Must-See Flicks For All Time

Must-See Flicks For All Time

The Librarian of Congress protects our film heritage

If you were Noah, and you could only save a limited number of movies from being washed away by time, which would you find a place for aboard your ark? The question is not as fanciful as it sounds. Many classics are at risk of being lost forever – not from flooding, but from the deterioration of the fragile celluloid on which they were printed. Fewer than 20 percent of the features from the 1920s, for example, survive in complete form today. In light of such loss, film preservation has become a major issue for film historians and movie buffs alike.

In 1988, Congress stepped into the fray with the National Film Preservation Act, which established a National Film Registry as a cinematic ark of sorts – a safe haven for the best the movies have to offer.

The law attributes the Librarian of Congress and a National Film Preservation Board to select up to 25 films a year for participation in an extensive preservation program.

Members of the board tend to be movers and shakers in the film industry (directors Martin Scorsese and John Singleton have been representatives), but their recommendations are just that: recommendations. Anyone is allowed and encouraged to nominate films for the Registry. But the ultimate decision rests with the Librarian of Congress.

This selection process should not be seen as the “People's Choice Awards. Instead the Librarian chooses the films that continue to have historic, cultural or aesthetic significance, and, just as important, represent other films deserving of recognition.

For a survey of what American filmgoers have found great, good and just plain entertaining over the years you can see the lists on the National Film Registry Website.

Robert de Niro in Grevin Museum of Montreal. Photo by Elena