The winter holidays season is a time of many delights, despite what one’s spiritual and/or religious beliefs are.
One of our favorite events, however, is the annual announcement each December by the Library of Congress of 25 films that are being named to the National Film Registry.
Some of these films are well-known award-winning titles, some are highly respected rarely seen titles and others are landmark productions reflecting the times they were made and changes in American culture.
The 25 films just named to the registry include one dealing with alcoholism (Days of Wine and Roses), sexual norms (Brokeback Mountain), the Vietnam War (Hearts and Minds), and the emergence of African-American filmmakers.
There are musicals on the list two including Academy Award-winning best picture My Fair Lady and the Gene Kelly-Frank Sinatra film On the Town.
“Monterey Pop,” 0ne of the best rock music movies ever made, is added to the list. It took place before Woodstock and some of the concert performances filmed are vastly superior to those of the festival that happened later.
For those with a hankering for science fiction and horror films, there are two added this year: Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” and Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”
Lots of film making giants are reflected in this list including Spencer Tracy (Bad Day at Black Rock), Walt Disney (Cinderella), Paul Newman (Hud), Orson Welles (The Lady from Shanghai), and Alfred Hitchcock (Rebecca).
This is the sort of list that makes one want to learn more about film, particularly about titles that aren’t widely know.
So, take a look at the list and then, if you so choose, watch some of those you don’t know much about it. We recommend it.
Films Selected for the 2018 National Film Registry (alphabetical order)
Within the next few days, this site will feature brief reviews and descriptions of every winner of the Academy Award for best picture beginning with “Wings” through “How Green Was My Valley, “Gentleman’s Agreement,” “Ben Hur,” “My Fair Lady,, ” “The Godfather,” “Chariots of Fire,” “The King’s Speech” and ending with “Moonlight,” last year’s winner.
This include references to some controversies, what made the winners special. It will be a great way to get ready for this March’s presentation and generate a good bit of conversation.
The writer has collected every movie that has won this top award and is a self proclaimed movie junkie.
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