Actor and singer Sofia Carson and songwriter Diane Warren will perform the Oscar-nominated song ‘Applause’ from ‘Tell It Like a Woman’ at next month’s Academy Awards ceremony. This is the second nominated song announced after Rihanna was confirmed to perform her track from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, reports Variety.
‘Applause’ marks Warren’s 14th career Oscar nomination, which comes after chart-topping hits such as ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ from ‘Armageddon’ (1998) and ‘Because You Loved Me’ from ‘Up Close and Personal’ (1996), reports Variety.
However, she has yet to win. Oscar-winner Cher was tapped to present Warren with an Honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards.
Carson is a multiplatinum recording artist and released her self-titled debut album in 2022. Warren triumphed recently over fellow nominees Rihanna and Lady Gaga at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards, winning outstanding original song.
The other song nominees are: ‘Hold My Hand...
‘Applause’ marks Warren’s 14th career Oscar nomination, which comes after chart-topping hits such as ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ from ‘Armageddon’ (1998) and ‘Because You Loved Me’ from ‘Up Close and Personal’ (1996), reports Variety.
However, she has yet to win. Oscar-winner Cher was tapped to present Warren with an Honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards.
Carson is a multiplatinum recording artist and released her self-titled debut album in 2022. Warren triumphed recently over fellow nominees Rihanna and Lady Gaga at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards, winning outstanding original song.
The other song nominees are: ‘Hold My Hand...
- 2/25/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Actor and singer Sofia Carson and legendary songwriter Diane Warren will perform together at this year’s Academy Awards.
The pair will be performing “Applause” from “Tell It Like A Woman”, this announcement follows the latest news that Rihanna will be performing her “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” track “Lift Me Up” at next month’s Oscar ceremony.
Read More: ’80 For Brady’ Stars Collaborate With Diane Warren For New Song Which ‘Celebrates Friendship’
Warren has a lengthy list of Oscar nominations, with “Applause” marking her 14th nomination at the ceremony. Her past nominations include the iconic tracks “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” from 1998’s “Armageddon” and “Because You Loved Me” from 1996’s “Up Close and Personal”.
Despite her legendary status in the industry, Warren has yet to bag an Oscar win officially. However, she may take home this year’s coveted prize, as she recently trounced over Rihanna and...
The pair will be performing “Applause” from “Tell It Like A Woman”, this announcement follows the latest news that Rihanna will be performing her “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” track “Lift Me Up” at next month’s Oscar ceremony.
Read More: ’80 For Brady’ Stars Collaborate With Diane Warren For New Song Which ‘Celebrates Friendship’
Warren has a lengthy list of Oscar nominations, with “Applause” marking her 14th nomination at the ceremony. Her past nominations include the iconic tracks “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” from 1998’s “Armageddon” and “Because You Loved Me” from 1996’s “Up Close and Personal”.
Despite her legendary status in the industry, Warren has yet to bag an Oscar win officially. However, she may take home this year’s coveted prize, as she recently trounced over Rihanna and...
- 2/24/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Descendants star Sofia Carson and Oscar regular Diane Warren are set to perform the Best Song nominee “Applause” at the 95th annual Academy Awards next month.
Warren wrote the music and lyrics for the track from Tell It Like a Woman, earning her 14th Best Song Oscar nom since 1988 and sixth in as many years. She has yet to claim the hardware but did receive a Governors Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in November and snagged an Emmy for The Hunting Ground song “Til It Happens to You,” sung by Lady Gaga.
Related Story Diane Warren On 14th Oscar Song Nom For ‘Applause’ & Assembling Power Team Of Female Crooners For ‘80 For Brady’ – Crew Call Podcast Related Story Tom Whitlock Dies: Oscar-Winning Co-Writer Of 'Top Gun' Hits 'Take My Breath Away' & 'Danger Zone' Was 68 Related Story Rihanna Will Perform "Lift Me Up...
Warren wrote the music and lyrics for the track from Tell It Like a Woman, earning her 14th Best Song Oscar nom since 1988 and sixth in as many years. She has yet to claim the hardware but did receive a Governors Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in November and snagged an Emmy for The Hunting Ground song “Til It Happens to You,” sung by Lady Gaga.
Related Story Diane Warren On 14th Oscar Song Nom For ‘Applause’ & Assembling Power Team Of Female Crooners For ‘80 For Brady’ – Crew Call Podcast Related Story Tom Whitlock Dies: Oscar-Winning Co-Writer Of 'Top Gun' Hits 'Take My Breath Away' & 'Danger Zone' Was 68 Related Story Rihanna Will Perform "Lift Me Up...
- 2/24/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress and singer Sofia Carson, accompanied by songwriter Diane Warren, will perform Warren’s Oscar-nominated tune “Applause” from the film Tell It Like a Woman during the Oscars telecast on March 12, the show’s producers announced Friday.
“Applause” marks hit-machine Warren’s 14th best original song Oscar nomination — she has yet to win a competitive Oscar, but was celebrated with an honorary Oscar at the Academy’s most recent Governors Awards last November.
Carson is a multiplatinum recording artist and released her self-titled debut album in 2022. Her film credits include “Purple Hearts,” which she also executive produced and wrote and performed the soundtrack, “Songbird,” “Feel the Beat,” the “Descendants” trilogy, and the upcoming film “Carry On.”
Earlier this week, the show’s producers announced that pop-star Rihanna would perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, another best original song nominee, on the telecast.
These announcements could give a...
“Applause” marks hit-machine Warren’s 14th best original song Oscar nomination — she has yet to win a competitive Oscar, but was celebrated with an honorary Oscar at the Academy’s most recent Governors Awards last November.
Carson is a multiplatinum recording artist and released her self-titled debut album in 2022. Her film credits include “Purple Hearts,” which she also executive produced and wrote and performed the soundtrack, “Songbird,” “Feel the Beat,” the “Descendants” trilogy, and the upcoming film “Carry On.”
Earlier this week, the show’s producers announced that pop-star Rihanna would perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, another best original song nominee, on the telecast.
These announcements could give a...
- 2/24/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joining a newly pregnant and post-Super Bowl halftime star Rihanna at the Oscar telecast will be actress and singer Sofia Carson, performing nominee Diane Warren’s song “Applause” from the film “Tell it Like a Woman,” starring Jennifer Hudson and Marcia Gay Harden. The duo have previously performed the tune together at the TheWrap’s 2022 Power Women Summit, and will again take the stage at the Dolby Theatre to share their Best Original Song nominee.
Singer, actress and activist Sofia Carson took the stage alongside songwriter Diane Warren to perform their award-winning song “Applause” at TheWrap’s 2022 Power Women Summit. https://t.co/lA6qqRRPfX
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) December 16, 2022
The song marks Warren’s 14th competitive nomination for songwriting at the Oscars, an industry award that remained elusive to her until last year when she received an Honorary Award for her considerable contributions to the motion picture industry. She is best...
Singer, actress and activist Sofia Carson took the stage alongside songwriter Diane Warren to perform their award-winning song “Applause” at TheWrap’s 2022 Power Women Summit. https://t.co/lA6qqRRPfX
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) December 16, 2022
The song marks Warren’s 14th competitive nomination for songwriting at the Oscars, an industry award that remained elusive to her until last year when she received an Honorary Award for her considerable contributions to the motion picture industry. She is best...
- 2/24/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
After being lifted up on some wild platforms during her Super Bowl halftime show earlier this month, Rihanna is ready to lift up the Oscars audience at next month’s awards show. On Thursday, the Academy Awards announced that Rihanna will perform her song “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the 2023 awards ceremony.
Rihanna is the first performer announced for this year’s awards show, though typically, the Best Original Song artist nominees take the stage. Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the awards show, which is...
Rihanna is the first performer announced for this year’s awards show, though typically, the Best Original Song artist nominees take the stage. Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the awards show, which is...
- 2/23/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
After blowing everyone away at the Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” at the 95th Oscars, executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner announced on Thursday.
The “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ballad is the superstar’s first Best Original Song nomination. She shares a writing credit with director Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian singer Tems.
The Grammy-winning artist’s performance comes weeks after her Super Bowl halftime show, her first time on stage in more than four years, during which she surprise-announced her pregnancy.
Also Read:
‘Rrr’ Distributor Calls Out Twitter for Not Approving Telugu as a Language for Ads: ‘So You’ve Blocked Us?’
The Oscars performance will make Rihanna the second artist to perform on the Super Bowl halftime show and do a nominated song at the Oscars in the same year, following Phil Collins in 2000. But Collins was one...
The “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ballad is the superstar’s first Best Original Song nomination. She shares a writing credit with director Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian singer Tems.
The Grammy-winning artist’s performance comes weeks after her Super Bowl halftime show, her first time on stage in more than four years, during which she surprise-announced her pregnancy.
Also Read:
‘Rrr’ Distributor Calls Out Twitter for Not Approving Telugu as a Language for Ads: ‘So You’ve Blocked Us?’
The Oscars performance will make Rihanna the second artist to perform on the Super Bowl halftime show and do a nominated song at the Oscars in the same year, following Phil Collins in 2000. But Collins was one...
- 2/23/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
What a month: hot on the heels of her Feb. 12 Super Bowl halftime performance, pop superstar Rihanna will perform on the 2023 Oscars telecast on March 12, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.
The Barbadian singer-songwriter, who is the second-best-selling female music artist of all time, will presumably perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which she co-wrote with Tems, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson, and which is nominated for the best original song Oscar (marking her first-ever Oscar nom).
Other best song Oscar nominees this year are Diane Warren’s “Applause” from Tell it Like a Woman, Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, “Naatu Naatu” from Rrr and David Byrne’s “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once.
This relatively early announcement of Rihanna’s participation could give a further shot of adrenaline to a show that is...
The Barbadian singer-songwriter, who is the second-best-selling female music artist of all time, will presumably perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which she co-wrote with Tems, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson, and which is nominated for the best original song Oscar (marking her first-ever Oscar nom).
Other best song Oscar nominees this year are Diane Warren’s “Applause” from Tell it Like a Woman, Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, “Naatu Naatu” from Rrr and David Byrne’s “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once.
This relatively early announcement of Rihanna’s participation could give a further shot of adrenaline to a show that is...
- 2/23/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s not Oscar season without songwriter Diane Warren. After taking home a Governors Award from AMPAS this fall, the multi-platinum selling and Billboard chart-topping songwriter of such hits as Rhythm of the Night and If I Could Turn Back Time is looking at her 14th Original Song Oscar nomination, this time for the ditty “Applause” from the Samuel Goldwyn Films title Tell It Like a Woman.
The song is another inspirational anthem in the vein of some of Warren’s other nominated singles such as 2015’s “Till It Happens to You” from the doc The Hunting Ground, 2017’s “Stand Up for Something” from Marshall, 2018’s “I’ll Fight” from Rbg among others.
“‘Applause’ is a love song to yourself, it’s about giving yourself love and respect and taking a minute to do that,” Warren says on the latest episode of Crew Call. The song is not only the...
The song is another inspirational anthem in the vein of some of Warren’s other nominated singles such as 2015’s “Till It Happens to You” from the doc The Hunting Ground, 2017’s “Stand Up for Something” from Marshall, 2018’s “I’ll Fight” from Rbg among others.
“‘Applause’ is a love song to yourself, it’s about giving yourself love and respect and taking a minute to do that,” Warren says on the latest episode of Crew Call. The song is not only the...
- 2/23/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
What does it mean to be a woman? A group of talented writers and directors come together to answer the question in “Tell It Like A Woman.” The film looks at the many challenges women face on a daily basis — highlighting both the empowering and heartbreaking aspects that accompany these complex subjects. The project garnered attention thanks to its Oscar nomination for Dianne Warren — a 14-time nominee; her song, “Applause,” is performed by actress Sofia Carson.
Continue reading ‘Tell It Like A Woman’ Trailer: Cara Delevingne, Jennifer Hudson & More Star In A Collection Of Women’s Stories In A New Omnibus Film at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Tell It Like A Woman’ Trailer: Cara Delevingne, Jennifer Hudson & More Star In A Collection Of Women’s Stories In A New Omnibus Film at The Playlist.
- 2/16/2023
- by Valerie Thompson
- The Playlist
Exclusive: Criminal Minds showrunner Simon Mirren and his production partner Benjamin Anderson are currently in Mumbai working on a procedural drama series with Indian firms Applause Entertainment and Locomotive Global, Deadline can reveal.
Mirren — also known for series such as Spooks, Versailles and Without a Trace — and Anderson are involved in the precinct-based crime ‘pro-serial’ through their new company, Case Closed Entertainment.
Applause, which takes a feature film financing approach to streaming series, has greenlit the series working alongside Case Closed and Locomotive, which is based in Mumbai and California, and will look to sell it to an SVoD service once produced. The Aditya Birla Group-owned Applause was behind the Indian remake of Peter Moffat’s BBC drama Criminal Justice and several other Western scripted format adaptations such as The Office.
“The reason I had initially done remakes was for speed to market, allowing us to take a framework and reimagine it,...
Mirren — also known for series such as Spooks, Versailles and Without a Trace — and Anderson are involved in the precinct-based crime ‘pro-serial’ through their new company, Case Closed Entertainment.
Applause, which takes a feature film financing approach to streaming series, has greenlit the series working alongside Case Closed and Locomotive, which is based in Mumbai and California, and will look to sell it to an SVoD service once produced. The Aditya Birla Group-owned Applause was behind the Indian remake of Peter Moffat’s BBC drama Criminal Justice and several other Western scripted format adaptations such as The Office.
“The reason I had initially done remakes was for speed to market, allowing us to take a framework and reimagine it,...
- 8/24/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Hal Roach looks on as technicians install Vitaphone equipment in his studio screening room, ca. 1928. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) 'A Century of Sound': Q&A with former UCLA Preservation Officer Robert Gitt about the evolution of film sound technology Long before multi-track Dolby stereo and digital sound technology, there were the Kinetophone and the Vitaphone systems – not to mention organ and piano players at movie houses. Much of that is discussed in A Century of Sound, which chronicles the evolution of film sound from the late 19th century to the mid-1970s. A Century of Sound has been split into two parts, with a third installment currently in the planning stages. They are: Vol. 1, “The Beginning, 1876-1932,” which came out on DVD in 2007. Vol. 2, “The Sound of Movies: 1933-1975,” which came out on Blu-ray in 2015. The third installment will bring the presentation into the 21st century.
- 1/26/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It's sweet, all right, not to mention sentimental and corny -- As Adeline Schmidt, Irene Dunne leaves her father's beer garden to sing in New York, where she falls prey to a predatory playboy. Set in nostalgic 1898, this Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II musical features several unfamiliar but marvelous songs. Dunne shows the film world the voice that brought her fame on Broadway -- "Why Was I Born?", "Lonely Feet" -- supported by Donald Woods, Louis Calhern and Dorothy Dare. Warners' new restoration makes this a must see for Irene Dunne fans. Sweet Adeline DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1934 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 87 min. / Street Date October 20, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 18.95 Starring Irene Dunne, Donald Woods, Louis Calhern, Hugh Herbert, Ned Sparks, Wini Shaw, Joseph Cawthorn, Dorothy Dare, Noah Beery, William V. Mong. Cinematography Sol Polito Film Editor Ralph Dawson Art Director Robert Haas Ensembles Director Bobby Connolly...
- 12/30/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
WASHINGTON -- As Rocky Balboa makes his big-screen comeback, the movie that launched the franchise 30 years ago and made Sylvester Stallone a household name was among 25 films named to the National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress on Wednesday.
Rocky, the Oscar winner for best picture of 1976, joined Mel Brooks' outrageous comedy Blazing Saddles (1974), John Carpenter's slasher classic Halloween (1978), the Coen brothers' black comedy Fargo (1996) and Steven Soderbergh's groundbreaking "sex, lies, and videotape" (1989) on this year's selection of treasures that are guaranteed to be preserved forever.
The 2006 entrants span the years 1913-96 and feature performances by Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Bill Murray, Ingrid Bergman, John Wayne and late soul great James Brown and directors Alfred Hitchcock, Rouben Mamoulian and Raoul Walsh.
The National Film Registry list, begun in 1989, now numbers 450.
While the choices by Librarian of Congress James Billington spotlights some well-known films, it also features many lesser-known lights of the filmmakers' art, including the only film recording of pioneering blues artist Bessie Smith, a 1913 exploitation film about the white slave trade, one of the first rock concert movies and even a home movie.
"The annual selection of films to the National Film Registry involves far more than the simple naming of cherished and important films to a prestigious list," Billington said. "The registry should not be seen as the Kennedy Center Honors, the Academy Awards or even America's most beloved films. Rather, it is an invaluable means to advance public awareness of the richness, creativity and variety of American film heritage and to dramatize the need for its preservation."
Billington made his selections from more than 1,000 titles nominated by the public after lengthy discussions with the library's motion picture division staff and members of the National Film Preservation Board.
Congress created the registry in 1989 to preserve films of cultural, historical and artistic significance. Selection in the National Film Registry singles out films for preservation either in the Library of Congress' own archive or facilities elsewhere.
Big studio releases usually are cared for by their own archives or other variants of public and private film archives. Entry in the registry often puts a priority on the films named; if they aren't being preserved, their inclusion often moves them up on the list.
Rocky also won Oscars for best director (John Avildsen) and film editing and received 10 nominations. Stallone was nominated as best actor and for his original screenplay. Rocky Balboa, the sixth film in the franchise, opened last week.
" 'Rocky' is an important film," said Steve Leggett, staff coordinator for the National Film Preservation Board. "And it's a great story (in real life): An out-of-work actor watches a fight on TV and whips out a screenplay, and there you go."
While Billington already has picked a pair of Brooks films, The Producers and Young Frankenstein, for the list, he said the registry wouldn't be complete without Blazing Saddles.
It's an iconic film, Leggett said. "(Brooks is) an equal opportunity basher. He bashes everyone, and there are a lot of very funny scenes. It's over-the-top comedy with a civil rights theme. It would be very difficult movie to make today. Just look at what's happened with the Kazaks (and 'Borat'). Mel Brooks had a small window of opportunity."
Halloween might not have the artistic chops of two other films on this year's list -- The Last Command, director Josef von Sternberg's 1928 story that starred Emil Jannings in an Oscar-winning performance, or 1946's Notorious, arguably Hitchcock's best black-and-white American film -- but it launched a genre, Leggett noted.
" 'Halloween' launched Carpenter's career and started the slasher genre," he said. "Some people may say that's good or bad, but it's really a good film."
Von Sternberg's silent drama, about an exiled Russian general who is reduced to working as a Hollywood extra, is seen by film critic Leonard Maltin as another genre-making film.
"It shows that even in the '20s, people were interested in the inner workings of Hollywood and (seeing) Hollywood mythicize itself," said Maltin, a member of the library's film preservation board. "Eventually, (Jannings' character) finds himself in a battle scene wearing his old uniform. It sounds contrived, but it works out."
The bulk of the choices are obscure films such as St. Louis Blues, the 1929 RKO sound experiment that captured Smith singing in a two-reeler; Think of Me First as a Person, a home movie about a child with Down syndrome that was put together over 15 years; and the avant-garde "Early Abstractions #1-5, 7, 10," Harry Smith's compilation of seven of his films from 1939-56.
Billington noted that films like these, as well as documentaries and silent movies, are disappearing at an alarming rate as nitrate deterioration, color fading and the recently discovered "vinegar syndrome" (which threatens the acetate-based "safety film" stock) take their toll.
"This key component of American cultural history is an endangered species," he said.
Complete list:
Applause (1929)
This early sound-era masterpiece was the first film for stage director Rouben Mamoulian and cabaret star Helen Morgan. Many have compared Mamoulian's debut to that of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane because of their flamboyant use of cinematic innovation to test technical boundaries. The tear-jerking plot boasts top performances from Morgan as the fading burlesque queen, Fuller Mellish Jr. as her slimy paramour and Joan Peers as her cultured daughter. However, the film is remembered today chiefly for Mamoulian's audacious style. While most films of the era were static and stage-bound, Mamoulian's camera reinvigorated the melodramatic plot by prowling relentlessly through sordid backstage life.
The Big Trail (1930)
The story goes that director Raoul Walsh was seeking a male lead for his new Western and asked his friend John Ford. He recommended an unknown actor named John Wayne because he "liked the looks of this New Kid with a funny walk, like he owned the world." When Wayne professed inexperience, Walsh told him to just "sit good on a horse and point." The plot of a trek along the Oregon Trail is aided immensely by the majestic sweep provided by the experimental Grandeur widescreen process used in filming.
Rocky, the Oscar winner for best picture of 1976, joined Mel Brooks' outrageous comedy Blazing Saddles (1974), John Carpenter's slasher classic Halloween (1978), the Coen brothers' black comedy Fargo (1996) and Steven Soderbergh's groundbreaking "sex, lies, and videotape" (1989) on this year's selection of treasures that are guaranteed to be preserved forever.
The 2006 entrants span the years 1913-96 and feature performances by Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Bill Murray, Ingrid Bergman, John Wayne and late soul great James Brown and directors Alfred Hitchcock, Rouben Mamoulian and Raoul Walsh.
The National Film Registry list, begun in 1989, now numbers 450.
While the choices by Librarian of Congress James Billington spotlights some well-known films, it also features many lesser-known lights of the filmmakers' art, including the only film recording of pioneering blues artist Bessie Smith, a 1913 exploitation film about the white slave trade, one of the first rock concert movies and even a home movie.
"The annual selection of films to the National Film Registry involves far more than the simple naming of cherished and important films to a prestigious list," Billington said. "The registry should not be seen as the Kennedy Center Honors, the Academy Awards or even America's most beloved films. Rather, it is an invaluable means to advance public awareness of the richness, creativity and variety of American film heritage and to dramatize the need for its preservation."
Billington made his selections from more than 1,000 titles nominated by the public after lengthy discussions with the library's motion picture division staff and members of the National Film Preservation Board.
Congress created the registry in 1989 to preserve films of cultural, historical and artistic significance. Selection in the National Film Registry singles out films for preservation either in the Library of Congress' own archive or facilities elsewhere.
Big studio releases usually are cared for by their own archives or other variants of public and private film archives. Entry in the registry often puts a priority on the films named; if they aren't being preserved, their inclusion often moves them up on the list.
Rocky also won Oscars for best director (John Avildsen) and film editing and received 10 nominations. Stallone was nominated as best actor and for his original screenplay. Rocky Balboa, the sixth film in the franchise, opened last week.
" 'Rocky' is an important film," said Steve Leggett, staff coordinator for the National Film Preservation Board. "And it's a great story (in real life): An out-of-work actor watches a fight on TV and whips out a screenplay, and there you go."
While Billington already has picked a pair of Brooks films, The Producers and Young Frankenstein, for the list, he said the registry wouldn't be complete without Blazing Saddles.
It's an iconic film, Leggett said. "(Brooks is) an equal opportunity basher. He bashes everyone, and there are a lot of very funny scenes. It's over-the-top comedy with a civil rights theme. It would be very difficult movie to make today. Just look at what's happened with the Kazaks (and 'Borat'). Mel Brooks had a small window of opportunity."
Halloween might not have the artistic chops of two other films on this year's list -- The Last Command, director Josef von Sternberg's 1928 story that starred Emil Jannings in an Oscar-winning performance, or 1946's Notorious, arguably Hitchcock's best black-and-white American film -- but it launched a genre, Leggett noted.
" 'Halloween' launched Carpenter's career and started the slasher genre," he said. "Some people may say that's good or bad, but it's really a good film."
Von Sternberg's silent drama, about an exiled Russian general who is reduced to working as a Hollywood extra, is seen by film critic Leonard Maltin as another genre-making film.
"It shows that even in the '20s, people were interested in the inner workings of Hollywood and (seeing) Hollywood mythicize itself," said Maltin, a member of the library's film preservation board. "Eventually, (Jannings' character) finds himself in a battle scene wearing his old uniform. It sounds contrived, but it works out."
The bulk of the choices are obscure films such as St. Louis Blues, the 1929 RKO sound experiment that captured Smith singing in a two-reeler; Think of Me First as a Person, a home movie about a child with Down syndrome that was put together over 15 years; and the avant-garde "Early Abstractions #1-5, 7, 10," Harry Smith's compilation of seven of his films from 1939-56.
Billington noted that films like these, as well as documentaries and silent movies, are disappearing at an alarming rate as nitrate deterioration, color fading and the recently discovered "vinegar syndrome" (which threatens the acetate-based "safety film" stock) take their toll.
"This key component of American cultural history is an endangered species," he said.
Complete list:
Applause (1929)
This early sound-era masterpiece was the first film for stage director Rouben Mamoulian and cabaret star Helen Morgan. Many have compared Mamoulian's debut to that of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane because of their flamboyant use of cinematic innovation to test technical boundaries. The tear-jerking plot boasts top performances from Morgan as the fading burlesque queen, Fuller Mellish Jr. as her slimy paramour and Joan Peers as her cultured daughter. However, the film is remembered today chiefly for Mamoulian's audacious style. While most films of the era were static and stage-bound, Mamoulian's camera reinvigorated the melodramatic plot by prowling relentlessly through sordid backstage life.
The Big Trail (1930)
The story goes that director Raoul Walsh was seeking a male lead for his new Western and asked his friend John Ford. He recommended an unknown actor named John Wayne because he "liked the looks of this New Kid with a funny walk, like he owned the world." When Wayne professed inexperience, Walsh told him to just "sit good on a horse and point." The plot of a trek along the Oregon Trail is aided immensely by the majestic sweep provided by the experimental Grandeur widescreen process used in filming.
- 12/27/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.