Cinema · 1974 Ranked
Best Films of 1974, Ranked by IQ Score
The single year most-frequently cited as American cinema's modern peak. The films of 1974, ranked by IQ Score.
1974 is the single year most-frequently cited as American cinema's modern peak. Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, A Woman Under the Influence, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, all released within twelve months.
The structural argument for 1974-as-canonical-year: the New Hollywood directors' simultaneous peak (Coppola made The Godfather Part II AND The Conversation, both Best Picture nominees, in the same year), the Polanski neo-noir canonical entry (Chinatown), Cassavetes's most-canonical film (A Woman Under the Influence), and Mel Brooks's two best films in the same year. Plus international entries, Pasolini's Arabian Nights, Fellini's Amarcord, Herzog's Every Man for Himself and God Against All.
7 titles · ranked by IQ Score
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