Every Best Picture Winner of the 1970s, Ranked According to IMDb

The 1970s is widely regarded as the best cinematic decade of all time. Once the strictures of the Hollywood Production Code were lifted in 1968, a new generation of filmmakers emerged. The vast array of writers and directors making personal, intimate movies with flawed characters began to dictate studio trends, rather than bend to the whims of corporate executives and marketing research.

As a result, filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, William Friedkin, Michael Cimino, Milos Forman, and several others rose to prominence with some of the most celebrated films of all time.

10 The French Connection (1971) 7.7

William Friedkin’s definitive NYC police drama The French Connection won five Oscars in total. In addition to being awarded Best Picture, the film won Oscars for Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Director (Friedkin), Adapted Screenplay (Ernest Tidyman), and Film Editing (Gerald B. Greenberg).

The film tracks undercover police officer Jimmy Popeye Doyle (Hackman) and his corrupt partner Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) as they try to prevent a massive shipment of heroin from France.

9 Kramer V. Kramer (1979) 7.8

Robert Benton’s courtroom drama Kramer Vs. Kramer shines a light on the ugly process of marital divorce and the gutting legal battle for child custody. In addition to winning Best Picture, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep also nabbed Oscars for the performances as an estranged married couple.

Benton also won Oscars for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. As Ted (Hoffman) and Joanna Kramer (Streep) endure a harrowing legal battle over sole custody of their young son Billy (Justin Henry), their relationship sours beyond belief.

8 Patton (1970) 7.9

The decade kicked-off with a traditional pro-war celebration of General George S. Patton (George C. Scott), the notorious tank-commander who rose to prominence during WWII. The film won seven Oscars in total, including Best Picture, Actor (Scott), and Director (Franklin J. Schaffner).

The story charts Patton’s rise up the ranks of the U.S. Army, beginning with his time spent in Northern Africa and continuing until the fall of the Nazi Party at the end of WWII.

7 Annie Hall (1977) 8.0

Despite the seismic shift that Star Wars caused the landscape of mainstream cinema, it was Woody Allen’s Annie Hall that took home the golden statuette for Best Picture in 1977.

Hailed as the definitive rom-com, Annie Hall follows nebbish New York comedian Alvy Singer and his unlikely romance with the goofy lounge singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Despite their wild differences, the two form a lasting bond they’ll always cherish no matter what the future holds. In addition to Best Picture, the film won Oscars for Best Director (Allen), Leading Actress (Hall), and Original Screenplay.

6 The Deer Hunter (1978) 8.1

The decade began with the traditional jingoistic military movie Patton. The decade ended with a much more sobering and conflicted account of the horrors of war in Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter. Both won Best Picture.

The Deer Hunter concerns a trio of blue-collar Pennsylvania steel-workers who sign up to fight for their country in Vietnam. Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven (John Savage) find their lives forever changed by the unspeakable atrocities they face in battle. Cimino won an Oscar for Best Director and Walken won for Best Supporting Actor.

5 Rocky (1976) 8.1

While many believe Taxi Driver was the finest film of 1976, the Best Picture Oscar went to Sylvester Stallone’s classic boxing drama, Rocky.

The crowd-pleasing underdog story centers on Rocky Balboa, an Italian-American prize-fighter desperate to make it big. Rocky seizes the opportunity to face heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) during a gimmicky pro-amateur promotional match. The film won three Oscars in total, including Best Director (John G. Avildsen) and Best Film Editing.

4 The Sting (1973) 8.3

George Roy Hill’s classic caper comedy The Sting reunited quite arguably the finest cinematic pairing of all time. Paul Newman and Robert Redford join forces again, four years after making history with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Johnny (Redford) and Henry (Newman) are two conmen who concoct an elaborate plot to bilk big-time boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) out of a fortune. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Director and Original Screenplay.

3 One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) 8.7

In addition to winning Best Picture, Milos Forman’s adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won four Academy Awards. They include Best Director (Forman), Leading Actor (Jack Nicholson), Leading Actress (Louise Fletcher), and Adapted Screenplay (Bo Goldman and Lawrence Hauben).

Based on the Ken Kesey novel, the story follows Randle McMurphy (Nicholson), a troubled young man who feigns insanity as a means of avoiding jail-time. When he’s sent to a soul-crushing mental institution, he helps enlighten his fellow inmates and break the oppressive protocols exacted by the wicked Nurse Ratched (Fletcher).

2 The Godfather Part II ((1974) 9.0

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II not only won six Oscars, including Best Picture, it also currently ranks #3 on IMDb’s Top 250 movies ever made. Coppola collected Oscars for Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay, while star Robert De Niro won Best Supporting Actor.

The story continues the operatic saga of the Corleone crime family, offering flashbacks to Don Vito’s (Marlon Brando) time coming of age as a young man in Sicily. Meanwhile, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) works to branch out the family business from New York to other bustling cities.

1 The Godfather (1972) 9.2

With a whopping 9.2 rating, The Godfather is not only the highest-rated Best Picture winner of the 1970s, but it’s also the #2 ranked film on IMDb’s Top 250. The epic mafia drama also earned Marlon Brando a Best Leading Actor Award for his iconic turn as Italian crime boss Vito Corleone.

The landmark film revolves around the elderly Vito bestowing power to his hesitant son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who isn’t sure how to run the family business. Coppola and Mario Puzzo also scored Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay.