It's a most wonderful time of the year for classic film buffs and preservationists. The National Film Registry, which is part of the Library of Congress, announced on Tuesday the latest movies it plans to archive for posterity.
This year, some of the best-known films being added include Dirty Dancing, Beverly Hills Cop, Uptown Saturday Night, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Social Network, and Spy Kids.
Each year, 25 films are added to the registry. Usually, it's a mixture of blockbusters, obscure-but-important independent films, and historical footage, all selected to highlight the depth and breadth of American film.
"Films reflect our nation's history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a statement. "This is a collective effort in the film community to preserve our cinematic heritage."
For the first time, a Star Trek movie is joining the list, in part because of enthusiastic lobbying from fans. (Although selections are made by the National Film Preservation Board, nominations from the public are encouraged as part of the process.)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, starring Ricardo Montalban as the titular villain, came out in 1982. In a press release, the Library of Congress pointed out that the film is often considered the best of the six original-cast Star Trek theatrical films. It's also among five movies selected this year featuring prominent Hispanic artists or themes, including American Me, Mi Familia, Spy Kids, and the first Cheech & Chong movie to be added to the registry, Up in Smoke.
"The level of improv that we brought to those movies is what gave it a spontaneity," Cheech Marin, who is also in Spy Kids, said in an interview with the Library of Congress.
Other selections reflect significant contributions by Black directors, including Compensation, Ganja & Hess, Uptown Saturday Night, and Zora Lathan Student Films. A little-seen 1981 movie Will about a former basketball player struggling to overcome addiction, is "widely considered to be the first independent feature-length film directed by a Black woman, Jessie Maple, a trailblazing cinematographer and director," according to the Library of Congress.
And two movies this year represent Deaf culture and characters. Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft won Academy Awards for their roles as Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan in 1962's The Miracle Worker. And the 1999 movie Compensation was picked in part for its groundbreaking narrative approach.
"Upon casting deaf actress Michelle A. Banks, director Zeinabu irene Davis and screenwriter Mark Arthur Chéry modified the film to incorporate sign language and title cards, making it accessible to both deaf and hearing audiences," the Library of Congress said of Compensation in a statement. "The film's relative silence and use of ornate title cards also function as an homage to Black filmmakers of the silent era, to which Davis nods when she sends the characters to the movies to see William Foster's The Railroad Porter (1913), thought to be the first fiction film by a Black filmmaker."
In order to qualify for the registry, films must be at least 10 years old. The National Film Registry was started in 1988, and now includes 900 films.
The complete list of films selected for the 2024 National Film Registry, in chronological order, follows:
Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)
KoKo's Earth Control (1928)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Invaders from Mars (1953)
The Miracle Worker (1962)
The Chelsea Girls (1966)
Ganja &Hess (1973)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
Zora Lathan Student Films (1975-76)
Up in Smoke (1978)
Will (1981)
Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
American Me (1992)
Mi Familia (1995)
Compensation (1999)
Spy Kids (2001)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
The Social Network (2010)
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