70s movies

Yesterday, I watched a movie that I have always wanted to see, the Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, a movie that was critically acclaimed when it came out in 1972. The decade of the 70s was a time of great artistic ferment (plus lots of nudity) in the movies, and there were many well-reviewed movies that came out during that decade: Cries and Whispers, Being There, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Don't Look Now, the list goes on.

But because I spent the first part of the 70s in Creston, Iowa, I didn't see any of them. Instead I hid out in the library, reading magazines like the New Yorker in which the movies were reviewed by exuberant critics, who proclaimed them masterpieces. In Creston, there was one movie theater and a Clint Eastwood film festival (Hang 'Em High, A Fistful of Dollars, and For A Few Dollars More) on New Year's Eve was pretty neat.

In 1973, I went to college at Iowa State and worked in the library, sneaking off to read movie reviews whenever I could; however, at the time I was more interested in drinking beer and having sex, so I didn't see a lot of "art" films then either. A group of us did go to the triple X theatre (they had those back then) to see Deep Throat, but I was so freaked out by the idea of it that I left before the racy stuff even started (must have been in the first 5 minutes).

Anyway, now I can record 70s movies when they are on cable TV, but sadly I have concluded that many of them were overrated. Perhaps they were fearless and groundbreaking in the 70s, but most seem dated and self-conscious now. And isn't that the way life is? You look forward to things that turn out to be overrated, but the real pleasure comes from experiences like going for coffee with your daughter, seeing a play with friends, having dinner with your in-laws, or going for a boat ride with your husband.