A new list of 25 film titles for the National Registry is going to be announced on December 12, 2018. As we get closer to that date, we look back at some films added in previous years. In 1999, Spike Lee’s powerful “Do the Right Thing” made the list with this, his still highly timely film. In an […]
Though greatly out-numbered, female film directors have always been a part of the movie-making industry. One of the very first, and still today, one of the very best was Ida Lupino. Lupino began her career in front of the camera as an actress before transitioning to being behind it, bringing to the screen a meaningful […]
Obviously no list devoted to great cinema can overlook the contributions of Charlie Chaplin. Among his greatest films is this one, a brave political send-up from 1940 that was added to the National Film Registry in 1997. Extraordinarily timely when it came out, and in some ways, still, the silent film scholar Jeffrey Vance said about the intersection […]
“Broken Blossoms,” one of the great silents, was added to the National Film Registry in 1996. Directed by D.W. Griffith, it starred his best-known muse, the ethereal Lillian Gish. Though, today, Griffith is a somewhat controversial figure, Ed Gonzalez, film editor of “Slant” magazine, says that, regardless, his influence on film cannot be ignored: “No dialectic approach […]
In 1995, one of the all-time great Westerns, “Stagecoach,” was added to the Registry. Directed by that sagebrush master, John Ford, the film features–not surprisingly–John Wayne. Writer and archivist Scott Nollen noted of the film’s value and influence by saying: “Orson Welles, who named John Ford as his favorite filmmaker, claimed that he studied ‘Stagecoach,’ ‘over […]
In 1994, the National Film Registry welcomed Spielberg’s immortal “ET” to its list. The beloved film that has forevermore encouraged us to “phone home,” was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Drew Barrymore, Henry Thomas and C. Thomas Howell. The Library of Congress’s own Dave Gibson once wrote of the film: “‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial’ […]
Animation has always had a home on the National Film Registry. As we count down to the announcement of the 25 newest film titles being added to the National Film Registry (which will be announced on December 12, 2018), we look back today at the year 1993 where, among that year’s selections, was this animated marvel. […]
Wednesday, November 28th, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. Every month, films from the Library’s collection are shown at the Mary Pickford Theater in the James Madison building, ranging from titles newly preserved by the National Audio Visual Conservation Center film lab, classics from the National Film Registry, and lesser known titles worthy of discovery. NATIONAL FILM […]
In 1992, among the films added to the National Film Registry was the unforgettable noir, “Detour.” Though made a staggering 73 years ago, when viewed today, “Detour” is as hard-hitting as it ever was. The story of one of the most brutal road trips ever depicted on film, “Detour” was the work of director Edgar […]
This blog post is by David Sager, Research Assistant in the Recorded Sound Research Center. This post celebrates the Centennial of the signing of the Armistice and makes use of recordings in the Library of Congress’s National Jukebox and images found in the Library’s Recorded Sound Research Center. These mementos are a stirring reminder of the […]