Best Drama Movies of the 1970s

1. 1
   The Godfather 1972

   Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
   8.7

   8.7 · 24K votes
2. 2
   The Godfather Part II 1974

   Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
   8.6

   8.6 · 15K votes
3. 3
   One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

   Directed by Miloš Forman
   8.4

   8.4 · 12K votes
4. 4
   Apocalypse Now 1979

   Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · Streaming on Paramount+, Plex Channel, Lionsgate+
   8.2

   8.3 · 9.5K votes
5. 5
   Taxi Driver 1976

   Directed by Martin Scorsese · Streaming on Apple TV, Tubi TV, Sony Pictures Core
   8.1

   8.1 · 14K votes
6. 6
   Stalker 1979

   Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · Streaming on HBO Max
   8.0

   8.1 · 2.6K votes
7. 7
   We All Loved Each Other So Much 1974

   Directed by Ettore Scola · Streaming on Criterion Channel
   8.0

   8.3 · 672 votes
8. 8
   Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion 1970

   Directed by Elio Petri · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV
   8.0

   8.2 · 910 votes
9. 9
   The Sting 1973

   Directed by George Roy Hill · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV
   8.0

   8.0 · 3.2K votes
10. 10
    Barry Lyndon 1975

    Directed by Stanley Kubrick · Streaming on YouTube Free
    8.0

    8.0 · 3.3K votes
11. 11
    The Deer Hunter 1978

    Directed by Michael Cimino · Streaming on Netflix
    7.9

    8.0 · 4.4K votes
12. 12
    A Special Day 1977

    Directed by Ettore Scola
    7.9

    8.1 · 803 votes
13. 13
    Dog Day Afternoon 1975

    Directed by Sidney Lumet · Streaming on Hoopla
    7.8

    7.9 · 3.6K votes
14. 14
    Amarcord 1973

    Directed by Federico Fellini · Streaming on HBO Max, YouTube TV
    7.8

    7.9 · 1.3K votes
15. 15
    Rocky 1976

    Directed by John G. Avildsen · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
    7.8

    7.8 · 9K votes
16. 16
    Autumn Sonata 1978

    Directed by Ingmar Bergman · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, TCM
    7.8

    8.0 · 740 votes
17. 17
    Mirror 1975

    Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · Streaming on Plex, Plex Channel
    7.8

    7.9 · 1.1K votes
18. 18
    Jesus 1979

    Directed by Peter Sykes
    7.8

    8.3 · 258 votes
19. 19
    Papillon 1973

    Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner · Streaming on Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
    7.8

    7.8 · 2.2K votes
20. 20
    Network 1976

    Directed by Sidney Lumet · Streaming on YouTube Free
    7.7

    7.8 · 2.2K votes
21. 21
    Scenes from a Marriage 1974

    Directed by Ingmar Bergman · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel
    7.7

    8.1 · 414 votes
22. 22
    Paper Moon 1973

    Directed by Peter Bogdanovich · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy, TCM
    7.7

    7.9 · 884 votes
23. 23
    Dersu Uzala 1975

    Directed by Akira Kurosawa · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    7.7

    7.9 · 663 votes
24. 24
    Solaris 1972

    Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · Streaming on HBO Max, Shout! Factory TV, YouTube Free
    7.7

    7.8 · 1.9K votes
25. 25
    Cries and Whispers 1972

    Directed by Ingmar Bergman · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel
    7.7

    7.9 · 809 votes
26. 26
    Annie Hall 1977

    Directed by Woody Allen · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.7

    7.7 · 4.4K votes
27. 27
    Manhattan 1979

    Directed by Woody Allen · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.6

    7.7 · 2.7K votes
28. 28
    All the President's Men 1976

    Directed by Alan J. Pakula · Streaming on YouTube Free, TCM
    7.6

    7.7 · 2.2K votes
29. 29
    1900 1976

    Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
    7.6

    7.8 · 704 votes
30. 30
    Day for Night 1973

    Directed by François Truffaut
    7.6

    7.8 · 685 votes
31. 31
    Fiddler on the Roof 1971

    Directed by Norman Jewison · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
    7.6

    7.7 · 680 votes
32. 32
    A Woman Under the Influence 1974

    Directed by John Cassavetes · Streaming on HBO Max
    7.5

    7.7 · 588 votes
33. 33
    Kramer vs. Kramer 1979

    Directed by Robert Benton · Streaming on Sony Pictures Core
    7.5

    7.6 · 2.6K votes
34. 34
    The Working Class Goes to Heaven 1971

    Directed by Elio Petri
    7.5

    7.8 · 399 votes
35. 35
    The Tenant 1976

    Directed by Roman Polanski · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.5

    7.6 · 1.3K votes
36. 36
    Being There 1979

    Directed by Hal Ashby · Streaming on Howdy
    7.5

    7.6 · 1.2K votes
37. 37
    Ali: Fear Eats the Soul 1974

    Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder · Streaming on HBO Max
    7.5

    7.7 · 474 votes
38. 38
    Harold and Maude 1971

    Directed by Hal Ashby · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, YouTube Free
    7.5

    7.6 · 1.3K votes
39. 39
    An Average Little Man 1977

    Directed by Mario Monicelli
    7.5

    7.9 · 259 votes
40. 40
    Serpico 1973

    Directed by Sidney Lumet · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, YouTube Free
    7.5

    7.5 · 2.3K votes
41. 41
    The Last Picture Show 1971

    Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
    7.5

    7.6 · 814 votes
42. 42
    Escape from Alcatraz 1979

    Directed by Don Siegel · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Paramount Plus Premium
    7.5

    7.5 · 3.3K votes
43. 43
    Le Cercle Rouge 1970

    Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
    7.5

    7.6 · 763 votes
44. 44
    The Conformist 1971

    Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, Kino Film Collection
    7.5

    7.6 · 791 votes
45. 45
    The Ascent 1977

    Directed by Larisa Shepitko · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    7.4

    7.9 · 263 votes
46. 46
    The Conversation 1974

    Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, YouTube Free
    7.4

    7.5 · 2.1K votes
47. 47
    The Holy Mountain 1973

    Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky · Streaming on Plex Channel
    7.4

    7.5 · 1.1K votes
48. 48
    Gentlemen of Fortune 1971

    Directed by Aleksandr Sery
    7.4

    7.8 · 286 votes
49. 49
    Alice in the Cities 1974

    Directed by Wim Wenders · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    7.4

    7.7 · 366 votes
50. 50
    Days of Heaven 1978

    Directed by Terrence Malick · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
    7.4

    7.5 · 1.2K votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Doce hombres sin piedad 1973

   Directed by Gustavo Pérez Puig
   6.5

   8.3 · 22 votes
2. 2
   The Married Couples 1976

   Directed by Hasan Abduselam
   6.4

   8.6 · 15 votes
3. 3
   Hell Boats 1970

   Directed by Paul Wendkos · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
   6.5

   8.1 · 23 votes
4. 4
   Little House on the Prairie 1974

   Directed by Michael Landon
   6.5

   8.1 · 22 votes
5. 5
   Why Was I Born a Woman? 1970

   Directed by Rogelio A. González · Streaming on The Roku Channel
   6.4

   8.2 · 18 votes
6. 6
   We Are the Bus People 1979

   Directed by Hussein Kamal
   6.4

   8.0 · 22 votes
7. 7
   Chuquiago 1977

   Directed by Antonio Eguino
   6.4

   8.1 · 18 votes
8. 8
   Calcutta 71 1972

   Directed by Mrinal Sen · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoichoi
   6.3

   8.6 · 11 votes
9. 9
   No Longer Kids 1979

   Directed by Samir Al Asfory
   6.4

   7.9 · 21 votes
10. 10
    The Weddings of Ioan Assen 1975

    Directed by Vili Tzankov
    6.3

    8.3 · 13 votes