TheNew Hollywoodmovement didn’t exactly last very long, but its impact proved undeniable, andmany of the best movies that came out as part of this movement are also among the best ever made. Put simply, New Hollywood emerged out of the ashes ofthe more restrictive studio systemthat dominated the American film industry from the early 1930s to some point in the 1960s.
Films had the capacity toget a little more adult with content, a new generation of filmmakers came in willing to rewrite what a movie could be, and things felt more exciting – as well as considerably darker – than ever before. After starting in the mid to late 1960s, the New Hollywood movement had kind of ended by the early 1980s, but certain films from this era are basically timeless. Some of those timeless movies are outlined below, and the bunch of them, taken together, illustrate and even explain this artistically significant period in American film history exceptionally well.
1’The Graduate' (1967)
Directed by Mike Nichols
There were some movies potentially definable as New Hollywood titles released before 1967, but this was the year that really helped establish the rise of New Hollywood more than any other. AndThe Graduatewas undoubtedly one of the mostsignificant films of this significant year, taking afunny, uncomfortable, and bleak look at growing upbeyond one’s college years, or perhaps failing to do so.
It was justthe second feature filmMike Nicholsdirected, and remained his best for the rest of his career, helping establish him as one of many interesting new filmmakers on the rise within the New Hollywood movement. So much of whatThe Graduatehas to say still feels relatable and emotionally involving, and while it might not shock modern-day viewers,it’s still easy to appreciate how risqué parts of it would’ve felt back in the 1960s.
The Graduate
2’Bonnie and Clyde' (1967)
Directed by Arthur Penn
WhileThe Graduatepushed boundaries when it came to exploring sex on screen,Bonnie and Clyde– released the same year – did something similar, but for on-screen violence. This was right up there as one of the bloodiest mainstream crime films released up until that point, withmuch of the violence coming about becauseBonnie and Clydewas unafraid to depict thelives of two outlaws/antiheroesin love.
Bonnie and Clydefollows some narrativeconventions found in old American crime movies, but there’s also a bit more of an edge here, not to mention additional sympathy offered for the titular characters, despite the illegal acts they’re shown to commit. It was one of those movies that seemed to make people realize “Hey, I guess we can do this crazy stuff now and get away with it,” and the American film industry waspermanently changed by this shared revelation.
Bonnie and Clyde
3’Midnight Cowboy' (1969)
Directed by John Schlesinger
Getting even more upfront about certain sexual topics thanThe Graduate,Midnight Cowboyis significant for being an American movie about prostitution and, because of this, a film that got anX-rating before going on to win Best Pictureat the Oscars. The earlier New Hollywood movies might’ve come out around 1967, but a film likeMidnight Cowboy– and the further step forward it represented – showed such challenging pictures were there to stay.
This is a bleak moviethat’s nevertheless a compelling drama,keeping things light on narrative while mostly functioning as a raw and grounded character study. The two main characters here both hold onto the idea of a dream they might never be able to reach, andMidnight Cowboyshows such a slow-motion tragedy in stark detail, all the while refusing to shy away from the difficult realities of the situation at hand.
Midnight Cowboy
4’The Wild Bunch' (1969)
Directed by Sam Peckinpah
The 1960swasn’t a decade that saw the Western genre end, by any means, but it was one in which the genre found itself needing to shake things up. Spaghetti and revisionist Westerns were proving more interesting and subversive, in many ways, and so something likeThe Wild Bunchwas pretty much just what the (bloodthirsty, gun-toting, tobacco-chewing) doctor ordered.
This is a movie about outlaws growing old, and going out with a bang when they realize that the world has moved on without them, and they have little by way of a proper place within it. As such,there is a nihilistic slant – plusan overall feeling of bleakness and despair– inThe Wild Bunch, but at least it’s also a grand farewell of sorts, not to mention a movie that pushed the boundaries of on-screen violence noticeably beyond whatBonnie and Clydehad done.
The Wild Bunch
5’The Last Picture Show' (1971)
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Another step forward in terms of sexual content on screen,The Last Picture Showwas also a film that served asa particularly bleak coming-of-age drama, set in a small and rather dead-end town. It presents life there as repetitive and drab (the black and white cinematography helps), and many of the young characters in the film long to break free of their surroundings.
Elsewhere,The Last Picture Showmines a little more sadness out of the fact that many of the older characters are resigned to their fates; more or less accepting of what their lives have become. It’s a film that feels as though it tells it like it is – or might be – all the while having some provocative content for the time, plus some exceptionally naturalistic performances given by the members of a talented cast.
The Last Picture Show
6’Cabaret' (1972)
Directed by Bob Fosse
Thebest-knownBob Fossemusical,Cabaret, might also be his best film overall (well, it’s this one orAll That Jazz).Cabaretrejuvenated the musical genre so effectively that Fosse’s contemporaries struggled to keep up, and to this day, the film still provokes, challenges, and does its own thing in ways that remain striking, eye-catching, and difficult to forget.
Essentially,Cabaretshowcases the slow rise of fascism in and around Berlin during the early 1930s, but most of the main characters are too distracted to notice until it’s too late. So,the film has some heavy thematic content, but it’s also stylishly presented and quite entertaining at times, combining some strong musical numbers (bolstered by the likes ofLiza MinnelliandJoel Grey) with a somewhat tragic romantic plot and some surprisingly thought-provoking other stuff.
7’Taxi Driver' (1976)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
BeforeTaxi Driver,Martin ScorseseandRobert De Nirohadcollaborated quite successfully withMean Streets, but it wasthis bleak and intensely psychological 1976 movie that made them an all-time great director + actor duo. De Niro plays one of the most troubled movie protagonists of all time: a disillusioned Vietnam War veteran and taxi driver who suffers from insomnia and finds himself increasingly alienated from the world around him.
Unfolding slowly but surely,Taxi Driverbuilds in intensity and ends in such a harrowing way that the violence depicted still packs a punch when watched today… and therefore must have been absolutely mortifying for many back in 1976. Scorsese is pretty much at his best here, and the film alsoboasts one of De Niro’s greatest-ever lead performances. All in all,Taxi Driverfeels like the kind of bold and uncompromising movie that could’ve only been made – and found genuine success – in the 1970s.
Taxi Driver
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8’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest' (1975)
Directed by Miloš Forman
Jack Nicholsonreally thrivedthroughout the New Hollywood movement, with arguably his breakout role – a supporting turn inEasy Rider– being associated with the movement directly, given what a shift in cinema that movie represented. Additionally,Chinatownfeels a bit New Hollywood,but the best (or newest?) of the New Hollywood movies Nicholson starred in was probablyOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
This is one ofthe greatest dramas ever made, taking place inside a psychiatric facility and telling a story about rebellion and traces of hope in the face of overbearing and domineering authority figures. It’s a real “stick it to the man” kind of movie, and a film that’s unafraid to do its own thing, much like its flawed but compelling protagonist, expertly portrayed by Nicholson.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
9’The Godfather' (1972)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Anyone still doubting the staying power of the New Hollywood movement in 1972 would’ve had their doubts undoubtedly decimated byThe Godfather, whichexemplifies this era of American filmmakingbetter than perhaps any other movie. It was directed byan up-and-coming and interesting young filmmaker, it had fresh observations about the nature of crime and family, it didn’t shy away from graphic violence, and it felt morally complex; a true film for adults.
The Godfatherwas great entertainment, but it was also so much more than just that. There were things here that lingered in one’s mind long after the film concluded. Later in the 1970s, and then into the 1980s, there wasa shift toward blockbuster movies, and those kind of overtook and squashed New Hollywood films… but for a brief, shining moment, there were easily approachable movies likeThe Godfatherthat were universally enjoyed, butmore than just pure escapism; films that both engaged the heart and mind, at the risk of sounding corny.
The Godfather
10’The Deer Hunter' (1978)
Directed by Michael Cimino
The Deer Hunterwasa uniquely haunting war movie, and one of the first big releases to not only explore the Vietnam War, but prove unafraid to critique America’s involvement in it. It’s also essential to mention in terms of the New Hollywood movement because its success led to the film’s director,Michael Cimino, getting total creative control forHeaven’s Gate(1980), which some will point to asa key movie that ended the New Hollywood movementoverall.
But, to stay positive, and to also stay focused onThe Deer Hunter, this epic feels just long enough and never overdoes things. It is a big movie, a long one, and a sweeping one emotionally, but itearns everything it goes for and combines all the necessary ingredients into something brilliant, brutal, and impossible to forget. As far as last hurrahs for film movements go, this is a pretty damn impressive one.
