Every year the US Library of Congress picks 25 films to join its National Film Registry, which it believes are culturally and artistically important enough to be specially archived for posterity, with the idea being that even if the rest of the world blew up, at least these movies would survive (or something like that anyway).
Each year the list tends to be a mix of populist entertainment and more unusual offerings that have been judged to have particular cultural importance and are therefore worth protecting. The 25 movies picked for this year have now been announced, and it’s a suitably eclectic mix. The Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back has been chosen to be officially preserved for posterity, as have the lives of All The President’s Men and Malcolm X. While comedy is often seen as a lesser genre, it’s not so for the Library Of Congress, who’ve picked the likes of The Pink Panther and Airplane! for the National Film Registry.
George Lucas also get a second nod, with his early film, Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB chosen alonside Empire. They’ve even decided (and perhaps not before time) that The Exorcist and Saturday Night Fever are worth saving. Taking a look below for the full list of new inductees, and click here to see what’s been indeucted previously.
Airplane! (1980)
All the Presidents Men (1976)
The Bargain (1914)
Cry of Jazz (1959)
Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (1967)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Front Page (1931)
Grey Gardens (1976)
I Am Joaquin (1969)
Its a Gift (1934)
Let There Be Light (1946)
Lonesome (1928)
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
Malcolm X (1992)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Newark Athlete (1891)
Our Lady of the Sphere (1969)
The Pink Panther (1964)
Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Study of a River (1996)
Tarantella (1940)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
A Trip Down Market Street (1906)