Hollywood’s Greatest Year: How ‘The China Syndrome’ Blew Up
Part of our film-by-film flashback to the cinematic glory of 1979
The greatest year in the history of American movies was 1979, and I intend to prove it, movie by movie, as we make our way through 2019, the 40th anniversary of that extraordinary season. While it’s true that the best movie ever made (Citizen Kane) came out in 1941, that was a one-timer, a lone traveler, a bird blown off course. Overall quality is what I have in mind, excellence across genres, the kind of groove that rewards regular visits to the multiplex. The year 1979 was the kind of year that turned even the rink rats into cinephiles.
First, the list: Alien. Apocalypse Now. Kramer vs. Kramer. Being There. Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The Warriors. Breaking Away. The Jerk. Escape From Alcatraz. The Black Stallion. Norma Rae. The Amityville Horror. The Wanderers. North Dallas Forty. Electric Horseman. The Great Santini. The In-Laws. Rock ’n’ Roll High School. A Little Romance. The Onion Field. The Frisco Kid.
Even the bad ones — 1941, The Champ — were interesting, since, like the masterpieces, they were part of what today, in hindsight, can be seen as a collective project — the creation and relentless promotion of a whole new philosophical pose. These movies taught us how to live in…
