American Films

Twenty-five American films - ranging from the silent Sunrise (1927) to the talkie Sunset Boulevard (1950), from the cold tundra in Nanook of the North (1922) to the cold war in Dr. Strangelove (1964) - were named national landmarks yesterday. The final selections, announced by Librarian of Congress James Billington, were based on consultation with representatives of 13 film organizations, including the Directors Guild of America and the American Film Institute, as well as on a public poll.

When the Library of Congress - gingerly avoiding the word best - set out to compile the first list of 25 American films that most deserved preservation and protection, it had to start somewhere. Inevitably, its choices had to start an argument. The list was announced Tuesday, and perhaps we should begin by acknowledging what an impossible task confronted the preservationists. Norman Jewison, speaking after the premiere of his In Country at the Toronto Film Festival last week, shook his head ruefully at the prospect.

After 17 years, Philadelphia QFest is one of the East Coast's biggest gay and lesbian film festivals. It returns this year with screenings of 109 films through July 18 at Ritz East and Ritz at the Bourse in Center City. "This year, we're particularly proud of our selection of international films," says festival cofounder Ray Murray. The inveterate film fan, who expects attendance to top 25,000, offered some of his personal favorites, starting with two titles by the unconventional director Scud, Amphetamine and Love Actually . . . Sucks!

Despite the gloomy U.S. trade deficit, exporters of American television programs and theatrical films are gleeful, for this is a year of banner sales. J.R., Mr. T and Rambo now have loyal fans from Brunei to Bangladesh. An astounding $1.96 billion worth of American films were sold overseas in 1986 - a 16 percent jump in one year. And approximately $1 billion worth of American TV programs have infiltrated foreign sets. The United States, the world's biggest supplier of TV and film programming, feeds a rapidly expanding market as networks deregulate internationally, and cable, pay TV, and VCRs span the globe creating a ravenous appetite for inexpensive, glitzy programming.

It's not often that good foreign films are remade into good American films. For every "Sommersby" or "Birdcage" there are three "Cousins" or "City of Angels. " Even director George Sluizer had trouble Americanizing his own terrific Dutch thriller "The Vanishing. " Which makes "Memento" director Christopher Nolan's gripping psychological thriller "Insomnia" (VHS: $22.99; DVD: $26.99), based on Erik Skjoldbjaerg's 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, all the more rewarding. Nolan captures the atmosphere and cadence of the original, while branding the film with his own unique cinematic style.

In the wake of the U.S. aerial raid on Libya, the fear of terrorist reprisals against Americans abroad is causing some American movie companies to question plans to film in Europe. "I wouldn't like to be a movie company shooting right now in France, Germany or Italy," said Paul Lichtman. Lichtman and his partner, Arnold Fishman, happen to have a solution. Their company, Incovent Inc., is the exclusive North American representative for Jadran Films in Yugoslavia. Until now, there were two major advantages to filming in Yugoslavia: the large savings of U.S. production costs because of the cheap labor in that country and the nation's varied terrain, which enabled producers to use Yugoslavia as a substitute for Italy (Mussolini)

The walls of Le Julyann, a neighborhood cafe, are covered with storefront pictures that look to be as old as photography itself. Fish peddlers and cheese merchants sip their espressos before switching to young red wine. And the clerk at the bar dispenses Gitane cigarettes with the deftness of a blackjack dealer. But hold on. What's that Jurassic Park pinball machine doing in here? Denise Marraccin, the manager, flashed a smile of resignation. It was her children's idea, she said.

Last week I had this crazy dream. There he was, the Prince of Egypt, descending from Sinai hoisting tablets inscribed: No guns. No helicopters. No explosives. No hero cops. No treacly soundtracks. No terminal diseases. No remakes. No earsplitting decibel levels. No sixtyish heroes with twentysomething love interests. No films longer than 100 minutes. My dream of a new Ten Commandments for moviemakers? Hollywood could do worse than adopt these resolutions for 1999.

"Silver City. " A drama starring Gosia Dobrowolska, Ivar Kants and Anna Jemison. Directed by Sophia Turkiewicz from a screenplay by Thomas Keneally and Turkiewicz. Running time: 101 minutes. In English and Polish with English subtitles. A Samuel Goldwyn release. At the Roxy, 2021 Sansom St. If you are one of those moviegoers confounded by the fact that certain American films, always the least representative ones, tend to walk off with the major awards, take heart - the pursuit and reward of art are compromised in other countries as well.

"The Whistle Blower," a suspense drama starring Michael Caine, Nigel Havers, James Fox, Felicity Dean and Sir John Gielgud. Directed by Simon Langton. Screenplay by Julian Bond. Running time: 100 minutes. A Hemdale release. At the Ritz Five. "Paranoia runs deep/Into your heart it may creep. " Buffalo Springfield sure had it right when it comes to British suspense dramas. Compared to "Defense of the Realm," which played here earlier this year, and "The Whistle Blower," which opens today at the Ritz Five, American thrillers like "No Way Out" and "Seven Days in May" are positively pollyannish.

After 17 years, Philadelphia QFest is one of the East Coast's biggest gay and lesbian film festivals. It returns this year with screenings of 109 films through July 18 at Ritz East and Ritz at the Bourse in Center City. "This year, we're particularly proud of our selection of international films," says festival cofounder Ray Murray. The inveterate film fan, who expects attendance to top 25,000, offered some of his personal favorites, starting with two titles by the unconventional director Scud, Amphetamine and Love Actually . . . Sucks!

Greetings, battle-scarred vets of the 2007 movie wars. It was a year when matters of conception and mortality were the stuff of comedy. And a year when many American films reconsidered the 1960s - the politics, the music, and the social upheavals. It was also a year of musicals, including the big, bouffant Hairspray, the small, hushed Once, and the experimental Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There. This was a year when There Will Be Blood (opening Friday) might serve as a description for many movies, especially those about Iraq.

Greetings, battle-scarred vets of the 2007 movie wars. It was a year when matters of conception and mortality were the stuff of comedy. And a year when many American films reconsidered the 1960s - the politics, the music, and the social upheavals. It was also a year of musicals, including the big, bouffant Hairspray , the small, hushed Once, and the experimental Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There . This was a year when There Will Be Blood (opening Friday)

When symphony orchestras join forces with cinema, the occasion is something with epic size but little dialogue, like Alexander Nevsky. The smaller, habitually rambunctious Rel?che ensemble version of such collaborations requires a fascination with the arcane along with the price of admission: This past weekend's "Visions Sonic + Surreal" featured experimental short films by inter-war Paris fixtures such as Man Ray and Ren? Clair, plus some later...

It's not often that good foreign films are remade into good American films. For every "Sommersby" or "Birdcage" there are three "Cousins" or "City of Angels. " Even director George Sluizer had trouble Americanizing his own terrific Dutch thriller "The Vanishing. " Which makes "Memento" director Christopher Nolan's gripping psychological thriller "Insomnia" (VHS: $22.99; DVD: $26.99), based on Erik Skjoldbjaerg's 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, all the more rewarding. Nolan captures the atmosphere and cadence of the original, while branding the film with his own unique cinematic style.

One of the most popular songs in Egypt these days is "I Hate Israel. " Youths are flocking to anti-American films, and many have begun wearing black and white checkered head coverings in a show of solidarity with Palestinians. Newly installed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he will pursue peace with the Palestinians and his Arab neighbors, but it may be hard to undo the damage caused by the last five months of Palestinian-Israeli clashes. In Egypt and other Arab countries, hostility toward Israel and the United States has increased sharply, feeding an arts industry that some say is fueling the rage.

As the season of best-of lists draws to a close and awards mania begins, the American Film Institute yesterday got two more rosters in just before the fade-out. The most-accomplished domestic films of 2000, according to a 12-member AFI jury: Almost Famous, Before Night Falls, Best in Show, Erin Brockovich, Gladiator, High Fidelity, Requiem for a Dream, Traffic, Wonder Boys and You Can Count on Me. The year's "defining moments" in film, those with the most significant impact on the art: The pending merger of America Online Inc. and Time Warner Inc., which would be a mega-marriage of distribution and content providers.

Over the past few years, the American movie industry has taken a particularly nasty turn. Instead of being merely suggestive, films, with very few exceptions, now overtly wallow in themes such as alcohol and drug abuse, rape, Satanism and perverted sex. . . . Most youths spend a great deal of time watching these immoral films to the extent that television has come . . . to supplant critical reading, playing . . . social interaction, and skills development....

What becomes a legend most? Romantic mystique, it would seem. Death is likewise a good career move. On a special broadcast over CBS last night, the American Film Institute ranked the 50 top American screen legends. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, costars in The African Queen, led the list of personalities celebrated for the way they made American hearts palpitate. Cary Grant and Bette Davis placed second, while James Stewart and Audrey Hepburn showed third. To be eligible for this hall of fame, an actor or actress had to make his or her screen debut before 1950 or have died and left a complete body of work.

Last week I had this crazy dream. There he was, the Prince of Egypt, descending from Sinai hoisting tablets inscribed: No guns. No helicopters. No explosives. No hero cops. No treacly soundtracks. No terminal diseases. No remakes. No earsplitting decibel levels. No sixtyish heroes with twentysomething love interests. No films longer than 100 minutes. My dream of a new Ten Commandments for moviemakers? Hollywood could do worse than adopt these resolutions for 1999.