A Decade under the influence

The 1970s was a revolutionary time for cinema; coming off the domineering era of the studio system, a new breed of filmmakers emerged with their own agendas, styles and stories to tell. Men such as Coppola, Scorsese, Hopper, Bogdanovich, Friedkin, Pollack, Cassevetes and Altman, transformed the industry with their raw and un-compromising stories that revelled not in escapism, but in realism, tackling such issues as the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution and their generation’s disenchantment with the false ideals and corruptness of society. Using clips from an array of films, and a slew of interviews with key players from the time, this documentary presents a thorough (but by no means exhaustive) and entertaining overview of the period, ending with the introduction of the first blockbusters of the 1970s “Jaws” and “Star Wars”. Interviewees include Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Sydney Pollack, Ellen Burstyn, Julie Christie, Robert Altman, Dennis Hopper, Paul Schrader, Pam Grier, Jon Voight and Bruce Dern.