Moving image review (1988]-)

National Film Registry Visits Vermont The programs read: "The Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board proudly present the National Film Registry Tour, a nationwide celebration of America's film heritage." Proud they should be, if the tour's autumn visit to Brattleboro, Vermont, was any indication. The 1936 Latchis Theatre played host to the tour, which filled the theater's 800-seat main hall the first night and kept movie lovers flowing in from around the region for the next week. The official Opening Night Celebration began with a reception at the Brattleboro Museum attended by 300 guests, followed by Dr. Strangelove on the big screen. Distinguished actor James Earl Jones, a member of the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, greeted the audience, commenting on his first film role and his enthusiasm for film preservation and access. "It's important to preserve the original films," Jones said. "It's important to see them in theaters like this. Not to be sacrilegious, but in many ways these old movie houses are like cathedrals. The grand architecture, the vast seating, tells us a lot of what the builders thought of the art they displayed here." Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a strong supporter of film preservation, called himself possibly "the biggest movie fan the U.S. Senate has ever had." Leahy helped pass the original authorizing legislation for the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) in 1988, and introduced legislation signed in 1996 that reauthorized the NFPB and created the National Film Preservation Foundation. The Registry event was front-page news for Brattleboro's Weekend Reformer, which pictured Leahy and Jones in a large photograph accompanying two articles by reporter Stephen Seitz. A Special Place New England film people participated throughout the week. Smith College film historian Ben Singer, director and educator Jay Craven, screenwriter Ernest Kinoy, and NHF co-founder Karan Sheldon introduced individual programs. "The opening night energy from people of all ages, standing room only, was terrific," says Sheldon. She adds, "The Latchis family deserves immense gratitude for keeping the theater alive. Northeast Historic Film is pleased to hear of the foundation of Friends of the Latchis, a new nonprofit group to carry the historic preservation forward." The theater is featured in NHF s cultural history exhibition, Going to the Movies, in part because of its atmospheric interior and mythic murals tied to the Latchis family's Greek heritage. Elizabeth Latchis, who runs the building's 30-room hotel, recounts the visit of Tibetan monks, who chanted in the theater. They said tJiey found the space very magical. Public Nomination Every year the Librarian of Congress, Dr. James Billington, adds 25 films to the Registry, which now lists 225 films. Last year he said, "Taken together these 225 films represent a broad range of American filmmaking — including Hollywood feature films, documentaries, avant-garde, amateur footage, films of regional interest, ethnic, animated and short film subjects — all deserving recognition, preservation and access by future generations." The public is invited to suggest films for the 1 999 Registry, based on their aesthetic, historical, or cultural importance. For details, visit the Library's website at http://lcweb.loc.gov/film/vote.html. The National Film Preservation Board, representing moving-image constituencies including writers, directors, scholars, and archivists, meets annually to advise the Librarian. The Association of Moving Image Archivists is represented on the NFPB by Eddie Richmond, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and Karan Sheldon, Northeast Historic Film. • Thanks to The Brattleboro Reformer for permission to quote. The Latchis Theatre in 1938. Today, the murals and ceiling adornment are still present, while a 40-foot screen has been added in front of the proscenium. Photo from Latchis family archives.