The NFR Class of 2007: Umber-ella-ella-ella-ay-ay-ay

December 27th, 2007: The NFR bumps it up to 475 movies with its Class of 2007. As I find it increasingly difficult to come up with new ways of saying “I’ve watched all 25 movies, so here’s my recap”, I’ll just say that I’ve watched all 25 movies, so here’s my recap:

Tol’able David (1921): “a crowd-pleaser in its day”, “any modern viewing should be reserved strictly for film buffs.”
Mighty Like a Moose (1926): “holds up well in the laughs department”
The Strong Man (1926): “makes the NFR cut as representation of Harry Langdon, with the added bonus of being Frank Capra’s directorial debut.”
The Sex Life of the Polyp (1928): “intentionally droll, but some of the jokes still land.”
Grand Hotel (1932): “the kind of all-star affair that could only be made in the studio system.”
The Three Little Pigs (1933): “an iconic piece of early Disney”
Our Day (1938): “a notch above your average home movie”, “You win this round, NFR.”
The Women (1939): “a time capsule of gender politics of the ‘30s, and boasts a legendary roster of talent”
Wuthering Heights (1939): “as close to a good film adaptation of the novel as we’ll ever get.”
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940): “the kind of female-driven character study that [would become] common in the ‘70s and ‘80s”
Now, Voyager (1942): “shows us why we should remember Bette Davis in the first place”
The House I Live In (1945): “let’s just say my opinion of this film is ‘The Fence I Sit On’.”
The Naked City (1948): “There are [over 900] movies in the National Film Registry. This has been one of them.”
In a Lonely Place (1950): “[an] underrated [gem] of the era”
Oklahoma! (1955): “a B+ effort lost amongst the A+ musicals already on this list.”
12 Angry Men (1957): “one of my favorite movies and only gets better with age.”
Glimpse of the Garden (1957): “it’s not what you’re filming, but how you’re filming it.”
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962): “the most meditative western you’ll find this side of ‘Unforgiven’.”
Bullitt (1968): “makes the list for its iconic car chase”
Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son (1969-1971): “another NFR entry that may just be for us completionists.”
Peege (1972): “definitely worth a viewing. Just keep the tissue handy.”
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977): “any movie that manages to make five notes and mashed potatoes iconic is gonna end up on the NFR”
Days of Heaven (1978): “remembered for specific elements that are so good they help make up for the less successful story beats”
Back to the Future (1985): “pure fun from beginning to end”
Dances with Wolves (1990): “a wonderfully executed western epic.”

Other notes

The Class of 2007 is comprised of movies that aren’t so much “minor classics” as they are “near-essentials”. While none of these movies are untouchable classics in the pantheon of American film, their absence on the NFR would be too conspicuous, so their appearance almost 20 years into this list is unsurprising. I echo this sentiment in most of my write-ups on these 25, which by and large endorse their induction (although two of these movies get my “meh” rating. Yikes).
The big NFR-related news in 2007 was the completion of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia. Construction was finished in mid-2007, with the Center opening up to the public in 2008.
Shoutout to the Hollywood Reporter for interviewing “Naked City” co-writer Malvin Wald about the film’s NFR induction less than three months before his passing. There’s also a quote from NFPB staff director Stephen Leggett talking a bit about the NFR’s goal to include more sci-fi and films from the ‘70s (with “Close Encounters” at the center of that Venn diagram). More insider quotes, please!
We have a healthy amount of double dippers this time: Actors Joan Crawford and Gloria Grahame, screenwriters Vicki Baum and Albert Maltz, director Edmund Goulding, cinematographer William H. Daniels, art director Cedric Gibbons, composer Edward Ward, and costume designer Orry-Kelly. Most of these are thanks to having two ‘30s MGM movies on the list: “Grand Hotel” and “The Women”.
Thematic double dippers: Female empowerment amidst the sexist studio system, heavy-handed pleas for tolerance, pigs in prominent roles, big wide-open plains, territories on the verge of statehood, love triangles, dancers played by non-dancers, starry ensembles, makeovers, Oscar winning ‘70s cinematography, lesser silent-era comedians, and lots of Blacklisted artists.
Some more interesting overlap within the Class of 2007: two of these films inspired Edward Albee while writing “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (well, one film and another filmmaker, but I’m counting it). Also worth noting: both “Close Encounters” and “Back to the Future” make quick references to “Star Wars”.
When the Class of 2007 was announced, the number one movie at the US box office was “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”. Also playing was future NFR entry “No Country for Old Men”, and such noteworthy entires as “I Am Legend”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Enchanted”, “Juno”, and “Bee Movie”. We also got two films from Class of 2007 directors: Robert Zemeckis (“Beowulf”) and Sidney Lumet (“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”).
Favorites of My Own Subtitles: Alpha Mail, Moor to Love, A Man and His Musings, True-ish Detective, Dix Chix Fix Pix, The Plot Thickens, and H.G. Wells’ Oedipus Rex.

Before we go, some housekeeping. Once again real life is calling me away from the blog, so “The Horse’s Head” will be taking a summer hiatus. The goal is to be back in the fall with more posts (plus my Class of 2026 nominations), but I’ll keep you up to date if things change. As always, thanks for reading, and please keep taking care of each other.

See you soon,

Tony