing Allen his sole acting nomination.
Annie Hall
1’Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
“The Force will be with you, always.” The movie from 1977 that has had the greatest cultural impact is undoubtedlyStar Wars. The opening chapter inGeorge Lucas' space opera introduced audiences to a galaxy far, far away, filled with swashbuckling heroes, menacing villains, and groundbreaking special effects, changing Hollywood forever. The now-iconic story follows young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he sets out to rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and defeat the Galactic Empire.
Beyond its lovable characters and thrilling adventure,A New Hoperevolutionized filmmaking with its visual effects, world-building, and mythic storytelling. All these decades later,A New Hoperemains a strangely charming relic, a scrappy, exuberant sci-fi adventure that somehow stumbled into being a cultural monolith. It’s flawed and occasionally clunky, but that’s part of its appeal.The movie has a ton of heart, which unfortunately cannot be said for some of the more polished, bigger-budget recent entries in the franchise.
