The cinematic equivalent of being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, every year the Library of Congress inducts 25 movies into the National Film Registry for their cultural, historic or aesthetic significance. Some popular movies that made the cut include the horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, Steven Spielberg’s war epic Saving Private Ryan, as well as the great stoner detective movie of our time (sorry, Inherent Vice), The Big Lebowski. The Dude abides indeed.
This year’s list, announced by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, is full of both classic and eclectic choices:
13 Lakes (2004)
Bert Williams Lime Kiln Club Field Day (1913)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Down Argentine Way (1940)
The Dragon Painter (1919)
Felicia (1965)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
The Gang’s All Here (1943)
House of Wax (1953)
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)
Little Big Man (1970)
Luxo Jr. (1986)
Moon Breath Beat (1980)
Please Don’t Bury Me Alive! (1976)
The Power and the Glory (1933)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Shoes (1916)
State Fair (1933)
Unmasked (1917)
V-E + 1 (1945)
The Way of Peace (1947)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
These 25 bring the registry to 650-films that will be preserved for all time, including John Lasseter’s first computer-generated Pixar short Luxo Jr., the first color 3D studio film House of Wax and the first Chicano feature film Please Don’t Bury Me Alive!
“The National Film Registry showcases the extraordinary diversity of America’s film heritage and the disparate strands making it so vibrant,” said Billington. “By preserving these films, we protect a crucial element of American creativity, culture and history.”
