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Conference bookie::movies

Title:Movie Reviews and Discussion
Notice:Please do DIR/TITLE before starting a new topic on a movie!
Moderator:VAXCPU::michaudo.dec.com::tamara::eppes
Created:Thu Jan 28 1993
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1249
Total number of notes:16012

401.0. "National Film Registry" by 29563::WSA038::SATTERFIELD (Close enough for jazz.) Wed Dec 15 1993 16:01


Twenty five more films have been added to the National Film Registry. For 
those not familiar with it it's a function of the Library of Congress. Certain
films are identified for preservation which are considered to have considerable
"cultural, historical or aesthetic significance". The original list of a 
hundred films gets added to from time to time. The best available prints of
films named are obtained and preserved. Here's a list of the new additions:

An American in Paris   1951
Badlands   1973
The Black Pirate   1926
Cat People   1942
The Cheat   1915
Chulas Fronteras   1976
Eaux D'Artifice   1953
The Godfather, Part ii   1974
His Girl Friday   1940
It Happened One Night   1934
Lassie Come Home   1943
Magical Maestro   1952
March of Time: Inside Nazi Germany - 1938   1938
A Night at the Opera   1935
Nothing But a Man   1964
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest   1975
Point of Order   1964
Shadows   1960
Shane   1953
Sweet Smell of Success   1957
Touch of Evil   1958
Where are My Children?   1916
The Wind   1928
Yankee Doodle Dandy   1942

Keeping in mind that this isn't a complete list but just the latest additions;
any discussion, pro or con, on the films chosen?


Randy
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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401.13270::AHERNDennis the MenaceThu Dec 16 1993 17:385
    >Eaux D'Artifice   1953
    
    By Kenneth Anger?  Interesting, if so.  Good to see they're not
    overlooking the underground films.
    
401.2picky picky...21928::WILLIAMSIt's a duck blur...Thu Dec 16 1993 18:158
    Hey Randy, 
    
    Did you miss one??  I only count 24...  The reason I ask is that one of
    the papers reported that "Blade Runner" was on this list as well, which
    I found very interesting.
    
    - Skip
    
401.329052::WSA038::SATTERFIELDClose enough for jazz.Fri Dec 17 1993 15:459

Well apparantly I did since there's supposed to be twenty five. But that's
all the paper listed. Newspaper inaccuracy isn't all that uncommon to say
the least. If _Bladerunner_ is the missing one I think it's certainly a
worthy choice.


Randy
401.4GODIVA::benceLeave time for the unexpected.Fri Dec 17 1993 17:574
    Bladerunner is part of the collection, but I don't know whether it was 
    added this year.  The commentator mentioned it to highlight the fact
    that the archive doesn't just include older films. 
401.5Lassie51219::PIJPSTRA_DMon Dec 20 1993 12:006
I think 'Lassie come home' is an interesting choice. Why is that movie on the list? 
There were boy with dog movies before Lassie I would say. How about Rin-tin-tin 
(not quite sure about the dashes)?


Donald. 
401.629563::WSA038::SATTERFIELDClose enough for jazz.Mon Dec 20 1993 17:5011

re .5

Well _Lassie Come Home_ is generally considered to be the best of the boy/dog
films. Obviously there are many, many much better films that haven't been
selected yet. Apparantly the selection committee felt there were reasons other
than just quality to include it.


Randy
401.7Thorny questionsKOLFAX::WIEGLEBThai Truck-Driving HeroMon Dec 20 1993 19:3319
    If "Blade Runner" was recently added, which of the three versions was
    designated - the original theatrical release, the "original" original
    theatrical release, or the revised "original" original thaterical release?  
    (Not to mention the various versions that are floating around on video 
    releases.)
    
    Similar issues apply to "Touch of Evil" and probably some others.
    
    This begs the questions:  (which will likely erupt into a huge rathole)
    What does designation in the National Film Registry really mean?  What
    do they see as the source material to be preserved?
    
    Also, where can one get more information about the films currently
    listed, the process used for selection of the titles, and the process
    used for identifying the "best available prints"?
    
    Just curious (and making trouble).
    
    - Dave
401.8More details (from the net)19748::REEVESJon Reeves, UNIX compiler groupFri Jun 17 1994 22:0418
    Confirmation: the 25th film added this year was Blade Runner.  No word 
    about which version.
    
    The program is run by the Library of Congress; their gopher site may
    have more info -- yes, it does; check out press releases 93-013,
    93-163, and 94-016 (gopher.loc.gov).  There are now 125 films in the 
    registry; yes, that was Kenneth Anger's Eaux d'Artifice.
    
    Here's a relevant paragraph from 93-163:
    Archival "best quality" prints of films named to the National
    Film Registry are preserved at the Library of Congress where
    copies are available for research and study.  The Library
    contains the largest collection of film and television in the
    world, from the earliest surviving copyrighted motion picture to
    the latest feature releases.
    
    According to the LC information bulletin, nominations can be sent to:
    The National Film Registry, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540