In our recent society discussions we were talking about 1978 being a great year for American cinema, particularly given the releases of masterpieces like Days of Heaven and The Deer Hunter. It was also the year that saw the arrival of two of the most seminal and influential films of the horror genre, John Carpenter’s scary slasher classic, Halloween and George E. Romero’s gruesome zombie picture, Dawn of the Dead. Below is Filmsite’s picks for the best of that year. Interestingly the yearly lists on the site do include foreign language entries despite them not being considered for their greatest films of all-time lists. The films are listed in alphabetical order.
(National Lampoon’s) Animal House (1978), 109 minutes, Director: John Landis
The Buddy Holly Story (1978), 113 minutes, Director: Steve Rash
La Cage aux Folles (1978, Fr./It.) (aka Birds of a Feather), 91 minutes, Director: Edouard Molinaro
Coming Home (1978), 126 minutes, Director: Hal Ashby
Dawn of the Dead (1978, It./US), 126 minutes, Director: George A. Romero
Days of Heaven (1978), 95 minutes, Director: Terrence Malick
The Deer Hunter (1978), 183 minutes, Director: Michael Cimino
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978, Fr./Belg.) (Préparez Vos Mouchoirs), 109 minutes, Director: Bertrand Blier
Grease (1978), 110 minutes, Director: Randal Kleiser
Halloween (1978), 90 minutes, Director: John Carpenter
Heaven Can Wait (1978), 100 minutes, Director: Warren Beatty, Buck Henry
The Last Waltz (1978), 117 minutes, Director: Martin Scorsese
Midnight Express (1978, UK/US), 120 minutes, Director: Alan Parker
Superman The Movie (1978), 143 minutes, Director: Richard Donner
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978, It.) (aka L’Albero Degli Zoccoli), 186 minutes, D: Ermanno Olmi
An Unmarried Woman (1978), 124 minutes, D: Paul Mazursky
Up in Smoke (1978), 86 minutes, D: Lou Adler, Tommy Chong
Watership Down (1978, UK), 101 minutes, D: Martin Rosen