New to the National Film Registry: Brokeback Mountain, Hud, etc...
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 10:07AM by Nathaniel R
Each year in the thick of precursor awards season we are momentarily (and pleasantly!) asked to think about the entire history of motion pictures. Each December the Library of Congress adds 25 new movies to their list of American titles worthy of preservation. The criteria is "cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage."
The most recent inductee this year is Ang Lee's neo western gay classic Brokeback Mountain (2005) which is about as deserving as titles get for this honor. And we're personally thrilled to see the best movie of 1963, Hud, added. Here's the whole list chronologically...
The silent short, "Something Good" is believed to be the first depiction of African-American affection.
- Something Good - Negro Kiss (1898)
- Dixon-Wanamaker Expedition to Crow Agency (1908)
- The Girl Without a Soul (1917)
- The Navigator (1924)
- The Informer (1935)
each year's list contains at least one title where you're like "that wasn't on the list yet, whaaa?"
- Rebecca (1940) - read our four part deep dive! And, yes, a remake is in progress.
- Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
- The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
- On the Town (1949)
- Cinderella (1950)
- Pick-up on South Street (1953)
- Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
- One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
- Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
Paul Newman's greatest performance? It might be "Hud"
- Hud (1963)
- My Fair Lady (1964)
- Monterey Pop (1968)
- Hearts and Minds (1974)
- The Shining (1980)
- Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy-Headed People (1984)
- Broadcast News (1987)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- Eve's Bayou (1997)
"Smoke Signals" made history as an all-Native American production
- Smoke Signals (1998)
- Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Each year we dream of doing a half-year long weekly series writing up all of them but never get around to it. (Sigh, oh to have a huge writing staff!) You can read explanations of why these films were chosen at the Library of Congress's official site. With these 25 new movies, the National Registry is now 750 titles long. The honor is largely symbolic but the organization does also raise money to preserve classic films.
The Library of Congress wisely requires a film to be at least 10 years old to be included so for next year's list anything as recent as 2009 will be eligible - The Hurt Locker, Avatar, or Precious anyone? That said it's very rare for a film only ten years old be included. Only six films have ever been inducted the second they were eligible: the features Raging Bull (1980), Do the Right Thing (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Toy Story (1995), Fargo (1996), and the experimental documentary 13 Lakes (2004).
Reader Comments (21)
Nice Choices!!!
Hud and Brokeback Mountain represent the impact of Larry McMurtry in Hollywood.
Criterion is dragging its feet securing the rights to Eve's Bayou. I've never seen the director's cut which includes a character not in the theatrical version. The elements need a wet-gate and digital scrubbing alongside and a 4K HDR pass.
Ah, man. Such guilt for still haven't watched Eve's Bayou and Smoke Signals. I should really make it a double feature some day.
If I were to predict a good spread for next year?
Shampoo (Hal Ashby #2)
Se7en (New Filmmaker: David Fincher)
Return of the Jedi (Original Star Wars Trilogy: Complete)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino #2)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Start of Lord of the Rings franchise)
Miller's Crossing (Coen Bros #3)
Election (New Filmmaker: Alexander Payne)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Yep.)
A Princess Bride (Rob Reiner #2)
Milk (New Filmmaker: Gus Van Sant)
Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick #2)
Plan 9 From Outer Space (New Filmmaker: Edward D. Wood, Jr.)
The Room (New Filmmaker: Tommy Wiseau) (Yes, I know I just threw in a couple entries of "The Bad Canon", but this is the National Film Registry, not the Oscars. So Bad It's Good, though not as relevant as genuinely great movies, is, long term, WAY more culturally relevant than interchangeable, middle of the road, forgettably competent fare and that none of those classic funny bad movies are here is probably the most massive oversight right now. Let's start rectifying that next year? Please?.)
Edward Scissorhands (New Filmmaker: Tim Burton)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (John Hughes, Third and Final)
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese #5)
The Thing (John Carpenter #2)
The Prestige (Christopher Nolan #2)
Batman, the 1966 Movie (Batman)
Captain Blood (Michael Curtiz #3)
Blue Collar (New Filmmaker: Paul Schrader)
High Plains Drifter (Clint Eastwood #3)
Silkwood (Mike Nichols #3)
The Last Seduction (New Filmmaker: John Dahl)
Lone Star (New Filmmaker: John Sayles)
If only they did actual preservation instead of just putting out a list.
Good to know about Something Good! Have to seek that out.
As much as I appreciate Goodfellas and Fargo, there’s no way those are as iconic as Rebecca, Hud, or Broadcast News. Who determines these selections?
Missed a spot check for Days of Heaven. The Thin Red Line, then. And Princess Bride. Stand By Me, then. Still, I was mostly trying.
Eve's Bayou is really something special. Debbi Morgan gives one of my favorite Supporting Actress performances EVER.
Michael R - Hear, hear! Debbi Morgan’s Indie Spirit win is one of the smartest choices that group has ever made.
McMurtry has three films in the National Registry now: Hud, Last Picture Show, and now Brokeback Mountain (written with the producer Dianna Ossana).
"Brokeback Mountain" is a movie classic for the ages - the stupidest mistake Oscar ever did was denying the film it's Best Picture Oscar and Ledger his Best Actor award.
Should mention relevant to above NFR predictions - Lone Star (which would be an excellent choice) would be Sayles's second Registry film, his first being Return of the Secaucus 7.
I'm rather surprised they put in Broadcast News, great as it is. Certainly not hard to understand why Goodfellas (especially) or Fargo are in before it, even if one thinks Broadcast News is better.
I haven't watched Brokeback Mountain since it was in theaters (twice), hut I've always thought the screenplay to be underwritten. It's gone from a great to very good film in my memory, tho much of Ledger's performance feels so big (in a very good way) and thus pulls me into wanting to see it again. I'd want to anyway, but his performance is probably owed as much, just by itself.
It's a great idea, though, to preserve these films for future generations. The criteria "cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage" is important, too.
Curious to know, Rob T., what you mean by the BBM script being "underwritten." It's based on a 14-page short story.
And I agree - Ledger's performance is extraordinary.
How many regular contributers do you have Nathaniel? I see a few different names on articles, you could divvy up the films and probably have them all covered by the next list without breaking a sweat.
Belle -- t'would that it were so simple. I love my team but we only have about 4 weekly columnists and their columns take up their time. The rest is a hodgepodge of "when you have time - write something on..." voices who show up every other week or once a month or whatnot. I'm the only person writing daily. But I do think a miniseries on the NFR each year would be really cool if we can manage it. If I were a big corporate site I would comission 750 articles to do the whole list. lol.
Darren & Jaragon & Rob T -- i LOVE how sparse the Brokeback Mountain screenplay is. I see it as a wise reflection of the milieu and the characters and the genre itself. I think it's one of the best movies of all time, personally.
Michael & J -- i really should watch Eve's Bayou again. I only saw it once that year because of the hoopla around Morgan... but i barely remember it.
Cash -- i have also never seen Smoke Signals.
a bit in shock John Carpenter's The Thing is still waiting... but happy that back in 2010, "Airplane!" was added... such a perfect comedy.
Haha was Me (literally) not Rob T who said that about the screenplay.
I read the story (my book was 51 pages). But the screenplay was similar to the book in that regard. The book had a lot of graphic detail (think physical descriptions), which is off given how short it is. I think it read more as a treatment than a proper short story.
Sparse is ok, but didn't feel spare. The direction was towering, but I think hampered by that. I can understand why the editing was overlooked.
All that said, I still think it's a very good film that demands to be seen again...kinda like Vox Lux last night lol.
Me (lol), the original story was in the New Yorker in October 1997, and I believe it was 12-14 pages. The script itself was about 110 pages. It was, in my opinion, a powerful short story, one of the most difficult forms of prose fiction. Ang Lee shot the script nearly word for word; he is known for not speaking to his actors once production begins on his films. I suppose he insists they be prepared once filming starts. There's a book available with the short story, essays by Proulx, McMurtry, Ossana, and the shooting script. I thought that even the script itself was a powerful piece of writing. But to each his own :-)
I don't know how I'll feel about it next time, but a part of me wonders if the direction is what will get me. It cuts thru time a lot, and I remember not liking that.