A close look at the maverick filmmakers of the seventies—from Scorsese and Coppola to Spielberg and Lucas—who forever altered the landscape of cinema
The 1970s were a landmark era in American film, during which a cadre of young directors emerged who would effectively slay the old Hollywood and become royalty in the new. It Don’t Worry Me celebrates the enduring genius of the time by scrutinizing the work of ten directors who were prominent—or promising—in that uniquely creative decade and their contributions to this cinematic uprising. While Francis Ford Coppola was taking Hollywood by the horns, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were fashioning the first blockbusters, and Martin Scorsese was marrying old-school movie glamour to a savvy street edginess; Woody Allen forged an irreverent vocabulary for film comedy; Brian De Palma shot delirious horror comedies that trapped audiences between laughter and terror; Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick labored over austere dramas that challenged viewers’ expectations; and Robert Altman rattled off fourteen movies in the space of ten years, several of them masterpieces, most of them a miniature revolution in their own right. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, a young buck named Jonathan Demme kick started his career with a series of snappy comedies and thrillers.
More than just a tribute to past glory, though, It Don’t Worry Me takes a close look at the work of these filmmakers with a contemporary eye, discovering an urgency and innovation still resonant today.
The 1970s were a landmark era in American film, during which a cadre of young directors emerged who would effectively slay the old Hollywood and become royalty in the new. It Don’t Worry Me celebrates the enduring genius of the time by scrutinizing the work of ten directors who were prominent—or promising—in that uniquely creative decade and their contributions to this cinematic uprising. While Francis Ford Coppola was taking Hollywood by the horns, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were fashioning the first blockbusters, and Martin Scorsese was marrying old-school movie glamour to a savvy street edginess; Woody Allen forged an irreverent vocabulary for film comedy; Brian De Palma shot delirious horror comedies that trapped audiences between laughter and terror; Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick labored over austere dramas that challenged viewers’ expectations; and Robert Altman rattled off fourteen movies in the space of ten years, several of them masterpieces, most of them a miniature revolution in their own right. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, a young buck named Jonathan Demme kick started his career with a series of snappy comedies and thrillers.
More than just a tribute to past glory, though, It Don’t Worry Me takes a close look at the work of these filmmakers with a contemporary eye, discovering an urgency and innovation still resonant today.
