CNN.com has an interesting article up about the 25 latest film selections by the Library of Congress for inclusion in their National Film Registry. The 25 films are:

"Ben Hur" (1959)
"The Blue Bird" (1918)
"A Bronx Morning" (1931)
"Clash of the Wolves" (1925)
"The Court Jester" (1956)
"D.O.A" (1950)
"Daughters of the Dust" (1991)
"Duck and Cover" (1951)
"Empire" (1964)
"Enter the Dragon" (1973)
"Eraserhead" (1978)
"Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers" (1980)
"Going My Way" (1944)
"Jailhouse Rock" (1957)
"Kannapolis, NC" (1941)
"Lady Helen's Escapade" (1909)
"The Nutty Professor" (1963)
"OffOn" (1968)
"Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" (1936)
"Pups is Pups (Our Gang)" (1930)
"Schindler's List" (1993)
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954)
"Swing Time" (1936)
"There It Is" (1928)
"Unforgiven" (1992)

A great list in my opinion. The full article can be read here

Interesting list. Getting a little eclectic, aren't we? There are five I've never heard of. I like that they're getting into documentaries. I've seen A BRONX MORNING two or three times. I could never tell where in the Bronx it was shot. There are not enough long shots in it to provide any recognizable landmarks. There's a short from 1941 called ADVENTURES IN THE BRONX that was nominated for a Best Live Short Subject that year. I'd love to see it, but it's probably a lost film. I did try tracking it down once through the company that inherited the holdings of the company that produced it. But they never heard of it and I didn't persist like I should have.

If the L of C continues to go this route, I'd like to recommend other cartoons, docu shorts and experimental shorts for them to "register." I'd start with the Times Square/42nd Street shorts, SQUARE TIMES (1967) by Rudy Burckhardt and JAZZ OF LIGHTS (1953) by Ian Hugo. There's a 1939 Columbia cartoon called "Merry Mannequins," by Ub Iwerks that should be preserved, if only for its dazzling array of stunning art deco designs. That's all I can think of right now.

Brian, since ADVENTURES IN THE BRONX was nominated for an Oscar, a print probably resides at the Academy Film Archive in Hollywood -- if you have the time and money you could most likely view the film next time you are in Los Angeles...

The LOC and National Film Preservation Foundation introduced amateur and small gauge films into the registry last year and I'm glad to see a film like KANNAPOLIS, NC receiving some recognition. KANNAPOLIS, NC is a "town portrait" film which were the bread and butter of itinerant filmmakers in the early part of the 20th century -- a fascinating subject by the way -- and the only way that the average American was able to see their selves or their towns in moving images before the late 1940's. I've seen a few of these films before (especially a great one I saw for Arcadia, FL from 1913) and they are gorgeous windows into America's past -- unfortunately, for about the past fifty years these town portraits have been replaced by formulaic, extended commercials produced by the local Chambers of Commerce.

Nevertheless, it is great to see different genres of film entering into the public (or at least the cinephile) conscious.

Last year's list included one of my favorite short films: MULTIPLE SIDOSIS (1970) -- which I had the luxury of viewing a screening of several years ago which was followed by a slide show presentation on the making of the short by filmmaker Sid Laverents -- the guy was 97 years old at the time. Sid killed the audience when a slide of a topless Tahitian girl appeared during his presentation and he deadpanned, "How did that get in there?" I've frequently found myself casually whistling NOLA on several occasions after the screening.

Here's a little more info about Sid, MULTIPLE SIDOSIS and the San Diego Amateur Moviemakers Club.