Movies turning 50 in 2024 -

The year of 1974 was a great one for cinema. Influential directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg, among others, have had their movies hit the big screen. Half a century ago, we also had memorable performances by Hollywood's cream of the crop. While these films were released fifty years ago, some remain as fresh and relevant as they did back then.

Click through the gallery to discover or revisit some of the greatest films released in 1974.  

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'The Longest Yard' (1974) -

Burt Reynolds plays an ex-football player who puts together a team of inmates who then play against the guards. 

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'Benji' (1974) -

'Benji' has seen a number of remakes over the years. In 1974, this movie about a stray dog warmed everyone's hearts. 

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'Chinatown' (1974) -

Things get pretty twisted pretty quickly for private detective Jake (Jack Nicholson) after he's hired by the wife of a supposed adulterer in 1930s LA. 

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'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974) -

Tobe Hooper's horror classic turns 50 in 2024. Leatherface hunts down a group of four friends in rural Texas and things get very messy. 

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'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' (1974) -

Directed by Martin Scorsese, 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' delves into the story of a widow who goes back to her hometown with her child to start a new life. 

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'Death Wish' 1974 -

Charles Bronson plays a New York City architect turned vigilante after intruders break into his home and murder his wife. 

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'The Towering Inferno' (1974) -

'The Towering Inferno' is a disaster movie starring Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, and Faye Dunaway, among other stars. It focuses on a fire breaking out in a massive skyscraper.

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'The Man with the Golden Gun' (1974) -

The ninth James Bond movie stars Roger Moore as Agent 007. It revolves around a new solar cell technology that can end the energy crisis.

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'The Great Gatsby' (1974) -

A woman becomes fascinated with her rich neighbor in this romantic drama based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name. Robert Redford plays Gatsby, with Mia Farrow playing Daisy Buchanan.

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'Blazing Saddles' (1974) -

This satirical black comedy Western is about a corrupt politician who appoints a black sheriff to drive residents away, but the move has the opposite effect.

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'The Lords of Flatbush' (1974) -

Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, and Paul Mace play members of a social club in 1950s Brooklyn. 

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'The Conversation' (1974) -

This Francis Ford Coppola movie stars Gene Hackman. He plays a surveillance expert who records a mysterious conversation.

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'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot' (1974) -

A young thief convinces a retired bank robber to get back into the game. It stars Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, among other stars. 

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'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' (1974) -

A group of armed men hijack a New York City subway train and demand a ransom. 

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'Harry and Tonto' (1974) -

This movie follows a retired man who decides to go on a road trip with his cat, Tonto, after being evicted from his NYC apartment.

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'The Sugarland Express' (1974) -

Steven Spielberg directed this film about a couple on the run, trying to get their kid back from foster care. They end up taking a police officer as a hostage.

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'Murder on the Orient Express' (1974) -

Detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) tries to solve a murder that takes place on the famous long-distance passenger train service known as the Orient Express. 

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'The Godfather: Part II' (1974) -

In part two of Coppola's masterpiece, we get to know more about the early years of Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). In addition, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) takes center stage in the crime family.  

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'Foxy Brown' (1974) -

This blaxploitation classic stars Pam Grier as a vigilante who becomes a high-class prostitute to get revenge on the mobsters responsible for the death of her boyfriend.

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'Emmanuelle' (1974) -

This erotic drama is about the young wife of a French diplomat in Bangkok who starts exploring her sexuality.

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'Young Frankenstein' (1974) -

Gene Wilder stars in this comedy horror. His character takes a trip to Transylvania and tries to reanimate a dead body. 

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'Phantom of the Paradise' 1974 -

Brian De Palma's musical comedy horror is loosely based on the novel 'Phantom of the Opera.' It features a disfigured composer and an evil music tycoon who steals his music. 

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'Zardoz' (1974) -

This futuristic science fantasy movie stars Sean Connery as Zed, a barbarian trained to kill, who finds an elite community of immortals who preserve humanity's achievements.

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'A Woman Under the Influence' (1974) -

John Cassavetes wrote and directed this film about a man's struggle with his wife's mental instability and how it affects their family. 

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'Dark Star' (1974) -

Things start to go wrong for a crew who have been on a space mission for 20 years.

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'The Gambler' (1974) -

This movie is about a man who loses all his money gambling, and just can't stop. He eventually gets into trouble with loan sharks.

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'The Parallax View' (1974) -

A reporter investigates the death of a senator and uncovers a conspiracy. It's a thriller worth revisiting half a century later. 

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'It's Alive' (1974) -

'It's Alive' is about a couple and their newborn child who turns out to be a vicious killer mutant. His freakish behavior is linked to an experimental drug gone wrong.

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'Black Christmas' (1974) -

The holidays turn out to be a dark period for a group of sorority girls who are stalked by a stranger.

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'Gone in 60 Seconds' (1974) -

A professional car thief and his crew must steal 48 cars in five days. 

Sources: (IMDB)

See also: 30 movie remakes you thought were original

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