10 Most Essential Movies of 1974, Ranked
Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, and Lenny are all among the best and most essential movies of 1974.
The 1970s are often cited as the best decade for cinema. This era was a sweet spot for filmmakers: film technology had progressed considerably and the Hayes Code had melted away, while the formulaic storytelling and commercialized pressures of the 1980s had not yet taken hold. As a result, the '70s produced more classics than any other time period, across practically every genre.
