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films recommended for historical registry
Memorandum
To: Board of National Film Registry.
From: Aaron Surprenant
Date: 4/5/2008
Re: films to be included in honorary registry
CONFIDENTIAL
After weeks of extensive research I have come up with the top films that I will recommend for inclusion to the historic film registry for films that were created in the 90’s, these films make various contributions to the history of film and to society it’s self. Saving Private Ryan-
I believe this film should be included for several reasons, first of all this film features some of the best sound work ever created in a movie, the sound team used actual weapons from world war II to make the firing sound of each weapon, this was then put in to a format where you could hear different weapons firing from different speakers, and feel the explosions around you this created a very dramatic setting for the film viewer, and made hem feel like they were actually there, this aspect of the film definitely took sound to the next level. The film work was also on the cutting edge, Spielberg filmed this in a metallic tone that added to the drab and horrible feeling of war, according to some sources the first 25 minutes of film are the most realistic moments in a war film caught on camera (Best of the 90's) in fact they are so realistic that special counseling centers had to be created for veterans that saw this film and had flashbacks. This film meets all of the criteria that board is looking for to add a film to the registry, it is technically innovative, it has historical importance, and cultural significance by giving younger generations a vivid picture of what war is really like, and all of this creates a film that is artistically excellent.
Jurassic Park-
Since we are on the subject of films by Steven Spielberg I will move to my next nomination for the historic film registry which is Jurassic Park. This film gave us the first realistic glimpse of dinosaurs, and the affects created in this film would go on to be used by directors in future films such as “Night At The Museum” and “Transformers” as well as taking the special affects portion of film making to a whole new level in technology that had not been scene since George Lucas’s creation of Industrial Light and Magic. In the past filmmakers used stop motion photography to create scenes like those in Jurassic park, however this film advanced CGI and the use of full size models as well as there choreography. There is significant cultural impact on society because of this films moral dilemma of cloning, as mankind struggles with the dilemma of its moral implications this film shows one possible outcome of the side affects of cloning, and makes us ask questions as to whether it is right or wrong. I believe that because of its technical innovation and creativity, as well as artistic excellence this film should be included in the registry.
The Usual Suspects-
This next film did not break ground in technical innovation or creativity, or have historical importance, but because of it’s cult following and all around artistic excellence that it brought to the film industry I believe it should be added to our list. Bryan Singer took this Oscar winning screenplay and made it in to a blockbuster film, his signature film technique of using a dioptic filter to keep two close-up faces in focus, as well as his inventive use of six-frame step printing (2008 Mininova), and through flashbacks, cross-cutting, and voice-over narration helped this film to be visually impressive. This film deserves to be in our registry for the 90’s because it is one of the only memorable crime noir films of this time period, the acting is incredible , and the filmography is worth keeping a historical record of.
Office Space-
This film did poorly in the box office but has developed a huge cult following and has become very successful on DVD. It portrays an important part of American Culture during the period in time following the IT boom, however, it not only represents the unhappy IT worker this film also represents anybody that has ever had an office job where they were crammed in to a tiny little cubicle. Several references to this film are made in current pop culture, probably because it originally derived from skits created by Mike Judge on Saturday Night Live and Liquid television. Although this film did not make use of any groundbreaking film techniques or make millions in revenue at the box office it is an important part of American comedic culture, and I feel that pop culture references to this film will keep it alive for many decades to come.
Heat-
The most important historical element of this film is not only that it is the best film ever done by Michael Mann, but that it is the first film ever to feature the two film legends Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino face to face, this film should make it to the registry on its acting merits alone. But this film has much more to offer than just incredible acting this is a film that has epic storytelling combined with deep character development, and because of this it reaches levels not usually seen in this type of film. The bank robbery scene that takes place in the films second act is a master piece with unbelievable uses of pacing, technical work, and action (Best of the 90’s). This film takes the typical battle of good vs. evil and expounds upon it by showing that the characters are much more than just good and evil they are very similar people that could not exist without each other. This film is historical in nature because of the all star cast and should be on the registry because of the incredible acting, creativity, and all around artistic excellence.
These are my suggestions for the historical film registry, some of them might not be mainstream films or blockbusters, however, I believe that each of them has contributed to the film industry by making an impact on our culture, history, or film technology.
References:
http://www.lost-world.com/Lost_World02/Jurassic_Park.Site/Jurassic_Park.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/samneill/films/jppn.txt
http://www.mininova.org/tor/449943 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Space
http://www.theaspectratio.net/bestof90slistII.htm
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Contributor's Note
This was a paper I recently wrote for a class on the introduction to film studies.
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