Tag Archives: Library of Congress

Arts & Humanities, Current Affairs, Film & Movies, Libraries, Memories & History

From the National Film Registry: “Easy Rider” (1969)

Posted by: Cary O’Dell, May 17, 2023

“Easy Rider” (1969)

Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, drugs, hippies, the open road, protests, long–hair, nonconformity, backlash.

“Easy Rider” picked up the beat of the 1960s at the end of that turbulent decade. It also fueled a developing urge to make personal films that could be done on budgets low enough to deal with subjects of little or no interest to conventional Hollywood.

The French New Wave already had its influence, and now it was the turn of American filmmakers. True, a major Hollywood company, Columbia, released “Easy Rider,” but the deal was struck only after the independent venture had been completed.

Independent filmmakers in succeeding decades owe a debt to “Easy Rider” as one of several 1960s films that inspired others to work outside the mainstream.

Source: From the National Film Registry: “Easy Rider” (1969) | Now See Hear!

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Games, Memories & History, Sports, Web & Technology

Baseball Opening Day, and the Library Adds MLB History Online | Timeless | Library of Congress

By Neely Tucker, March 30, 2023

A “Bull” Durham Baseball Guide, 1911. The Baseball Publishing Co.

The following guest post was written by Peter Armenti and Darren Jones, research specialists in the Library’s Researcher and Reference Services Division.

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack — it’s Major League Baseball’s Opening Day!

To celebrate the start of the 2023 season, the Library is pleased to announce a new digital collection: Early Baseball Publications.

The collection, which will grow over time, provides full-text digitized access to more than 120 early baseball publications.

The initial release includes a large selection of 19th- and early 20th-century annual baseball guides, including many volumes of Spalding’s Official Base Ball Guide, one of the premier baseball publications of its day. Also included are rule books, record books, scorekeeping guides and books on how to hit and play different positions.

Source: Baseball Opening Day, and the Library Adds MLB History Online | Timeless

Arts & Humanities, Current Affairs, Film & Movies, Libraries, Music, Religion & Spirit, Times They Are A-Changing

Happy 50th: “Dark Side of the Moon” | Now See Hear! | Library of Congress

Posted by: Cary O’Dell, March 22, 2023

From article…

Fifty years ago this month, one of the most remarkable and deeply enduring albums ever made was released. Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” was added to the Library’s National Recording Registry in 2013. In the essay below, exclusive to the Library, Dr. Daniel J. Levitin examines the brutal beauty of this masterwork.

Angst.  Greed.  Alienation.  Questioning one’s own sanity.  Weird time signatures. Experimental sounds.  In 1973, Pink Floyd was a somewhat known progressive rock band, but it was this, their ninth album, that catapulted them into world class rock-star status.

“The Dark Side of the Moon” spent an astonishing 14 years on the “Billboard” album charts, and sold an estimated 45 million copies.  It is a work of outstanding artistry, skill, and craftsmanship that is popular in its reach and experimental in its grasp.

An engineering masterpiece, the album received a Grammy nomination for best engineered non-classical recording, based on beautifully captured instrumental tones and a warm, lush soundscape.  Engineer Alan Parsons and Mixing Supervisor Chris Thomas, who had worked extensively with The Beatles (the LP was mastered by engineer Wally Traugott), introduced a level of sonic beauty and clarity to the album that propelled the music off of any sound system to become an all-encompassing, immersive experience.

Source: Happy 50th: “Dark Side of the Moon” | Now See Hear!

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Film & Movies, Libraries, Memories & History, Web & Technology

Crime Classics: “A Gentle Murderer” Joins the List! | Timeless | Library of Congress

Posted by: Neely Tucker, March 15, 2023

Cover art is adapted from a Work Projects Administration poster “Keep Your Fire Escapes Clear.” Prints and Photographs Division.

This is a guest post by Zach Klitzman, editorial assistant in the Library’s Publishing Office.

A priest, a detective and an impoverished poet might sound like the setup to a joke—but Father Duffy, Sergeant Ben Goldsmith and Tim Brandon are no laughing matter in the gripping new addition to the Library of Congress Crime Classics series, “A Gentle Murderer.”

Dorothy Salisbury Davis’ landmark novel, first published in 1951, combines suspense and innovative psychological insight as Duffy, a Catholic priest, and Goldsmith, an NYPD detective, attempt to track down Brandon, who had confessed — anonymously — to murdering a call girl.

Critic Anthony Boucher described the novel as “one of the greatest detective stories of modern times” and in the introduction to the Library’s edition, Crime Classics series editor Leslie S. Klinger describes it as “a masterpiece” for blending two subgenres of crime fiction: clerical detectives and criminal profiling.

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…

Source: Crime Classics: “A Gentle Murderer” Joins the List! | Timeless

Arts & Humanities, Current Affairs, Film & Movies, Libraries, Memories & History, Music, Pleasures, Television, Weblogs (Blogs)

Film Night at the Pickford Theater: “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) | Now See Hear! | Library of Congress

By Library of Congress, 15 March, 2023, Posted by: Matthew Barton

Every month, films from the Library of Congress’s collection are shown at the Mary Pickford Theater in the Library’s James Madison Building in Washington, DC. They range from titles newly preserved by the National Audio Visual Conservation Center film lab to classics from the National Film Registry to lesser known titles worthy of discovery.

Source: Film Night at the Pickford Theater: “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) | Now See Hear!

See Also: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021687678/?loclr-blognsh

Arts & Humanities, Current Affairs, Film & Movies, Libraries, Pleasures, Television

Announcing the Library of Congress Festival of Film & Sound | Now See Hear! | Library of Congress

08 March, 2023, Posted by: Stacie Seifrit-Griffin

From article…

The Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center announced today the inaugural Library of Congress Festival of Film and Sound, a new four-day film event celebrating the Library’s rich moving image and recorded sound collections.

The festival will be held in association with AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and will take place June 15 to 18 at the American Film Institute’s historic theater in Silver Spring, Maryland. Festival passes are now available at AFI.com/Silver.

The Library of Congress Festival of Film and Sound will bring together film lovers with authors, historians, Library of Congress archivists, curators and staff in a fun-filled weekend set to give attendees the opportunity to enjoy recently restored and rediscovered rare silent and sound films from the 1920s through the early 1950s in AFI Silver’s beautifully restored 1938 art deco theater. Featuring many titles currently unavailable on home media or streaming services, the festival will showcase restored archival 35mm prints from the collections of the Library of Congress and other preeminent archives, as well 4K digital presentations of new restorations and rarities. All silent films will feature live musical accompaniment. This will be the first film festival devoted to showcasing the national library’s film collections.

Source; Announcing the Library of Congress Festival of Film & Sound | Now See Hear!