Mabel Normand
In 1989 Congress created the National Film Registry which “spotlights the importance of protecting America’s matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity.” Here’s what it does:
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the registry that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant, to be preserved for all time. These films are not selected as the “best” American films of all time; rather, they are chosen as works of enduring importance to American culture.
Here are the list of women directed films that made it to the list. Most seem quite small, obscure and old that I have no idea if they can be seen anywhere.
(All descriptions from the Library of Congress web site)
Mabel’s Blunder (1914)
Mabel Normand, who wrote, directed and starred in “Mabel’s Blunder,” was the most successful of the early silent screen comediennes. The film tells the tale of a young woman who is secretly engaged to the boss’ son. When a new employee catches the young man’s eye, a jealous Mabel dresses up as a chauffeur to spy on them, which leads to a series of mistaken identities. The film showcases Normand’s spontaneous and intuitive playfulness and her ability to be both romantically appealing and boisterously funny.
Quasi at the Quackadero (1975)
“Quasi at the Quackadero” has earned the term “unique.” Once described as a “mixture of 1930s Van Beuren cartoons and 1960s R. Crumb comics with a dash of Sam Flax,” and a descendent of the “Depression-era funny animal cartoon,” Sally Cruikshank’s wildly imaginative tale of odd creatures visiting a psychedelic amusement park careens creatively from strange to truly wacky scenes. It became a favorite of the Midnight Movie circuit in the 1970s. Cruikshank later created animation sequences for “Sesame Street,” the 1986 film “Ruthless People” and the “Cartoon Land” sequence in the 1983 film “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”
The Red Book (1994)
Renowned experimental filmmaker and theater/installation artist Janie Geiser’s work is known for its ambiguity, explorations of memory and emotional states and exceptional design. She describes “The Red Book” as “an elliptical, pictographic animated film that uses flat, painted figures and collage elements in both two and three dimensional settings to explore the realms of memory, language and identity from the point of view of a woman amnesiac.”
Scratch and Crow (1995)
Helen Hill’s student film was made at the California Institute of the Arts. Consistent with the short films she made from age 11 until her death at 36, this animated short work is filled with vivid color and a light sense of humor. It is also a poetic and spiritual homage to animals and the human soul.
A Study in Reds (1932)
This polished amateur film by Miriam Bennett spoofs women’s clubs and the Soviet menace in the 1930s. While listening to a tedious lecture on the Soviet threat, Wisconsin Dells’ Tuesday Club members fall asleep and find themselves laboring in an all-women collective in Russia under the unflinching eye of the Soviet special police.
And two women centric films Jezebel and Mrs. Miniver were also included.
Full list here
Seek and yee shall find. 2 of these films are actually viewable on Youtube believe it or not.
Quasi at the Quackadero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH7LcVNusQE
Mabel’s Blunder
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWfEyJU4D80
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odjEnczqxEM&feature=related
Oddly enough, I saw Quasi at the Quackadero some years back as a student at Loyola University in Chicago. We would frequently go to see films at The Music Box theatre which is a venue known for showing independent and non mainstream films. One night dressed in all our costumes to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show for perhaps the 5th time, this movie was shown as a short film before Rocky. Seems like an odd choice but the film had almost a surreal feel to it at the time. The fact that a Rocky Horror audience enjoyed it should tell you something. Anyway this stands out in a way because the filmmaker, Sally Cruikshank, went on to do work for Sesame Street and the Electric Company which most don’t know about probably because it didn’t have the following Sesame Street did and still does.
Sounds like a lot of detail I guess but I saw this list in an article last week where Michael Jackson’s Thriller was the highlight of the inductees. I saw Quasi on the list and remembered it from that showing years. Back. Now that’s surreal.
I just discovered Mabel Normand a while ago and have been watching some of her old silent films. I am glad that one of her films has been added to the Film Registry. this made my day!
helen hill is my hero, and i’m so glad her work is being recognized! she was an amazing animator, and i was fortunate to see a program of her work at the madcat woman’s film festival in san francisco a year or two ago. tragically, she was killed in 2007. in searching for her films online, i’m finding way more on her death than her beautiful, lovingly handcrafted, inspirational stories.
i have a dvd of her work, and would be glad to share a copy if anyone is intensely interested. you can e-mail me at: info@amberyadaanimation.com
thanks for the you-tube search, katie. and thank you melissa, for such awesome info always.
-amber, san francisco