“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
— From Jaws, one of 1975’s most indelible big-screen shocks
From shark-sized thrills and sweaty bank standoffs to Kubrickian elegance and midnight musicals, 1975 was stacked. Browse the 20 posters below—then pick your top three and drop them in the comments! ⬇️
- Night Moves — A weary L.A. private eye chases a missing-person case into murky Florida waters.
- Boss Nigger (aka Boss) — Fred Williamson rides into town, becoming sheriff and rewriting the rules in a blistering western.
- The Wind and the Lion — John Milius’ adventure of a Berber chieftain’s kidnapping of an American widow ignites an international standoff.
- Barry Lyndon — Kubrick’s sumptuous period epic follows an Irish rogue climbing (and tumbling from) high society.
- Farewell, My Lovely — Robert Mitchum’s world-weary Philip Marlowe stalks neon-lit L.A. in a faithful Chandler noir.
- Hard Times — Depression-era bare-knuckle fights give Charles Bronson and James Coburn a gritty proving ground.
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show — Cult-classic midnight musical of sweet transvestites, time warps, and audience shout-backs.
- Jaws — Spielberg’s killer shark terrorizes Amity Island—and invents the modern summer blockbuster.
- The Return of the Pink Panther — Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau fumbles brilliantly through a jewel-heist caper.
- Breakheart Pass — A snowy, train-bound western where Bronson uncovers a conspiracy at high speed.
- The Prisoner of Second Avenue — Jack Lemmon unravels (hilariously) in Neil Simon’s Manhattan nervous breakdown.
- The Sunshine Boys — George Burns and Walter Matthau reunite feuding vaudevillians for one last, cranky hurrah.
- Dog Day Afternoon — Al Pacino’s desperate bank heist becomes a sweaty, real-time portrait of media and mayhem.
- The Stepford Wives — Suburban perfection hides a sinister secret in this sharp sci-fi satire.
- French Connection II — Popeye Doyle takes his drug war to Marseille in a rough, relentless sequel.
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — R.P. McMurphy squares off with Nurse Ratched in an all-timer about freedom and control.
- Nashville — Altman’s sprawling ensemble weaves music, politics, and Americana into a wry national portrait.
- Love and Death — Woody Allen spoofs Russian lit with neurotic philosophy, war, and mordant gags.
- The Apple Dumpling Gang — Disney family fun with orphaned kids and two endearingly inept outlaws.
- Three Days of the Condor — Robert Redford’s CIA analyst runs for his life after a lunchtime massacre.
🙏 Your turn: which three 1975 gems would you rewatch tonight? 🍿✨