AFI's Best of 2013 Includes "12 Years a Slave" and "Breaking Bad"

by Amos Semien

12 Years a Slave, Fruitvale Station, and The Wolf of Wall Street are among the AFI's "10 Best Films of 2013."  "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," and "House of Cards" are among AFI's "10 Best TV Programs of 2013.

The American Film Institute (AFI) describes itself as “America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.”  Their awards focus on American feature films and television programs.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR - 2013
12 YEARS A SLAVE
AMERICAN HUSTLE
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
FRUITVALE STATION
GRAVITY
HER
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
NEBRASKA
SAVING MR. BANKS
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR - 2013
THE AMERICANS
BREAKING BAD
GAME OF THRONES
THE GOOD WIFE
HOUSE OF CARDS
MAD MEN
MASTERS OF SEX
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
SCANDAL
VEEP

Here is the institute's press release:

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE: AFI AWARDS 2013 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

10 Outstanding Motion Pictures and Television Programs Inducted into the AFI Almanac of the Art Form

December 9, 2013 – The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2013 – 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of the year's most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.

An almanac documenting works of excellence that mark a moment in time, AFI AWARDS is also the only national honor for the community's creative ensembles as a whole, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the art form. Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form, inspire audiences and artists alike, and/or make a mark on American society.

"AFI AWARDS is a moment for the most accomplished storytellers of 2013 to pause and be appreciated – not as competitors, but as a community," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. "Acknowledging their collective contributions to America's rich cultural legacy is both AFI's national mandate – and our honor."

Marking the 14th chapter in the American Film Institute's ongoing chronicle, AFI AWARDS selections are made through AFI's unique jury process in which AFI members, scholars, film and television artists, critics and AFI Trustees determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a contextual rationale for each selection.

This year's juries – one for film and one for television – were chaired by producers and AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chairs Tom Pollock (former Vice Chairman of MCA, Chairman of Universal Pictures) for the movies and Rich Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) for television, and includes award-winning artists such as Jon Avnet, Anne V. Coates, Roman Coppola, D.C. Fontana, Nancy Meyers and Noah Wyle; film historian Leonard Maltin; scholars from prestigious universities with recognized motion picture arts programs (Princeton, Syracuse, USC, Wesleyan); AFI Board of Trustees; and critics from leading media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, Rolling Stone Magazine, Time Magazine, TV Guide, USA Today and more.

AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the selections at an invitation-only luncheon on Friday, January 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.

Verizon Digital Media Services is the Digital Sponsor of AFI AWARDS and luncheon. Audi of America has supported AFI for the past 10 years and is proud to return as a major sponsor of the event. Additional sponsors include Stella Artois and American Airlines, the official airline of the American Film Institute, providing travel support throughout the year.

Additional information, including awards criteria, can be found at AFI.com/AFIAWARDS later today. Press coverage of the AFI Awards luncheon is very limited and by invitation only. Photos will be available online through AFI by 5:00 p.m. immediately following the event on January 10, 2014.

About Verizon Digital Media Services
Verizon Digital Media Services offers enterprises a suite of robust and flexible end-to-end video solutions for best-in-class TV Everywhere and superior over-the-top experiences. Built on one of the world’s most advanced networks with a video-optimized platform, Verizon Digital Media Services delivers a vast range of content management and delivery services with carrier-grade quality, reliability, security and scale. For more information about Digital Media Services, visit verizondigitalmedia.com.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016; AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products, facilities and technologies. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

About the American Film Institute
AFI is America's promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award – the highest honor for a career in film – now in its 42nd year; AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year; AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI Fest presented by Audi, AFI Docs presented by Audi and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world renowned AFI Conservatory, recognized for the quality of its instructors and speakers and its notable alumni. For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

END

Review: "Lost Horizon" Hasn't Lost Its Magical Charm (Happy B'day, Frank Capra)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Lost Horizon (1937) – Black and White
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Frank Capra
WRITERS: Robert Riskin (based upon the novel by James Hilton)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Joseph Walker
EDITORS: Gene Havlick and Gene Milford
COMPOSER: Dimitri Tiomkin
Academy Award winner

ADVENTURE/DRAMA/FANTASY

Starring: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, John Howard, H.B. Warner, Edward Everett Horton, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, and Sam Jaffe

The subject of this movie review is Lost Horizon, a 1937 adventure film and fantasy drama from producer-director, Frank Capra. The film is based on the 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, by author James Hilton. While writer Robert Riskin is credited as the film’s sole screenwriter, Sidney Buchman contributed to the screenplay, apparently when portions of the film were re-shot. The movie follows a group of plane crash survivors who visit a secluded land that may or may not be miraculous utopia.

Over the years, the original film was edited for time. Eventually, the last surviving print of the original version was damaged beyond recovery. The subject of this review is a restored version of the film that is slightly over two hours in length. This restoration was initiated by the American Film Institute (AFI) in 1973, and I first saw that version on Turner Classic Movies in 2003. In this restored version, the original audio track is intact, and still photographs of the actors and of specific scenes replace the missing film footage.

In the film, a plane containing the British diplomat Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) and his brother George (John Howard) is hijacked and crashes in the Himalayas. The mysterious inhabitants of the Eden-like Shangri-La rescue the survivors, and take them into the utopian city, which is located in a valley protected by the vast Himalayan mountains. While the world grows tense with the conflicts that would birth World War II, Conway begins to learn that he belongs in Shangri-La and has a purpose there, but will the problems he and his fellow travelers brought with them from the outside world cause strife in the utopian setting.

One of the films that really took advantage of the stylish beauty of art deco was Frank Capra’s film, Lost Horizon. Although the movie is quite good, the work of art director Stephen Goossson and set decorator Babs Johnstone stand out and give this film the atmosphere of beauty, perfection, and mystery that the story required. In fact, Dimitri Tiomkin’s score serves to accentuate the flavor of the film’s set as well as establish the mood for the story.

Lost Horizon is a very entertaining film. Filmed in black and white, the film has a surreal, dreamlike quality that actually made Shangri-La seem like a possibility, as if it really existed. The film, so lovingly put together, made me pay attention to the story, following the story of the survivors as they struggle to understand a place like no other. In simple terms, Lost Horizon makes a strong case not only for a haven from our real world problems, but to imagine a place where people live together in harmony with themselves and with their environment. However, the film is not naïve. The nagging troubles of the outer world are always at Shangri-La’s door. Also, the characters have lived long enough in the outside world to see through the gauze of Shangri-La; they have to accept this place on their own terms and at their own times.

Lost Horizon isn’t necessarily propaganda so much as it is a clever fantasy adventure that looks really good, entertains with a solid story, and makes us want for something, if not perfect, as close to it as we can live with. To fully understand the concept and ideas behind this film; words alone won’t do it. You have to watch Lost Horizon, and it’s certainly worth watching.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1938 Academy Awards, USA: 2 wins: “Best Art Direction” (Stephen Goosson) and “Best Film Editing” (Gene Havlick and Gene Milford); 5 nominations: “Best Picture” (Columbia), “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (H.B. Warner), “Best Assistant Director” (Charles C. Coleman), “Best Music, Score” (Morris Stoloff-head of department for Columbia Studio Music Department and Score by Dimitri Tiomkin), and “Best Sound, Recording” (John P. Livadary-Columbia SSD)

-----------------------

AFI Names Its Top 10 Films and TV Series of 2011

The American Film Institute (AFI) describes itself as “America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.” Their awards focus on American feature films and television programs.

AFI’s Ten Films of 2011:
BRIDESMAIDS

THE DESCENDANTS

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

THE HELP

HUGO

J. EDGAR

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

MONEY BALL

THE TREE OF LIFE

WAR HORSE

AFI’s Ten TV Programs of 2011:
Breaking Bad

Boardwalk Empire

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Game of Thrones

The Good Wife

Homeland

Justified

Louie

Modern Family

Parks and Recreation

AFI gave special awards to the film, The Artist, and the entire “Harry Potter” film series.