Related Posts
Source: Library of Congress
Can a work of art ever be truly immortalized and be kept intact for generations to experience? If so, then one needs to look no further than the organizations and institutions that largely dedicate themselves to the preservation of art. In the United States, the Library of Congress is perhaps the most noteworthy of such institutions, with its National Film Registry division focusing primarily on the works of cinema that the Library deems worthy of preservation. For a film to be selected into the National Film Registry, it needs to have have some kind of importance to the United States, whether they are of historical, cultural, or aesthetic significance, and near the end of each year, the Library of Congress makes an announcement regarding which films are among the latest for inclusion. The most recent of these announcements came on Tuesday, December 17th, with twenty-five short and feature-length films being listed as the new inductees into the National Film Registry’s extensive catalog of films that it considers to have great value as a reflection of American culture past and present. Some of these films date back to well over a century ago, while others are less than two decades old; regardless of their age though, one can still recognize their worth and understand why the Library of Congress has selected them for permanent inclusion in its national archives. All of these films are highly respectable in their own right, but here are just a handful of them that are perhaps slightly more noteworthy than the rest:
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) – not to be confused with “Angels with Filthy Souls” (a film made within the fictional universe of Chris Columbus’ 1990 holiday classic “Home Alone”), this Michael Curtiz crime drama came out just a couple years after the Production Code began to be enforced, although it wasn’t enough to completely stop the film from showcasing a story that reflected American urban living at the height of the Great Depression. With James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart as its primarily leads, the film offers insight into a vision of America that’s described as being “made in the streets of immigrant, segregated, hardscrabble neighborhoods”, but still offers the possibility of redemption to those willing to see the errors of their misdeeds.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) – one of the most popular fish-out-of-water films to have been made in the 1980s, this police-centric comedy stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a Detroit-based officer who heads to the titular Los Angeles neighborhood in search of a murderer who took the life of his childhood friend. Though Murphy’s hilariously witty performance and a catchy electronic instrumental theme have proven vital to this film’s ability to stand the test of time, the narrative’s reflection of race relations during this time period (those embodied by the African-American Foley and the various conflicts he has with the predominantly white Beverly Hills police force as he attempts to locate his criminal target) is what gives the film much of its substance.
Dirty Dancing (1987) – filmgoers who saw this dance-oriented teen drama during its initial release had the time of their lives watching the blossoming romance between protagonists Johnny and Baby (played respectively by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey), and nearly forty years later, the story of their bond continues to win the hearts of viewers across the nation. A deeper analysis of the film’s subject matter will reveal some surprisingly heavy themes – including abortion, classism, and even some hints of anti-Semitism – and the screenplay’s ability to address them in a mature enough manner gives the film more weight than what audiences expected from it at the time, enough to cement it as an all-time classic.
Invaders from Mars (1953) – many of the science fiction films made during the 1950s served as a reflection of the Cold War paranoia prevalent throughout this period, most of it rooted in the fear of Soviet forces invading the United States and threatening the sanctity of the American lifestyle. This William Cameron Menzies-directed feature was no different, utilizing some impressively crafted sets and lavish color cinematography to turn this tale of alien invasion into a feature that would go on to have a major influence on future sci-fi cinema. Nearly every film to have some focus on aliens made in the years following this feature’s release, from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to “The Iron Giant”, owes some credit to this influential 1953 classic.
My Own Private Idaho (1991) – retelling one of Shakespeare’s iconic stories though the point of view of two young queer men is an ambitious endeavor in theory; in practice, director Gus van Sant manages to turn his modernization of “Henry V” into a moving and emotionally devastating drama that speaks to the internal struggles that many people, especially those within the LGBT community, faced at the time and continue to face to this day. The pairing of Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix proves essential in holding this film together, as it’s their portrayal of Scott and Mike, two hustlers living in the American Northwest who travel across states in search of the latter’s mother, that grounds the film in the midst of its daring themes and events.
No Country for Old Men (2007) – brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have made one modern classic after another since the beginning of their filmmaking career, with the likes of 1996’s “Fargo” and 2000’s “O Brother Where Art Thou?” still receiving praise as some of the best films of the past few decades. It wasn’t until the release of this neo-western that the Coens finally picked up their first Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards, and many would agree that the victory was very well-deserved. With an increasingly suspenseful screenplay and Javier Bardem’s equally chilling performance as the heartless Anton Chigurh, the film reflects the Coen Brothers at their darkest as well as their finest, sitting firmly in place as one of their best features to date.
The Social Network (2010) – it may be more recent than the majority of the other films that have been recently inducted into the National Film Registry, but that doesn’t detract from its meaning and merits. Through the excellent direction of David Fincher and a remarkable screenplay from Aaron Sorkin, this biographical drama about the rise of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg comes across as disturbingly ahead of its time in many respects, using its narrative to display the rise of antisocial tendencies among its characters against the backdrop of a social media platform that was ironically designed to bring people closer together. In an age where the negative effects of social media have only amplified, Fincher and Sorkin’s film seems more relevant than ever.
