Martin Scorsese’s recommended films of the 1970s reflect his longstanding view that cinema preserves shared memories and shapes how audiences see the world. The selection matters as a guide to the films that influenced one of the era’s most significant American directors, combining major New Hollywood works with European, Asian and cult cinema.

– *Aguirre, the Wrath of God* — Werner Herzog (1972)
– *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul* — Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1974)
– *All That Jazz* — Bob Fosse (1979)
– *The American Friend* — Wim Wenders (1977)
– *Apocalypse Now* — Francis Ford Coppola (1979)
– *The Asphyx* — Peter Newbrook (1972)
– *Barry Lyndon* — Stanley Kubrick (1975)
– *Le Boucher* — Claude Chabrol (1970)
– *The Chess Players* — Satyajit Ray (1977)
– *The Conversation* — Francis Ford Coppola (1974)
– *Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde* — Roy Ward Baker (1971)
– *The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser* — Werner Herzog (1974)
– *The Exorcist* — William Friedkin (1973)
– *The Godfather* — Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
– *Kings of the Road* — Wim Wenders (1976)
– *Klute* — Alan J. Pakula (1971)
– *The Legend of Hell House* — John Hough (1973)
– *The Marriage of Maria Braun* — Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1979)
– *M*A*S*H* — Robert Altman (1970)
– *McCabe & Mrs. Miller* — Robert Altman (1971)
– *The Merchant of Four Seasons* — Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1971)
– *The Messiah* — Roberto Rossellini (1975)
– *Nashville* — Robert Altman (1975)
– *Touki Bouki* — Djibril Diop Mambéty (1973)
– *Vampyres* — José Ramón Larraz (1974)