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Washington D.C.
Library of Congress
The National Film Registry Tour
The stunning depth and clarity of a brand new print of the carefully
restored The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The laughter of children
of the nintendo generation enjoying the timeless comic routines of the Marx
Brothers in Duck Soup. The visceral reaction to John Huston's portrayal
of the embodiment of evil in Chinatown. These are among the many
cinematic delights that the National Film Registry Tour of the Library of
Congress has provided to film audiences in four American cities since the
tour began in October, 1995.
The National Film Registry was established at the Library by the Library
Film Preservation Act of 1988. The Registry recognizes the richness of American
filmmaking and each year 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically"
significant films are added to it. These films deserve recognition as unique
and valuable records of America's experience.
(For further information on the National Film Preservation Plan please see
FIAF's Journal of Film Preservation. November 1995, Volume XXIV,
N°51, pp.48-54.)
The purpose of the tour is to raise public awareness of the need to preserve
America's endangered film heritage. Consisting of 27 feature films and 10
shorts chosen from the Registry, the tour showcases the diversity of American
film production and includes a broad range of film types, dates and filmmakers.
The tour is the result of an industry-wide collaborative effort and was
organized and set in motion by the Library and the members of the National
Film Preservation Board.
Studios and producers provided new prints of their titles and waived screening
fees. Many archives are represented by their work, including the Library,
the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the Museum of Modern Art Department
of Film and Video and the International Museum of Photography at George
Eastman House. The James Madison Council, the Library's private sector group,
and The Film Foundation, a group of leading film directors committed to
film preservation, generously provided the tour's initial funding, with
additional support from Turner Classic Movies commencing in 1996.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has noted that "the moving
picture is not so much the art form as the language of the twentieth century.
Future generations will wonder why so little of such a marvelously accessible
and appealing record was ever preserved or seriously studied."
Film preservation is not a household topic and before Americans will support
that effort they must be convinced of its worth. The Library and the National
Film Preservation Board recognize that films cannot simply be preserved
and then locked away in a vault or made available only on video. These films
should be seen and enjoyed as film by as wide an audience as possible,
and the tour is making that possible.
The theatrical experience is an important element of the tour, allowing
audiences to see these films as their creators intended - on the large screen
of a darkened theater. Wherever possible, restored "movie palaces"
have been chosen as the venues, and organ or piano accompaniment has been
arranged for the silent movies on the program.
"The response to the tour by the public and the press has been so enthusiastic,"
said David Francis, Chief of the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting
and Recorded Sound Division. "People are very grateful for the opportunity
to enjoy these films in a theatrical setting."
The National Film Registry Tour premiered October 6-9 in Madison, Wisconsin
at the Wisconsin Union of the University of Wisconsin and the Madison Civic
Center, with the assistance of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater
Research, headed by Maxine Fleckner-Ducey. The Center holds a rich collection
of pre-1949 Warner Bros. films and memorabilia. They produced lobby displays
featuring scripts and contracts from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
It was a festive weekend. Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson welcomed the
tour and made his office available for a Library press conference. Friday
night's gala opening featured remarks by Dr. Billington, screenwriter Fay
Kanin, Chair of the National Film Preservation Board and distinguished actor
James Earl Jones. The sold out crowd of 1,300 gave Jones a standing ovation
and cheered his recitation of classic cinema lines, including the immortal
words spoken by Darth Vader, "I have you now, Obi-Wan."
On Sunday, Pulitzer Prize winning film critic Roger Ebert shared his perspectives
on film preservation and film history by introducing two programs. The
Treasure of the Sierra Madre with The Great Train Robbery and
Dr. Strangelove which was shown with The March of Time: Inside
Nazi Germany-1938. And the tour was featured in a segment on Siskel
and Ebert a week later.
The second stop was the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, November 3-5.
David Francis spoke on behalf of the Library and James Earl Jones repeated
his role as guest celebrity for another delighted crowd. The Museum used
the tour as the start for its own "Second Screening" film program.
Audiences in Lexington, Kentucky, sampled the tour December 1-3. Movie goers
came from Cincinnati and Louisville, and at least one enthusiast claimed
to have seen all 13 movies screened that weekend. The venue was the Kentucky
Theatre - threatened with the wrecking ball five years ago, the theater
was saved by a group of concerned citizens with the aid of the Lexington-Fayette
Urban Country Government. The theater, built in 1922 and lovingly restored,
seats about 800 and serves both regular and "lite" popcorn - an
excellent place to see movies.
1996 began with the Registry films appearing at the Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston, January 11-14. More stops have already been planned - the Film
Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, February 3, 10, 17
and 23-25, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 2-8, the
Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City March 29-April 4 and the Detroit Institute
of Arts, April 19-22. Eventually, the Library hopes to take the tour to
at least one city in each of the fifty states.
Today, more and more people are involved in film preservation. The National
Film Registry Tour is building grassroots support for their efforts and
allowing their work to be seen and enjoyed by audiences across America.
Margaret Ershler
Le National Film Registry fut instauré par la Library en
vertu de la Loi de préservation du film de 1988. Ce Registre
réunit les films représentatifs de la richesse du cinéma
américain et, chaque année, incorpore 25 nouveaux titres de
films en fonction de leur 'valeur culturelle, historique et esthétique'.
Depuis octobre 1988, 27 films de long métrage et 10 courts métrages
circulent aux Etats-Unis illustrant la diversité de la production
américaine. La tournée est le résultat de l'effort
conjugué de l'industrie du cinéma, de la Library et des membres
du National Film Preservation Board. Après le succès initial
de Madison, la tournée poursuit son itinéraire à Omaha,
Houston, Chicago, Minéapolis, Salt Lake City et Détroit. La
Library espère montrer son programme dans au moins une ville de chacun
des 50 états.
EL Registro Nacional de Films fué instaurado por la Library
of Congress en virtud del Acta de preservación del Film de 1988.
Dicho Registro contiene una selección de obras representativas
de la riqueza del cine norteamericano e incorpora, cada año, 25 nuevos
títulos de películas, en función de su 'valor cultural,
histórico y estético'.
Desde 1988, 27 largometrajes y 10 cortos circulan en EEUU ilustrando la
diversidad de la producción de los Estados Unidos. La gira resulta
del esfuerzo conjugado de las industrias del cine, de la Library of Congress
y del National Film Preservation Board.
Tras el éxito inicial en Madison, la gira prosigue su itinerario
en Omaha, Chicago, Mineápolis, Salt Lake City y Detroit. La Library
espera exhibir su programa en por lo menos una ciudad de cada uno de los
50 Estados.