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National Film Registry top movies

The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board was established in 1988. Each year, 25 "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films" are preserved, to increase awareness for its preservation. To be eligible for inclusion, a film must be at least ten years old but it is not required to be feature-length, nor is it required to have been theatrically released. National Film Registry at Wikipedia

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    Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

    1948 — a.k.a. Abbott and Costello Meet the Ghosts
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    Adam's Rib

    1949
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    The Adventures of Robin Hood

    1938
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    The African Queen

    1951
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    Alien

    1979
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    All About Eve

    1950
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    All My Babies

    1953
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    All Quiet on the Western Front

    1930
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    All That Heaven Allows

    1955
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    All That Jazz

    1979
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    All the King's Men

    1949
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    America, America

    1963 — a.k.a. The Anatolian Smile
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    American Graffiti

    1973
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    An American in Paris

    1951
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    Annie Hall

    1977
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    Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman

    1974
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    The Apartment

    1960
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    Apocalypse Now

    1979
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    Applause

    1929
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    The Asphalt Jungle

    1950
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    Atlantic City

    1980
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    The Awful Truth

    1937
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    Baby Face

    1933
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    Back to the Future

    1985
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    The Bad and the Beautiful

    1952
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    Badlands

    1973
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    The Band Wagon

    1953
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    The Bank Dick

    1940 — a.k.a. The Bank Detective
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    San Pietro

    1945
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    Beauty and the Beast

    1991
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    Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

    1925
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    Ben-Hur

    1959
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    The Best Years of Our Lives

    1946
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    Big Business

    1929
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    The Big Parade

    1925
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    The Big Sleep

    1946
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    The Big Trail

    1930
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    The Birth of a Nation

    1915
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    The Black Pirate

    1926 — a.k.a. The Black Buccaneer
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    The Black Stallion

    1979
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    Blacksmith Scene

    1893 — a.k.a. Blacksmithing Scene
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    Blade Runner

    1982
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    Blazing Saddles

    1974
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    The Blood of Jesus

    1941
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    The Blue Bird

    1918
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    Bonnie and Clyde

    1967
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    Boyz n the Hood

    1991 — a.k.a. Boys in the Hood
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    Bride of Frankenstein

    1935
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    The Bridge on the River Kwai

    1957
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    Bringing Up Baby

    1938

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6 comments

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Comments 1 - 5 of 6

Kasparius's avatar
2 months 3 weeks ago Kasparius said:

I wish the Through Navajo Eyes series were available. It sound like an interesting experiment.
BaalMan's avatar
4 months 2 weeks ago BaalMan said:

can't the big producers companies such as Disney, Warner and Univesal preserve the films themselves?
MovieDearest's avatar
4 months 3 weeks ago MovieDearest said:

LCWymer, thank you for your insight on the George Stevens WWII footage.

According to Daniel Eagan's book "America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry" (a must read for followers/fans of this list), the Stevens footage clocks in at an approximate total of 420 minutes (7 hours).

His entry in the book does not mention the three films listed here on iCheck at all. It does state that the footage was edited by Stevens' son George Jr. into the compilation documentaries "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey" (1984) and "George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin" (1994).

I suggest that one or both of these films be included on the list instead of the three that are currently listed to represent the Stevens WWII footage.
LCWymer's avatar
4 months 3 weeks ago LCWymer said:

To view "SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE - APRIL 18, 1906" (not currently included on iCheckMovies), go to the following Library of Congress link and choose #17:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/papr:@FIELD(COLLID+sanfran)
LCWymer's avatar
4 months 3 weeks ago LCWymer said:

My interpretation of the "GEORGE STEVENS WORLD WAR II FOOTAGE (1943-46)" is that the film chosen for preservation is the collected "raw" footage taken by Stevens while heading a United States Army Signal Corps film unit from 1943 to 1946, at the request of General Eisenhower. It appears this footage includes (but might not be limited to) footage he took documenting: (1) D-Day, (2) the liberation of Paris, (3) the meeting of American and Soviet forces at the Elbe River, (4) the Duben labor camp, and (5) the Dachau concentration camp. Some of this footage has been used within numerous WWII documentaries. George Stevens' direction credits include three 1945 documentaries: "That Justice Be Done", "The Nazi Plan", and "Nazi Concentration Camps". These three films are focused almost exclusively on either documenting Nazi atrocities to use as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials ("The Nazi Plan"), to educate the public on war trials including Nuremberg ("That Justice Be Done"), and to provide a permanent record for both the public and the Nuremberg Trials of the concentration camps ("Nazi Concentration Camps"). All three films probably include footage Stevens took at the Duben labor camp, and/or Dachau concentration camp - but little else that he took. The first two films are comprised largely of shots taken from captured German films and German propaganda films. I have not yet found a method for on-line or public viewing of Steven's war footage in it's entriety. And although a viewing of the three 1945 documentaries provides for the opportunity to view some of Stevens' WWII footage, it does not provide anything near a full viewing of his WWII footage. I am hopeful that the Library of Congress eventually posts his WWII footage online for us to see, just as they did for the "San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906" footage.

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