‘Return of the Jedi,’ WALL-E’ Added To National Film Registry
The Library of Congress has selected its 25 movies to add to the National Film Registry for preservation. This year's “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant picks include Pixar's Wall-E and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, among others.
“Films help reflect our cultural history and creativity — and show us new ways of looking at ourselves — though movies haven’t always been deemed worthy of preservation. The National Film Registry will preserve our cinematic heritage, and we are proud to add 25 more films this year,” Said Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress (via Variety). “The Library of Congress will work with our partners in the film community to ensure these films are preserved for generations to come.”
A film must be at least 10 years old before it can be eligible for inclusion Other films selected for the 2021 list are Selena, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Pink Flamingos, Who Killed Vincent Chin?, Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, Cooley High, and Sounder. The 2021 choices bring the total number of films in the National Registry to 825.
This year’s roundup of movies is particularly diverse, with titles stretching back as far as 120 years — as well as an emphasis on independent filmmakers, documentarians, women directors, and filmmakers of color. The National Film Preservation Board is responsible for curating these films, but two titles — Return of the Jedi and The Fellowship of the Ring — were selected by the public through online nominations.
Here are all 25 nominations, in chronological order:
1. Ringling Brothers Parade Film (1902)
2. Jubilo (1919)
3. The Flying Ace (1926)
4. Hellbound Train (1930)
5. Flowers and Trees (1932)
6. Strangers on a Train (1951)
7. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
8. Evergreen (1965)
9. Requiem-29 (1970)
10. The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971)
11. Pink Flamingos (1972)
12. Sounder (1972)
13. The Long Goodbye (1973)
14. Cooley High (1975)
15. Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
16. Chicana (1979)
17. The Wobblies (1979)
18. Star Wars Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983)
19. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
20. Stop Making Sense (1984)
21. Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987)
22. The Watermelon Woman (1996)
23. Selena (1997)
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
25. WALL-E (2008)