For Posterity: 25 New Films for the National Film Registry

The Library of Congress today announced the next 25 films that will be added to its National Film Registry. This annual selection chooses American films from any point in the 100+ years of film-making that have "cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance." Those movies that are added to the Registry are actively archived and preserved in the Library of Congress's vaults so that prints that are as near-perfect as possible will exist for future generations. Prominent names among the chosen this year include The Terminator, Johnny Guitar, and Asphalt Jungle. The list is not restricted to blockbusters or critically acclaimed pieces, however: Variety has an interesting description of Disneyland Dream, a film chosen for preservation, though few people have heard of it. That same Variety piece has a list and description of all movies that were added to the Registry this year. To see a full list of the more than five-hundred films that the Library of Congress has already put in it's vault, simply follow this link.

I think this process is a wonderful idea, and I only wish that films could be added to the Registry more often. The process of ensuring that the reels of the movies are preserved and/or restored must be a lengthy and costly one, however, and is probably a reason that only 25 films a year are selected. Still, it is nice to know that future generations will be able to watch gangsters attempt a bank robbery in Asphalt Jungle, or hear Arnold Schwarzenegger utter "I'll be back." There are some things you just have to experience first-hand.