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    “The Hurt Locker,” “Dark Knight,” “Blues Brothers,” “The Joy Luck Club” Among Additions To National Film Registry

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    This image released by the Library of Congress shows Heath Ledger, left, and Christian Bale in a scene from the 2008 film "The Dark Knight." The film was added to the National Film Registry. (Warner Bros.-Library of Congress via AP)

    This year's selections include a record 9 movies directed by women and filmmakers of color

    By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Entertainment Writer

    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    This year's inductees into the National Film Registry include a record number of female directors and filmmakers of color as well as a new crop of movies ranging from a silent short film thriller, classic musicals and an acclaimed Batman film.

    The Library of Congress announced Monday that films including "The Dark Knight," "Suspense," musicals "Grease" and "The Blues Brothers" along with Sidney Poitier's Oscar-winning performance in "Lilies of the Field" are among the 25 movies tapped for preservation this year. 

    The national library said this year's selections include a record nine films directed by women and filmmakers of color.

    "With the inclusion of diverse filmmakers, we are not trying to set records but rather to set the record straight by spotlighting the astonishing contributions women and people of color have made to American cinema, despite facing often-overwhelming hurdles," Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, said in a statement.

    Hayden and film historian Jacqueline Stewart will discuss the new selections in a television special on Turner Classic Movies on Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST.

    The library has selected movies for preservation because of their cultural, historic and artist importance since the registry began in 1988. This year's picks bring the total number of films in the registry to 800.

    Music was featured in this year's selection including the film adaptation of Broadway musicals "Cabin in the Sky" in 1943 and "Grease," which starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in 1978. 

    "The Blue Brothers" director John Landis called the film's selection into the registry a "delightful surprise."

    "The film is the result of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's genuine passion for rhythm and blues and our mutual love for these great African American artists and the city of Chicago," said Landis, who has two projects in the registry including "Animal House" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

    The library chose a few more memorable titles such as Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker," the animated film "Shrek" and "The Joy Luck Club," a movie based on Amy Tan's bestselling book that told the saga of two generations of Asian American women. The 2010 documentary "Freedom Riders," also making its way into the registry, told an inspiring story about civil rights activists who fought against racial segregation on buses and trains in the 1960s.

    Christopher Nolan's 2008 Batman film "The Dark Knight" was a blockbuster and the top public vote-getter.

    The other films directed by women include Lois Weber's "Suspense," Ida May Park's "Bread," Aloha Wanderwell's "With Car and Camera Around the World," Ida Lupino's "Outrage," Kathleen Collins' "Losing Ground," Julie Dash's "Illusions," Lourdes Portillo's "The Devil Never Sleeps" and "Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege" by Joan Lander.

    Additional films on the list include "Kid Auto Races at Venice" (1914), "The Battle of the Century" (1927), "The Man with the Golden Arm" (1955), "A Clockwork Orange" (1971), "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" (1971), "Wattstax" (1973), "Buena Vista Social Club" (1999) and "The Ground" (1993-2001).

    Category:News
    Tags:National Film RegistryThe Blues BrothersThe Dark KnightThe Hurt LockerThe Joy Luck Club



    Does “Hundreds of Beavers” Reflect A New Path Forward In Cinema?

    Monday, November 25, 2024

    Hard as it may be to believe, changing the future of cinema was not on Mike Cheslik's mind when he was making "Hundreds of Beavers." Cheslik was in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with a crew of four, sometimes six, standing in snow and making his friend, Ryland Tews, fall down funny.

    "When we were shooting, I kept thinking: It would be so stupid if this got mythologized," says Cheslik.

    And yet, "Hundreds of Beavers" has accrued the stuff of, if not quite myth, then certainly lo-fi legend. Cheslik's film, made for just $150,000 and self-distributed in theaters, has managed to gnaw its way into a movie culture largely dominated by big-budget sequels.

    "Hundreds of Beavers" is a wordless black-and-white bonanza of slapstick antics about a stranded 19th century applejack salesman (Tews) at war with a bevy of beavers, all of whom are played by actors in mascot costumes.

    No one would call "Hundreds of Beavers" expensive looking, but it's far more inventive than much of what Hollywood produces. With some 1,500 effects shots Cheslik slaved over on his home computer, he crafted something like the human version of Donald Duck's snowball fight, and a low-budget heir to the waning tradition of Buster Keaton and "Naked Gun."

    At a time when independent filmmaking is more challenged than ever, "Hundreds of Beavers" has, maybe, suggested a new path forward, albeit a particularly beaver-festooned path.

    After no major distributor stepped forward, the filmmakers opted to launch the movie themselves, beginning with carnivalesque roadshow screenings. Since opening in January, "Hundreds of Beavers" has played in at least one theater every week of the year, though never more than 33 at once. (Blockbusters typically play in around 4,000 locations.)... Read More

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