2001: An NFR Odyssey

December 18^th, 2001: With perhaps their least impressive press release to date, the Library of Congress announces the next 25 films to make the National Film Registry, bringing the total to 325 movies. Having just finished watching all 25, it’s time for me to take a look back at my writings on the NFR Class of 2001:

The Evidence of the Film (1913): “one of the sole survivors from the short-lived Thanhouser Company film library.”

Miss Lulu Bett (1921): “neither wows nor bores in its presentation”, “on the NFR list because it survived”

It (1927): “a perfect encapsulation of the ‘20s flapper era” “has a certain…enticement?…allure?”

Rose Hobart (1936): “[a] deconstruction of a Hollywood ‘product’ into an ethereal examination of obsession.”

Cologne: From the Diary of Ray and Ester (1939): “paints quite the picture of small-town Americana”.

Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert (1939): “a historical pass, but the corresponding NBC radio broadcast of the concert is a much better documentation.”

Jam Session (1942): “gets a pass for its representation of the Soundies.” “pave[d] the way for the modern music video.”

Stormy Weather (1943): “an outstanding array of African-American talent”

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944): “[William] Wyler’s key contribution to the war effort”

The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944): “a sweet, funny little slice of Americana with a lot of meat on its bones.”

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948): “Abbott & Costello’s iconic filmography and pitch-perfect timing are more than deserving of NFR recognition.”

All the King’s Men (1949): “a bit muddled and confusing, but…has enough political bite to warrant a viewing”

The Thing From Another World (1951): “a taut, thrilling film”, “Kudos to the director, whoever it may be.”

The Tell-Tale Heart (1953): “a new style of animation for UPA”, “the reason I’m not sleeping tonight.”

The House in the Middle (1954): “How did this make the NFR before the definitive Cold War short, ‘Duck and Cover’?”

America America (1963): “isn’t Elia Kazan’s greatest film, nor his most memorable, but it is definitely his most personal.”

The Sound of Music (1965): “not only one of the most delightful musicals ever, but one of the most delightful movies, period.”

Planet of the Apes (1968): “one of the best science-fiction movies ever made.”

Serene Velocity (1970): “The NFR loves them some avant-garde filmmaking”, “take some Dramamine beforehand.”

Jaws (1975): “still one of the best crafted action movies ever made and a landmark in film history.”

National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978): “at times side-splittingly funny.”

All That Jazz (1979): “the film’s legacy isn’t so much the film itself, but rather the insight into one of last century’s greatest artists.”

Manhattan (1979): “perhaps the film’s retroactive controversy is reason enough for preservation.”

Hoosiers (1986): “its inspirational spirit and love of the game is flawless”, “one of the greats of the feel-goods.”

The Thin Blue Line (1988): “definitive proof that movies can change the world.”

Other notes

Maybe it’s just my elder millennial viewpoint, but I can’t help but look at the Class of 2001 through the lens of 9/11. While the NFR’s official press release for that year makes no reference to the attacks, I can’t help but feel like this class of inductees was influenced by those events. At least four of these movies take place in part or in whole in New York City, most notably “Manhattan”, a full-length love letter to the city. There’s also films that harken back to a seemingly simpler time in America and/or lean heavily on very pro-American themes. While two of the films on this list highlight corruption and flaws in our political and judicial systems, most of the better-known titles are iconic crowd-pleasers and laugh-out-loud comedies that could no doubt lift your spirits after a national tragedy. And topping it all off is the superfluously patriotic “America America”, a story about immigration and the American dream: two things this country used to care about. Alright, rant over, back to the movies.
My writings about the Class of 2001 are mixed to positive. Aside from the big headliners on the list, I couldn’t muster up a lot of excitement for these films, giving many of them a pass for historical or cultural significance. That being said, I always enjoy the excuse to look back on my own writing because I learn a lot about myself. Past Me helped speed up that process this time by including a list of my favorite things at the end of Part 2 of the “Sound of Music” post.
Also, weirdly in two of these posts I slam Seth MacFarlane’s Oscar hosting gig. I mean, it wasn’t great, but I don’t remember hating it that much.
A bit of trivia: Both “The Sound of Music” and “Jaws” were at one point the highest-grossing movie of all time.
When the Class of 2001 was announced, the Tom Cruise film “Vanilla Sky” was number one at the US box office. Surprisingly, no movies currently in the NFR were playing in theaters (the first “Lord of the Rings” film would begin its theatrical run on December 19^th), but there were such notable titles as “Ocean’s Eleven”, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, “Monsters, Inc.”, “The Royal Tenenbaums”, and “Training Day”. Coincidentally also playing in theaters, Tim Burton’s remake of “Planet of the Apes”.
Only a few double dippers this year: Actors Karen Allen, Roy Scheider, and Wallace Shawn, producer Adolph Zukor, cinematographer Leon Shamroy, composer Jerry Goldsmith, and costume designer Albert Wolsky. This list almost included Richard Dreyfuss in lieu of Scheider, as Dreyfuss was originally cast as Joe Gideon in “All That Jazz” before bowing out.
Thematic double-dippers: 1979 New York, experimental films at a 16 fps frame rate, the U.S. Air Force, films loosely based on historic events, complicated love triangles, women flouting archaic conventions, movies that got 20^th Century Fox out of the red in the 1960s, super talented Black artists, people fighting Nazis, and climactic scenes involving the Statue of Liberty.
Favorites of my own subtitles: Spinster Act, Dude Where’s My Husband?, When Directors Collide, My Big Fat Greek Emigration, Nun Better, Monkey See Monkey Doomed, Shark From Adversity, and 5-6-7-8 ^1/2!
Speaking of subtitles: Yes, I am breaking my tradition of subtitling these retrospective posts from a hit song of the same year, but come on, if I didn’t go for the “2001” reference, what are we even doing here? If forced to pick a hit song from 2001 for this post…I don’t know, “Bootylicious”?
And finally, a reminder that “Serene Velocity” is missing from the NFR’s “Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays” page. Can some LoC intern get on that, please?