The NFR Class of 1999: Livin’ la Vida Loca

November 16^th, 1999: Before everything shuts down for Y2K, it’s time to add more movies to the NFR. Here’s the 1999 roster that brought the National Film Registry to a total of 275 films, plus a pull-quote or two from my write-ups:

The Kiss (1896): “monumental to the evolution of film”
In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914): “blurs the line [between narrative and documentary] and doesn’t quite succeed in either camp.”
Civilization (1916): “an Important Movie of its time that has all but disappeared in the last century”
The Docks of New York (1928): “the third and god-willing final installment of my ‘Maybe I Just Don’t Get von Sternberg’ trilogy.”
Lambchops (1929): “[on the NFR] mainly as a representation of Burns & Allen”
The Emperor Jones (1933): “stands out…with its progressive casting…but the increasingly uneasy racial discussions make for an uncomfortable modern viewing.”
Master Hands (1936): “I’m a sucker for a good promotional short.”
My Man Godfrey (1936): “a prime example of the [screwball comedy] genre”
The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936): “an effective, dramatic look at nature’s destruction by humankind”
Trance and Dance in Bali (1936-1939, 1952): “a pass for its introduction to [Margaret] Mead and [Gregory] Bateson (but mostly Mead)”
Gunga Din (1939): “part of the collection of films that make up the greats of 1939.”
The Shop Around the Corner (1940): “definitely a minor classic, but still a wonderfully enjoyable film”.
Woman of the Year (1942): “If you’re going to have one Tracy-Hepburn comedy on the list, ‘Adam’s Rib’ is the correct choice, with ‘Woman of the Year’ a distant second.”
Laura (1944): “still packs quite the punch”, “the perfect murder mystery”.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951): “one of the best stage to film adaptations.”
Duck Amuck (1953): “a fine example…of Chuck Jones’ imaginative animation”
Roman Holiday (1953): “two of the most enjoyable hours in film history”, “Rome’s unofficial tourist video.”
Kiss Me Deadly (1955): “a joyride through L.A.’s seedy underbelly”
The Ten Commandments (1956): “still a massively impressive feat of filmmaking.”
Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1960): “an awesome soundtrack”, “[the film] passes all three NFR criteria for me.”
Night of the Living Dead (1968): “plenty of creativity…[w]ith an endless cycle of zombie movies still being made today”
The Wild Bunch (1969): “the next evolutionary step for the western”, “should absolutely be considered among the greats”
King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis (1970): “an era’s tribute to one of its finest”
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): “completely succeeds at what it wants to be”, “[i]ts impact on filmmaking can still be felt”
Do the Right Thing (1989): “Yes! Dear God Yes!”, “[the film] is here to wake you up, shake you, and remind you that all is not right with the world.”

Other notes

The Class of 1999 is a slight improvement over the Class of 1998; still a lot of second-tier movies on here for what they represent, but also plenty of iconic no-brainers. We also have a continued dedication by the NFR to include non-narrative features, with a variety of documentaries and shorts. And while diversity was never a major factor in the first decade or so of the NFR’s existence, we do get the first Spike Lee film on the list; only the second film to make the NFR immediately upon hitting its 10-year eligibility after “Raging Bull”.
Also interesting, many of these 25 films have some sort of major romantic element to them, or at least center around a couple with some tension between them. What does that say about that year’s National Film Preservation Board?
One interesting thing mentioned by Dr. James Billington in his 1999 announcement is a “Candidates for the National Film Registry” screening series at the Library of Congress. While I couldn’t find a full list of movies in this series, I found a schedule for Summer 1999, which included future inductees “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Do the Right Thing”. Also noteworthy are several titles screened that still haven’t made the NFR over 25 years later, including “The Smiling Lieutenant”, “Written on the Wind”, and “Paris, Texas”. I know this will never happen, but I would love to find out which NFR-less movies have been in the running over the years, or at the very least which one holds the Peter O’Toole/Glenn Close record for most nominations without induction.
When the class of 1999 was announced, the Denzel Washington/Angelina Jolie thriller “The Bone Collector” was number one at the US box office. “Fight Club”, “Being John Malkovich”, and “The Sixth Sense” were also playing in theaters, as were future NFR entries “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Buena Vista Social Club”.
Among this year’s double dippers: Actors Judith Anderson, Ruby Dee, Albert Dekker, Charlton Heston, Strother Martin, and Vincent Price, producer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, director George Stevens, cinematographer Joseph H. August, visual effects artist John P. Fulton, and Classic Hollywood mainstays Cedric Gibbons and Edith Head.
Thematic double-dippers: kisses (both “deadly” and “non-deadly”), exotic locales, “cast of thousands” epics, the year 1936, love interests who initially dislike each other, detectives hooking up with suspects, divine intervention, non-professional filmmakers, watershed moments of violence, Depression-era politics, and the Ten Commandments (think about it…). We also get two entries this year with the Wilhelm scream.
Favorites of My Own Subtitles: At Faith Value, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butler!, Love at First Draft, Veni Vidi Vespa, Moses Proposes, Brains Supreme, The Dirty Half-Dozen, and Long Day’s Heat Wave Into Night.
Oh man, now I got “Livin’ la Vida Loca” stuck in my head and I have no one to blame but myself. I’m also having a weird case of déjà vu.

And with that, I have watched every film inducted into the NFR in the 20^th century. Well…technically the 20^th century ended on January 1^st, 2001, so I guess I have a few more movies to go. Whatever, I’m celebrating now. Thanks for reading; see you next week!

Happy Viewing,
Tony