The Second Golden Age of Hollywood: The 1970s

When the classic Hollywood studio system collapsed in the late 1960s, a brand new generation of movie-loving filmmakers took the reins, turning the 1970s into what is celebrated as Hollywood’s most creative decade. Young filmmakers emboldened by their youth, the freewheeling French New Wave, and the popularity of college film studies left tradition behind to play with daring narratives, contemporary mores, and untraditional techniques. This generation created films like Jaws , Close Encounters, The Godfather, Star Wars, The Conversation, Reds, Dog Day Afternoon, The French Connection, and Klute. The outsized talents include directors Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, Arthur Penn and the incomparable Elaine May; actors like Robert De Niro, Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, and Faye Dunaway. Join us to look at a great assortment of groundbreaking movies made by now legendary filmmakers who brought fresh eyes, brio, and danger to American film. This is the decade that transformed the movies and produced a new golden age.

You will be asked to watch one film per week to be discussed in class. 
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0

You'll walk away with

• A deep understanding of how 1970s directors revolutionized traditional genres and storytelling.
• The ability to analyze the influence of international cinema, like the French New Wave, on American film.
• Sharp insights into how iconic blockbusters and indies of the decade reshaped modern Hollywood.

Ideal for

• The curious and creative
• Film enthusiasts