Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today the annual selection of 25 motion pictures that have been inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance. This year's titles range from the Disney animated blockbuster THE LION KING and the seminal coming-of-age drama "The Breakfast Club" to the 1990 documentary "Paris Is Burning," chronicling the pageantry of drag balls in New York City, and a collection of home movies showcasing African-American life in Oklahoma during the 1920s. Also on the list is 1968's FUNNY GIRL, in which Barbra Streisand reprised her Tony-nominated performance as legendary singer-comedienne Fanny Brice.
"Motion pictures document our history and culture and serve as a mirror of our collective experiences," said Hayden. "The National Film Registry embraces the richness and diversity of film as an art form and celebrates the people who create the magic of cinema."
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names to the National Film Registry 25 motion pictures that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. The films must be at least 10 years old. The Librarian makes the annual registry selections after conferring with the distinguished members of the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) and a cadre of Library specialists. Thousands of public nominations are also considered. Nominations for next year will be accepted through the fall at
loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/nominate/.
In addition to advising the Librarian of Congress on the annual selection of titles to the National Film Registry, the board also provides counsel on national preservation planning policy. In that capacity, it issued the following statement: "The National Film Preservation Board continued to focus much of its attention this year on the recognition of photochemical film as a distinct medium. Emerging digital technologies offer many alternative opportunities in capture and exhibition, but the board encourages the preservation of film on film. It also applauds those efforts in education and exhibition that stimulate an appreciation of the work of the archives in preserving our classic cinema. Film remains the best existing archival medium and the board encourages archives and rights-holders to continue to preserve titles on film as they have done in the past."
Spanning the period 1903 to 1998, the films named to this year's registry include Hollywood blockbusters, documentaries, silent movies, animation, shorts, independent and experimental motion pictures. The 2016 selections bring the number of films in the registry to 700, which is a small fraction of the Library's vast moving-image collection of 1.3 million items.
Among the selections are
Frank Capra's 1937 big-budget fantasy "Lost Horizon"; the 1941 screwball comedy, "Ball of Fire," starring
Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper; two highly charged 1955 dramas-"Blackboard Jungle" and "East of Eden"-popularizing the theme of teen angst; Alfred Hitchock's 1963 horror masterpiece "The Birds"; the 1968 musical "Funny Girl," starring
Barbra Streisand as the legendary
Fanny Brice; "Putney Swope,"
Robert Downey Sr.'s 1969 satire on black power and Madison Avenue;
Rob Reiner's 1987 parody of classic fairy tales, "The Princess Bride"; the 1988 animation and live-action comedy "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"; and the 1998 independent film "Rushmore," directed by Wes Anderson.
Ridley Scott's 1991 feminist manifesto "Thelma & Louise," featuring powerhouse performances by
Susan Sarandon and
Geena Davis, was also considered noteworthy of preservation. "I am very honoured and proud to be acknowledged by the Library of Congress. 'Blade Runner' will now have two great ladies to keep him company," said Scott. "Blade Runner," another Scott-directed film, was named to the National Film Registry in 1993.
The documentaries and shorts named to the registry include "The Atomic Cafe" (1982), which documents the threat of nuclear war following World War II; "Paris Is Burning," a 1990 film that explores the complex ballroom subculture among gay men, drag queens and transgender women in New York City; "Suzanne, Suzanne," an insightful profile of a substance abuser who confronts the legacy of physical abuse; and
Penelope Spheeris' controversial, landmark documentary about the hardcore punk-rock scene in Los Angeles.
Spheeris noted, "When 'The Decline of Western Civilization' was first screened in 1980, it was perceived as shocking and criticized for glorifying the rebellious youth of the time. To now have this accolade of the work, and the brilliant, innovative artists that are part of it, is deeply gratifying."
The silent films selected this year include the 1903 technical marvel "Life of an American Fireman"; the 1912 "
The Musketeers of Pig Alley," directed by D. W. Griffith and considered the first gangster film; the 1916 "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," touted as the first submarine photoplay; and a comedy starring
Buster Keaton, "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Also in this category is a collection of home movies, produced by Baptist minister and businessman Solomon Sir Jones. The films showcase a rich tapestry of African-American communities in Oklahoma from 1924 to 1928.
About Funny Girl: Reprising her Tony-nominated performance as legendary singer-comedienne
Fanny Brice,
Barbra Streisand's impressive vocal talent and understated acting, as guided by distinguished veteran director
William Wyler, earned her an Academy Award for her screen debut. The film retains most of the stage show's
Jule Styne-
Bob Merrill musical numbers including "People," "I'm the Greatest Star" and "Don't Rain on My Parade." Streisand plays Brice as a plain-looking, fast-talking dynamo who yearns for the stage, and gets her chance when she's hired by impresario Florenz Ziegfeld (
Walter Pidgeon) and becomes the toast of Broadway. She meets and marries big-time gambler Nick Arnstein (
Omar Sharif), but their idyllic romance crumbles as he grows to resent her fame. Produced by
Ray Stark, Brice's real-life son-in-law, "Funny Girl" was among the last of the successful big-budget musicals.
About The Lion King (1994) Disney Studios further solidified its position as the producer of modern-day animated masterpieces with this lyrical 1994 offering. The story of a young lion cub destined to become King of the Jungle, but first exiled by his evil uncle, "The Lion King" was a triumph from the moment of its release and has charmed new generations of viewers. Like Disney's beloved "Bambi," "The Lion King" seamlessly blends innovative animation with excellent voice-actors (
JoNathan Taylor Thomas,
James Earl Jones, Moira Kelly,
Nathan Lane,
Matthew Broderick and
Whoopi Goldberg) and catchy, now-classic songs by Sir
Elton John and
Tim Rice. It is the film's storytelling that resonates-funny, innovative, suspenseful-for both children and adults. Since its release, the film has spawned an animated TV series, two made-for-video sequels and a highly imaginative Broadway show.
Source: loc.gov
