2009 National Film Registry Announced

The Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has announced 25 motion pictures that will be preserved as cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures. Spanning the period 1911-1995, the films named to the 2009 National Film Registry of the Library of Congress range from the sci-fi classic &#8220The Incredible Shrinking Man&#8221 and Bette Davis’ Oscar-winning performance in &#8220Jezebel&#8221 to the Muppets’ movie debut and Michael Jackson’s iconic video &#8220Thriller.&#8221 This year’s selections bring the number of films in the registry to 525.

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the registry that are &#8220culturally, historically or aesthetically&#8221 significant to be preserved for all time. These films are not selected as the &#8220best&#8221 American films of all time, but rather as works of enduring importance to American culture.

&#8220Established by Congress in 1989, the National Film Registry spotlights the importance of protecting America’s matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity,&#8221 said Billington. &#8220By preserving the nation’s films, we safeguard a significant element of our cultural patrimony and history.&#8221

Other selections to this year’s registry include Al Pacino’s &#8220Dog Day Afternoon,&#8221 the World War II drama &#8220Mrs. Miniver,&#8221 the swashbuckling adventure &#8220The Mark of Zorro&#8221 and the popular spaghetti Western &#8220Once Upon a Time in the West.&#8221 Among the lesser-known films named to the registry are &#8220The Jungle,&#8221 a hybrid documentary/dramatization made by a group of young African-American gang members- &#8220A Study in Reds,&#8221 directed by amateur filmmaker Miriam Bennett- and Martin Brest’s student film &#8220Hot Dogs for Gauguin.&#8221

Annual selections to the registry are finalized by the Librarian after his review of hundreds of titles nominated by the public and extensive discussions with members of the National Film Preservation Board, as well as the Library’s motion-picture staff. The Librarian urges the public to make nominations for next year’s registry at the Film Board’s website (www.loc.gov/film/).

For each title named to the registry, the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation works to ensure that the film is preserved for future generations, either through the Library’s massive motion-picture preservation program or through collaborative ventures with other archives, motion-picture studios and independent filmmakers. The Packard Campus is a state-of-the-art facility that acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings.

2009 National Film Registry

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director Sidney Lumet balances suspense, violence and humor in Frank Pierson’s Oscar-winning adaptation of a true-life bank robbery turned media circus. Al Pacino is the engaging Sonny, a smart yet self-destructive Brooklyn tough guy whose plan to rob the local bank to pay for his lover’s sex change goes awry. Lumet artfully conducts his talented cast through machinations that twist and turn from the political to the personal, and inevitably lead to a downward spiral played out before an audience of millions.

The Exiles (1961)

Released nearly 48 years ago, &#8220The Exiles&#8221 remains one of the few non-stereotypical films that honestly depict Native Americans. With the perspective of a true outsider, filmmaker Kent MacKenzie captures the raw essence of a group of 20-something Native Americans who left reservation life in the 1950s to live among the decayed Victorian mansions of Los Angeles’ Bunker Hill district. MacKenzie’s day-in-the-life narrative pieces together interviews that allow the people in his film to tell their own stories without ascribing artificial sentimentality.

Heroes All (1920)

The Red Cross Bureau of Pictures produced more than 100 films, including &#8220Heroes All,&#8221 from 1917-1921, which are invaluable historical and visual records of the era with footage from World War I and its aftermath. &#8220Heroes All&#8221 examines returning wounded WWI veterans and their treatment at Walter Reed Hospital, along with visits to iconic Washington, D.C., landmarks. Several Red Cross cinematographers achieved notable film careers, including Ernest Schoedsack and A. Farciot Edouart.

Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972)

This hilarious New York University student film (with a cast including Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman in her film debut) was written and directed by Martin Brest who later went on to direct &#8220Beverly Hills Cop,&#8221 &#8220Scent of a Woman&#8221 and &#8220Meet Joe Black.&#8221 In the film, DeVito plays a down-on-his-luck photographer determined to capture visual magic and fame. He concocts an intricate plot to blow up the Statue of Liberty and sets his camera to record the exact moment of its destruction.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

This sci-fi classic about a man who starts to shrink after being exposed to a strange cloud while on vacation is notable for its intelligent script and imaginative special effects. Jack Arnold’s sparse direction and Richard Matheson’s poignant script allow the tension to build naturally in a world where a house cat and common spider become the ultimate threat to existence and leave an indelible mark on the audience’s consciousness.

Jezebel (1938)

Bette Davis won her second Academy Award for this William Wyler-directed classic. Cast to perfection as a tempestuous southern belle, Davis’ head-strong heroine must eventually learn self-sacrifice in order to save the man she loves. Despite its melodramatic underpinnings, the film endures because of Davis’ flawless performance and for its examination of both the American South and women’s societal roles. The movie co-stars Henry Fonda and Fay Bainter, who also won an Oscar for her work.

The Jungle (1967)

With the guidance of Temple University social worker Harold Haskins, a group of African-American teenage boys in Philadelphia made this hybrid documentary/dramatization of their lives in the 12th and Oxford Street gang. Shot in an original and natural style, this 22-minute film was recognized with festival awards, but was never theatrically released. In 1968, Churchill Films distributed the film in 16mm for the educational market. The production led several of the gang members to earn high school and college degrees.

The Lead Shoes (1949)

&#8220The Lead Shoes&#8221 is a dreamlike trance showing the unconscious acts of a disturbed mind through a distorted lens and other abstract visual techniques (such as reverse and stop motion). &#8220Narrative succumbs to the comic devices of inconsequence and illogic,&#8221 said writer and independent filmmaker Sidney Peterson of his film. Peterson is considered the father of San Francisco avant-garde cinema.

Little Nemo (1911)

This classic work, a mix of live action and animation, was adapted from Winsor McCay’s famed 1905 comic strip &#8220Little Nemo in Slumberland.&#8221 Its fluidity, graphics and story-telling was light years beyond other films made during that time. A seminal figure in both animation and comic art, McCay profoundly influenced many generations of future animators, including Walt Disney.

Mabel’s Blunder (1914)

Mabel Normand, who wrote, directed and starred in &#8220Mabel’s Blunder,&#8221 was the most successful of the early silent screen comediennes. The film tells the tale
of a young woman who is secretly engaged to the boss’ son. When a new employee catches the young man’s eye, a jealous Mabel dresses up as a chauffeur to spy on them, which leads to a series of mistaken identities. The film showcases Normand’s spontaneous and intuitive playfulness and her ability to be both romantically appealing and boisterously funny.

The Mark of Zorro (1940)

Under Rouben Mamoulian’s inventive direction, Tyrone Power plays Don Diego, son of a 19th-century Los Angeles governor who has been unseated by a mercenary despot and his sadistic captain, portrayed by Basil Rathbone. Convincingly foppish by day, Don Diego conceals his heroic alter-ego to avenge his father and the terrorized citizenry, carving his signature &#8220Z&#8221 with his trusty sword as he goes. Mamoulian cleverly cuts in and out of scenes to heighten the drama and action as the film crescendos to a thrilling duel between Rathbone and Power.

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

This remarkably touching wartime melodrama pictorializes the classic British stiff upper lip and the courage of a middle-class English family (headed by Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon) amid the chaos of air raids and family loss. The film’s iconic tribute to the sacrifices on the home front, as movingly directed by William Wyler, did much to rally America’s support for its British allies. &#8220Mrs. Miniver&#8221 won six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.

The Muppet Movie (1979)

Muppet creators Jim Henson and Frank Oz immersed their characters into a well-crafted combination of musical comedy and fantasy adventure. Kermit the Frog leads TV series regulars Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Ralph and Animal on a road trip to Hollywood where they encounter numerous characters played by such actors as Steve Martin, Mel Brooks and Charles Durning.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Disdained as &#8220Spaghetti Westerns&#8221 when they first appeared in American movie theaters, the best of these films, such as &#8220Once Upon a Time in the West,&#8221 are now recognized as among the greatest achievements of the Western movie genre. Director Sergio Leone’s operatic visual homage to the American Western legend is a chilling tale of vengeance set against the backdrop of the coming of the railroad. Ennio Morricone’s magnificent score (especially the elegiac &#8220Jill’s Theme&#8221) is likewise recognized for its brilliance.

Pillow Talk (1959 )

The first film to co-star Doris Day and Rock Hudson, &#8220Pillow Talk&#8221 remains one of the screen’s most definitive, influential and timeless romantic comedies. Sweet and sophisticated, it is a time capsule of 1950s America. Two single New Yorkers develop an anonymous, antagonistic relationship by sharing a telephone &#8220party line.&#8221 Both romance and complications ensue when they finally meet in person. The film is a perfect showcase for its two charismatic stars, especially the effervescent Day who demonstrates why she was both America’s Sweetheart and one of cinema’s finest comediennes.

Precious Images (1986)

Chuck Workman’s legendary compilation film to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Directors Guild of America is also a dazzling celebration of the first near-century of American cinema. The pioneer of rapid-fire film history montages, &#8220Precious Images&#8221 contains in the space of seven short minutes nearly 500 clips from classic films spanning the years 1903-1985. It became the most influential and widely shown short film in history. Workman is known for creating the montages shown during the annual Academy Awards broadcast.

Quasi at the Quackadero (1975)

&#8220Quasi at the Quackadero&#8221 has earned the term &#8220unique.&#8221 Once described as a &#8220mixture of 1930s Van Beuren cartoons and 1960s R. Crumb comics with a dash of Sam Flax,&#8221 and a descendent of the &#8220Depression-era funny animal cartoon,&#8221 Sally Cruikshank’s wildly imaginative tale of odd creatures visiting a psychedelic amusement park careens creatively from strange to truly wacky scenes. It became a favorite of the Midnight Movie circuit in the 1970s. Cruikshank later created animation sequences for &#8220Sesame Street,&#8221 the 1986 film &#8220Ruthless People&#8221 and the &#8220Cartoon Land&#8221 sequence in the 1983 film &#8220Twilight Zone: The Movie.&#8221

The Red Book (1994)

Renowned experimental filmmaker and theater/installation artist Janie Geiser’s work is

known for its ambiguity, explorations of memory and emotional states and exceptional design. She describes &#8220The Red Book&#8221 as &#8220an elliptical, pictographic animated film that uses flat, painted figures and collage elements in both two and three dimensional settings to explore the realms of memory, language and identity from the point of view of a woman amnesiac.&#8221

The Revenge of Pancho Villa (1930-36)

This extraordinary compilation film was made by the Padilla family in El Paso, Texas, from dozens of fact-based and fictional films about Pancho Villa. The films were stitched together with original bilingual title cards and dramatic reenactments of Villa’s assassination were added to the revised print. &#8220The Revenge of Pancho Villa&#8221 provides stirring evidence of a vital Mexican-American film presence during the 1910-30s.

Scratch and Crow (1995)

Helen Hill’s student film was made at the California Institute of the Arts. Consistent with the short films she made from age 11 until her death at 36, this animated short work is filled with vivid color and a light sense of humor. It is also a poetic and spiritual homage to animals and the human soul.

Stark Love (1927)

A maverick production in both design and concept, &#8220Stark Love&#8221 is a beautifully photographed mix of lyrical anthropology and action melodrama from director Karl Brown. &#8220Man is absolute ruler. Woman is working slave.&#8221 Such are the rigid attitudes framing this tale of a country boy’s beliefs about chivalry that lead him to try to escape a brutal father with the girl he loves. &#8220Stark Love,&#8221 cast exclusively with amateur actors and filmed entirely in the Great Smoky Mountains, is an illuminating portrayal of the Appalachian people.

The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)

William Wellman’s gritty portrayal of the realities of war was based on the newspaper columns of war correspondent Ernie Pyle, played with understated realism by Burgess Meredith. In the film, Pyle follows a small group of ordinary infantrymen from North Africa into Italy, and his observations reflect the full gamut of human emotion that war invokes while trying to make sense of the inhuman randomness of war’s destruction.

A Study in Reds (1932)

This polished amateur film by Miriam Bennett spoofs women’s clubs and the Soviet menace in the 1930s. While listening to a tedious lecture on the Soviet threat, Wisconsin Dells’ Tuesday Club members fall asleep and find themselves laboring in an all-women collective in Russia under the unflinching eye of the Soviet special police.

Thriller (1983)

The most famous music video of all time, &#8220Thriller&#8221 caused such a buzz that it was also released theatrically in 35mm. As a follow-up to his smash 1982 album and single, Michael Jackson revolutionized the music industry with this lavish and expensive production. Acclaimed filmmaker John Landis (&#8220Animal House&#8221 and &#8220Blues Brothers&#8221) directed and co-wrote the video.

Under Western Stars (1938)

&#8220Under Western Stars&#8221 turned Roy Rogers into a movie star. In the film, Rogers plays a populist cowboy/congressman elected to champion for small ranchers’ water rights during the Dust Bowl. He and his golden palomino Trigger appeared in nearly 100 films and a long-running television series. Known as &#8220King of the Cowboys,&#8221 the popular Rogers had an enormous impact on American audiences. Rogers was perceived as the
almost perfect embodiment of what a cowboy should be in appearance, values, good manners and chivalrous behavior.

North Creek: Songs and Stories of Loggers, Miners

Begin the New Year with an afternoon of engaging tunes and tales. Join the staff of the Adirondack Museum for &#8220Working for the Man: Songs and Stories of Adirondack Lumberjacks and Miners.&#8221 The special program will be held at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek, New York on Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 3:30 p.m. There will be no charge for museum members and children of elementary school age or younger. The fee for non-members is $5.00.

The historic work of loggers and miners was framed by dangerous conditions, back breaking work, long hours, and low pay. Although daily life was hard and often heartbreaking, it was also filled with music, laughter, stories, and strong community ties.

&#8220Working for the Man&#8221 will feature musician Lee Knight singing traditional ballads of logging, mining, and rural life. Museum Educator Christine Campeau will join Knight to share historic photographs, artifacts from museum collections, and stories of work, family, and life in Adirondack logging and mining communities.

Born in the Adirondacks, Lee Knight now lives in Cashiers, North Carolina. He is a singer, storyteller, song collector, and teacher of folklore, folk life, and folk music. He performs regularly at concerts, folk festivals, and summer camps, where he tells stories, sings ballads, and calls dances. He has appeared with Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Bill Monroe, Alan Lomax, and many others. He will play traditional hand-made instruments.

Following the program, Lee Knight will perform at the Copperfield Inn from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Photo: Ruby Mountain Mine, North River Garnet Company. Collection of the Adirondack Museum.

The Most Influential People in Adirondack History?

Over at my other web project Adirondack Almanack we’re putting together an interesting list of the most influential people in Adirondack history. The list is somewhat of an exercise in &#8216-big man history’ but it grew from discussions at the Almanack over the two great traditions of modern Adirondack thought: those who support the forest preserve, the park, and the Adirondack Park Agency, and those who generally oppose those institutions.

Head over there &#8211 I’ve included a brainstormed list of people from the environmental, cultural, and political history of the park, but I’d like to hear your opinions and suggestions.

Exhibit Celebrates Vermont Jewish Women

An exhibit made celebrating Vermont Jewish Women will be on display at the Vermont’s History Museum in Montpelier January 14 &#8211 March 31. Eighteen large panels depicting the life stories of 20 Jewish women from all walks of life, ages 12 to 101, who live and work in communities from Brattleboro to St. Johnsbury, Burlington to Andover, and Rutland to Woodstock will be on display. Each woman’s story is illustrated with a large photographic portrait, archival photos, an essay, and selected quotes and anecdotes in the women’s own words.

There will be an opening reception on Thursday, January 14th from 4:30 pm &#8211 6:30 pm with the exhibit creators &#8212- Ann Buffum and Sandra Gartner &#8212- as well as some of their subjects. The reception will also celebrate the Vermont Women’s History Project as it passes from the Vermont’s Commission on Women to its new home at the Vermont Historical Society. For more information, contact Tess Taylor at 802-479-8505.

Dutch Legend: St. Nicholas and American Santa Claus

Elisabeth Paling Funk will give a free lecture, entitled &#8220From the Old World to the New: St. Nicholas in Dutch Legend and Celebration and the Birth of the American Santa Claus,&#8221 at the Historic Elmendorph Inn, North Broadway in Red Hook on Wednesday, December 16, at 7:30 pm- refreshments will be served after the lecture. The event is sponsored by the Egbert Benson Historical Society of Red Hook.

Elisabeth Paling Funk PhD attended the University of Amsterdam, received her BA in English, cum laude, from Manhattanville College and an MA and PhD from Fordham University. She is an independent scholar, editor, and translator.Her articles on Dutch-American and early American Literature have been published in the U.S. and the Netherlands. She is preparing her dissertation, “Washington Irving and His Dutch-American Heritage . . . ” for publication as a book. Dr. Funk is a former trustee of the New Netherland Institute.

Photo: Sinterklaas in the Netherlands in 2007.

Research Fellowship in Museum Anthropology

The Bard Graduate Center and the American Museum of Natural History announce a Research Fellowship in Museum Anthropology. The fellowship provides support to a postdoctoral investigator to carry out a specific project over a two-year period. The program is designed to advance the training of the participant by having her/him pursue a project in association with a curator in the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The Fellow will also be expected to teach one graduate-level course per year at the Bard Graduate Center (BGC). The Fellow will thus be in joint residence at BGC and AMNH. The fellowship includes free housing.

A major purpose of the BGC-AMNH Research Fellowship in Museum Anthropology is to promote mutual scholarly interest and interaction among fellows, BGC faculty and students, and AMNH staff members. Candidates for Research Fellow are judged primarily on their research abilities and experience, and on the merits and scope of the proposed research.

Candidates with a research interest in the History of Collecting for Anthropology Museums are especially encouraged to apply for the 2010-12 fellowship. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop a research program drawing from the Asian Ethnographic Collections at the AMNH. We wish to encourage scholarly investigation of how objects move from the sacred and particular to the market, and of the collecting process and the role of collectors, whether scholars, missionaries or dealers.

Application Procedures: Interested researchers should send a statement of research accomplishments and intentions, curriculum vitae including list of publications, and three letters of recommendation to Research Fellowship Competition, Bard Graduate Center, 18 W.86th Street, New York NY 10024, USA. Research Fellowship applications must be postmarked by December 15. At this time, applications are not accepted by fax or e-mail.

CFP: Farmingdale State College Borders Conference

The intriguing concept of borders involves discussions of identity, nationality, ethnicity, hybridity, and community. The Liberal Arts and Sciences Department at Farmingdale State College/ SUNY announces a one-day interdisciplinary conference exploring the nature of borders on October 16, 2010 on its campus.

Organizers are especially interested in papers exploring “self” and the “other,” imagined geographic communities, the ways in which border communities police, shun, or integrate &#8220outsider” influences, cultural creolisms, the borders between scientific facts and science fiction, the boundaries between literary fiction and memoir, the fluid political, economic, and cultural borders in the contemporary world, technology’s role in building up or tearing down borders, and in presentations which focus on the voices of those living in these liminal spaces.

They are also interested in the ongoing dissolution of institutional and structural borders in academia. The natural sciences and mathematics now merge at &#8220fuzzy borders,&#8221 while the humanities and social sciences are merging through the proliferation of interdisciplinary programs. The borders surrounding higher education itself are being impacted by the changing role of higher education in society. Who defines our borders?

These are just some of the areas that we hope the conference will address.
To participate send a 500 word abstract or proposal by May 3, 2010 to: Dr. Tony Giffone
[email protected]

Jews In New Amsterdam Lecture November 30th

In celebration of the new exhibit on the roots of religious freedom in America, The Flushing Remonstrance: Who Shall Plead For Us?, written & curated by Susan Kathryn Hefti, the John L. Loeb, Jr. Foundation has generously sponsored a very exciting companion lecture entitled &#8220Jews in New Amsterdam&#8221 by Dr. Gary Zola, Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives and Professor of The American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, in conjunction with the Museum of the City of New York, Monday, November 30, 2009 at 6:30pm. (1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street NYC).

Seating for the lecture is limited. So if you wish to attend Jews in New Amsterdam, please RSVP at your earliest convenience.

For a Special $6 Members Rate simply call MCNY at 917.492.3395 and mention &#8220The Flushing Remonstrance&#8221 when making your reservation.

Photo: The Flushing Remonstrance, written in 1657, recognized as the earliest political assertion of freedom of conscience and religion in New York State.

American Antiquarian Society Academic Fellowships

The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) invites applications for its 2010-11 visiting academic fellowships. At least three AAS-National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships will be awarded for periods extending from four to twelve months. Long-term fellowships are intended for scholars beyond the doctorate- senior and mid-career scholars are particularly encouraged to apply. Over thirty short-term fellowships will be awarded for one to three months. The short-term grants are available for scholars holding the Ph.D. and for doctoral candidates engaged in dissertation research, and offer a stipend of $1850/month.

Special short-term fellowships support scholars working in the history of the book in American culture, in the American eighteenth century, and in American literary studies, as well as in studies that draw upon the Society’s preeminent collections of graphic arts, newspapers, and periodicals. Accommodations are available for visiting fellows in housing owned by AAS.

The deadline for applications is January 15, 2010.

For further details about the fellowships, as well as application materials, consult their website at http://www.americanantiquarian.org/fellowships.htm.

The AAS is a research library whose collections focus on American history, literature, and culture from the colonial era through 1876. The Society’s collections are national in scope, and include manuscripts, printed works of all kinds, newspapers and periodicals, photographs, lithographs, broadsides, sheet music, children’s literature, maps, games, and a wide range of ephemera. In addition to the United States, they have extensive holdings related to Canada and the British West Indies. As such, their collections offer ideal resources for research in the history of the Atlantic World.

For detailed descriptions of the collections, please consult our guidebook, Under Its Generous Dome, available online at http://www.americanantiquarian.org/collections.htm

Dutch Influence: Cookies, Coleslaw and Stoops

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Dutch arrival off the coast of Manhattan, the renowned linguist Nicoline van der Sijs along with Amsterdam University Press have published Cookies, Coleslaw, and Stoops: The Influence of Dutch on the North American Languages.

From Santa Claus (after the Dutch folklore saint Sinterklaas) and his sleigh (the pronunciation of the Dutch slee is almost identical) to a dumbhead talking poppycock, the contributions of the Dutch language to American English are indelibly embedded in some of our most vernacular terms and expressions. This fascinating volume charts over 250 Dutch loan words that journeyed over the Atlantic on Henry Hudson’s ship the Halve Maan and into the American territory and languages. Each entry marks the original arrival of a particular term to American English and offers information on its evolving meaning, etymology, and regional spread.