If you're new to film, my choice would be Minolta, and here's why.
Nikon lenses really are quite excellent, but because the Nikon name is so revered the lenses command a high price. Minolta also has excellent optical quality and in fact I think it's rather underrated. You'll spend a lot less so less cash on the line if you don't catch the bug.
Truth is pretty much all the major SLR manufacturers (Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, Olympus... which ones am I forgetting?) make at least decent lenses. Glass-hounds are like pixel-counters, seeking minute differences that they might not even be able to see.
I'll tell you my pick for a beginner SLR: The Ricoh KR-10. Great feature set (same as a Nikon FE), including ap-priority automatic. Ricoh lenses are OK but they are Pentax-compatible, so you can get a working KR-10 dirt cheap (less than $25 most likely, because people don't think they are worth a damn) and a Pentax 50mm f/1.7, a great lens that is as common as the Model T. You should be off to the races with a perfectly good camera for less than $85. (That's KR-10, not KR-10M, KR-10 Super, KR-5. Very different cameras, alas.)
Remember that in film photography, unlike digital, the quality of the body doesn't really affect image quality. It's the lens that matters. The camera body just exposes the film.
Good luck and let us know what you get!
