Since the beginning of filmdom in the early part of the 20th century, movies have struck a chord with audiences. Within each decade, there seem to be those movies that have an impact on our lives. Many of us just remember the characters or the plot and how that specific film affected us, while others can recall the exact line that reverberates within their lives.
Classic movies have given us iconic lines that are forever a part of movie history. A perfect example is two of the most iconic Hollywood films. We often hear several of the lines spoken by Scarlett O’Hara (“After all, tomorrow is another day,” “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again”) and Rhett Butler (“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”) from the 1939 film “Gone With The Wind.” And many of us, even if we’ve never seen the film, know iconic lines from “Casablanca,” uttered by Rick Blaine (“Here’s looking at you, kid,” “We’ll always have Paris”.)
While we all may claim that one specific decade is the best, there is no denying that the movies of the ’70s gave us a newer outlook on the world. These films veered from those of previous decades, opting to explore more gritty topics with edgier ideas, and words expressed on screens that were controversial. It was a time that saw more independent filmmaking, with the rise of directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola who liked to push the envelope.
Crime movies like “The Godfather” (1972) and “The Godfather Part II” (1974) explored the themes of family and loyalty but also of betrayal and the corruption of power. Director Francis Ford Coppola didn’t stay on the surface and ventured into the intricate relationships between family members embedded in the realities of organized crime.
To compile this list of classic lines from 1970s movies, 247 Tempo reviewed opinion-based sites like Reddit and Fandom as well as IMDb, a comprehensive site that details each movie’s characters and actors. (To dive into some lesser-known ’70s movies, check out the Most Underrated Movies of the ’70s.
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “The Godfather” (1972)
- Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
- Character: Don Corleone played by Marlon Brando
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “The Godfather Part II” (1974)
- Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
- Character: Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino
“The power of Christ compels you!”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “The Exorcist” (1973)
- Directed By: William Friedkin
- Character: Father Merrin played by Max von Sydow
“If the good Lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn’t have invented roller skates.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “Willy Wonka” (1971)
- Directed By: Mel Stuart
- Character: Willy Wonka played by Gene Wilder
“This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “Alien” (1979)
- Directed By: Ridley Scott
- Character: Ellen Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Movie: “Apocalypse Now” (1979)
- Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
- Character: Colonel Kilgore played by Robert Duvall
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Movie: “Jaws” (1975)
- Directed By: Steven Spielberg
- Character: Martin Brody played by Roy Schieder
“You talkin’ to me?”
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- Movie: “Taxi Driver” (1976)
- Directed By: Martin Scorsese
- Character: Travis Bickle played by Robert De Niro
“Attica! Attica!”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975)
- Directed By: Sidney Lumet
- Character: Sonny Wortzik played by Al Pacino
“May the Force be with you.”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)
- Directed By: George Lucas
- Character: General Dodonna played by Alex McCrindle
“Love is too weak a word for what I feel.”
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Movie: “Annie Hall” (1977)
- Directed By: Woody Allen
- Character: Alvy Singer played by Woody Allen
“I’m singin’ in the rain. Just singin’ in the rain!”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
- Directed By: Stanley Kubrick
- Character: Alex DeLarge played by Malcolm McDowell
“Tell me about it, stud.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “Grease” (1978)
- Directed By: Randal Kleiser
- Character: Sandy Olsson played by Olivia Newton-John
“You’ve gotta ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “Dirty Harry” (1971)
- Directed By: Don Siegel
- Character: Henry Callahan played by Clint Eastwood
“Easy Miss, I’ve got you.”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “Superman” (1978)
- Directed By: Richard Donner
- Character: Clark Kent, Superman played by Christopher Reeve
“You’re out of order! You’re out of order! The whole trial is out of order!”
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- Movie: “And Justice for All” (1979)
- Directed By: Norman Jewison
- Character: Arthur Kirkland played by Al Pacino
“Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “Chinatown” (1974)
- Directed By: Roman Polanski
- Character: Lawrence Walsh played by Joe Mantell
“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.”
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Movie: “Network” (1976)
- Directed By: Sidney Lumet
- Character: Howard Beale played by Peter Finch
“Soylent Green is people!”
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Movie: “Soylent Green” (1973)
- Directed By: Richard Fleischer
- Character: Thorn played by Charlton Heston
“Just follow the money.”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “All the President’s Men” (1976)
- Directed By: Alan J. Pakula
- Character: Deep Throat played by Hal Holbrook
“I love it. God help me, I do love it so. I love it more than my life.”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “Patton” (1970)
- Directed By: Franklin J. Schaffner
- Character: Patton played by George C. Scott
“Toga! Toga!”
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Movie: “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978)
- Directed By: John Landis
- Character: John ‘Bluto’ Blutarsky played by John Belushi
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)
- Directed By: George Lucas
- Character: Darth Vader played by James Earl Jones
“It’s showtime, folks!”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “All That Jazz” (1979)
- Directed By: Bob Fosse
- Character: Joe Gideon played by Roy Scheider
“Yo, Adrian! I did it!”
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Movie: “Rocky II” (1979)
- Directed By: Sylvester Stallone
- Character: Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)
- Directed By: George Lucas
- Character: Princess Leia Organa played by Carrie Fisher
“I knew it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “The Godfather Part II” (1974)
- Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
- Character: Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino
“Just a flesh wound.”
Source: Courtesy of Cinema 5 Distributing
- Movie: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975)
- Directed By: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
- Character: Black Knight played by John Cleese
“I was cured, all right.”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
- Directed By: Stanley Kubrick
- Character: Alex DeLarge played by Malcolm McDowell
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “The Godfather” (1972)
- Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
- Character: Vito Corleone played by Marlon Brando
“Death has come to your little town, Sheriff.”
Source: Courtesy of Aquarius Releasing
- Movie: “Halloween” (1978)
- Directed By: John Carpenter
- Character: Dr. Samuel Loomis played by Donald Pleasence
“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Movie: “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978)
- Directed By: John Landis
- Character: Dean Vernon Wormer played by John Vernon
“They’re all gonna laugh at you.”
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Movie: “Carrie” (1976)
- Directed By: Brian De Palma
- Character: Margaret White played by Piper Laurie
“Well, I tried, didn’t I? Goddammit, at least I did that.”
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- Movie: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)
- Directed By: Milos Forman
- Character: Randle Patrick McMurphy played by Jack Nicholson
“Can you dig it?”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “The Warriors” (1979)
- Directed By: Walter Hill
- Character: Cyrus played by Roger Hill
“You’re madness Diana…virulent madness…and everything you touch dies with you.”
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Movie: “Network” (1976)
- Directed By: Sidney Lumet
- Character: Max Schumacher played by William Holden
“Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.”
Source: Courtesy of Associated Film Distribution (AFD)
- Movie: “The Muppet Movie” (1979)
- Directed By: James Frawley
- Character: Kermit the Frog played/voiced by Jim Henson
“It’s pronounced Frankensteen!”
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Movie: “Young Frankenstein” (1974)
- Directed By: Mel Brooks
- Character: Dr. Frederick Frankenstein played by Gene Wilder
“I want my $200.”
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Movie: “Paper Moon” (1973)
- Directed By: Peter Bogdanovich
- Character: Addie Loggins played by Tatum O’Neal
“This is this. This ain’t something else. This is this. From now on, you’re on your own.”
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Movie: “The Deer Hunter” (1978)
- Directed By: Michael Cimino
- Character: Michael played by Robert De Niro
“Man, you come right out of a comic book.”
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Movie: “Enter the Dragon”
- Directed By: Robert Clouse
- Character: Williams played by Jim Kelly