Programmed September 2023

’70s Car Movies

America’s love affair with the automobile hit a peak in the 1970s, and so did Hollywood’s. While cars had long been synonymous with freedom and escape, they took on a new centrality in the decade’s popular cinema. Whether an expression of character, a tricked-out fetish object, or the literal vehicle on the road to enlightenment, the car was a powerful symbol of an age of individuality and personal liberation. Featuring ambling road trips ( Thunderbolt and Lightfoot ) and high-octane chases ( Gone in 60 Seconds ), souped-up Chevys ( Dirty Mary Crazy Larry ) and customized Cadillacs ( Super Fly ), these cinematic joyrides capture the “it’s the journey, not the destination” spirit of the times.