I'm putting together a personal project to watch and analyze what are considered the best movies of all time, focusing primarily on films from the 1970s New Hollywood era. I've started with the obvious ones like The Godfather and Chinatown, but I want to go deeper beyond the usual lists. I'm particularly interested in films that had a major technical or narrative influence but aren't necessarily household names today. For true cinephiles, what are some essential but slightly under-the-radar picks from that period or earlier that I absolutely shouldn't miss? I'm looking for directors who pushed boundaries in editing, sound design, or nonlinear storytelling.
Here are essential but under-the-radar 1970s picks that pushed craft: Performance (1970) for boundary-pushing editing and sound; Don't Look Now (1973) for nonlinear memory and editing; Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) for Malick's lyrical pacing; The Parallax View (1974) for chilling cross-cut thriller structure; Nashville (1975) and McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) for ensemble realism and atmosphere.
Some will find these slow, but their ideas quietly reshape modern cinema; approach with patience.
Don't Look Now's red motif and alternating memory cuts are a masterclass in atmosphere.
As a long-time cinephile, I pair Malick's Badlands with Altman's Nashville to contrast lyricism and ensemble realism.
Would you like a watchlist organized by mood (thriller, mood piece, ensemble) or by direct narrative influence?