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Classic fantasy films of the 70s

According to Tom Wolfe, the 1970s can best be remembered as the "Me Decade." The only exception toe the self-centered decade of drug use, all-night dancing at discotheques, and swinging parties seemed to be the tremendous growth in environmentalism. While the feminist, gay rights, and hippie movements were all hitting their peak, the fantasy genre helped to grasp onto some of the 70s culture and try to sway it from self-centered modes of thought.

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH
Based on Norton Juster's 1961 children's book of the same name, MGM's The Phantom Tollbooth has become a staple in society. The adventure follows Milo, a lonely boy who is the recipient of a magical tollbooth which is the gateway to a parallel universe. As he travels through this world filled with constant wordplay and allegorical types, he wanders through areas such as the Mountains of Ignorance, the Forest of Sight, and Valley of Sound. These adventures lead the viewer to an understanding that thee is a need for balance in order to achieve true wisdom; whether it be a balance of logic and creativity, letters and numbers, discord and concord, or social and self-centered views, this balance is key.

WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
This Roald Dahl story and screenplay distributed by Paramount Pictures is one of the best known movies from the 1970s. While the movie definitely shows the 1970s mentality of the "Me Decade," the movie has been a joy for people of all ages from the date of it's release. Peter Ostrum stars as Charlie Bucket, a poor, good-hearted boy who wishes for a better life for his family. Charlie finds one of the five infamous golden tickets, allowing him to be part of a tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The tour is a guise, however, for Wonka's aim of finding an heir so that his business doesn't have to close down at the end of his life. At the end of the movie it's demonstrated that those that think of others will come out higher on the haul than those that live in a self-centered world.

THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT
Directed by Kevin Connor, this 1975 UK movie helped to bring about a fantasy sub-genre: the idea of dinosaurs surviving through the extinction. Based on the 1918 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this film follows a group of World War I soldiers as they are stranded somewhere in the south seas, only to find a land where dinosaurs still roam. Once the film was distributed in the United States by the American International Pictures company, it became


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Classic fantasy films of the 70s

  • 1 of 4

    by Edmund Bertram

    Two classics fantasy films of the 70s will be explored here. Both are films that began a new area of fantasy. In th... read more

  • 2 of 4

    by Elizabeth Kelly

    In the 70s, people started exploring their individuality like never before. Hippies grew out their hair, disco dancer... read more

  • 3 of 4

    by John Devera

    Fantasy films are all about magic, and ion the 70s we needed some. A failed war, excuse me, "police action," Preside... read more

  • 4 of 4

    by Tasha Richard

    According to Tom Wolfe, the 1970s can best be remembered as the "Me Decade." The only exception toe the self-centered... read more

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