Entertainment

Just How '70s Is The New 'Inherent Vice' Trailer?

by Loretta Donelan

To honor what looks like one of the most '70s releases in recent history, Fandago has made a new trailer for Inherent Vice that looks like it was released decades ago. The other trailers for the new Paul Anderson flick are already unbelievably hip, but this new one, coming out on the day of its wide release, is pretty perfect. There's the color palette in washed out blues and oranges, the deep-voiced narrator with a groovy vocabulary, and some discordant rock in the background.

The new trailer made me want to revisit the real movie trailers of the '70s. Or visit for the first time, since, while I've seen many of these '70s classics, I wasn't around when they were actually being promoted. The Inherent Vice trailer struck me as very '70s, but is it closer to parody than reality?

Regardless of whether it's true to life or not, it's certainly compelling. I think they've done an excellent job of marketing the film. The real trailers leave me with no idea of what the film is about, but they definitely draw me in. The Inherent Vice poster is something I would want on my wall. All of the movie's promotional materials seem to have captured a '70s aesthetic in a way that is appealing even to modern viewers, and it has certainly made me want to see the movie this weekend. If you're still unsure, check out the very '70s trailer. Ya dig?

If this has given you a craving for the '70s, here are a few more excellent trailers from that groovy time. I included more comedies and fewer period dramas to provide a better point of comparison. The '70s were an excellent time for movies, and this is just a sampling of the many excellent trailers out there.

Shaft (1971)

The Shaft trailer features that same color palette, it capitalizes on cool, and it is slower paced than most modern trailers.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

This trailer is a classic, and for good reason: it's very stylized, funny, and a bizarre representation of an even more bizarre movie.

American Graffiti (1973)

Though this '70s flick is a throwback to the '60s, the trailer is surreal and confusing, and perhaps a little lighter than the film itself.

Sleeper (1973)

The trailer for this excellent Woody Allen movie is, like its director and star, painfully self-aware.

Jaws (1975)

Obviously.

Taxi Driver (1976)

From the colors to the narration to the overall vibes, this trailer is perfect.

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

You can't get more '70s than this trailer, or this movie.

The Jerk (1979)

Washed out, hilariously narrated, and totally irreverent.

The Wiz (1979)

The trailer makes perfect use of neon lighting, but the movie itself is more joyous than many '70s offerings.

Verdict: The humor, stylization, and overall coolness of the Inherent Vice trailer is perfectly representative of the era, though the language and haziness is a little over the top. Also, the '70s were awesome.

Image: MOVIECLIPS Trailers/Youtube