The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George McClennan's revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. The mayor (son of the famous Civil War general) believed that the new medium degraded the morals of community. To assert their constitutional freedom of expression, theatre owners led by Marcus Loew and film distributors (Edison, Biograph, Pathe and Gaumont) joined John Collier of The People's Institute at Cooper Union and established a National Review Committee that endorsed films of merit and championed the new "art of the people," which was transforming America's cultural life. 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... City nickname: The Big Apple Location in the state of New York Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg Area  - Land  - Water 1,214. ... See also Christmas Christmas Eve, December 24, the day before Christmas Day, is treated to a greater or a lesser extent in most Christian societies as part of the festivities. ... Marcus Loew (May 7, 1870 – September 5, 1927) was a business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who created MGM Studios. ... Edison is the last name of a famous United States inventor: Thomas Edison Other people known by the name Edison: Charles Edison – son of Thomas Edison and Governor of New Jersey Edison Chen – popular Hong Kong teen idol Edison is the name of some places in the United States of... Biograph may refer to: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, a silent movie era production company widely known as Biograph or Biograph Studios. ... Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France. ... Gaumont Pictures were founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont (1864-1946). ... See also, John Henry Collier Categories: Stub | 1850 births | 1934 deaths | British painters ...

In an effort to avoid government censorship of films, the National Board became the unofficial clearinghouse for new movies. From 1916 into the 1950's thousands of motion pictures carried the legend "Passed by the National Board of Review" in their main titles. To the public, this was the catchphrase of confidence. 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1929, the NBR was the first group to choose the ten best English-language movies of the year and the best foreign films, and is still the first critical body to announce its annual awards. The NBR has also gained international acclaim for its publications: Film Program (1917-1926); Exceptional Photoplays (1920-1925); Photoplay Guide to Better Movies (1924-1926); National Board of Review Magazine (1926-1942); New Movies (1842-1949); and Films in Review, which published its first issue in 1950. Influencing generations of filmmakers and film lovers, these journals have fostered commentary on all aspects of cinema production and history, counting among contributors Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, Harold Robbins, Tennessee Williams, Dore Schary, William Saroyan, James Agee, Manny Farber, William K. Everson, Alistair Cooke, and Pearl Buck. 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director closely associated with the suspense genre. ... Friedrich Anton Christian Lang (December 5, 1890 - August 2, 1976) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the most famous emigrés from Germanys school of expressionism to work in Hollywood. ... Harold Robbins (originally Harold Rubin) (May 21, 1916–October 14, 1997) was an American author. ... Thomas Lanier Williams (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), better known by the pen name Tennessee Williams, was a noted playwright. ... Dore Schary (born August 31, 1905 in Newark, New Jersey, United States - died July 7, 1980 in New York City) was a stage and motion picture personality. ... William Saroyan (August 31, 1908 - May 18, 1981) was an American author who wrote many plays and short stories about growing up impoverished as the son of Armenian immigrants. ... James Agee (November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was a United States novelist, screenwriter, journalist, poet, and film critic. ... Alistair Cooke (November 20, 1908 – March 30, 2004) was a journalist and broadcaster. ... Pearl S. Buck (birth name Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker, Chinese name 賽珍珠) (June 26, 1892 - March 6, 1973) was a novelist. ...

Website

http://www.nbrmp.org