Jazz on a Summer's DayJazz on a Summer's Day

Enshrined in the National Film Registry in 1999, Bert Stern's 1959 film offers precisely what its title promises. Along with a wealth of great music, the film subtly conveys the economic differences between the music's origins and Newport's wealthy citizens, and highlights the concentration and playfulness of great musicians by photographing them as intimately as possible. Despite the title, this concert film's performances--captured over the course of a weekend during the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival--really shine when night falls. As a documentary, it stylishly immortalizes transcendently beautiful music played on a glorious day, suggesting in the process that film might have no higher purpose.