A Decade Under The Influence (2003) Synopsis:
The 1970s was an extraordinary time of rebellion, of questioning every accepted idea: political activism, hedonism, protests, the sexual revolution, the women's movement, the civil rights movement, the music revolution, rage and liberation. Every standard by which we set our social and cultural clocks was either turned inside out or thrown away completely and reinvented. For American cinema, the 1970s was an era during which a new generation of filmmakers created work for a new kind of audience--moviegoers who were hungry for stories that reflected their own experiences and who were turning their backs on aged old studio formulas. As a result, emerging filmmakers influenced by foreign directors such as Godard, Kurasowa and Fellini coupled with the social climate and a struggling studio system, converged to create a new kind of moviemaking. Through their choice of material, filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Peter Bogdonovich, William Friedkin, Roger Corman and Paul Schrader revolutionized mainstream movies and for the first time personal visions were coming out of the studio system.
A Decade Under The Influence (2003) Movie Review:
Chronicling the eight years of creative brilliance between 1968 and 1976 (which gave us watershed movies like The Godfather, M*A*S*H and Taxi Driver) this acclaimed documentary offers a richly entertaining assessment of the actors, directors and producers who rode the countercultural wave to make some of the greatest films of all time.
Just what was it that made the 70’s the greatest decade for movies?
That’s what Ted Demme and Richard LaGravense set to find out with their documentary that takes us on a rollicking ride through the years 68 – 76 as told by interview’s with some of the key players in the period.
And what an exciting, revealing and downright enjoyable ride we’re taken on. LaGravenese interviews just some, of best actors and directors of the period including Martin Scorsese, Milos Forman, William Friedkin and others. And boy can they talk. Burning with energy and intelligence they take us from the period when they started out as mavericks working for Roger Corman on ultra low budget movies right through to the epochal movies such as Taxi Driver and The Godfather.
They show us that the power moved to Director’s at a time when Hollywood was losing touch with its audience. Right up to the time when Star Wars happened, changing things into the era of demographics, merchandising and special effects. As you can imagine the participants come down firmly on the side of risk, art and challenge, instead of following the herd.
One liners and great stories are the order of the day here, with Bruce Dern especially being extremely animated, making you wish for this period to still be happening at the Cinema. Showing clips of some of your favourite movies also makes the memories come flooding back, and really make you want to see movies still made like this. So daring are some of the movies, they still resonate powerfully today and aren’t dated as so many movies from later decades are already.
One shame is that although Jane Fonda’s role is discussed and is shown to have been a major influence on the period, in improving women’s roles, they are unable to talk to her.
Although this is a rollicking journey through a time period when movies were more than just special effects, it is not a documentary for everyone. It’s definitely for film buffs as most of what is discussed here will be irrelevant for non movie buffs. Hell, because they decide not to title the participants on screen, unless you know your movies you will not have a clue who quite a few of them are, as let’s be honest who other than a film buff is going to know who Milos Forman is or even looks like?
If you’re a movie buff, or want to get to know a bit more about such an inspiring decade of movies then this is essential.
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A Decade Under The Influence (2003) review written by: Gary Gray
13th October, 2008 
