The Horse's Head

The Plot: 15 years after their college activist days, seven friends reunite for a weekend in South Carolina following the suicide of their colleague Alex. Sarah and Harold Cooper (Glenn Close and Kevin Kline) serve as hosts, the only two of the friend group to marry each other, though Sarah still feels guilty about her affair with Alex years earlier. Karen Bowens (JoBeth Williams) is unhappy with her somewhat square husband Richard (Don Galloway) and no-so-secretly pines for Sam Weber (Tom Berenger), who’s now a famous TV star. Meg Jones (Mary Kay Place) is determined to have a baby but can’t decide which of her male friends should be the father. Michael Gold (Jeff Goldblum) is trying to pursue Alex’s girlfriend Chloe (Meg Tilly), who is more attracted to Nick Carlton (William Hurt), a Vietnam vet and drug addict. It’s a long weekend as these Baby Boomers come to terms with what their lives have become…wait, this all sounds very familiar…

Why It Matters: The NFR praises the film’s ensemble, as well as its “humor, tenderness, honesty, and an iconic soundtrack”.

But Does It Really?: I’m okay with “The Big Chill” being on the NFR, but just okay. The film is iconic enough and well-remembered and beloved by Boomers, but a modern day viewing is just…fine. As much as I love everyone in this ensemble, I ultimately didn’t care about these characters. Making matters worse is fellow NFR entry “Return of the Secaucus Seven”, a movie that covers much of the same ground as “Big Chill”does, but three years earlier. We’ll get to the comparisons later on, but long story short: “Big Chill” earns its NFR standing on its reputation for its ensemble and its soundtrack, and while that’s more than enough to warrant NFR induction, that’s about as generous as I’m feeling right now.

Shout Outs: When Harold runs up to the attic to fight off a bat, he sings the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” theme. Nice touch, Lawrence.

Everybody Gets One: Barbara Benedek began her career as a sitcom writer before teaming up with Lawrence Kasdan to write “The Big Chill”. Benedek’s post – “Chill” screenwriting resume includes uncredited rewrites on “Pretty Woman” and the screenplay for the 1995 “Sabrina” remake. “The Big Chill” is also the NFR debut for a surprising number of its actors, including Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, and JoBeth Williams.

Title Track: Kasdan described the “big chill” as the departure from the warmth of youthful idealism towards the coldness of a more cynical adulthood. Although no one in the movie says the phrase “big chill”, this sentiment is discussed in so many words.

Seriously, Oscars?: “The Big Chill” received three major Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Original Screenplay, and Supporting Actress for Glenn Close. Unfortunately, “Chill” was left out cold, losing to, respectively, “Terms of Endearment”, “Tender Mercies”, and Linda Hunt in “The Year of Living Dangerously”. Coincidently, the 1984 Oscars were hosted by Johnny Carson, whose production company Carson Productions Group Ltd. produced “The Big Chill” as their first feature.

• If this movie were made today, this friend group would have all gone to college in the early 2010s and the film’s soundtrack would consist of Rihanna, Adele, Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga. Oh Time, why are you so mean?
• Everyone’s favorite bit of casting trivia: Alex’s body being prepped for the funeral is all that remains of a performance by a young, unknown Kevin Costner. We’ll get into what happened to his other scenes later on.
• This movie has a great ensemble (almost all of them on the brink of greater fame), I just wish they got more to do than sit around and talk. This all being said, if you’re going to nominate one of these actors for an Oscar, Glenn Close is the right choice. I wouldn’t call Sarah the beating heart of the story, but she does quietly hold the movie together with her warmth. It’s crazy to think we’re only four years away from her stalking Michael Douglas and cooking a rabbit. Hey when is that making the NFR?
• A few questions about Kevin Kline/Harold: Is he doing a South Carolinian accent or a watered-down Michigan accent? And when did he buy Forrest Gump’s house? And for the love of God will someone please get him a bigger pair of shorts?
• Shoutout to Jeff Goldblum; “Big Chill” came out the same year as “The Right Stuff”, another Best Picture nominee and future NFR entry featuring Goldblum. This film shows us the very beginnings of what an unrestrained Jeff Goldblum performance could look like. Be afraid, be very afraid.

• The problem with trying to talk about this movie is that there aren’t really scenes, just conversations. When I think back on “Big Chill”, it’s people sitting in chairs talking about life and stuff (and who within the friend group they’re trying to nail). I think that’s why people recall the soundtrack with such fondness, and why the “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” scene is the best remembered moment in the movie. Halfway through the proceedings, “Ain’t Too Proud” revives the sagging energy and allows our characters the freedom to finally cut loose after all their grieving. It’s a fun moment, I just wish it lasted longer. 

• Let’s see, who haven’t I mentioned yet? Mary Kay Place is good, though admittedly she gets the weirdest subplot. I enjoyed JoBeth Williams, as well as her frequent scene partner Tom Berenger as a Tom Selleck-type (I guess any Tom will do. Thank you!) I even liked Karen’s boring husband, as appropriately bland as the mayo sandwich he’s eating. William Hurt’s character had a bit too much going on to do it all justice, but Hurt’s clearly relishing the challenge. Side note: Nick was written specifically for Hurt, having starred in Kasdan’s directorial debut “Body Heat” two years earlier. Meg Tilly does decent work as the group outlier, but doesn’t get much to do other than look cute and be creepily hit on by Goldblum’s character. Don’t worry Meg, the religious theatrics of “Agnes of God” aren’t too far away.

• Shoutout to “It Came from Beneath the Sea”, the ‘50s monster movie the gang watches on TV at one point. I used to work by those piers being destroyed by that octopus.
• If the film’s ending seems abrupt, that’s because it wasn’t the original ending. The initial plan was to end with a flashback to 1968 with everyone in college, including Kevin Costner as Alex. Ultimately, it was decided that after spending the whole movie talking about Alex, no performance could live up to audience expectations of the character, and the scene was understandably (and rightfully) cut. 

Listen to This: Three of the songs from this film’s iconic soundtrack are featured in the National Recording Registry: “My Girl” by The Temptations, “Tracks of My Tears” by The Miracles, and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys. “Big Chill” artists Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Steve Miller Band, The Rolling Stones, and The Band are represented on the NRR with other songs.

I was starting to get worried that we weren’t going to hear from the National Recording Registry, but much like its sister Film Registry, better late than never. Here is the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry picks for 2026. In chronological order:

• “Cocktails for Two” – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944) (single)
• “Mambo No. 5” – Pérez Prado and His Orchestra (1950) (single)
• “Teardrops from My Eyes” – Ruth Brown (1950) (single)
• “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” – Kaye Ballard (1954) (single)
• “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” – Paul Anka (1959) (single)
• “The Blues and the Abstract Truth” – Oliver Nelson (1961) (album)
• “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” – Ray Charles (1962) (album)
• “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” – The Byrds (1965) (single)
• “Amen, Brother” – The Winstons (1969) (single)
• “Feliz Navidad” – José Feliciano (1970) (single)
• “The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier” (March 8, 1971) (broadcast)
• “Midnight Train to Georgia” – Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973) (single)
• “Chicago” Original Cast Album (1975) (album)
• “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – The Charlie Daniels Band (1979) (single)
• “Beauty and the Beat” – The Go-Go’s (1981) (album)
• “Texas Flood” – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1983) (album)
• “I Feel For You” – Chaka Khan (1984) (single)
• “Your Love” – Jamie Principle (1986) / Jamie Principle/Frankie Knuckles (1987) (singles)
• “Rumor Has It” – Reba McEntire (1990) (album)
• “The Wheel” – Rosanne Cash (1993) (album)
• “Doom” Soundtrack – Bobby Prince, composer (1993)
• “Go Rest High On That Mountain” – Vince Gill (1994) (single)
• “Weezer (The Blue Album)” – Weezer (1994) (album)
• “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” – Beyoncé (2008) (single)
• “1989” – Taylor Swift (2014) (album)

• Weezer’s debut album includes “Buddy Holly”, which has a music video that is unironically my favorite episode of “Happy Days”.

• Last but definitely not least, the NRR’s major headline inductees this year are Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Given their massive popularity I’m surprised we’re only now getting to their NRR induction. I’ve got nothing for or against either of them (though Beyoncé gets points for being Foxxy Cleopatra), so I’ll just shrug my shoulders, nod in agreement, and move on before my indifference incurs the wrath of either of their fanbases.

As always, you can nominate recordings for consideration for next year’s induction right now! You have until October 1st, 2026, but as with the Film Registry, I recommend nominating early so that the Powers That Be know how popular both registries are with the public and renew their respective preservation acts. 

The Plot: Molly (Mary Pickford) is one of several orphan children living on a baby farm and forced to do labor for Mr. Grimes (Gustav von Seyffertitz). The children are unable to escape due to the farm being surrounded by a bottomless swamp, itself surrounded by a creek infested with alligators. One day Mr. Grimes purchases another baby for the farm, who unbeknownst to him is the daughter of a rich man named Dennis Wayne (Roy Stewart), who calls the police to organize a manhunt for the kidnappers. Once Grimes learns who the baby is, he plans to kill her and Molly, which prompts Molly and the children to finally attempt an escape. There’s a lot more to unpack in one of Mary Pickford’s final outings as “Queen of the Movies”.

Why It Matters: The NFR write-up is mainly a shoutout to Mary Pickford and her role as a “key founder in the creation of the American film industry”. There’s also a detailed plot synopsis, and a shoutout to the film’s cinematography “akin to German Expressionist cinema”.

But Does It Really?: “Sparrows” gives us two NFR favorites of the silent era: Mary Pickford and child labor. While the subject matter can be hard to swallow at times, I found the film to be an effective melodrama. I haven’t cared for Pickford’s other vehicles on the NFR, but I’ll admit to caring about Molly and the children as they try to escape their plight. “Sparrows” is far from an essential American film, but it carves out just enough of a niche spot for itself that I can’t begrudge its NFR standing.

Wow, That’s Dated: As mentioned in the film’s opening text, baby farms were where children were left by their mothers (typically unwed or deserted) to be sold for slave labor. While there were several instances of these farms in the United States, it was primarily an issue in the United Kingdom (the term “Dickensian” gets thrown around a lot to describe baby farms, and that’s not far off: Oliver Twist briefly lives on a baby farm in his eponymous novel). Britain had already been cracking down on baby farms for decades by the time “Sparrows” was released, and news of baby farms in the U.S. were still making headlines in 1925. Obviously there’s a lot more to say about baby farms, but that’s as much research as I’m willing to stomach right now.

Title Track: “Sparrows” began production under the title “Scraps”, changing its name to “The Baby Farm” mid-production. The title “Sparrows” came during the film’s re-shoots, and is a reference to Matthew 10:29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” This passage is alluded to in the movie when Molly explains to the children that God hasn’t helped them yet because he’s too busy “watchin’ every sparrow that falls”.

The Plot: “Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son” is an examination of the 1905 Biograph short of the same name, loosely based on the nursery rhyme. A boy named Tom (Actor Unknown) steals a pig from a local fair and is chased by the townspeople, who eventually catch him when he tries to hide in a well. But wait a minute, that’s only the first 12 minutes of this movie, there’s still about 100 minutes to go. What now? Well, Ken Jacobs has got you covered. The rest of the runtime is replaying the short almost frame by frame; freezing and holding specific frames, zooming in on hard-to-see details, and jumping around from scene to scene with no particular rhyme or reason. If you’ve been able to handle the Registry’s other experimental films, this one might break you.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “a landmark of experimental cinema” and “a ‘structuralist film’ masterpiece.”

But Does It Really?: Oh man this one was a lot. Watching the original short was a slog in and of itself, but another hour plus of frame by frame experimentation was brutal. Still, I’m a sucker for found footage, and researching this post has led me to appreciate Ken Jacobs and where he fits into the history of experimental film. A slight pass for “Tom, Tom”, but this is another NFR entry that may just be for us completionists.

Everybody Gets One: Ken Jacobs’ medium of choice was originally abstract painting before he pivoted to experimental film in the mid 1950s. As the years went on, Jacobs’ films relied more and more on found footage rather than original material (allegedly because of Jacobs’ difficulties with actors). While teaching film at St. John’s University, Jacobs watched a print of silent shorts, including Biograph’s “Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son”. Unfamiliar with the nursery rhyme, Jacobs was confused by the film, which inspired him to do a deep dive. Jacobs and his colleague Jordan Meyers projected “Tom, Tom” onto a translucent screen, filming the images with a 16 mm camera as they adjusted the print. Although completed in 1969, Jacobs would continue to tweak and refine “Tom, Tom” well into the 2000s.

Title Track: For the curious: 

The more common version involves Tom eating the pig and then getting beaten, but the film mercifully spares us that version of the rhyme.

• Jacobs was confused by the opening tableaux in which Tom steals a pig amidst a busy fairground, to the point where he didn’t even realize that the pig had been stolen until a repeat viewing. I side with Jacobs on this one: There is way too much going on in this opening. Tom doesn’t even steal the pig until three minutes in! Get on with it!
• The most distressing part about this whole thing is that the pig being used in the film is clearly a real pig. There’s a lot of Tom rolling around on the ground and jumping from rooftops, all while holding a real pig. Stop that! Where’s PETA when you need them?
• The short is comprised of eight scenes (or “tableauxs”), and each of them take their sweet-ass time. The scene that almost broke me is a static shot of Tom escaping his house through the chimney, followed by the entire mob also climbing out from the chimney one by one. This goes on for two uninterrupted minutes. It must have been a lot easier to entertain back then.
• Once the short ends, we begin with our experimentation. Jacobs’ first alteration is zooming in on the opening scene, which frankly is an improvement. Like I said, there’s too much going on at the fair, so the film actually benefits from the cropped footage of Tom and the pig. I could focus more on what was happening.
• Warning: As this is a structural film, there is a lot of flickering going on. Those of you with light sensitivity may want to skip this one.
• After several minutes of the film strip jumping in the projector gate, making a sped-up/elongated version of the film, Jacobs returns to zooming in on various moments within the film. It’s mostly background extras and little details you would only notice on your 1,000th viewing. It makes you wonder why anyone would subject themselves to this. If you’re going to go through a movie frame by frame, why this one?
• As far as NFR movies that are an experimental tampering of other movies, I gotta say “Rose Hobart” did it better (or at least in a fraction of the time).
• Keep watching for a few brief color shots of the screen Jacobs and Meyers viewed the film on, with a plant poking out from behind the screen. Then later on we get more original footage as Jacobs and Meyers resort to shadow puppets!
• At one point they zoom in so close that the film begins to look like a Rorschach test. I didn’t realize “Tom, Tom” contains so many shots of my parents yelling at each other. 
• After a solid hour and a half of experimental tinkering, we conclude with the original “Tom, Tom” short presented once again in its unaltered entirety. By this second viewing you’re so familiar with the short it makes for a completely different viewing experience. One thing I noticed during this second viewing, what happened to the other kid? The one in the striped pants that was running with Tom? The last we see him he hops out the chimney with Tom, and then he’s gone for the rest of the short. Did the adult mob get him and rip him apart in a reverse-“Weapons” scenario?

The Plot: While on a train traveling through Austria, American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) strikes up a conversation with French Céline (Julie Delpy). The two have an instant rapport, and Jesse convinces Céline to get off the train with him upon its arrival in Vienna. Over the course of a day, the two walk around Vienna, learning about each other and having deep conversations about love, pain, gender, death, and everything in between. With Jesse’s pending flight back to America in the morning, how deep will their newfound relationship go…before sunrise?

Why It Matters: The NFR write-up is mostly a salute to Linklater and “[h]is innovative use of time as a defining and recurring cinematic tool”. The film gets a shout-out as “one of cinema’s most sustained explorations of love and the passage of time”.

But Does It Really?: Richard Linklater is one of those filmmakers who should have multiple entries on the NFR, and “Before Sunrise” is a good choice. I had never seen “Before Sunrise” prior to its NFR induction, and overall I enjoyed its lowkey vibe and the chemistry between Delpy and Hawke. Above all, “Before Sunrise” made me nostalgic for the impulsivity of your early 20s when you know everything and can go anywhere, a feeling this movie captures perfectly. As another standout in Linklater’s filmography, and the first in a surprise trilogy, “Before Sunrise” earns its NFR status.

Everybody Gets One: Linklater spent nine months trying to cast his two main characters before finding Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Julie Delpy was born in Paris to artistic parents and began acting at a young age in such films as “Europa Europa” and Krzystof Kieślowski’s “Three Colours” trilogy. Ethan Hawke also started off as a child actor in Joe Dante’s “Explorers”, and was initially reluctant to pursue an acting career until his supporting turn in “Dead Poets Society” led to more acting opportunities. Both actors were segueing into more adult roles when “Before Sunrise” came their way. Fun Fact: Because I had to put this somewhere, Ethan Hawke directed the music video for Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You)”. It’s incredibly random until you learn that Loeb was a member of Hawke’s Malaparte theater company in the 1990s.

Wow, That’s Dated: I imagine this whole movie would have been quite different if both Jesse and Céline had smart phones. If nothing else, they could exchange contact information quickly and/or stalk each other on social media.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar nominations, but “Before Sunrise” received an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Kiss, losing to Jim Carrey and Lauren Holly for “Dumb and Dumber”. Both “Before” sequels received Oscar nominations for their screenplays.

• Is this what people think backpacking through Europe looks like?
• I get where the screenplay authorship questions come into play, because this all sounds very natural. As far as I know, everything in this film was scripted, down to the pauses and the overlapping dialogue. This is a Cassavetes-level of natural film acting, easily the hardest type to pull off, and Hawke and Delpy do it with ease.
• Linklater very quickly applies an important filmmaking rule: If you’re going to have a lot of talking scenes, stage them with a lot of movement. Whether it’s on a train or a trolley car or just two characters walking, the background is always changing, which helps keep things visually interesting as all these philosophical ideas get tossed around.

• I was wondering if Jesse and Céline were going to take the “Sound of Music” tour, but then I remembered that’s Salzburg, not Vienna, so never mind.
• As the author of a film blog it is my duty to point out that the ferris wheel Jesse and Céline ride on is the Wiener Risenrad, the same one from “The Third Man”. Do with that information what you will.
• Jesse and Céline take in a game of pinball while discussing their past relationships. This begs the question: Why pinball? This is the most important conversation they’ve had up to this point, and you’re practically muting it with pinball? That’s a choice.
• Céline’s American “dude” accent made me laugh. No further observation, just an amusing moment as this movie rounds the corner into its third act.

• The other thing this movie makes me nostalgic for is the kind of deep late night conversations you have with friends. Good times.
• I’m glad that after all this talk Jesse and Céline are finally entertaining the notion of hooking up. That was driving me nuts the whole movie: they’re in their early 20s, they’re in Europe, and they’ve shared plenty of emotional intimacy. How are they not getting it on like rabbits?
• [Spoilers] Aaaaugh that ending. After much hesitation, Jesse and Céline agree to meet at the train station in six months’ time without exchanging information. It’s equal parts romantic and frustrating. Imagine seeing this in 1995 and leaving the ending at this without knowing that there will one day be sequels. On a more positive note: This may be the last movie to feature a tearful farewell at a train station, a cinematic mainstay of the ‘40s and ‘50s. I assume it was replaced by “dramatically running through the airport”.

• Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy cameo as Jesse and Céline in Linklater’s animated film “Waking Life”, elaborating on conversations they had in “Before Sunrise”. Where this fits into the continuity of the “Before” films I have no idea.

• Richard Linklater’s immediate follow-up to “Before Sunrise” was 1996’s “SubUrbia”, and he has continued cranking out movies for the last 30 years, including several collaborations with Ethan Hawke (“Boyhood”, “Blue Moon”, etc.). Personally, I’m looking forward to Linklater’s most ambitious time concept yet, an adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Merrily We Roll Along” filmed over the course of 20 years. See you in the early 2040s!