Event
The Film Registry Show!
Sunday, March 21, 7:30 pm
Los Angeles Filmforum presents
The Film Registry Show! Selections from the 2009 picks by the Library of Congress
At the Spielberg Theater at the Egyptian
6712 Hollywood Blvd. (at Las Palmas)
Youâve never seen a show like this!
All classics, selected by the Library of Congress for its film registry in 2009.
Two of the makers are Filmforum members who will be present at the show â Janie Geiser and Chuck Workman!
âUnder the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the registry that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant to be preserved for all time. These films are not selected as the "best" American films of all time, but rather as works of enduring importance to American culture.
"Established by Congress in 1989, the National Film Registry spotlights the importance of protecting Americaâs matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity," said [Librarian of Congress James] Billington. "By preserving the nationâs films, we safeguard a significant element of our cultural patrimony and history."
âAnnual selections to the registry are finalized by the Librarian after his review of hundreds of titles nominated by the public and extensive discussions with members of the National Film Preservation Board, as well as the Libraryâs motion-picture staff. The Librarian urges the public to make nominations for next yearâs registry at the Film Boardâs website (www.loc.gov/film/).â
Descriptions from the Library of Congress announcement except where indicated.
http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2009/09-250.html
Little Nemo (Winsor McCay, 1911, 11 minutes, b&w)
This classic work, a mix of live action and animation, was adapted from Winsor McCayâs famed 1905 comic strip "Little Nemo in Slumberland." Its fluidity, graphics and story-telling was light years beyond other films made during that time. A seminal figure in both animation and comic art, McCay profoundly influenced many generations of future animators, including Walt Disney.
Little Nemo on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSp2ej2S00
Quasi at the Quackadero (Sally Cruikshank, 1975, 10 min., color)
"Quasi at the Quackadero" has earned the term "unique." Once described as a "mixture of 1930s Van Beuren cartoons and 1960s R. Crumb comics with a dash of Sam Flax," and a descendent of the "Depression-era funny animal cartoon," Sally Cruikshankâs wildly imaginative tale of odd creatures visiting a psychedelic amusement park careens creatively from strange to truly wacky scenes. It became a favorite of the Midnight Movie circuit in the 1970s. Cruikshank later created animation sequences for "Sesame Street," the 1986 film "Ruthless People" and the "Cartoon Land" sequence in the 1983 film "Twilight Zone: The Movie."
Quasi on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH7LcVNusQE
Sally Cruikshankâs website: http://www.funonmars.com/
The Lead Shoes (Sydney Peterson, 1949, 18 minutes, 16mm, b&w)
"THE LEAD SHOES issued almost totally without flaw ...." - Parker Tyler
"The Lead Shoes" is a dreamlike trance showing the unconscious acts of a disturbed mind through a distorted lens and other abstract visual techniques (such as reverse and stop motion). "Narrative succumbs to the comic devices of inconsequence and illogic," said writer and independent filmmaker Sidney Peterson of his film. Peterson is considered the father of San Francisco avant-garde cinema.
The Red Book (Janie Geiser, 1994, 11 minutes, 16mm, color)
Sound design by Beo Morales, engineered at Harmonic Ranch.
Renowned experimental filmmaker and theater/installation artist Janie Geiserâs work is known for its ambiguity, explorations of memory and emotional states and exceptional design. She describes "The Red Book" as "an elliptical, pictographic animated film that uses flat, painted figures and collage elements in both two and three dimensional settings to explore the realms of memory, language and identity from the point of view of a woman amnesiac."
Print from Janie Geiser
The Red Book was shown as part of the 1996 New Directors / New Films Festival at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The New York Times critic Caryn James wrote: âThe Red Book (is) Janie Geiserâs beautifully mysterious, animated short. Images appear as in a graceful collage: glimpses of words are written in white vanishing ink; a woman is drawn in outline, as if she were a paper doll made of red construction paper. Everything is red, white, black, or gray in this smashing little film, which has graphic flair and a surrealist edge.â
Fred Camper on Janie Geiser and The Red Book:
http://www.fredcamper.com/Film/Geiser.html
A Study in Reds (Miriam Bennett, 1932, 18 min, 16mm to DVD)
This polished amateur film by Miriam Bennett spoofs womenâs clubs and the Soviet menace in the 1930s. While listening to a tedious lecture on the Soviet threat, Wisconsin Dellsâ Tuesday Club members fall asleep and find themselves laboring in an all-women collective in Russia under the unflinching eye of the Soviet special police.
The Jungle (Charlie âBrownâ Davis and Jimmy âCountryâ Robinson, 1967, 22 minutes, documentary, screened from video)
With the guidance of Temple University social worker Harold Haskins, a group of African-American teenage boys in Philadelphia made this hybrid documentary/dramatization of their lives in the 12th and Oxford Street gang. Shot in an original and natural style, this 22-minute film was recognized with festival awards, but was never theatrically released. In 1968, Churchill Films distributed the film in 16mm for the educational market. The production led several of the gang members to earn high school and college degrees.
âIf THE JUNGLE looks different from other filmed depictions of gang life,
there is a reason: Every aspect of its creation, from the script to its
photography, editing and acting was manned by the young members of a real
Philadelphia street gang. Project director Harold Haskins was an eager
young social worker when he approached the 12th & Oxford Street Gang and
convinced them they should try to make a movie. The result is a completely
inside view of this usually hidden world, with authentic depictions of
their unique social codes, activities, fashion and music (the soundtrack
includes an early street-corner rap about the joys of cheap wine). Soon the
gang was transformed into the 12th & Oxford Film Makers Corporation,
presenting their work around the world and committed to positive change in
their community. Yet, their cameraman, specially trained for this project,
was later slain by a rival gang jealous of their filmmaking success.â - http://www.mail-archive.com/culture@list.purple.com/msg00580.html
Video from the UCLA Film & Television Archive
Scratch and Crow (Helen Hill, 1995, 10 min., 16mm, color)
Helen Hillâs student film was made at the California Institute of the Arts. Consistent with the short films she made from age 11 until her death at 36, this animated short work is filled with vivid color and a light sense of humor. It is also a poetic and spiritual homage to animals and the human soul. http://www.helenhill.org
The Helen Hill Collection at Harvard Film Archive:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/collections/hill.html
Precious Images (Chuck Workman, 1986, 8 min., color)
Chuck Workmanâs legendary compilation film to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Directors Guild of America is also a dazzling celebration of the first near-century of American cinema. The pioneer of rapid-fire film history montages, "Precious Images" contains in the space of seven short minutes nearly 500 clips from classic films spanning the years 1903-1985. It became the most influential and widely shown short film in history. Workman is known for creating the montages shown during the annual Academy Awards broadcast. The film won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film during the 1987 ceremony. In 1996, the film was reissued with new scenes from more contemporary films up to that point.
List of films included in Precious Images: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091787/movieconnections
Film print courtesy of Chuck Workman
Chuck Workman: http://www.calliopefilms.com/home.html
Admission for Filmforum screenings: $10 general, $6 students/seniors, free for Filmforum members
Advance ticket purchase available through Brown Paper Tickets at
For the screenings at the Egyptian Theater:
Parking is now easiest at the Hollywood & Highland complex. Bring your ticket for validation. Parking is $2 for 4 hours with validation. Enter that complex on Highland or Hollywood. The theater is 1.5 blocks east.
Los Angeles Filmforum is the city's longest-running organization screening experimental and avant-garde film and video art, documentaries, and experimental animation. 2010 is our 34th year.
Memberships available, $60 single or $95 dual
Contact us at lafilmforum@yahoo.com. www.lafilmforum.org
This screening series is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. Additional support generously provided by American Cinematheque.
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LocationSpielberg Theater at the Egyptian
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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