The National Film Registry Adds 25 New Movies, Including ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’

The Library of Congress has just added 25 new movies to the National Film Registry—including cult classics like Dirty Dancing (1987), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).

With the new additions, the National Film Registry now has a total of 900 movies in its collection. This year’s picks range in tone and genre, including comedies, dramas, horrors, animated films, documentaries, blockbusters and independent movies.

For Trekkies, the addition of The Wrath of Khan is a welcome choice. It has been the gold standard of what Star Trek films can achieve in terms of both storytelling and box office numbers for over 40 years. Now, the movie is boldly going where no other film in its franchise history has gone before: the National Film Registry.

“I think it harked back to the principles of what made Star Trek popular, way back when it came out,” William Shatner, the original Captain James T. Kirk, tells the Washington Post’s Thomas Floyd. “For the most part, [the TV series] told personal stories that connected with the audience, so that the science fiction aspect was placed in the background and it was stories about human beings. That’s the key, I believe, to the success of this movie.”

Films such as Beverly Hills Cop and Dirty Dancing have been beloved for decades. The former is a fun comedy starring Eddie Murphy as a Detroit police officer in Los Angeles investigating a childhood friend’s killer. The film became a hit and so did its theme song, “Axel F.” The latter, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, is iconic for its dance moves and one liners like “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” and it's also known for the way it portrays female sexuality, as well as subjects such as abortion and class dynamics.

Picking which films find their way on the coveted list is a careful process that takes deliberation, debate and even input from audience members. This year the public submitted over 6,700 film nominations, with strong support for popular titles that made the list—The Social Network (2010), about the rise of Facebook, and No Country for Old Men (2007), about a Texas killer.

“The wealth of American film history is sometimes rather overwhelming, and people often wonder: how do you recommend this film or that film?” Jacqueline Stewart, the chair of the National Film Preservation Board, says in a statement. “It's through a lot of research, conversation and discussion, and it's through a commitment to showing the true diversity of filmmaking.”

This year’s list is also notable for its inclusion of films featuring actors and directors of color. Five of the movies were directed by Black filmmakers: Ganja & Hess (1973), Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Zora Lathan Student Films (1975-76), Will (1981) and Compensation (1999). Five more include movies featuring prominent Hispanic lead actors and stories. That includes Spy Kids (2001), a hit family film that weaves Hispanic culture into a plot about children who discover their parents are spies.

“Films reflect our nation’s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden says in the statement. “We’re honored by the responsibility to add 25 diverse new films to the National Film Registry each year as we work to preserve our cultural heritage.”

Check out the full list in chronological order:

Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)
KoKo’s Earth Control (1928)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Invaders from Mars (1953)
The Miracle Worker (1962)
The Chelsea Girls (1966)
Ganja & Hess (1973)
Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
Zora Lathan Student Films (1975-76)
Up in Smoke (1978)
Will (1981)
Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
American Me (1992)
Mi Familia (1995)
Compensation (1999)
Spy Kids (2001)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
The Social Network (2010)

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.