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Category: National Film Registry

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Iron Man,” Marvel, Rocket Into the 2022 National Film Registry

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was excited, explaining why he and his filmmaking team were thrilled that their cornerstone feature, 2008’s “Iron Man,” was being inducted into cinematic Valhalla, the Library’s National Film Registry, in the class of 2022. “All of our favorite movies are the ones that we watch over and over again, and …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Top Gun” — The Library of Congress Keeps Receipts

Posted by: Neely Tucker

The film "Top Gun: Maverick" has caught the nation's imagination 36 years after the first "Top Gun" did, setting box office records. The Library placed the original film in the National Recording Registry and has several items, including the original print of the film, preserved in its collections.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

The (Very Polite) Letters Behind “Double Indemnity”

Posted by: Neely Tucker

“Double Indemnity” is one of Hollywood’s classic films, the standard-bearer for noir cinema and a career highlight for stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. The Library has a fascinating exchange of letters between the “Double” stars and novelist James M. Cain, whose book was the basis for the film. The letters give us a glimpse into Hollywood history, how scandalous the movie was at the time and at the manners of a bygone era. It’s almost impossible to imagine this exchange taking place today.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Return of the Jedi,” Mark Hamill and the 2021 National Film Registry

Posted by: Neely Tucker

The National Film Registry's 2021 class is the most diverse in the program's 33-year history, including blockbusters such as "Return of the Jedi," "Selena" and "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring," but also the '70s midnight-movie favorite "Pink Flamingos" and a 1926 film featuring Black pilots in the daring new world of aviation, "The Flying Ace." The Library interviewed a dozen key players about their role in inducted films, including Mark Hamill, Edward James Olmos, John Waters, and documentary filmmakers Cheryl Dunye and Sylvia Morales.