Wednesday, February 23, 2011

National Film Registry List -- the long march through greatness

"Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" -- why is it on the list?

Can they be found? Can they be seen? After seeing "These Amazing Shadows," the documentary concerning the ongoing efforts of the National Film Registry, I was intrigued. What qualifies these films for inclusion? The overarching guideline is the idea that "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films" are chosen for inclusion. Could I find and see all these selections? The NFR website states that "Most, though not all, of the Registry titles are available at the usual retail outlets." I'll spend the coming year tying to knock these titles off, re-viewing what's I've already seen and going after the most obscure selections. Wish me luck!

Films Selected to The National Film Registry, Library of Congress 1989-2010


  1. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
  2. Adam’s Rib (1949)
  3. Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938)
  4. African Queen, The (1951)
  5. Airplane! (1980)
  6. Alien (1979)
  7. All About Eve (1950)
  8. All My Babies (1953)
  9. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
  10. All That Heaven Allows (1955)
  11. All That Jazz (1979)
  12. All the King’s Men (1949)
  13. All the President’s Men (1976)
  14. America, America (1963)
  15. American Graffiti (1973)
  16. An American in Paris (1951)
  17. Annie Hall (1977)
  18. Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman (1974)
  19. Apartment, The (1960)
  20. Apocalypse Now (1979)
  21. Applause (1929)
  22. Asphalt Jungle, The (1950)
  23. Atlantic City (1980)
  24. Awful Truth, The (1937)
  25. Baby Face (1933)
  26. Back to the Future (1985)
  27. Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952)
  28. Badlands (1973)
  29. Band Wagon, The (1953)
  30. Bank Dick, The (1940)
  31. Bargain, The (1914)
  32. Battle of San Pietro, The (1945)
  33. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  34. Ben-Hur (1926)
  35. Ben-Hur (1959)
  36. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
  37. Big Business (1929)
  38. Big Parade, The (1925)
  39. Big Sleep, The (1946)
  40. Big Trail, The (1930)
  41. Birth of a Nation, The (1915)
  42. Black Pirate, The (1926)
  43. Black Stallion, The (1979)
  44. Blacksmith Scene, The (1893)
  45. Blade Runner (1982)
  46. Blazing Saddles (1974)
  47. Blood of Jesus, The (1941)
  48. Blue Bird, The (1918)
  49. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
  50. Boyz N the Hood (1991)
  51. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
  52. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
  53. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
  54. Broken Blossoms (1919)
  55. Bronx Morning, A (1931)
  56. Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man, The (1975)
  57. Bullitt (1968)
  58. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  59. Cabaret (1972)
  60. Cameraman, The (1928)
  61. Carmen Jones (1954)
  62. Casablanca (1942)
  63. Case Sound Test: Gus Visser and His Singing Duck (1925)
  64. Castro Street (1966)
  65. Cat People (1942)
  66. Chan Is Missing (1982)
  67. Cheat, The (1915)
  68. Chechahcos, The (1924)
  69. Chinatown (1974)
  70. Chulas Fronteras (1976)
  71. Citizen Kane (1941)
  72. City, The (1939)
  73. City Lights (1931)
  74. Civilization (1916)
  75. Clash of the Wolves (1925)
  76. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
  77. Cologne: From the Diary of Ray and Esther (1939)
  78. Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort, S.C., May 1940 (1940)
  79. Conversation, The (1974)
  80. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  81. Cool World, The (1963)
  82. Cops (1922)
  83. Corner in Wheat, A (1909)
  84. Court Jester, The (1956)
  85. Crowd, The (1928)
  86. Cry of Jazz (1959)
  87. Curse of Quon Gwon, The (1916-17)
  88. Czechoslovakia 1968 (1968)
  89. D.O.A. (1950)
  90. Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
  91. Dances with Wolves (1990)
  92. Daughter of Shanghai (1937)
  93. Daughters of the Dust (1991)
  94. David Holzman’s Diary (1968)
  95. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951)
  96. Days of Heaven (1978)
  97. Dead Birds (1964)
  98. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
  99. Deliverance (1972)
  100. Destry Rides Again (1939)
  101. Detour (1946)
  102. Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894-95)
  103. Disneyland Dream (1956)
  104. Do the Right Thing (1989)
  105. Docks of New York, The (1928)
  106. Dodsworth (1936)
  107. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
  108. Dog Star Man (1964)
  109. Don’t Look Back (1967)
  110. Double Indemnity (1944)
  111. Dr. Strangelove (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) (1964)
  112. Dracula (1931)
  113. Drums of Winter (1988)
  114. Duck Amuck (1953)
  115. Duck and Cover (1951)
  116. Duck Soup (1933)
  117. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
  118. Early Abstractions #1-5,7,10 (1939-56)
  119. Easy Rider (1969)
  120. Eaux D’Artifice (1953)
  121. El Norte (1983)
  122. Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (1967)
  123. Emperor Jones, The (1933)
  124. Empire (1964)
  125. Empire Strikes Back, The (1980)
  126. Endless Summer, The (1966)
  127. Enter the Dragon (1973)
  128. Eraserhead (1978)
  129. Evidence of the Film (1913)
  130. Exiles, The (1961)
  131. Exorcist, The (1973)
  132. Exploits of Elaine, The (1914)
  133. Face in the Crowd, A (1957)
  134. Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
  135. Fantasia (1940)
  136. Fargo (1996)
  137. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
  138. Fatty’s Tintype Tangle (1915)
  139. Film Portrait (1970)
  140. Five Easy Pieces (1970)
  141. Flash Gordon Serial (1936)
  142. Flesh and the Devil (1927)
  143. Flower Drum Song (1961)
  144. Foolish Wives (1922)
  145. Footlight Parade (1933)
  146. Force of Evil (1948)
  147. Forgotten Frontier, The (1931)
  148. 42nd Street (1933)
  149. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The (1921)
  150. Fox Movietone News: Jenkins Orphanage Band (1928)
  151. Frank Film (1973)
  152. Frankenstein (1931)
  153. Freaks (1932)
  154. Free Radicals (1979)
  155. French Connection, The (1971)
  156. Freshman, The (1925)
  157. From Here to Eternity (1953)
  158. From Stump to Ship (1930)
  159. From the Manger to the Cross (1912)
  160. Front Page, The (1931)
  161. Fuji (1974)
  162. Fury (1936)
  163. Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers (1980)
  164. General, The (1927)
  165. Gerald Mcboing Boing (1951)
  166. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
  167. Giant (1956)
  168. Gigi (1958)
  169. Glimpse of the Garden (1957)
  170. Godfather, The (1972)
  171. Godfather Part II, The (1974)
  172. Going My Way (1944)
  173. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
  174. Gold Rush, The (1925)
  175. Gone With the Wind (1939)
  176. Goodfellas (1990)
  177. Graduate, The (1967)
  178. Grand Hotel (1932)
  179. Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)
  180. Grass (1925)
  181. Great Dictator, The (1940)
  182. Great Train Robbery, The (1903)
  183. Greed (1924)
  184. Grey Gardens (1976)
  185. Groundhog Day (1993)
  186. Gun Crazy (1949)
  187. Gunga Din (1939)
  188. H2O (1929)
  189. Hallelujah (1929)
  190. Halloween (1978)
  191. Hands Up (1926)
  192. Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)
  193. Harold and Maude (1972)
  194. Heiress, The (1949)
  195. Hell’s Hinges (1916)
  196. Heroes All (1920)
  197. High Noon (1952)
  198. High School (1968)
  199. Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage (1937)
  200. His Girl Friday (1940)
  201. Hitch-Hiker, The (1953)
  202. Hoop Dreams (1994)
  203. Hoosiers (1986)
  204. Hospital (1970)
  205. Hospital, The (1971)
  206. Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972)
  207. House I Live In, The (1945)
  208. House in the Middle, The (1954)
  209. House of Usher (1960)
  210. How Green Was My Valley (1941)
  211. How the West Was Won (1962)
  212. Hunters, The [Kalahari Desert Tribe Anthropological Film] (1957)
  213. Hustler, The (1961)
  214. I Am a Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932)
  215. I Am Joaquin (1969)
  216. Imitation of Life (1934)
  217. Immigrant, The (1917)
  218. In a Lonely Place (1950)
  219. In Cold Blood (1967)
  220. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
  221. In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914) Aka In the Land of the War Canoes
  222. In the Street (1948/52)
  223. Incredible Shrinking Man, The (1957)
  224. Intolerance (1916)
  225. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
  226. Invisible Man, The (1933)
  227. It (1927)
  228. It Happened One Night (1934)
  229. It’s a Gift (1934)
  230. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
  231. Italian, The (1915)
  232. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
  233. Jam Session (1942)
  234. Jammin’ the Blues (1944)
  235. Jaws (1975)
  236. Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1959)
  237. Jazz Singer, The (1927)
  238. Jeffries-Johnson World’s Championship Boxing Contest (1910)
  239. Jezebel (1938)
  240. Johnny Guitar (1954)
  241. Jungle, The (1967)
  242. Kannapolis, NC (1941)
  243. Killer of Sheep (1977)
  244. Killers, The (1946)
  245. King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis (1970)
  246. King Kong (1933)
  247. Kiss, The (1896)
  248. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
  249. Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
  250. Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
  251. Lady Eve, The (1941)
  252. Lady Helen’s Escapade (1909)
  253. Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925)
  254. Lambchops (1929)
  255. Land Beyond the Sunset (1912)
  256. Lassie Come Home (1943)
  257. Last Command, The (1928)
  258. Last of the Mohicans, The (1920)
  259. Last Picture Show, The (1972)
  260. Laura (1944)
  261. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
  262. Lead Shoes, The (1949)
  263. Learning Tree, The (1969)
  264. Let There Be Light (1946)
  265. Let’s All Go to the Lobby (1957)
  266. Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
  267. Life and Death of 9413 -- A Hollywood Extra, The (1927)
  268. Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, The (1980)
  269. Life of Emile Zola, The (1937)
  270. Little Caesar (1930)
  271. Little Fugitive, The (1953)
  272. Little Miss Marker (1934)
  273. Little Nemo (1911)
  274. Living Desert, The (1953)
  275. Lonesome (1928)
  276. Lost World, The (1925)
  277. Louisiana Story (1948)
  278. Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
  279. Love Me Tonight (1932)
  280. M*A*S*H (1970)
  281. Mabel’s Blunder (1914)
  282. Magical Maestro (1952)
  283. Magnificent Ambersons, The (1942)
  284. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
  285. Making of an American (1920)
  286. Malcolm X (1992)
  287. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
  288. Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962)
  289. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
  290. Manhatta (1921)
  291. Manhattan (1979)
  292. March, The (1964)
  293. March of Time: Inside Nazi Germany--1938 (1938)
  294. Marian Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert (1939)
  295. Mark of Zorro, The (1940)
  296. Marty (1955)
  297. Master Hands (1936)
  298. Matrimony’s Speed Limit (1913)
  299. McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
  300. Mean Streets (1973)
  301. Medium Cool (1969)
  302. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
  303. Melody Ranch (1940)
  304. Memphis Belle (1944)
  305. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
  306. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
  307. Mighty Like A Moose (1926)
  308. Mildred Pierce (1945)
  309. Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, The (1944)
  310. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
  311. Miss Lulu Bett (1922)
  312. Modern Times (1936)
  313. Modesta (1956)
  314. Mom and Dad (1944)
  315. Morocco (1930)
  316. Motion Painting No. 1 (1947)
  317. Movie, A (1958)
  318. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
  319. Mrs. Miniver (1942)
  320. Multiple Sidosis (1970)
  321. Muppet Movie, The (1979)
  322. Music Box, The (1932)
  323. Music Man, The (1962)
  324. My Darling Clementine (1946)
  325. My Man Godfrey (1936)
  326. Naked City¸ The (1948)
  327. Naked Spur, The (1953)
  328. Nanook of the North (1922)
  329. Nashville (1975)
  330. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
  331. National Velvet (1944)
  332. Naughty Marietta (1935)
  333. Network (1976)
  334. Newark Athlete (1891)
  335. Night at the Opera, A (1935)
  336. Night of the Hunter, The (1955)
  337. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  338. Ninotchka (1939)
  339. No Lies (1973)
  340. North by Northwest (1959)
  341. Nostalgia (1971)
  342. Nothing But a Man (1964)
  343. Notorious (1946)
  344. Now, Voyager (1942)
  345. Nutty Professor, The (1963)
  346. Offon (1968)
  347. Oklahoma! (1955)
  348. On the Bowery (1957)
  349. On the Waterfront (1954)
  350. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
  351. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
  352. One Froggy Evening (1956)
  353. One Week (1920)
  354. Our Day (1938)
  355. Our Lady of the Sphere (1969)
  356. Out of the Past (1947)
  357. Ox-Bow Incident, The (1943)
  358. Outlaw Josey Wales, The (1976)
  359. Pass the Gravy (1928)
  360. Paths of Glory (1957)
  361. Patton (1970)
  362. Pawnbroker, The (1965)
  363. Pearl, The (1948)
  364. Peege (1972)
  365. Perils of Pauline, The (1914)
  366. Peter Pan (1924)
  367. Phantom of the Opera (1925)
  368. Philadelphia Story, The (1940)
  369. Pillow Talk (1959)
  370. Pink Panther (1964)
  371. Pinocchio (1940)
  372. Place in the Sun, A (1951)
  373. Planet of the Apes (1968)
  374. Plow That Broke the Plains, The (1936)
  375. Point of Order (1964)
  376. Poor Little Rich Girl, The (1917)
  377. Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936)
  378. Porky in Wackyland (1938)
  379. Power of the Press (1928)
  380. Powers of Ten (1978)
  381. Precious Images (1986)
  382. Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)
  383. President McKinley Inauguration Footage (1901)
  384. Primary (1960)
  385. Princess Nicotine; or The Smoke Fairy (1909)
  386. Prisoner of Zenda, The (1937)
  387. Producers, The (1968)
  388. Psycho (1960)
  389. Public Enemy, The (1931)
  390. Pull My Daisy (1959)
  391. Punch Drunks (1934)
  392. Pups Is Pups (Our Gang) (1930)
  393. Quasi at the Quackadero (1975)
  394. Raging Bull (1980)
  395. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  396. Raisin in the Sun (1961)
  397. Rear Window (1954)
  398. Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
  399. Red Book, The (1994)
  400. Red Dust (1932)
  401. Red River (1948)
  402. Regeneration (1915)
  403. Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (1971-72)
  404. Republic Steel Strike Riot Newsreel Footage (1937)
  405. Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
  406. Revenge of Pancho Villa, The (1930-36)
  407. Ride the High Country (1962)
  408. Rip Van Winkle (1896)
  409. River, The (1937)
  410. Road to Morocco (1942)
  411. Rocky (1976)
  412. Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975)
  413. Roman Holiday (1953)
  414. Rose Hobart (1936)
  415. Sabrina (1954)
  416. Safety Last (1923)
  417. Salesman (1969)
  418. Salome (1922)
  419. Salt of the Earth (1954)
  420. San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906 (1906)
  421. Saturday Night Fever (1976)
  422. Scarface (1932)
  423. Schindler’s List (1993)
  424. Scratch and Crow (1995)
  425. Searchers, The (1956)
  426. Serene Velocity (1970)
  427. Sergeant York (1941)
  428. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
  429. Seventh Heaven (1927)
  430. Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, The (1958)
  431. Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)
  432. Sex Life of the Polyp, The (1928)
  433. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
  434. Shadows (1959)
  435. Shaft (1971)
  436. Shane (1953)
  437. She Done Him Wrong (1933)
  438. Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
  439. Sherman’s March (1986)
  440. Shock Corridor (1963)
  441. Shop Around the Corner, The (1940)
  442. Show Boat (1936)
  443. Show People (1928)
  444. Siege (1940)
  445. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
  446. Sky High (1922)
  447. Snow White (1933)
  448. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
  449. So’s Your Old Man (1926)
  450. Some Like It Hot (1959)
  451. Son of the Sheik, The (1926)
  452. Sound of Music, The (1965)
  453. St. Louis Blues (1929)
  454. Stagecoach (1939)
  455. Star Is Born, A (1954)
  456. Star Theatre (1901)
  457. Star Wars (1977)
  458. Stark Love (1927)
  459. Steamboat Willie (1928)
  460. George Stevens’ WW2 Footage (1943-46)
  461. Sting, The (1973)
  462. Stormy Weather (1943)
  463. Story of G.I. Joe, The (1945)
  464. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
  465. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
  466. Strong Man, The (1926)
  467. Study in Reds, A (1932)
  468. Study of a River (1996)
  469. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
  470. Sunrise (1927)
  471. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
  472. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
  473. Swing Time (1936)
  474. Tabu (1931)
  475. Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940)
  476. Tall T, The (1957)
  477. T.A.M.I. Show, The (1964)
  478. Tarantella (1940)
  479. Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
  480. Taxi Driver (1976)
  481. Tell-Tale Heart, The (1953)
  482. Ten Commandments, The (1956)
  483. Terminator, The (1984)
  484. Tess of the Storm Country (1914)
  485. Tevye (1939)
  486. There It Is (1928)
  487. Thief of Bagdad, The (1924)
  488. Thin Blue Line, The (1988)
  489. Thin Man, The (1934)
  490. Thing from Another World, The (1951)
  491. Think of Me First as a Person (1960-75)
  492. This Is Cinerama (1952)
  493. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
  494. Three Little Pigs (1933)
  495. Thriller (1983)
  496. Through Navajo Eyes (series) (1966)
  497. Time for Burning, A (1966)
  498. Time Out of War, A (1954)
  499. Tin Toy (1988)
  500. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
  501. To Fly (1976)
  502. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
  503. Tol’able David (1921)
  504. Tom, Tom the Piper’s Son (1960)
  505. Tootsie (1982)
  506. Top Hat (1935)
  507. Topaz (1943-45) (Home Movie Footage Taken at Japanese American Internment Camp, the Topaz War Relocation Authority Center)
  508. Touch of Evil (1958)
  509. Toy Story (1995)
  510. Traffic in Souls (1913)
  511. Trance and Dance in Bali (1936-39)
  512. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
  513. Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A (1945)
  514. Trip Down Market Street
  515. Trouble in Paradise, A (1932)
  516. Tulips Shall Grow (1942)
  517. 12 Angry Men (1957)
  518. Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
  519. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  520. Under Western Stars (1938)
  521. Unforgiven (1992)
  522. Verbena Tragica (1939)
  523. Vertigo (1958)
  524. Water and Power (1989)
  525. Wedding March, The (1928)
  526. West Side Story (1961)
  527. Westinghouse Works, 1904 (1904)
  528. What’s Opera, Doc? (1957)
  529. Where Are My Children? (1916)
  530. White Fawn’s Devotion (1910)
  531. White Heat (1949)
  532. Why Man Creates (1968)
  533. Why We Fight (series) (1943-45)
  534. Wild and Wooly (1917)
  535. Wild Bunch, The (1969)
  536. Wild River (1960)
  537. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
  538. Wind, The (1928)
  539. Wings (1927)
  540. Within Our Gates (1920)
  541. Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
  542. Woman of the Year (1942)
  543. Woman Under the Influence, A (1974)
  544. Women, The (1939)
  545. Woodstock (1970)
  546. Wuthering Heights (1939)
  547. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
  548. Young Frankenstein (1974)
  549. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
  550. Zapruder Film (1963)