The Plot: In the dystopian future of 2187, humans are under constant surveillance by both man and machine. One human named THX 1138 (Dan Nachtsheim) has escaped, and operators are determined to locate and capture him. That’s about it plot-wise, but behind the camera is the confident hand of a young filmmaker named George Lucas. And now you know the rest of the story!
Why It Matters: The NFR gives a quick rundown on the movie and praises its “technical inventiveness”. An essay by film scholar Matthew Holtmeier follows Lucas’ trajectory from this film to “Star Wars” and Industrial Light and Magic (and of course this film’s subsequent feature adaptation: “THX 1138”).
But Does It Really?: “Electronic Labyrinth” covers two of the NFR’s favorite subgenres: student films and “stepping stone” movies for big directors. Choosing one of Lucas’ student films for NFR inclusion is an inspired choice. In a way, “Electronic Labyrinth” is a peek at both the future and an alternate universe: the future of Lucas’ sci-fi world building skills, and the alternate universe where Lucas isn’t saddled with the crowd-pleasing tropes of the “Star Wars” franchise. As for the film itself, while “Electronic Labyrinth” is bizarre and a bit impenetrable, the production value is so high, and the filmmaking style so impressive, you almost can’t believe this is a student film. A yes for “Electronic Labyrinth” on the NFR for representing George Lucas’ early artistic promise.
Everybody Gets One: Growing up in Modesto, California, George Lucas spent his adolescence reading comic books, watching old adventure serials on TV, and, as he got older, racing cars. A near-fatal car accident at age 18 deterred Lucas from pursuing a racing career, and he eventually ended up at USC as a film major. As a grad student, Lucas taught a cinematography class to U.S. Navy students, and used his students as crew members for a short science fiction film he wanted to make based on an idea he had with classmates Matthew Robbins and Walter Murch.
Wow, That’s Dated: Good to see that analog technology makes a big comeback in the 2180s. I didn’t realize the nostalgia cycle is 20, 40, and 220 years.
Title Track: THX 1138 is our protagonist, with 4EB his classification: Class 4, Eros Body (whatever that means). The name is allegedly derived from George Lucas’ phone number at the time.
Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar nod for “Electronic Labyrinth”, but it did win first prize at the 1968 National Student Film Festival. This film predates the Student Academy Awards by six years, where it no doubt would have cleaned up. For the record, the 1967 Oscar for Live Action Short went to Christopher Chapman’s “A Place to Stand”, as seen at the Ontario pavilion at Expo 67.
Other notes
Super random, but the year 2187 is my bicentennial!
Does THX 1138 know Hollywood Extra 9413? The number on the forehead has to be a nod to “9413”, right?
I’ve watched “Electronic Labyrinth” twice now and I will admit that while I’m still not 100 percent sure what is happening, it’s all very impressive. Like, how do you even think up a movie like this? On a related note, this is where Lucas’ reputation comes in handy: If “Electronic Labyrinth” were made by somebody who hadn’t achieved any future success, I’d probably be more apprehensive or downright confused by everything. But because it’s Lucas I’m willing to be more patient with this movie. It didn’t necessarily pay off, but it did help smooth things over.
Is this movie implying that Jesus was 0000? Apparently this is fleshed out a bit more in the feature adaptation.
I swear at one point THX runs down the “Serene Velocity” hallway. Speaking of location shooting, thanks to the Navy connection, Lucas was able to film in places that were otherwise unavailable, including at both LAX and the Van Nuys Airport, as well as a parking structure on the UCLA campus. Well well well NFR, you couldn’t go one non-UCLA student film without sneaking in a UCLA connection of some kind, could you?
As with any student film on the NFR (but especially this one), I wonder what Lucas’ final grade on the project was. I’m sure the other submissions were very contemporary and artsty-fartsy, so Lucas must have gotten points for originality.
Legacy
Following the positive reaction to “Electronic Labyrinth”, Lucas moved to San Francisco and co-founded American Zoetrope with Francis Ford Coppola, who suggested he adapt the short into a feature film. Released in 1971 with a trimmed-down title, “THX 1138” was a box office flop and received mixed critical reception. The film’s box office failure led to George taking a more audience-friendly route with his subsequent pictures, first with the nostalgia vehicle “American Graffiti”, and then “Star Wars”, which skews much more towards optimistic science fantasy than pessimistic science fiction.
The name THX 1138 has shown up as an easter egg in subsequent Lucas films, including both “American Graffiti” and “Star Wars”. Lucas also named his sound system after THX. Man, I miss seeing that at the beginning of movies.
The Plot: In a small fishing village in Japan, Masao (Tomi Mori) is betrothed to Hisa (Hisa Numa), but yearns to go to America to study. Masao gets his wish, promising to return and marry Hisa when he graduates. While at UC Berkeley, Masao meets Captain Dean (Actor Unknown) who ends up shipwrecked in Masao’s fishing village and falling for Hisa himself. Will Hisa remember her vow to Masao? Or will she dishonor her dying father Gombei (Kohano Akashi) and the oath of the sword?
Why It Matters: The NFR provides a synopsis and some historical context, and praises the film for “highlight[ing] the significance of independent film productions created by and for Asian American communities.”
But Does It Really?: As a film, “Oath of the Sword” is fine. There’s some solid storytelling, although due to some missing footage the plot gets a little hazy towards the end. But once you learn that the film is the earliest surviving film produced by an Asian American company (and that it recently received a National Film Preservation Board-backed restoration), you start to see how “Oath” found its way onto the NFR. No argument for the film’s NFR inclusion, and if you’ve got 31 minutes to spare, you could do a lot worse than watch this movie.
Everybody Gets One: Most of the cast had achieved some success on stage and screen in Japan, but most noteworthy is Yutaka Abe, seen here as Hisa’s brother. Abe appeared in a number of American films (including NFR entry “The Cheat”) under the screen name Jack Abbe, and returned to Japan in the early 1920s, spending the next four decades as a prolific film director.
Title Track: The actual oath of the sword within the film is: “If thou do sin, by this Sword ye must die.” Yeesh, couldn’t you just make them King of England instead?
Other notes
“The Oath of the Sword” was produced by the Japanese American Film Company, an L.A. based production company founded to counter a growing number of films featuring “yellow peril” and other anti-Asian fear mongering tactics. The JAFC began by producing educational shorts, and “Oath” appears to be their first narrative film, with the authenticity of its Japanese cast used as a major selling point.
The surviving print of “Oath” is not the full film, and I’m guessing a lot of the missing footage is intertitles. Some are recreated digitally for the restored version, but there’s a lot of the film that goes without intertitles where I could definitely use some. What is happening?
I’m only a handful of titles into the NFR Class of 2025, but there’s already two movies where our main character is a college athlete. What are the odds? And as best I can tell, “Oath of the Sword” filmed the college scenes on location at the UC Berkeley campus. Take that, “The Graduate”!
As the third member of this movie’s love triangle, Captain Dean seemingly comes out of nowhere. Am I supposed to know who he is? Apparently there is a scene missing from the surviving print that gives Captain Dean a proper introduction, and also includes his wife! This changes my whole viewing experience!
Question: Why didn’t Hisa wait for Masao to come back before hooking up with Captain Dean? It’s not like she assumed he was dead or anything, she knew he was going to be gone for four years. Man, long distance relationships are tough.
Like many Asian-produced films of the era, “Oath” is a variation on Madame Butterfly, the short story by John Luther Long as well as the Puccini opera. If you haven’t read or seen Madame Butterfly, the “Oath” ending takes a surprisingly tragic turn. Then again, once that sword got established, I had a feeling things wouldn’t end well.
My moral takeaway: As far as romantic relationships are concerned, college changes everything.
Legacy
While the Japanese American Film Company had plans for more movies (including ones filmed in Japan and Hawaii), the abrupt closure of their distributor Sawyer Film Mart, as well as rising anti-Asian sentiment in America, led to the JAFC quickly folding shortly after the release of “The Oath of the Sword”.
In the first half-century following the film’s release, the sole surviving print of “The Oath of the Sword” exchanged hands a few times, ultimately landing at the George Eastman Museum in 1963, which made a safety print of the film around 1980. The film was rediscovered in part by the efforts of Denise Khor, who was researching early Japanese American films for her book “Transpacific Convergences: Race, Migration, and Japanese American Film Culture before World War II”. Kohr also assisted with the film’s full restoration in 2021 through a grant from the National Film Preservation Board. The restored version premiered in 2023, and the film joined the NFR two years later (well, technically three years later. Thanks a lot, government shutdown).
Written by Mario Puzo and David Newman and Leslie Newman & Robert Benton. Story by Puzo. Based on the character created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster.
Class of 2017
The Plot: Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman (Christopher Reeve)! Born on the planet Krypton as Kal-El, Superman is sent to Earth during Krypton’s destruction by his father Jor-El (Marlon Brando). Landing on Earth and raised in Smallville by the Kents (Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter), Kal-El —now known as Clark Kent — becomes aware of his Kryptonian superpowers, which his adopted father insists be used for good. Clark grows up to become a mild-mannered newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis, which he uses as a front while he continues to save Metropolis as Superman. Along the way he woos fellow reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), matches wits with supervillain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), and fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way.
Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “[b]eautiful in its sweep, score and special effects”, and declares Reeve “the definitive Man of Steel”. An essay by film critic Chuck Koplinski is a thorough appreciation of the film and its behind-the-scenes struggles.
But Does It Really?: As a movie, “Superman” is slowly paced to the point of frustration, but as a cultural touchstone it can’t be beat. What the film lacks in focus it more than makes up for with Reeve’s central performance (and his chemistry with Kidder), aided by John Williams’ unforgettable score and the film’s overall epic scope and occasionally impressive special effects. “Superman” is not one of the great movies on the Registry, but its iconography has had a lasting impact on pop culture, and its NFR standing as an important American film is undeniable.
Shout Outs: No direct references to other NFR films within “Superman”, but Christopher Reeve stated that he based his performance of Clark Kent on Cary Grant’s work in “Bringing Up Baby”. Also, if “Rock Around the Clock” is playing and Glenn Ford is nearby, does that count as a “Blackboard Jungle” reference?
Everybody Gets One: Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Christopher Reeve caught the acting bug at a young age, ultimately becoming one of only two students picked for Juilliard’s Advanced Program in 1973 (the other was Robin Williams). Reeve had to drop out of Juilliard after less than two years to fulfill a contractual obligation with the soap opera “Love of Life”, but he always returned to the theater when he could. Reeve was initially not considered to play Superman because the producers wanted an established name such as Burt Reynolds, Paul Newman, or Al Pacino (my favorite potential contender is Muhammad Ali!). Once Brando and Hackman were cast, unknown actors were tested, and Reeve finally won the part after being campaigned for by the film’s casting director Lynn Stalmaster, who had seen his stage work. Reeve’s performance has been repeatedly singled out over the years as the reason “Superman” was so successful.
Wow, That’s Dated: Among the pieces of the Superman mythos that were starting to show their age in the ‘70s: print media and phone booths (though the movie gets a good visual gag out of the latter).
Seriously, Oscars?: One of the biggest hits of 1978, “Superman” received three Oscar nominations for its Score, Sound, and Editing. While it lost these awards to “Midnight Express” and “The Deer Hunter”, the film did receive a Special Achievement Oscar for its Visual Effects.
And now for AnOversimplified History of Superman. Based on the short story “The Reign of the Superman” by Jerry Siegel (with illustrations by Joe Shuster), Superman made his official debut in DC Comics’ Action Comics Issue #1 in April 1938. Superman was an instant success, getting his own comic book series in June 1939, which has continued on and off over the last nine decades. Adaptations of Superman in other media began almost immediately, starting with a radio series starring Bud Collyer, and later a TV show starring George Reeves. Superman’s first film appearance was in a series of animated shorts produced by Fleischer Studios (where he was again voiced by Collyer), followed by two live-action serials with Kirk Alyn. Although Superman prevailed in comics and on TV throughout the 20th century, he would not get another live-action film adaptation until producers Ilya & Alexander Salkind acquired the film rights from DC Comics in 1974. It was agreed that both “Superman” and “Superman II” would be filmed simultaneously, leading to a nineteen month shoot with a budget of $55 million, the most expensive film(s) ever made up to that point.
Other notes
The thing to remember about “Superman” is that it was the film that made superhero movies epic. Before 1978, superhero film and TV shows were cheap and campy (think ‘60s “Batman”), and while “Superman” has its campier elements, it’s definitely not cheap. The grandeur is on full display during the unnecessary prologue and what feels like the longest opening credits ever. Thank goodness for John Williams’ stirring score to put us all in the right mood, though hearing his “Superman” theme always makes me think of the “Seinfeld” finale.
What in god’s name is Marlon Brando doing here? The inexplicable appearance of Brando as Jor-El makes a lot more sense once you learn he was planning on using the money to produce a “Roots”-style miniseries about Indigenous people (which ultimately fell through). How much money was Brando paid, you ask, for his brief screentime? $3.7 million, plus almost 12% of gross profits, earning Brando about $23 million (roughly $114 million in today’s money). For comparison, Gene Hackman was paid $2 million for his work, while Christopher Reeve received $250,000.
Oh right, this movie was made in the ‘70s, therefore its pacing is slower than the glaciers at the Fortress of Solitude. Because “Superman” and its sequel were filmed simultaneously, they were conceived as two parts of a larger story, which explains why a majority of this movie feels like set-up, because it is. This also explains Terence Stamp’s brief appearance as General Zod, which is just there to set him up as the villain in “II”. That’s all well and good, but I ain’t kneeling before Zod anytime soon.
Even Superman’s adopted hometown of Smallville has an epic scope to it, thanks to some choice on-location shots across rural Canada and gorgeous Rockwell-esque cinematography from Geoffrey Unsworth. We also get Glenn Ford as Pa Kent, in what is probably his second-best NFR performance in my opinion.
It takes almost an hour for Superman to grow up and become Christopher Reeve, but it’s worth it. The filmmakers really struck gold with Reeve; he is instantly endearing as both Superman and Clark Kent, and matched by Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane. Such actors as Stockard Channing and Anne Archer were in serious contention to play Lois, but Kidder adds an appropriate amount of toughness and playfulness to the character. The natural chemistry between Reeve and Kidder is easily the best part of the movie (the interview scene in particular is fantastic).
If you thought it took a long time for Christopher Reeve to show up, it takes even longer for Gene Hackman to finally put in an appearance. I thoroughly enjoyed Hackman’s performance as Lex Luthor, primarily because he’s basically doing his own thing, as if he’s starring in a completely different movie, which I found refreshing this far into the proceedings. He also plays well off of Ned Beatty and the recently departed Valerie Perrine as Lex’s less-than-helpful accomplices.
This movie has several faults, but the flying scenes aren’t one of them. The special effects team used every trick in the book to make Superman fly, and the results speak for themselves. Just as the poster predicted, I believed a man could fly.
It amuses me that the filmmakers felt the need to sneak a song into the movie. A collaboration between John Williams and Leslie Bricusse, “Can You Read My Mind” is another in the proud tradition of inner monologue songs on the NFR. However, as far as “falling in love while flying” songs are concerned, it’s no “A Whole New World”.
Brando is just one of multiple actors with brief turns in this movie that made me wonder “What are you doing here?”. Among them: former “Our Gang” star Jackie Cooper as Perry White, British stalwarts Trevor Howard and Susannah York as Kryptonians, film critic Rex Reed as himself, and Larry Hagman as one horned-up Army major. But the most random to me was the combination of John Ratzenberger and Phil Brown observing the hijacked missile launches. Cliff Clavin and Uncle Owen: together at last.
Speaking of “What are you doing here?”, yes that is “Godfather” author Mario Puzo credited here as one of the writers. Although the producers gave him a proposal he couldn’t decline ($600,000), Puzo’s drafts were too campy and veered too far from the Superman mythos for the producers’ tastes. Very little of Puzo’s script made the final cut, hence the “Story by” credit.
The California fault line finale adds a hint of the ‘70s disaster genre to the proceedings. In all fairness, “Superman” is a better earthquake movie than “Earthquake”.
Someone please explain this movie’s time travel aspect to me. Did the earthquake still happen? Are there two Supermen out there now? Just how wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey does this all get? Whatever, I’m ready for this thing to be over.
The very end of the movie features text declaring “Next Year ‘Superman II’”: The cinematic equivalent of Babe Ruth’s called shot.
Legacy
“Superman” opened in December 1978, and quickly became one of the highest grossing films of the year (second only to “Grease”). Despite the declaration at the end credits, “Superman II” would be delayed over two years, in part due to the firing of original director Richard Donner, who clashed with the Salkinds during production (but hey, who didn’t?). The “Superman” franchise spawned two additional sequels (plus the spin-off “Supergirl”), but each was met with diminishing returns. “Superman II” was somewhat redeemed by the “Richard Donner Cut” completed in 2006.
Superman has endured over the decades in practically every type of media, including multiple TV series (“Lois & Clark”, “Superman: The Animated Series”, “Smallville”, etc.). As of this writing, there have been three attempts to bring Superman back to the big screen, and while they each met with varying degrees of success, all of them have stayed in the shadow of the 1978 movie.
As soon as “Superman” wrapped, Christopher Reeve spent the remainder of his career playing roles on stage and screen as far removed from The Man of Steel as possible (I love his performance in “Noises Off”). A horse-riding accident in 1995 left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down, but he continued to act and direct, as well as advocate for a number of causes, including disability rights and stem cell research. Christopher Reeve died in 2004 at age 52, his on-screen legacy as Superman matched by his off-screen advocacy and generosity. Reeve was living proof that not all superheroes wear capes.
When I started this blog nine years, I thought there was an outside chance I’d make it to 700 movies, but definitely didn’t believe 800 movies was possible. Thanks for flying along with me all these years. More to come.
The Plot: Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) leads a seemingly perfect life in the idyllic town of Seahaven with his loving wife Meryl (Laura Linney) and devoted best friend Marlon (Noah Emmerich), but as he approaches his 30th birthday, something seems off. Little by little Truman starts piecing the truth together: He has been the star of a 24/7 reality TV program called “The Truman Show” since his birth: everything he has ever experienced has been staged, and everyone he has ever known is a hired actor. As Truman starts to figure things out, the show’s creator Christof (Ed Harris) does everything in his power to stop Truman from leaving Seahaven. There’s a lot more to unpack in this intricate character study ahead of its time.
Why It Matters: The NFR notes the film’s presage of reality TV and social media and calls the film “a study in sociology, philosophy, and psychology”.
But Does It Really?: Full disclosure, “The Truman Show” is one of my all-time favorite movies, so we have another gush-fest on our hands. “Truman Show” is what I call a Swiss Watch Movie: a finely detailed machine that produces a true piece of art. It takes a great science-fiction concept and runs with it, filling in every detail perfectly, ensuring a rich viewing experience that gets better every time. Peter Weir gamely directs an airtight script with a pitch-perfect cast, including Jim Carrey finally proving to the world he’s so much more than a rubber-faced clown. Not since “Network” has one movie so accurately predicted where the media landscape was headed, and “The Truman Show” has more than earned its spot on the Registry.
Everybody Gets One: New Zealander Andrew Niccol had been directing TV commercials in London when Hollywood producer Scott Rudin bought his spec script “The Malcolm Show”, a gritty sci-fi thriller set in New York. Niccol was originally set to direct his own script, but Paramount wanted an experienced director, ultimately going with Peter Weir, who at that point had already helmed “Picnic at Hanging Rock”, “Witness”, and “Dead Poets Society”, among many others. Weir helped shape the script into something lighter, transplanting the action to a fake seaside town and coming up with elaborate backstories for the characters. Robin Williams was Paramount’s pick for the lead role (now renamed Truman), but Weir’s first and only choice was Jim Carrey, fresh off his success with “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”, a performance that reminded Weir of Charlie Chaplin! Weir was so determined to cast Carrey he delayed production for over a year so that Carrey could fulfill his commitments with “The Cable Guy” and “Liar Liar”.
Seriously, Oscars?: A hit upon release, “The Truman Show” received three major Oscar nominations: Director, Original Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for Ed Harris. The film lost these categories to, respectively, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Shakespeare in Love”, and James Coburn in “Affliction”, but the biggest outcry was reserved for Jim Carrey going un-nominated for Lead Actor, despite winning the Golden Globe. Carrey attended the ceremony to present Best Editing, but he didn’t seem to be taking things well.
Other notes
Much of Seahaven was filmed in the planned community of Seaside, Florida, making this one of the rare movies filmed in Florida where you don’t see the actors genuinely sweating the whole time (It helps that they filmed primarily in Winter/Spring 1997). Truman’s house in the movie was owned at the time by Florida politician Don Gaetz, father of…Representative Matt Gaetz? Ugh gross gross gross let’s move on quickly…
Jim Carrey is absolutely perfect in this movie. After “Ace Ventura”, “The Mask”, and “Dumb and Dumber” all but cemented him as a lowest common denominator comedian, along comes “The Truman Show” to prove us all wrong. You can tell in every frame that Carrey is hungry for a part with this much range; still willing to go broad for certain moments, but masterfully reigning it in for Truman’s more introspective scenes. It’s no wonder no one else was even considered for Truman; Carrey is the only movie star in 1998 who could have pulled this off, and boy does he.
The first episode we see of the show-within-the-movie takes place on Day 10,909 of Truman’s life. Let me just pretend to do the math here…that would make Truman TWENTY-NINE YEARS OLD? He’s only 29!? Carrey turned 35 during filming, so this is all more a sign of how much adulthood has changed in 30 years than anything else.
Among the many things I love about this movie is that it hits the ground running. The movie resists the temptation to explain everything upfront, just the bare minimum exposition with Christof and off we go. The main points get explained throughout, but many of the details are left up to viewer interpretation, as it should be.
Because I’ve seen this movie so many times, I focused on more of the background details this time, like figuring out where the cameras are hidden within Seahaven (check out Truman’s wedding ring). I also zeroed in on Laura Linney’s performance this time. In her breakout film role, Linney delivers a lot of subtleties underneath Meryl’s faux-Donna Reed exterior. There’s also a lot of good work being done by Noah Emmerich; Marlon is easy-going and chummy around Truman, yet simultaneously in pain for having to constantly lie to his best friend.
Shout out to Holland Taylor for doing what she does best: playing the main character’s strongly opinionated mother.
I was under the impression that Philip Glass was the sole composer of the “Truman” score. Turns out a majority of it was composed by Germany’s Burkhard Dallwitz. Glass contributed a few selections to the score, primarily pieces he had written for previous films. Glass also makes a cameo within the film as the show’s live composer, hence my confusion.
I love the audience cutaways throughout the movie, a Greek chorus of devoted “Truman Show” viewers supplying insight into just what makes the show so watchable. Side note: one of the garage attendants is played by Joel McKinnon Miller, who would go on to play Scully (or possibly Hitchcock) on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”.
I’ve always loved Natascha McElhone’s performance as Sylvia, Truman’s classmate who was banned from the show after she tried to tell Truman he’s on television. McElhone says so much with her eyes it’s no wonder Truman has spent the last decade secretly pining for Sylvia. This subplot also features the interesting-in-hindsight line “They got rid of her, but they couldn’t erase the memory”, which now works as a nice little bit of “Eternal Sunshine” foreshadowing.
Perhaps the film’s most famous bit of casting lore, Dennis Hopper was originally cast as Christof, but left shortly after filming began (or was possibly fired. Either way, “creative differences” were involved). Ed Harris filled in at the eleventh hour, and while he’s great in the part, he’s also just a tad too young. Harris was 46 during filming, 14 years Hopper’s junior. Assuming Christof is the same age as Harris, he would have been around 16 when “The Truman Show” started. In Harris’ defense, he’s so good in this I didn’t pick up on any of this age stuff until after seeing the film multiple times.
While we’re on the subject: His name is Christof? Christof? Why not name him God G. Goderson? Then again, what should I have expected from a movie where the only character unaware he’s on TV is essentially named “true man”?
For those of you keeping score, this is the second NFR movie where Ed Harris commands an entire control room. This is also the third NFR movie that has made me say, “Oh yeah, I forgot Paul Giamatti’s in this.”
My favorite callback in the movie is the bus driver being recast as the ferry captain when the town is searching for Truman, and his inability to drive either vehicle. It got a good laugh out of me, as did the Production Assistant’s line: “Bottom line is they can’t drive the boat. They’re actors!”
[Spoilers] Oh that ending. Flammarion scholars everywhere got a kick out of Truman sailing directly into the backdrop, and like everything else in this movie, I find the ending totally flawless. In fact, my favorite shot in the entire movie is when all of the viewers celebrate Truman’s exit, and the bartender at the Truman bar runs across the bar high-fiving everyone. I don’t know why but that shot makes me tear up every time. Something about the actions of one isolated individual inspiring community between strangers.
Legacy
“The Truman Show” was released in summer 1998, and was an immediate hit with critics and audiences alike. The film would go on to become one of the highest grossing movies of the year, and its positive reception has not waned in nearly 30 years.
Although Jim Carrey missed out on an Oscar nomination for his work in “Truman Show”, he was able to parlay his new critical clout into more dramatic work, including my personal favorite of his performances: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. Side note: Did we ever figure out if that was really him at the 2026 César Awards?
Peter Weir directed two more films after “Truman Show”: “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” and “The Way Back”. Weir retired from filmmaking in the early 2010s, and in 2022 received an honorary Academy Award for being “a fearless and consummate filmmaker”.
I think it would be easier to list the media not influenced by “The Truman Show”. In the last thirty years, “Truman” has become more and more prescient in its take on our media landscape. Everything from reality competitions to social media live streams to movies and TV about surveillance/meta-entertainment can trace their lineage back to “The Truman Show”. The most recent example I can think of is the TV show “Jury Duty”, in which an entire trial was staged to capture the reactions of one (non-actor) juror. It’s also the show that jump-started James Marsden’s career, and we’re all grateful for that.
“Mike, do you suppose there’s any chance a biblical rain’ll come and wipe out Jim Carrey?”
And finally, “Truman Show” has achieved the rare “Gaslight” distinction of becoming synonymous with a medical condition. First coined circa 2008, the Truman Show delusion is a type of disorder in which people believe they are the unwilling star of a hidden-camera reality show. Although the name has taken off in the last two decades, Truman Show delusion is not officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.
Further Viewing: “EdTV”, Ron Howard’s 1999 movie about a regular Joe who willingly becomes the star of his own 24/7 reality series. It was criticized at the time for being a “Truman Show” knock-off, but I’m willing to chalk it up to parallel thinking (it’s a remake of a French-Canadian film that predates “Truman Show”). “EdTV” has a stacked ensemble, including Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, and…Dennis Hopper! Glad he wasn’t too creatively different for this one.
Directed & Written by George Daniel Bartlett and Donald Wilson Stewart
Class of 2025
The Plot: Jack Tower (Gordon Morrison) is the captain of the track team at St. Louis’ Washington University and pines for the lovely Myrtle Maroon (Dean Marion McDaris). Although Jack has his heart set on winning the big track meet and earning his letterman W, he is easily beat during training by “hick” Aloisius Higgins (Philip Bryan). There’s not much else plot-wise, but “Maid” was filmed at Washington University and produced by the campus Drama Club, making it, according to the opening credits, “the first college movie ever produced”.
Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film a “whimsical romance”, states its status as “the first student film on record”, and devotes a whole paragraph to its rediscovery and restoration.
But Does It Really?: Well, the NFR loves their student films, so of course they would include the first one ever. On its own, “Maid of McMillan” is a fun, cute little film; clearly made by a group of young theater students not taking things too seriously and just trying to entertain their classmates. “Maid” holds up well enough that a modern viewing can still elicit a few chuckles (it did for me), though it makes the NFR primarily due to its status as the first student film (as well as a time capsule of 1916 campus life). While I’m not enthusiastically supportive of the NFR decision to induct “Maid”, I’m not mad about it either.
Everybody Gets One: Both George D. Bartlett and Donald Stewart were law students at Washington University, as well as members of the school’s Thyrsus Drama Club, which in the spring of 1916 decided to try its hand at filmmaking. The cast is comprised almost entirely of Thyrsus Drama Club members, and Bartlett and Stewart make cameos near the end as the highwaymen. Stewart would go on to marry the film’s leading lady Dean Marion McDaris a few years after graduation. Side note: In Greek mythology, the Thyrsus is the scepter held by Dionysus, the god of – among other things – theatre.
Title Track: McMillan Hall was the all-female dorm at Washington University, and is still standing today, though as best I can tell it is now gender-inclusive housing.
Other notes
Before the opening credits (and after the retroactive credit for the National Film Preservation Foundation), there’s a typewritten prologue from “The Producer” informing us about the film’s student film status, and encouraging the viewers not to judge the film with “too critical an eye. Remember you are looking at a movie made in 1916.” That’s cute and all, but now what am I supposed to do?
Myrtle looks a bit like Lelia Goldoni from “Shadows”. Also the name Myrtle Maroon is an in-joke for Washington University students: the school’s colors – red and green – were referred to as “the maroon and myrtle” by students at the time. Today I learned that myrtle is a color.
The film’s first laugh-out-loud moment for me was the intertitle describing the nerdy Higgins upon his first appearance: “He means well.”
That is Washington University’s actual track coach Bill Edmunds playing the track coach. The school’s Chancellor Frederic Aldin Hall also makes an appearance giving Higgins his trophy, and later giving Jack the W for his letterman jacket.
The film’s other LOL moment for me: the handwritten “Censored” note when Jack and Myrtle go in for a kiss.
After Myrtle and Jack get engaged I had a feeling we were wrapping things up. Turns out there’s another five minutes in this 15 minute short, and not too much happens. There’s a funny bit with Myrtle and her suitcases, plus some drama with the highwaymen encounter, but honestly this thing should have ended at the 10 minute mark. But hey, I might be judging things with “too critical an eye”.
Legacy
“The Maid of McMillan” premiered at Washington University’s Univee Surkuss, an annual student-organized carnival. The film was so popular it was screened six times to accommodate student demand. “Maid” was also screened around that same time at local St. Louis theaters.
Outside of a screening in 1966 for the Class of 1916 50th reunion, “Maid of McMillan” was all but forgotten until its rediscovery in 1982 by university archivist Beryl Manne and student Mitch Walker. Following an on-campus screening, the original 35 mm film disappeared. Fortunately two 16mm acetate prints were made from the original 35 mm print (most likely in 1966 for the reunion screening), and “Maid of McMillan” finally received a proper restoration in 2021 with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Washington University is still going strong, now known as Washington University of St. Louis (or WashU for short). Among the school’s countless alumni are at least three with an NFR connection: Harold Ramis, Peter Sarsgaard, and Robert Guillaume. Bonus shoutout to Tennessee Williams, who attended during the 1936-1937 school year, but dropped out when he didn’t win the school’s poetry prize.
Further Viewing: After bashing countless student films on this blog, it’s only fair that I show the one that I’m in: 2008’s “Floater” by Chad Janusch. I got involved through my mutual friendship with my co-lead Clay Newman and the film’s director of photography Mark Sandhoff. And no, we definitely did not have permission to film on Red Rock Island.
The Horse's Head 