Every year, the Library of Congress selects 25 different films from various genres for the National Film Registry, and 2019 is an incredibly diverse year, with Sleeping Beauty and Old Yeller among the titles inducted.
What’s Happening:
- The National Film Registry is the selection of films deserving of preservation. The mission is to ensure the survival, conservation, and increased public availability of America's film heritage. Each year, up to 25 "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films" are added, showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation.
- A film becomes eligible for inclusion ten years after its original release. For the first selection in 1989, the public nominated almost 1,000 films for consideration. Since 1997, members of the public have been able to nominate up to 50 films a year for Librarian of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board to consider.
- The National Film Registry says a film is not required to be feature-length, nor is it required to have been theatrically released in the traditional sense. The Registry contains newsreels, silent films, student films, experimental films, short films, music videos, films out of copyright protection or in the public domain, film serials, home movies, documentaries, animation, and independent films. The addition of the twenty-five 2019 titles brings the total in the National Film Registry to 775.
- 2019’s selection is far more diverse than in previous years, with seven of the titles directed by women. This is the most in a single year since the registry was created in 1989.
- Almost every year we see some kind of classic Disney film added to the Registry’s list. 2018 saw the addition of Cinderella, 2017 added Dumbo, 2016 included 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? As well as The Lion King. This year is no exception, with 1959’s animated classic Sleeping Beauty and the 1957 live-action feature Old Yeller added to the list.
- Sleeping Beauty, strange as it sounds for an animated feature, was filmed in Super Technirama 70, and took full advantage of the panoramic widescreen. The score, by composer George Bruns, received an Oscar nomination. Sleeping Beauty was Walt Disney’s most expensive film at the time, running into delays, numerous directors, and almost a decade of labor without the box office to match, but is largely considered one of the most beautiful animated films Walt Disney or any other animation studio has ever done.
- Old Yeller starred Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire and Tommy Kirk in an adaptation of the classic “boy and his dog” story where the family’s loyal companion saves their hide on more than one occasion, and leaves the aforementioned boy having to make a terrible decision that has echoed across generations of viewers.
What They’re Saying:
- Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden: “The National Film Registry has become an important record of American history, culture and creativity. Unlike many other honors, the registry is not restricted to a time, place or genre. It encompasses 130 years of the full American cinematic experience — a virtual Olympiad of motion pictures. With the support of Congress, the studios and other archives, we are ensuring that the nation’s cinematic history will be around for generations to come.”
2019 Inductees to the National Film Registry:
- Amadeus (1984)
- Becky Sharp (1935)
- Before Stonewall (1984)
- Body And Soul (1925)
- Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
- Clerks (1994)
- Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
- Emigrants Landing At Ellis Island (1903)
- Employees Entrance (1933)
- Fog Of War (2003)
- Gaslight (1944)
- George Washington Carver At Tuskegee Institute (1937)
- Girlfriends (1978)
- I Am Somebody (1970)
- The Last Waltz (1978)
- My Name Is Oona (1969)
- A New Leaf (1971)
- Old Yeller (1957)
- The Phenix City Story (1955)
- Platoon (1986)
- Purple Rain (1984)
- Real Women Have Curves (2002)
- She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
- Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Zoot Suit (1981)