The seventies was an decade that gave us some incredibly influential movies as well as movies that took audiences to places that they had never been before.
We take a look at some of the movies that helped define that decade and change the way movies were made.
- Dirty Harry
When Dirty Harry was released Callahan became the first of a new kind of movie cop: a borderline vigilante who doesn't hesitate when crossing professional and ethical boundaries in pursuit of his own vision of justice, an idea that would be copied over and over in the years to come.
We were introduced to Harry Callaghan for the first time back in 1971 as Clint Eastwood stepped into the role.
Don Siegel was in the director's chair for the movie and it was regarded as one of the best movie of the year.
Harry Callaghan remains one of the most iconic symbols of the cop movie genre as well as being one of Eastwood's most memorable roles.
The character of Dirty Harry would go on to influence characters such as Martin Riggs and John McClane over the years.
- Jaws
Another decade and we are looking at another Spielberg movie and this time it is Jaws.
Released back in 1975 the movie really did kick off the blockbuster genre that we all love.
Not only was it the first real 'blockbuster' but the movie was one of the first to use a heavy TV advertising campaign to rally support.
This is quite simply one of the best movies ever made and it changed the way that movies were made for ever.
Spielberg showed that you could make films on a massive scale and use special effect that had a huge impact.
- The Godfather
You can't talk about movies of the seventies without mentioning The Godfather - which is widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola the movie was a big screen adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel of the same name.
The Godfather is forty years old this year and it was a movie that cemented Marlon Brando as an icon and kicked off the career of Al Pacino.
Forty years on The Godfather remains unparalleled in this genre - with only Part II coming close.
- The Exorcist
Back in 1973 director William Friedkin shocked cinema goers with his horror movie The Exorcist - one of the most controversial movies of the decade.
A demonic and possessed child had never really been tackled on the big screen before, and certainly to the extreme that we see in the movie.
Not only was it shocking to audiences but it really did pave the way for a whole host of movies - and while this type of film has been done time and again over the years it has never been equalled let alone bettered.
But over the years the movie has grown in stature and it is now widely regarded as one of the best horror movies of all time.
- A Clockwork Orange
And The Exorcist was not the only movie that was whipping up controversy in the seventies as A Clockwork Orange hit the big screen in 1971.
As you may imagine it was the level of violence in the movie that really caused all the problems - the movie was withdrawn from the UK for twenty seven years.
By the time that it was re-released in 2000 the movie had gained a cult following and it is Stanley Kubrick's boldest and best work.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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