‘Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains’ Remains Punk Cinema’s Most Recognizable Signpost
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains built the scaffold on which more successful films about women in punk rock would scale grander heights.
1970s
Robyn Hitchcock’s Tale of Two Obsessions
The beating heart of Robyn Hitchcock’s memoir, Stranded in the Future, is not necessarily his career but two great obsessions that inspired it.
Graham Nash’s “Teach Your Children” and the Creation of the 1970s
Serving as a bridge between the 1960s and ’70s, Graham Nash’s “Teach Your Children” makes a startling statement in complete contrast to the 1960s ethos: you “must have a code.”
‘The Shining’ and the Power of Murderous Narratives
The Shining endures because it conveys all horror, real and imagined: Stephen King’s horror of the collapse of Man, and Stanley Kubrick’s collapse of History.
The Best 1970s Horror Movies for Halloween
The fears 1970s horror movies face are no less so now, but they create just enough distance from our reality this Halloween that we can at least peer through our fingers to watch them.
When Feminist Anthems Were Volume-Controlled
From an era when protest music rang out across every other frontier, we have only seven feminist songs where the lyrics spoke explicitly to women’s liberation.
‘Drop Dead City’ Finds New York’s Soul at Its Lowest
Documentary Drop Dead City tells a serious story about NYC’s 1975 financial crisis with wit, gusto, and occasional profanity
Ellen McIlwaine Was a Goddess Ahead of Her Time
Director Alfonso Maiorana talks about music pioneer Ellen McIlwaine, who raised the power and profile of female musicians, and how she achieved her hard-earned “goddess” status.
Blaxploitation Movies and Music Are the Story of the 1970s
Blaxploitation signaled the moment ghetto culture and the Black vernacular hit the American mainstream, paving the way for rap, hip-hop, disco, and modern sports.
Anti-Authority Film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Still Bites
Film-goers viewed One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as a metaphor for ’70s era struggles against war, racism, and political corruption.
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The Film Adaptation of Joan Didion’s ‘Play It As It Lays’ Still Slays
There’s a danger to Frank Perry’s 1972 film adaptation of Joan Didion’s novel Play It As It Lays, and that’s why we’ve subdued it for so long. Now 50 years later, it’s time to unleash the beast.
‘Shaft’ Helped Create the Archetype Black Action Hero of the 1970s
Gordon Parks’ classic blaxploitation film Shaft presents Richard Roundtree as a swaggering, controversial action hero in gritty, early ’70s New York.