The National Film Registry has spoken once again, adding another 25 “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant films to the vault for preservation for future generations. You see the sad fact is that film doesn’t last forever and these guys do a great job of keeping celluloid safe for film buffs of the future but sometimes you have to wonder about their choices.
First, here’s a quote from James Billington, the Librarain of Congress…
“up to half the films produced in this country before 1950—and as much as 90 percent of those made before 1920—are lost forever. The National Film Registry seeks not only to honor these films, but to ensure that they are preserved for future generations to enjoy.”
So here is the list, starting with the one’s you will have heard of…
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
BULLITT (1968)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978)
12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
THE WOMEN (1939)
WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
Ok, that’s great and everything but is BACK TO THE FUTURE really in danger of being wiped out? The flick is only twenty odd years old and isn’t going to be in danger of disappearing anytime soon when there are so many prints of the film on DVD around the world right now.
Surely the same has to be said of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND which itself has just gotten a fantastic DVD restored and remastered release, including a High-Definition release.
Two classic flicks which are great to see saved are the classic 60’s John Ford Western THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and the cool New York film noir THE NAKED CITY from 1948.
The rest you probably won’t know too well…
DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940)
GLIMPSE OF THE GARDEN (1957)
GRAND HOTEL (1932)
THE HOUSE I LIVE IN (1945)
IN A LONELY PLACE (1950)
MIGHTY LIKE A MOOSE (1926)
NOW, VOYAGER (1942)
OKLAHOMA (1955)
OUR DAY (1938)
PEEGE (1972)
THE SEX LIFE OF THE POLYP (1928)
THE STRONG MAN (1926)
THREE LITTLE PIGS (1933)
TOL’ABLE DAVID (1921)
TOM, TOM THE PIPER’S SON (1969-71)
Nice to see those movies above preserved but honestly… who watches any of those movies now anyway… let alone in 100 years time?
source – cinema blend
4 Comments
The Sex Life of the Polyp, Three Little Pigs, Peege–these are movie CLASSICS! LOL! ROTFL! Especially Peege, with a name like that I jusy HAVE to check it out…one day…if I’m really REALLY bored!
To me, BTTF is the perfect movie. I’ve seen it so many times, but whenever I catch it on TV I watch it to the end.
If 2015 rolls around and some dumb exec at Universal decides it’d be cool to remake this (cos then they’d be going back to 1985, see!) then that person can go screw themselves!
What kind of question was that? People who are interested in movies – no matter from what decade – and also in film history want to watch “those” above…
So does this mean they will preserve the sequels too?…cos I can imagine alot of pissed off people in 2050 or whatever wanting to know what happens next but not being able to, especially if the knew that sequels were made.