My 2020 National Film Registry nominations
by nialldude3 | created - 11 Dec 2019 | updated - 16 Jun 2020 | PublicEach December, the National Film Preservation Board selects 25 films to be inducted into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The board have said nominations from the public play a vital role in what films they choose to select. In 2017 one film I nominated, Superman (1978) was selected. In 2018 two films I nominated, The Shining (1980) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) had been selected. So they clearly take public nominations seriously.
If you want to nominate any films to be in the registry, go to https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/nominate
You can nominate up to 50 films and the deadline is September 15th.
Here are my picks for the 2020 National Film Registry.
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1. Scarface (1983)
R | 170 min | Crime, Drama
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Votes: 917,041 | Gross: $45.60M
Arguably Brian De Palma's best film, it has become a staple of pop culture from Al Pacino's performance, the many quotable lines and even the poster. It is considered by many to be one of the best crime films of all time.
2. Boogie Nights (1997)
R | 155 min | Drama
Back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 282,196 | Gross: $26.40M
Fantastic film with an Altmanesque style of storytelling. It put director Paul Thomas Anderson into the spotlight and helped establish Mark Wahlberg as a serious actor. It also gave Burt Reynolds his only Oscar nomination.
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,771 | Gross: $30.86M
One of the most influential horror films of all time, it is credited with introducing several elements now common in the slasher genre including using power tools as murder weapons and the killer wearing a mask. Ridley Scott cited the film as an influence when making Alien (1979).
4. Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
The characters of the traditional fairy tale demand a new approach to the story as a sexy urban comedy with Red as a nightclub singer.
Director: Tex Avery | Stars: Elvia Allman, Sara Berner, Daws Butler, Pinto Colvig
Votes: 2,753
5. Fritz the Cat (1972)
X | 78 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Fritz drops out of college, starts a riot in Harlem and hits the road with an ex-girlfriend before getting mixed up with domestic terrorists.
Director: Ralph Bakshi | Stars: Skip Hinnant, Rosetta LeNoire, John McCurry, Judy Engles
Votes: 14,351 | Gross: $25.00M
Most infamous for being the first X rated animated film, it not only help break American animation out of its family friendly perception but also depicted the counter culture of its time though the use of anthropomorphic animals.
6. Stand by Me (1986)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell
Votes: 441,898 | Gross: $52.29M
Although set in the 1950s, it has become a quintessential 80s film with themes of friendship and loss. It also brought a rekindled interest in the Ben E. King song in which the film is named after.
7. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,121,969 | Gross: $309.13M
The conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy (as well as the only one not yet in the registry) it continued the traditions of the previous two films by creating innovative special effects that still inspire modern blockbusters.
8. Babe (1995)
G | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Gentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?
Director: Chris Noonan | Stars: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, Christine Cavanaugh, Miriam Margolyes
Votes: 134,186 | Gross: $66.60M
It features creative special effects for making real life animals talk and is often credited with starting the CGI talking animal revolution. It also has a great story of how being nice can help you succeed.
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,008,192 | Gross: $315.54M
10. The Great Escape (1963)
Approved | 172 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson
Votes: 259,030 | Gross: $12.10M
The film that made Steve McQueen a star, a much-loved story that continues to enchanted audiences. The action scenes had proven to be very influential with the barb-wire jump scene being one of the most iconic in film history.
11. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey
Votes: 375,293 | Gross: $75.08M
It features innovative stop-motion animation and was even nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar, a first for an animated film. Through the minds of Tim Burton and Henry Selick, they were able to create characters and images which are still recognised by audiences today. The fact that people debate whether or not it is a Christmas film or a Halloween film is a testament to its popularity.
12. The Killing (1956)
Approved | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Crook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen
Votes: 97,573
Considered by the director himself to be his first mature work, it caught the attention of critics for its raw look and innovative camerawork and the non-linear structure has been highly influential on later films, such as Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994). Despite being a box office flop, it planted the seed for his later groundbreaking films.
13. The Moon Is Blue (1953)
M/PG | 99 min | Comedy, Romance
Two aging playboys are both after the same attractive young woman, but she fends them off by claiming that she plans to remain a virgin until her wedding night. Both men determine to find a way around her objections.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: William Holden, David Niven, Maggie McNamara, Tom Tully
Votes: 2,520
Directed by the frequently controversial Otto Preminger, the use of language was shocking and revolutionary at the time and was one of the films that weakened the influence of the Production Code.
14. Ed Wood (1994)
R | 127 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 184,027 | Gross: $5.89M
15. Superman: The Mad Scientist (1941)
G | 10 min | Animation, Short, Action
The Man of Steel fights a mad scientist who is destroying Metropolis with an energy cannon.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Steve Muffati | Stars: Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander, Jackson Beck, Jack Mercer
Votes: 3,508
The first cinematic appearance of Superman, it brought the popular comic book superhero to the big screen without losing the impact he had on readers. It would eventually influence the comics and subsequently the live-action films and television shows.
16. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,325,600 | Gross: $37.03M
I can’t talk about it.
17. The Thing (1982)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Votes: 466,991 | Gross: $13.78M
Although a critical and commercial failure when it was released, it has since been cited as an influence by directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright, been regarded as one of the best remakes of all time and been considered an iconic 80s horror film.
18. Hell's Angels (1930)
Passed | 127 min | Drama, War
Brothers Monte and Ray leave Oxford to join the Royal Flying Corps. Ray loves Helen; Helen enjoys an affair with Monte; before they leave on their mission over Germany they find her in still another man's arms.
Directors: Howard Hughes, Edmund Goulding, James Whale | Stars: Ben Lyon, James Hall, Jean Harlow, John Darrow
Votes: 5,972 | Gross: $5.45M
It is often considered to be one of the first sound action films. It is also notable for featuring the only colour footage of Jean Harlow.
19. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,174,750 | Gross: $204.84M
Often considered one of the greatest sequels of all time, it (along with Jurassic Park (1993)) revolutionised visual effects and made breakthroughs in CGI such as the first partially computer animated main character.
20. True Stories (1986)
PG | 89 min | Comedy, Musical
A small but growing Texas town, filled with strange and musical characters, celebrates its sesquicentennial and converge on a local parade and talent show.
Director: David Byrne | Stars: David Byrne, John Goodman, Annie McEnroe, Jo Harvey Allen
Votes: 7,500 | Gross: $2.55M
21. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Not Rated | 73 min | Comedy, Horror
A clumsy young man working at an impoverished flower shop discovers that the strange plant he has been nurturing has an insatiable appetite for blood, forcing him to kill to feed it.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller
Votes: 19,569 | Gross: $1.40M
Filmed in only two days and using sets and actors he already had, Roger Corman still managed to create a memorable film that became a staple of late night television with its strange plot and off-beat sense of humour. It inspired a successful broadway musical and subsequent a film adaptation directed by Frank Oz.
22. The Last House on the Left (1972)
R | 84 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
Two teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln
Votes: 40,305 | Gross: $3.10M
Although highly controversial and even banned in some countries when it was released, it remains an influential exploitation film and the tagline "It’s only a movie" has become somewhat iconic in recent years.
23. Hypocrites (1915)
Passed | 54 min | Drama, Fantasy
The parallel stories of a modern preacher and a medieval monk, Gabriel the Ascetic, who is killed by an ignorant mob for making a nude statue representing Truth, which is also represented by a ghostly naked girl who flits throughout the film.
Director: Lois Weber | Stars: Courtenay Foote, Myrtle Stedman, Herbert Standing, Adele Farrington
Votes: 712
Groundbreaking for its nudity, multiple exposures and intricate editing, it propelled Lois Weber to the front ranks of silent directors.
24. Caddyshack (1980)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Sport
An exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight
Votes: 127,229 | Gross: $39.85M
Popular 80s comedy with tons of quotable lines and hilarious performances by Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield. It is also Harold Ramis' directorial debut.
25. Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Passed | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan
Votes: 23,213
One of many Warner Bros. gangster films of the 1930s, it is considered a landmark in the genre and James Cagney's performance is one of his most iconic.
26. The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
Unrated | 126 min | Comedy, War
Without hostile intent, a Soviet submarine runs aground off New England. Men are sent for a boat, but many villagers go into a tizzy, risking bloodshed.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin, Brian Keith
Votes: 10,056 | Gross: $21.69M
27. Scarlet Street (1945)
Approved | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A man in mid-life crisis befriends a young woman, though her fiancé persuades her to con him out of the fortune they mistakenly assume he possesses.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea, Margaret Lindsay
Votes: 19,207
Considered a central film in the film noir genre, it was the first Hollywood film to have a criminal not get punished for his crime.
28. The Truman Show (1998)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 1,197,357 | Gross: $125.62M
Hilarious and though-provoking at the same time, it gave Jim Carrey, previous know for his lowbrow comedies, the opportunity to show his dramatic chops and has been analysed for its themes of celebrity culture and Christianity.
29. The Covered Wagon (1923)
98 min | Adventure, Romance, Western
Two wagon caravans converge at what is now Kansas City, and combine for the westward push to Oregon. On their quest the pilgrims will experience desert heat, mountain snow, hunger, and ... See full summary »
Director: James Cruze | Stars: J. Warren Kerrigan, Lois Wilson, Alan Hale, Ernest Torrence
Votes: 781 | Gross: $7.63M
30. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Passed | 70 min | Film-Noir, Horror, Sci-Fi
A mad doctor conducts ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor who finds himself trapped there.
Director: Erle C. Kenton | Stars: Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams
Votes: 10,908
31. Fear Strikes Out (1957)
Approved | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
True story of the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden, Norma Moore, Adam Williams
Votes: 2,160
A bold depiction of mental illness, well ahead of its time in showing that it can happen to anyone whether your an average joe or a famous celebrity. It is also the feature directing debut of Robert Mulligan and feature producing debut of Alan J. Pakula, who together made six films - including To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
32. The Squaw Man (1914)
Not Rated | 74 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A chivalrous British officer takes the blame for his cousin's embezzlement and journeys to the American West to start a new life on a cattle ranch.
Directors: Oscar Apfel, Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Dustin Farnum, Monroe Salisbury, Winifred Kingston, Mrs. A.W. Filson
Votes: 1,047 | Gross: $0.53M
The directing debut of Cecil B. DeMille, the first feature film made in Hollywood and been successfully remade by the same director three times. Need I say more?
33. Bound for Glory (1976)
PG | 147 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The early life of Woody Guthrie as a vagabond folk singer.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: David Carradine, Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland
Votes: 5,592
Ambitious and out-standing in its own way, one of the most visually stunning films ever made and the first film to use a Steadicam. Directed by the underrated Hal Ashby and toped off with a great performance by David Carradine.
34. To Have and Have Not (1944)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Film-Noir
During World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Dolores Moran
Votes: 38,017
35. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
G | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Family
The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
Director: Don Chaffey | Stars: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 31,058 | Gross: $4.58M
Hugely influential fantasy, perhaps the most famous and acclaimed film to feature Ray Harryhausen’s legendary stop motion special effects. Tom Hanks even called it the greatest film ever made.
36. My Own Private Idaho (1991)
R | 104 min | Drama
Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert
Votes: 61,778 | Gross: $6.40M
Landmark LGBT film, notable for its then-taboo subject matter and avant-garde style. It also has one of River Phoenix’s most enduring performances of his brief career and an early mature role for Keanu Reeves. A true pioneer of queer cinema.
37. Treasure Island (1950)
PG | 96 min | Adventure, Family
The treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate captain Long John Silver.
Director: Byron Haskin | Stars: Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald
Votes: 9,475
Disney’s first live-action film, particularly iconic is Robert Newton’s portrayal of Long John Silver which is thought to have started the modern day stereotype of pirates. A grand spectacle from start to finish.
38. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Passed | 132 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
First mate Fletcher Christian leads a revolt against his sadistic commander, Captain Bligh, in this classic seafaring adventure, based on the real-life 1789 mutiny.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin
Votes: 24,867
39. Finding Nemo (2003)
G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 1,113,966 | Gross: $380.84M
One of Pixar’s most beloved films, filled with memorable characters and beautiful animation. A tale of the importance of family and the difficulties of being a single parent. The voice acting alone speaks for itself (no pun intended) in particular Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres.
40. The Long Goodbye (1973)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Private investigator Philip Marlowe helps a friend out of a jam, but in doing so gets implicated in his wife's murder.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell
Votes: 37,322 | Gross: $0.96M
Robert Altman’s satirical and daring neo noir, transporting 1940s detective Philip Marlowe to the very different 1970s. Easy-going narrative and voyeuristic camerawork make this an underrated classic.
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