The 1970s was, to put it simply, a great decade for cinema. The end of the previous decade had been a time of change within Hollywood, which led to further radical films - and filmmakers - to shine in the 1970s. There was also something of a rise in international films, with more and more being appreciated worldwide throughout the 1950s and 1960s, which naturally continued into the 1970s, meaning it was a decade defined by far more than just New Hollywood.

There are too many great films to list them all here, but what follows is a shot at ranking many of the absolute greatest. As such, consider the following to be the best of the best; essential films of the decade that all film buffs should watch at some point in their movie-watching lives. The following titles aim to show just how good the 1970s were when it came to movies, and are ranked below starting with the great, and ending with the greatest.

25 'Days of Heaven' (1978)

Director: Terrence Malick

Days of Heaven is one of Terrence Malick's very best feature films, and as only his second released film, ultimately proved how he was a near-instantly masterful filmmaker. It's a film that presents an experience more than it does a traditional narrative, with it being about several people who live/work on a farm in the 1910s, and a complex love triangle that unfolds.

There is still some story, but the things about Days of Heaven that leave the greatest impact end up being the spectacular visuals from cinematographer Néstor Almendros and the beautiful score by composer Ennio Morricone. It makes for an emotional, powerful, and unique viewing experience, with Days of Heaven easily standing as one of the decade's best.

24 'Halloween' (1978)

Director: John Carpenter

It may have started a huge franchise, but the original Halloween from 1978 is a surprisingly small-scale and eerily intimate horror movie. It's about the famed Michael Myers escaping from a psychiatric hospital and going on a vengeful rampage around the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, all backed by an absolutely iconic horror movie score that ranks as one of the most memorable in the entire genre, courtesy of director John Carpenter.

He eventually comes across teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who proves to be far more resistant than most of his targets. Many movies followed, but the first Halloween movie (and the only one to be released in the 1970s) is easily the best, and also one of the most important films within the slasher sub-genre, which would explode in popularity during the 1980s.

23 'Scenes from a Marriage' (1974)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

While almost three hours of two people arguing as their marriage slowly breaks down might not sound riveting, it somehow is made compelling to watch within Scenes from a Marriage. It's a painfully honest and emotionally brutal movie, and ranks as one of Ingmar Bergman's greatest films.

It was also released as a miniseries in the 1970s, with a runtime approximately two hours longer. That miniseries cut also got its own remake in the early 2020s, with Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac playing the couple to great effect, arguably just as effectively as actors Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson did in the 1970s original(s). Those who don't mind watching movies about love (or the breakdown of it) that also happen to be surprisingly intense will find a lot to appreciate with Scenes from a Marriage.

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22 'The Ascent' (1977)

Director: Larisa Shepitko

Anti-war movies don't get much more bleak, downbeat, cold, or effectively powerful than 1977's The Ascent, which is among the greatest World War II movies of all time. It focuses less on combat and more on survival, with its premise about two resistance fighters in Russia going on a dangerous mission to secure food and other supplies for their squad. While something like Come and See (directed by Larisa Shepitko's fellow filmmaker husband Elem Klimov) is better known, The Ascent is equally compelling as an anti-war film.

It's a film that aims to put viewers in a trance, in a way, with it effectively having an undeniably stressful and even depressing atmosphere throughout. It successfully argues that living through a war is like a waking, constant nightmare, making The Ascent difficult to watch, but incredibly easy to admire and appreciate.

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21 'All That Jazz' (1979)

Director: Bob Fosse

Bob Fosse more or less made a movie about his life with All That Jazz, a semi-autobiographical masterpiece that easily ranks among 1979's best movies. Roy Scheider may be playing a man named Joe Gideon, but Gideon and Fosse aren't so different, with both being womanizers, workaholics, and people suffering from heart conditions thanks to their high-stress lifestyles.

All That Jazz is therefore quite a morbid movie, but its relentless honesty and self-exploration make it a fascinating watch. It's also hugely successful as a stylish and visually bold musical, with increasingly surreal sequences - especially in the film's final act - being unlike much else out there within the musical genre.

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20 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller' (1971)

Director: Robert Altman

By the 1970s, the Western was a dead genre, right? No, certainly not completely. Maybe there were fewer Westerns being made than there had been in the 1950s and 1960s, but something like McCabe and Mrs. Miller was a clear sign that the genre still had legs, even within the New Hollywood Movement.

It's one of writer/director Robert Altman's best, and boasts two great lead performances from Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. The two play unlikely business partners who clash with a large corporation that tries to establish itself within their small mining town, resulting in expectedly dramatic consequences for all involved.