National Film Registry – Cinema Crazed

BOOTLEG FILES 864: “Hot Dogs for Gauguin” (1972 student film short by Martin Brest starring Danny DeVito).

LAST SEEN: On the OK.ru website.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An obscure film that fell through the cinematic cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

At the risk of being cruel, it needs to be acknowledged that the overwhelming majority of student films represent a victory of enthusiasm over talent. But that’s not to say the genre lacks gems – Denis Sanders’ “A Time Out of War” (1954) won the Academy Award, while George Lucas’ career has its roots in his 1967 “Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB.” Martin Brest is also credited with hatching one of the best student films of all time, the 1972 “Hot Dogs for Gauguin,” which he made while at New York University – that film wound up on the National Film Registry, one of the very few student films to earn such an honor.
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Earlier this week, the Library of Congress announced its annual additions to the National Film Registry. This year, unfortunately, the choices smelled of woke politics – there were a glut of obscure and, quite frankly, unworthy films that were only included because they were not directed by white men – coupled with some cheesy popcorn flicks that fell far short of the “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films” definition that is supposed to be Registry’s judging criteria.

Rather than pick apart each dismal selection on this year’s Registry, here is an attempt to talk up some far more deserving titles for consideration in the 2021 slate. In chronological order, here are 10 films that should be on the National Film Registry.

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Tag Archives: National Film Registry

The Bootleg Files: Hot Dogs for Gauguin

10 Films That Should Be on the National Film Registry