NFR 2000: Say My Name

December 27^th, 2000: The National Film Registry makes it an even 300 with 25 more movies. Almost a full quarter century later, I’ve covered all of them on this blog. Here’s my recap of the NFR inductees (sung a la Conan O’Brien) “in the year 2000…”:

President McKinley Inauguration Footage (1901): “[W]ell, we still film presidential inaugurations, so that’s a cool thing.”
The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912): “If the NFR can’t come up with a good defense [for this film’s induction], what hope do the rest of us have?”
Regeneration (1915): “may only work as an academic viewing for the serious film buff, but it won’t be on the final.”
Salome (1923): “a challenging watch, but it does represent Alla Nazimova”
Peter Pan (1924): “[I]f I say, ‘I didn’t like “Peter Pan”’ out loud, another copy of a silent film somewhere drops dead.”
The Fall of the House of Usher (1928): “a fascinating visual variation on the story’s themes”
Dracula (1931): “You cannot think of Dracula or any other vampire without thinking of Bela Lugosi’s performance.”
Little Caesar (1931): “the influence of [Edward G.] Robinson’s performance is still being felt today.”
The Life of Emile Zola (1937): “an interesting watch, but its historical significance is primarily academic.”
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938): “an exasperating watch. I started to question if there’s a way the NFR can reverse their decision”
Porky in Wackyland (1938): “a good reminder that cartoons shouldn’t always obey real-world physics and logic.”
Why We Fight (1943-1945): “an indispensable account of [World War II] while it was in progress”
The Living Desert (1953): “proof that you can take any footage and manipulate a narrative through editing and music”
A Star is Born (1954): “any flaws this film possesses are instantly forgiven by Judy Garland’s performance.”
Let’s All Go the Lobby (1957): “equals (and in some cases surpasses) the cultural importance of its fellow NFR entries”.
The Tall T (1957): “more complex and morally ambiguous than other Westerns of the era”, “not one of my more memorable movie-watching experiences for this blog.”
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957): “a few laugh-out-loud moments…but…the multiple dated references makes it all age poorly.”
Five Easy Pieces (1970): “top-notch performances and [an] incisive screenplay, but it is definitely a movie of its time.”
Multiple SIDosis (1970): “one very unique film and well worth a viewing”.
Shaft (1971): “manages to still be a fun ride 50 years later”.
Network (1976): “one of my favorite movies”, “continues to hold a mirror to what our world has become”
Apocalypse Now (1979): “a one-of-a-kind movie” “Maybe the point is there is no point?”
Koyaanisqatsi (1982): “the ultimate pattern-finding movie”, “an indelible influence on American filmmaking.”
Sherman’s March (1986): “tows the line between fact and fiction quite effectively…but 2 ^1/2 hours of this?”
Goodfellas (1990): “More like ‘Greatfellas’, am I right?”

Other notes

The Class of 2000 is a very eclectic group of movies. We continue to see a diminish in the number of iconic classics being inducted and an uptick in more obscure entries. Plus we see the beginning of the “What’s not on the list yet” NFR trend of the 2000s, with another Universal monster movie, a Ranown western, a Disney True-Life Adventure, an Andy Hardy movie, a Porky Pig cartoon, a blaxploitation movie, and even a snipe. And “Multiple SIDosis” is the first of many amateur films that will be inducted over the next decade.
As for my own writing, I’m mixed on the Class of 2000. There’s a few indisputable heavy hitters in this group, but overall my opinion of these movies’ NFR inclusion ranges from skeptical to downright hostile (in hindsight I regret my negative comments toward the NEA in the “Sherman’s March” post. I thought we had more time!). Even the movies I can justify seem to only make the cut due to a specific element within the film (typically an iconic central performance). And as always, re-reading my writing over the last eight years is an interesting look at my evolution as a writer, with enough topical references to pinpoint exactly when these were written (for crying out loud, there’s an “inauguration crowd size” joke in one of these!).
The NFR press release doesn’t give me as much historical context as it has in years past. No big news regarding any changes at the Library of Congress, just a rundown of the films and a call for film preservation (two of this year’s silent entries were presumed lost and rediscovered). One interesting note is that the press release calls the 1924 “Peter Pan” “the classic children’s tale in its definitive film version.” Suck it, 1953 Disney version!
To the best of my knowledge, given current events in late 2000 Washington D.C., no recount was requested for the final list of NFR inductees, and the Supreme Court did not intervene. There’s no mention of the 2000 presidential election in the NFR press release, though I suspect some voters were still “mad as hell” and “not going to take it anymore”.
When the Class of 2000 was announced, “Cast Away” was number one at the U.S. box office. As of this writing no films playing in December 2000 have made the NFR, but I wouldn’t be surprised if “Cast Away” or “Meet the Parents” ever make the list. That being said, the most iconic film in theaters at the time was “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, which was primarily a Taiwanese production and therefore ineligible…or is it?
Fun Fact: “Why We Fight” is the longest I’ve taken to write a single post: almost two months! (“Solomon Sir Jones” took two years, but that included a very long hiatus) Conversely, I watched, researched, and wrote the post for fellow 2000 inductee “Let’s All Go to the Lobby” in under an hour.
We only have a few double-dippers this time around: actors Robert Duvall and Judy Garland, and cinematographer Tony Gaudio. In a stretch I’ll include Francis Ford Coppola, “Apocalypse Now” director and “Koyaanisqatsi” presenter.
Thematic double dips: Big spooky houses, inside baseball showbiz, gangsters struggling to reform, child endangerment, short stories with lots of padding, ‘70s New York, protagonists gunned down at the end, manipulative documentaries, kick-ass title songs, lingering shots of the desert, stars before they were famous, and as always, the director’s deeply troubled issues with women. And because I refuse to end on that downer note, at least four of these movies are on my “Die Hard Not-Christmas” list!
Favorite of My Own Subtitles: Content Dictates Reform, Baptism By Ire, Pardon the Expressionism, Disney Arizona Adventure, This Prodigy is Condemned, Stop! Or This Mother Will Shoot, and Waiting for Brando (emphasis on the second syllable of “Brando”). Honorable mention to my “Land Beyond the Sunset” subtitle: “Duh-nuh Duh-nuh Nuh, Fresh Air! Duh-nuh, Duh-nuh Nuh, Child Scare!”. It’s a stretch, but for some reason I love sneaking in “Green Acres” references on this blog. I don’t even recall watching reruns of “Green Acres” that much growing up.
And finally, special shout-out to my “A Star is Born” post, which includes one of my favorite things I’ve ever written:

“Movies are moments. Our memories of films erode to one or two moments: a scene, a line, a performance, etc. Few movies are perfect from beginning to end, but many have at least one of those perfect moments captured on film.”

That pretty much sums up what we’re doing here, doesn’t it?

Okay, now I’ve covered every NFR entry from the 20th century. Happy? Up next: 2001: An NFR Odyssey. Happy viewing, and keep taking care of each other.

Tony