National Film Registry

Selection of films for preservation in the US Library of Congress From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

National Film Registry

The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB's inception in 1988.[1][2]

Quick Facts Founded, Type ...
National Film Registry
Founded
TypeFilm preservation
Websiteloc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry
Close

History

Throughout the 1980s, several prominent filmmakers and industry personalities in the United States, such as Frank Capra and Martin Scorsese, advocated for Congress to enact a film preservation bill in order to avoid commercial modifications (such as pan and scan and editing for TV) of classic films, which they saw as negative. In response to the controversy over the colorization of originally black and white films in the decade specifically, Representatives Robert J. Mrazek and Sidney R. Yates introduced the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which established the National Film Registry, its purpose, and the criteria for selecting films for preservation.[3] The Act was passed and the NFR's mission was subsequently reauthorized by further acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, 2008, and 2016.[4][5][6][7] The National Film Preservation Board's mission, to which the NFR contributes, is to ensure the survival, conservation, and increased public availability of America's film heritage.[8] The 1996 law also created the non-profit National Film Preservation Foundation which, although affiliated with the NFPB, raises money from the private sector.[9]

Selection criteria

Summarize
Perspective

Taken together, the ... films in the National Film Registry represent a stunning range of American filmmaking—including Hollywood features, documentaries, avant-garde and amateur productions, films of regional interest, ethnic, animated, and short film subjects—all deserving recognition, preservation and access by future generations. As we begin this new millennium, the registry stands among the finest summations of American cinema's wondrous first century.

The NFPB adds to the NFR up to 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films" each year in December, showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation.[10] A film becomes eligible for inclusion ten years after its original release.[11] For the first selection in 1989, the public nominated almost 1,000 films for consideration. Members of the NFPB then developed individual ballots of possible films for inclusion. The ballots were tabulated into a list of 25 films that was then modified by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and his staff at the Library for the final selection.[10] Since 1997, members of the public have been able to nominate up to 50 films a year for the NFPB and Librarian to consider,[12] with an August submission deadline.

The NFR includes films ranging from Hollywood classics to orphan films.[13] A film is not required to be feature-length, nor is it required to have been theatrically released in the traditional sense. The Registry contains newsreels, silent films, student films, experimental films, short films, music videos, films out of copyright protection or in the public domain, film serials, home movies, documentaries, animation and independent films. As of the 2024 listing, there are 900 films in the Registry.

Films

More information Film title, Film type ...
Close

Notes

  1. Numbers 1–5, 7, and 10
  2. A serial of fourteen short films
  3. A serial of thirteen short films
  4. Remade at least 25 times; the NFR entry encompasses all versions
  5. Heretic, Frontier, Lamentation, and Appalachian Spring
  6. A series of seven short films
  7. A serial of twenty short films
  8. A series of eight short films
  9. Not released until 1952
  10. A collection of twenty-one short films
  11. A series of seven feature films

Number of films by release year

Summarize
Perspective

As of the 2024 induction there are 900 total films. For purposes of this list, multi-year serials are counted only once (as they are in the Registry) by year of completion.

More information Year of release, Number of films ...
Year of releaseNumber of films
18911
18931
18941
18951
18962
18971
18981
19012
19021
19033
19041
19051
19063
19093
19102
19111
19125
19136
191410
19156
19166
19175
19183
19194
19208
19214
19226
19232
19247
192511
19268
192710
192818
19298
19308
19319
193210
193316
19349
19356
193612
193711
193810
193920
194018
194110
194212
19437
194413
194511
194611
19475
19489
19497
19509
195112
19526
195316
195410
195510
195610
195716
19585
195913
19607
19618
19629
196311
196411
19653
19667
196714
196815
196914
197012
197117
197213
197311
19749
197511
197613
19778
19789
197914
198010
19813
198211
19836
198412
19853
19869
19873
19888
19899
19907
19916
19924
19934
19948
19953
19962
19975
19984
19993
20002
20013
20022
20031
20041
20051
20061
20071
20084
20102
20111
20132
Unknown3
Close

Age of Registry selections

The oldest film in the registry, Newark Athlete, was released in 1891, while the most recent, 12 Years a Slave and 20 Feet from Stardom, were each released in 2013.

Time span from release to selection

Released in 1895, and selected in December 2024, Annabelle Serpentine Dance experienced the longest wait, at 129 years (considering the fact that the film was already almost a century old before the Registry was even established, the "wait" was technically only 35 years), while Raging Bull, released theatrically in the United States on December 19, 1980, and inducted in October 1990, holds the record for the shortest delay, having been inducted slightly shy of the 10-year minimum.[29] Only nine films have been inducted at the 10-year mark: Raging Bull, Do the Right Thing,[53] Goodfellas,[54] Toy Story,[55] Fargo,[56] 13 Lakes,[57] Freedom Riders,[58] 12 Years a Slave and 20 Feet from Stardom.[59]

Directors with multiple entries (two or more)

Summarize
Perspective
Thumb
Academy Award–winning director John Ford has the most entries with 11 films.
Thumb
Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock, responsible for inductees ranging from the 1940 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Rebecca to 1963's The Birds.
Thumb
Orson Welles, acclaimed filmmaker behind inductees Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Lady from Shanghai (1948) and Touch of Evil (1958).
Thumb
Stanley Kubrick, master auteur responsible for inductees ranging from 1957's Paths of Glory to his 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining.
Thumb
Aside from animated shorts/features by producer Walt Disney alongside multiple directors, animator Dave Fleischer has the most animated titles on the Registry with four (some featuring timeless characters Koko the Clown, Betty Boop and Popeye).

Reference:[60]

See also

References

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.