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Our Adorable Past

The Matrix, A League of Their Own Are Among This Year’s Additions to the National Film Registry

by Rebecca Pahle | 12:30 pm, December 19th, 2012


Every year the Library of Congress picks 25 “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” films for inclusion in their National Film Registry. It’s a way to highlight the importance of preserving the United States’ film heritage. It’s also pretty much the only time you’ll see a short documentary about 38 streets, businesses, and cities named Augusta on the same list as The Matrix.

In addition to The Matrix and The Augustas (that’s the aforemetioned 16-minute film by traveling salesman Scott Nixon, in case you want to look it up), among the films on this year’s National Film Registry list are Breakfast at Tiffany’s, A Christmas Story, A League of Their Own, Dirty Harry, Slacker, The Times of Harvey Milk, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin , a 1914 adaption of Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s novel that is said to be the first feature-length film starring an African-American actor.

Says the Library of Congress’ James M. Billington, “These films are not selected as the best American films of all time, but rather as works of enduring importance to American culture. They reflect who we are as a people and as a nation.”

Of course, the films included might very well be among “the best American films of all time,” too. I mean, A Christmas Story and A League of Their Own. C’mon.

(via: Los Angeles Times)

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  • Anonymous

    I love that film so much. So much I did a history project on the AAGPBL when I was 13. And my god, interviews where Genna Davis mentions actual players who were moved and young girls who were inspired. BRB gotta go cry now.

  • Anonymous

    You save an old man and you save a unit; but save a boy, and you save a multiplication table.

  • John Wao

    There’s no crying in the Matrix!

  • Anonymous
  • Kitty

    I love this time of year because I get to discover movies that I’ve never watched before, but are bound to be good because of their entry into the National Film Registry. This gives me so many titles to add to my Blockbuster @Home queue that I have through DISH. I love that I don’t pay per rental and I can rent an unlimited number of discs by mail without due dates. I’ve never even heard of Dirty Harry, but one of my coworkers at DISH swears that it’s one of Clint Eastwood’s finer movies. I love it; it’s like being introduced to a bit of cinematic history!

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