A very 70's movie

I'm no scholar, certainly, but I've kinda broke down each decade in style for my own use to decide what movies to watch. I guess I could show it to you. This is all personal taste and conjecture, mind you, and I've never written any of this down, so it may seem rough. Also, this is the only Bogdanovich I've seen, and I haven't seen Peckinpah movies or Five Easy Pieces, so I can't be certain we're talking about the same kinds of films.

Early 1930's: Before the Hays code, films had the freedom to use sex as an important theme in the story, but few ever did.

Late 1930's: After the Hays Code takes effect, most originality is drained out of the industry, though European films still keep a spark to them.

1940's: With the releases of His Girl Friday, Arsenic and Old Lace and The Man Who Came to Dinner, comedies get as screwbally as could seem possible, while dramas like Citizen Kane and Casablanca signal a dark side of the movies not seen in the 30's.

1950's: Early in the decade, it looks like all the great ideas were used up in the 40's, but in the second half, the Hays code began to fall apart, allowing more freedom to create more daring films such as Anatomy of a Murder and Vertigo.

1960's: Drunk with their newfound freedom to do whatever they want, filmmakers go crazy doing things not possible ever before in the industry; but the overall quality of the stories suffer until late in the decade, when they actually use their freedom to create better stories, rather than more shocking ones.

1970's: After the orgy of shockfests in the 60's, writers and studios are mastering the art of using only the "objectionable" material they need, rather than cramming films full of unneccesary material.

1980's: Not sure how to go about describing this decade. Let's just say it seems to be characterized by John Hughes teen comedies and movies like Starman.

1990's: The decade of the light-hearted action feature. From Men in Black to The Mummy, big budget films take a very light, action-oriented tone. Smaller scale films like Metroplitan also seem to be more fun and less serious.

2000's: Tired of light gooey fare, audiences demand darker, more complex films, leading to Batman Begins and its sequel, Hellboy, X-Men; all more complex than their funny movies from the 90's. Smaller films also take a more solemn turn, but many, such as Juno, still keep their senses of humor.

Anyway, that's off the top of my head. Feel free to criticisize my complete lack of sense, if you feel you should do so.

You spilled my egg. I needed that egg.

The 1970s is my favorite decade of films, and I think film critics tend to agree on that one. This era in film history is known as the New Hollywood, sometimes called the American New Wave because many of these films are heavily influenced by the French New Wave films.

Two documentaries on the New Hollywood era are "A Decade under the Influence" and "Easy Riders and Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood." The former is probably better than the latter.

I'd say there is an unprecedented level of freedom in story-telling and in filming techniques. There is raw energy that was never shown on this level before. Realism is closer to "reality" than ever before. And, of course, the directors and actors that emerged in this era are among the best ever.

Basically, Hollywood "grew up" during this period and opened its eyes to new possibilities. The times were changing and were the most turbulent since the Roaring '20s, and this had a huge impact on the films of the '70s.

I think the essence of the 70's aspect of the film is the story. There are many parallels between "Paper Moon" and "Bonnie and Clyde," though the former lacks the grit and sexual tension of the latter. But both use Depression-era crime to comment on the beliefs of their own time. Bogdanovich romanticizes the life of crime and constantly makes fools out of the authority figures. The end particularly demonstrates this, as Addie rejects the secure though dull life of domesticity for the adventure of the con game.

This strain of rebellion, also shown in Five Easy Pieces (namely in the iconic "chicken sandwich" scene), defines the 70's, both technically and thematically. Bogdanovich's use of black-and-white also attests to this rebellion because fewer and fewer films used black-and-white after the 60's.

Hope that answered your question somehow.

I think what characterizes films from the seventies is the unprecedented freedom given to writer/directors during this time. Film makers like Coppola, DePalma, Altman, Scorsese, Ashby, and Cimino had a passion for telling stories they found personally compelling as opposed to film makers of this generation who are generally in it for the money. The studios didn't seem to mind either as long as they turned a profit. They were allowed to do what they wanted to do. Then Lucas came along with Star Wars and Spielberg with Jaws and suddenly the studios wanted BLOCKBUSTERS. Million dollar opening weekends. Around that time the stalwarts (Coppola, Altman, Scorsese, Cimino) turned out some expensive flops and (poof) their freedom was gone. Films became more tailored for the masses and in the process the personal quality that made these films so special died. No more films about "small" people dealing with everyday "small" problems. The masses (whose tastes are commonly dictated by teenaged boys) demanded aliens, shoot-outs, and swashbuckling adventures. That same mass mentality exists to an even greater extent today. How many super-hero movies do you see the studios churning out? How many movies like Paper Moon are being made? For a while in the nineties the smaller film made something of a comeback with the independent explosion but that waned too. Hopefully, we'll see another resurgence of film makers who are more interested in the "artistic" side of the craft as opposed to the "business" side.

We'll see whose the filthiest person alive! We'll just see!

I also like 70s American movies. And yes, it's quite hard to put my finger on what I really mean by a "70s movie". But many of the movies from that time have a special 70s feeling. For me personally, the most easily recognizable aspect of true 70s movies is color. The movies from that time tend to have different colors than movies from 60s or 80s, or later. Or so it seems to me. I guess it results from the films or cameras they used at those times. And that is the reason Paper Moon is not really a very good 70s movie, to my mind. It's black and white, so I cannot have the special "70s colors". But it's still a good movie, of course.

Maybe cause it's good.

I always thought it felt like a black & white film from the 80's, 60's, or even today. I guess it's the stunning/timeless black & white cinematography.


Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!