It's official. The Big Lebowski, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Saving Private Ryan are now "cinematic treasures." Now don't you feel vindicated for your years of worship of these films?
These movies, along with 22 other titles are now a part of the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, which aims to preserve all films in the registry so future generations can enjoy them. This year's list includes titles that span more than 90 years of film and several genres, including silent films (1919's The Dragon Painter), westerns (1959's Rio Bravo) and even a Pixar short (1986's Luxo Jr.).
The oldest title added to the National Film Registry this year was Bert Williams Lime Kiln Club Field Day from 1913, which features African American performers, such as famous vaudevillian Bert Williams, and is considered the earliest surviving feature film starring African American actors. The youngest movie on the list is 2004's 13 Lakes, which literally captures what was going on in the landscape of 13 different American lakes, each in an identical 10-minute take.
Curating this list every year is actually the law. According to the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the Librarian of Congress, who is currently James H. Billington, must select 25 films for the National Film Registry that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. Billington made his decisions for this year's list based on nominations from the public and after deliberating with Library film curators and members of the National Film Preservation Board.
Here's the complete list of new titles added to the National Film Registry this year:
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)
Don't like the movies selected for this year's list? You can also let your voice be heard by nominating titles to make it into the National Film Registry next year. Just keep in mind that the movies have to be at least 10 years old, so unfortunately Frozen won't be able to get a spot on the list until 2023 at the earliest. Oh, the injustice of it all!
