2009 National Film Registry Selections
Preserved for all time: Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West
Thanks to the National Preservation Act, each year since 1989 the Librarian of Congress has selected 25 films based on their cultural, aesthetic and/or historical significance to be included in the National Film Registry.
This year’s list brings the total to 525 films. Highlights include Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon starring Al Pacino, William Wyler’s Jezebel starring Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, Wyler’s Mrs. Miniver starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, Winsor McCay’s silent animated classic Little Nemo, LiC childhood favorite The Muppet Movie, Sergio Leone’s masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West, Pillow Talk starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson and Michael Jackson’s extended music video Thriller directed by John Landis.
Check out the full press release here.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
The Exiles (1961)
Heroes All (1920)
Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Jezebel (1938)
The Jungle (1967)
The Lead Shoes (1949)
Little Nemo (1911)
Mabel’s Blunder (1914)
The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Precious Images (1986)
Quasi at the Quackadero (1975)
The Red Book (1994)
The Revenge of the Pancho Villa (1930-36)
Scratch and Crow (1995)
Stark Love (1927)
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
A Study in Reds (1932)
Thriller (1983)
Under Western Stars (1938)
Filed under: News, Preservation
Tags: Library of Congress, National Film Registry
I’ve never heard of 1/2 of these. Sometimes I feel like such a poor excuse for a film lover.
Thrilled about The Muppet Movie getting in there. National treasure, that one.
Wow, two of my all-time favorites on the list this year…and Pillow Talk, too. Very cool. I would love to see pristine versions of Jezebel and Dog Day Afternoon on a big screen in the not too far future.
Don’t feel too bad Jennybee, There are always several helpings of weird shorts and expermintal films no one has ever seen. Besides the ones I mentioned, The Story of GI Joe and The Mark of Zorro, I’m not familiar with the others either.
Yes, they always include some films that even IMDb is unfamiliar with, but I’m so happy to see Once Upon a Time in the West and The Muppet Movie on there. Those are both really inspired choices.
I third and fourth the support for their choice of The Muppet Movie. As jb says, it is a national treasure.
I wouldn’t want to live in a world that didn’t have Once Upon a Time in the West or The Muppet Movie in them.
Far be it from me to judge what deserves to be passed down for posterity, but I doesn’t Pillow Talk stand out like a sore thumb in that lineup? In 50 years, will we be preserving Bride Wars for eternity?
I suppose an argument could be made that it represents the sexual mores of the 1950s, but wouldn’t a Douglas Sirk film fit that bill a bit better?
I would argue that Pillow Talk, The Muppet Movie and Thriller have a great deal in common. (And Pillow Talk won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, just like Dog Day Afternoon.)
How did I ever miss “Hot Dogs for Gauguin”?
Like what it offers or not, Pillow Talk fits its time and place. It was part of a cultural moment in this country whereas Bride Wars is just a turd circling the bowl before it eventually disappears forever.
Christian, so many movies, so little time…
Add another voice in favor of Pillow Talk. It’s a classic comedy. Although watching it today may pain us a bit to infer the sexual mores of the time — not to mention the ironies of what we now know about Rock Hudson — it’s a very well-done film.
Jezebel is hot stuff, too, but my fave to see there is Lumet’s masterpiece.
Attica, Attica, Attica!!