National Film Registry

Film[edit]

Fred Ott's Sneeze (1894) is one of the earliest U.S. films ^[1] that Thomas Edison produced.
The Dickson Experimental Sound Film is the first known film with live-recorded sound, either late 1894 or early 1895.^[2]
The 47-second long The Kiss (1896) was one of the first films shown commercially to the public.^[3]
The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight (1897) was both the first feature-length picture (running at almost 100 minutes) as well as film's first bona-fide financial success (grossing between $100,000–$750,000), sparking the earliest large-scale discussion about the medium.
Ringling Brothers Parade Film (1902) provided a rare look at early 20th Century African-American communities.
The Great Train Robbery (1903) used a variety of editing techniques that were becoming popular at the time of its release.
Although not the first animated film, Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) became the first popular cartoon thanks to its creator Winsor McCay.^[4]
The Birth of a Nation (1915) developed innovative camera techniques and special effects and became Hollywood's first successful feature film, being cited as the first "super-production" despite enduring controversy on its positive portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan.
The influential Intolerance (1916) was made by D. W. Griffith partly in response to controversy over the racism seen in The Birth of a Nation.
American wit Will Rogers in the comedy film Jubilo (1919).
Charlie Chaplin's 1921 film The Kid not only became the first successful comedy feature film, but also demonstrated the compatibility between dramatic and comedic elements, cementing Chaplin's reputation.
Nanook of the North (1922) revolutionized the documentary film with its large scale production, though it continues to receive controversy for staging several of the events it depicts.
The iconic scene featuring Harold Lloyd hanging from the clock in Safety Last! (1923) has been referenced by numerous media, with a number of films including similar events in their plots.
Greed, the 1924 film by Erich von Stroheim, is known for its reputation as the "holy grail" of lost films (the original 42-reel uncut version).
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) featured extensive makeup for its main character^[5] in one of Lon Chaney's greatest roles.
Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927), the first feature film to include scenes of fully synchronized sound that is also known for its controversial use of blackface.
Jules Raucourt stars as the protagonist of the 1927 experimental classic The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra.
Clara Bow in the first Academy Award for Best Picture winner Wings (1927).
Multiple Edgar Allan Poe adaptations included The Fall of the House of Usher (1928), Roger Corman's 1960 remake House of Usher featuring Vincent Price and the animated 1953 version of The Tell-Tale Heart.
The Big Trail (1930) was one of the first films to experiment with a widescreen format.
The 1931 film version of Dracula became highly influential over future depictions of the title character. Its simultaneously-filmed Spanish-language version is unique among foreign-language versions for being preserved in the registry as well.
Little Caesar (1931) sparked a vogue for gangster films during the early 1930s and established Edward G. Robinson as the quintessential "movie mobster".
The 1932 horror film classic Freaks had soon became a cult midnight movie after its initial release.
The groundbreaking special effects and timeless story have made King Kong (1933) one of the most influential films of all time.
Becky Sharp was one of the first fully developed three-strip Technicolor films.
Lasting 16 minutes, the Fleischer Brothers classic 1936 Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor was the first U.S.-produced animated film with a running time over the standard 7–8 minutes, predating Disney's Snow White by a year.
The famous "Heigh-Ho" sequence from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first American animated feature film, created by Walt Disney, and showing the seven dwarfs (Doc, Happy, Grumpy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy).
Despite not being the first film in color, The Wizard of Oz (1939) startled audiences when Judy Garland seamlessly transitioned from sepia-tone to color.
Adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind (1939) is the highest-grossing film in box-office history.
Fantasia (1940) includes Mickey Mouse in the ever-popular segment The Sorcerer's Apprentice by French composer Paul Dukas.
Despite initial box-office struggles, Disney's 2nd animated film Pinocchio (1940) has long been acclaimed for its technical and artistic merits.
The Great Dictator (1940) was Charlie Chaplin's first sound film after his era of silent films.
Citizen Kane (1941) is considered by many critics and scholars (including the American Film Institute) to be the greatest film ever made.^[6]
Humphrey Bogart in the 1941 remake of The Maltese Falcon, considered to be one of the earliest examples of film noir.
The films of Preston Sturges, including Sullivan's Travels (1941), were known for their witty dialogue.
Casablanca (1942) has six lines of dialogue on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes, more than any other film.
The all-black musical Cabin in the Sky (1943), starring vocal jazz legends Lena Horne and Ethal Waters, was also the directorial debut of Vincette Minnelli.
Of all the films directed by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, the psychological thriller Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was his personal favorite.
Maya Deren's magnum opus, Meshes of the Afternoon, the 1943 experimental classic that influenced filmmakers like David Lynch.^[7]
Why We Fight was a series of propaganda films directed by Frank Capra explaining to soldiers why the United States was involved in World War II.
Ann Savage and Tom Neal in the legendary 1945 B-movie Detour that remains a cult favorite among critics.
It's a Wonderful Life disappointed both critics and audiences while in theaters in 1946, but frequent television showings have transformed it into one of the most beloved and widely referenced films of all time.
Let There Be Light was a controversial 1946 documentary about post-traumatic stress disorder and the effect it has on returning soldiers that was blocked from public distribution for 35 years.
Virgil Thomson's score for the film Louisiana Story (1948) won him the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Music the following year.
Billy Wilder's take on sensational journalism Ace in the Hole (aka The Big Carnival, 1951) was made after the success of the Oscar-winning Sunset Boulevard a year prior.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) is one of the great 1950s science fiction films made during the Cold War era.
Duck and Cover, the 1951 training film about how to survive an atomic blast, was also featured in another Registry title: the 1982 satirical Cold War collage documentary The Atomic Cafe.
Gary Cooper in the controversial High Noon (1952), which was said to be an allegory on McCarthyism.
The legendary Gene Kelly musical Singin' in the Rain (1952) features some of the most beloved musical numbers ever performed on screen.
Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker (1953) is notable for being the first American film noir directed by a female.
Roman Holiday (1953) made Audrey Hepburn an overnight star and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Salt of the Earth (1954), Herbert J. Biberman's docudrama about a miner's strike, is the only American film ever to be blacklisted.
Judy Garland in perhaps her most acclaimed performance, Esther Blodgett in the 1954 remake of A Star Is Born.
Combining elements of the western and film noir genres, Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) was the first film to openly acknowledge the racism against Japanese Americans after World War II.
The Frank Sinatra vehicle The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) featured memorable title sequences by then-unknown graphic designer Saul Bass.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) was released in theaters less than one month after the main actor, James Dean, died in a car accident.
Often cited as one of the greatest westerns of all time, The Searchers (1956) was an influence on directors including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and David Lean.
For Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 remake of his own silent classic The Ten Commandments used various visual effects to create the illusion of Moses (Charlton Heston) parting the Red Sea.
The Eliza Kazan drama A Face in the Crowd (1957) featured a powerful breakthrough performance of TV star Andy Griffith.
Elvis Presley (at the peak of his rock n' roll popularity) refused to watch the completed 1957 Jailhouse Rock after Judy Tyler was killed in a car accident a few weeks before the film's release.^[8]
Former Looney Tunes animator turned live-action director Frank Tashlin's media satire Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) featured sex symbol Jayne Mansfield.
Bruce Conner's legendary avant-garde 1958 collage film A Movie was his first attempt at making what he called an "anti-movie".^[9]
Orson Welles in Touch of Evil (1958), said to be one of the last great film noirs of all time.^[10]
Vertigo (1958) has been called the greatest film of all time according to the 2012 Sight & Sound poll.^[11]
Douglas Sirk's 1950s melodramas tackled American suburban life, including his 1959 remake of Imitation of Life^[12] (the 1934 original is also in the registry).
Some Like It Hot (1959) was voted the funniest American film on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs.
Psycho (1960) features one of the most imitated and spoofed scenes in all of cinema and made Anthony Perkins a household name.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is often considered one of the greatest and most influential epics of all time.
Oscar-winning actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in Robert Aldrich's pyschological horror thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Ex-crime reporter Samuel Fuller was known for his low-budget thrillers including 1963's Shock Corridor.
Slim Pickens in the 1964 Cold War dark satire Dr. Strangelove, one of the many acclaimed masterworks from Stanley Kubrick.
Julie Andrews in her Oscar-winning role of Mary Poppins (1964), often considered Walt Disney’s crowning achievement in live-action films.
The Pawnbroker (1964) was one of the few American films to deal with the aftermath of the Holocaust from the survivor's perspective.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) was one of the films that started the New Hollywood era of American cinema.
Shirley Clarke's Portrait of Jason (1967) documented the life of an LGBT African American nightclub performer Jason Holliday.
John Cassavetes's personal dramas, including the Oscar-nominated Faces (1968), were essential to the beginnings of American independent film.
The 1968 low-budget epic Night of the Living Dead was one of the first films to feature a modern interpretation of zombies.
Salesman (1969), directed by the brotherly duo Albert and David Maysles, was one of the few documentary films that innovated a style called cinéma vérité.
The Maysles Brothers' Grey Gardens (1975) developed a devoted following to the point of adapting it into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.
Godfrey Reggio's innovative experimental documentary Koyaanisqatsi (1983), featuring music by noted classical composer Philip Glass, was also spoofed on an episode of the animated sitcom The Simpsons.