Numerous iconic Hollywood films from the last 50 years have been selected for the National Film Registry.
The Library of Congress revealed the 25 films selected for the honor on Thursday, noting that each is being preserved due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.
The selections date back to the silent film era with six silent films from 1896 to 1926 while the newest film added to the registry is Wes Anderson’s quirky 2014 “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
Other notable films include the beloved martial arts drama “The Karate Kid,” the Civil War epic “Glory” the legal drama “Philadelphia,” Richard Linklater’s monologue-heavy romance “Before Sunset,” Pixar’s superhero favorite “The Incredibles,” “The Truman Show” starring Jim Carrey, Christopher Nolan’s science fiction mindbender “Inception” and the teen comedy “Clueless.”
Classic Hollywood selections include the 1954 musical “White Christmas” that enshrined the chart-topping song of the same name in American popular culture, and perhaps the last great musical of the Golden Age of Hollywood, “High Society” from 1956 featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly in her last movie.
Four documentaries were also selected including Ken Burns’ “Brooklyn Bridge,” Nancy Buirski’s “The Loving Story,” George Nierenberg’s “Say Amen, Somebody” and Danny Tedesco’s “The Wrecking Crew.”
“The Big Chill,” which focuses on a group of former University of Michigan students reuniting after 12 years when their friend dies by suicide was also added, as was John Carpenter’s frigid monster flick “The Thing.”
“When we preserve films, we preserve American culture for generations to come. These selections for the National Film Registry show us that films are instrumental in capturing important parts of our nation’s story,” said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen.
“We are proud to continue this important work, adding a broad range of 25 films to the National Film Registry as a collective effort in the film community to protect our cinematic heritage.”
The selections for 2025 bring the number of titles in the registry to 925.
“The magic of Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi and me as the Daniel LaRusso character, that sort of give and take, that instant soulful magic was happening from our first meeting,” Karate Kid star Ralph Macchio told the Library of Congress.
“Those scenes in Miyagi’s yard, the chores, the waxing on of the car, the painting the fences, the sanding the floor, all of that is now a part of cinematic pop culture. For me, the heart and soul of the film is in those two characters.”
Turner Classic Movies will host a television special at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 to screen a selection of films named to the registry this year.
TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board, will introduce the films.
“It is very meaningful that the National Film Registry is adding six silent film titles, showing the range of topics and styles in the earliest years of American filmmaking,” Stewart said.
“And it is especially exciting to see that the top title nominated by the public for this year, ‘The Thing,’ has been added to the National Film Registry, along with ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘The Incredibles’ which also had very strong public support.”
Films Selected for the 2025 National Film Registry(chronological order)