Did JAWS and Star Wars ruin cinema?

In this essay episode, Luke Ferris dives into why the 1970s were a critical decade in film history because of the two trajectories of its young, creative talent. One path, like Spielberg, Lucas, and De Palma, was to create universally appealing genre films. The others, like Scorsese and Coppola, chose to create serious dramatic works focusing on the counterculture ideas of the period. Was one way the correct way?

Or is there a deeper understanding of the morphism of this era of filmmaking?

---

Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube.

Support Least Important Things on Patreon

You can be part of the show by leaving a voicemail here.

You can email the show at leastimportantthings@gmail.com or reach out via social media at the links below.

Read our articles and learn more about the show at www.leastimportantthings.com

---

Sources for this episode:

• Royalty-free music and sound effects via Artlist.com
• The Deer Hunter - Trailer - (1978) - HQ
• The Deer Hunter ending

Send us Fan Mail

Follow Least Important Things:

• Letterboxd
• Instagram
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Facebook

All content falls under fair use: any copying of copyrighted material is done for a limited, educational and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.