by Nathaniel R
CARRIE (1976)
It's that time of year when this becomes THE LIST EXPERIENCE. The Library of Congress has revealed the titles that have been added to the National Film Registry denoting films that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." We wish it were any time other than December each year given all the other lists and that this one literally never has anything to do with the film year in process / wrapping up. But it is what it is. It's feast or famine and everyone is alway determined to keep December so tight that noone can breathe or pay attention to anything they're feasting on for more than two minutes!
Here is th 2022 list in chronological order as always...
- Mardi Gras Carnival (1898)
- Cab Calloway Home Movies (1948-1951)
- Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
- Charade (1963)
- Scorpio Rising (1963)
- Behind Every Good Man (1967)
- Titicut Follies (1967)
- Mingus (1968)
- Manzanar (1971)
- Betty Tells Her Story (1972)
- Super Fly (1972)
- Attica (1974)
- Carrie (1976)
- Union Maids (1976)
- Word is Out: Stories of Our Lives (1977)
- Bush Mama (1979)
- The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)
- Itam Hakim, Hopiit (1984)
- Hairspray (1988)
- The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Tongues Untied (1989)
- When Harry Met Sally (1989)
- House Party (1990)
- Iron Man (2008)
- Pariah (2011)
From that list we're most excited to see Brian de Palma's Carrie (1976) and Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989) two films which we never tire of talking about.
TONGUES UNTIED (1989)
It's also wonderful to see not one but three Black LGBTQ+ films on the list between Dee Rees young lesbian drama Pariah (2011) and the classic short Tongues Untied (1989) which is about the revolutionary act of Black men loving Black men. The third, which we are as yet unfamiliar with, is a gender fluid short from 1967 called Behind Every Good Man. Surprisingly the 2022 has way more of a queer flavor han usual. They also made room for the John Waters classic Hairspray (1988), Kenneth Anger's famous experimental short Scorpio Rising (1963), and the documentary Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977). This is purposeful of course, the Library of Congress notes:
This year’s selections include at least 15 films directed or co-directed by filmmakers of color, women or LGBTQ+ filmmakers. The selections bring the number of films in the registry to 850, many of which are among the 1.7 million films in the Library’s collections.
A film must be at least 10 years old before it's chosen so Pariah (2011) is getting the honor at an extremely young age. Being named on the National Film Registry does not immediately grant any film preservation (which costs money) but it is an awesome spiritual honor, let's say, and can help with grants for preservation and cultural esteem if the film hasn't already had that special care taken with it or been widely known.
You can read about the individual films and why they were chosen at the Library of Congress page.
WHAT ABOUT 2023'S LIST?
Nominations for the 2023 list are open and will close in August, so vote here if you're so inclined. There are a TON of films that haven't yet been put on the list. Here are some we're rooting for from the 1920s and 1930s...
THE DIVORCEE (1930)
- The Sheik (1921) - Gotta preserve Rudolph Valentino
- Our Dancing Daughters (1928) - early Joan Crawford!
- The Broadway Melody (1929) - very first "talkie" to win Best Picture
- The Divorcee (1930) - Pre-Code 4ever. Norma Shearer is divine in it -- don't care what the haters say!
- What Price Hollywood (1932) - because it begat the A Star is Born franchise
- Alice Adams (1935) -the best of Katharine Hepburn's early dramatic work
And for fun here are some titles from the 1980s and early 1990s that we think absolutely belong on the list
THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (1987)
- 9 to 5 (1980)
- Cruising (1980)
- Fame (1980)
- Mommie Dearest (1981)
- Reds (1981)
- Jane Fonda Workout (1982) the mega-seller!
- The Big Chill (1983)
- Scarface (1983)
- Silkwood (1983)
- Yentl (1983)
- Frankenweenie (1984) - Tim Burton short
- Romancing the Stone (1984)
- Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
- Witness (1985)
- Aliens (1986)
- Dirty Dancing (1987)
- Near Dark (1987)
- Robocop (1987)
- Witches of Eastwick (1987) LA PFEIFFER TRIPLE FEATURE
- Dangerous Liaisons (1988) LA PFEIFFER TRIPLE FEATURE
- Married to the Mob (1988) LA PFEIFFER TRIPLE FEATURE
- Dead Ringers (1989)
- Heathers (1989) - Mean Girls doesn't exist without this one. And without Heathers the cult of Winona Ryder never gets off the ground and Stranger Things as we know it would also be irrevocably altered
- Longtime Companion (1990)
- Madonna Truth or Dare (1991) - that this isn't already on the list is an absolute disgrace. A total landmark in celebrity confessionals, public interest in a documentary, and music history, too.
We could do this all day so we'll stop now!