If this isn’t aesthetically significant, we don’t know what is. Photo: DreamWorks Pictures
Every year, the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry chooses 25 films of historical, cultural, or aesthetic significance to be marked for preservation. This year’s inductees date as far back as 1913, and include seven movies by filmmakers of color and nine directed by women, as well as a Stanley Kubrick classic, a landmark superhero film, and Shrek. Yes, it only took 800 movies to get to it, but the National Film Registry has finally deemed the 2001 fart-com Shrek worthy of saving for posterity. Standing beside the likes of Ida Lupino’s Outrage (1950), Sidney Poitier’s performance in Lilies of the Field (1963), Melvin Van Peebles’s Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), and Kathryn Bigelow’s Best Picture-winning The Hurt Locker (2008), is a kids movie where the villain’s name sounds like “fuck wad.”
Other popular inductees include A Clockwork Orange (1971), Grease (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), The Joy Luck Club (1993), and The Dark Knight (2008). Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement, “With the inclusion of diverse filmmakers, we are not trying to set records but rather to set the record straight by spotlighting the astonishing contributions women and people of color have made to American cinema, despite facing often-overwhelming hurdles.” TCM will air a special showcasing this year’s inductees on Tuesday, December 15 at 8 p.m. ET. Below is the full list of 2020’s new entries into the National Film Registry:
Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
The Battle of the Century (1927)
With Car and Camera Around the World (1929)
The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege (2006)
SuperiorArty on June 4th, 2021 at 06:14 UTC »
It’s funny that people consider Shrek a joke these days, when in reality, it’s one of the most important films ever.. for better or worse. Dreamworks and Shrek were made with the intention of knocking Disney off their high horse, which it did. Remember, 2D animation was dying due to lack of interest, and Shrek was seen as revolutionary in its mocking of Disney tropes. Disney even started copying that and, even to this day, mock their old fairy tale conventions because of Shrek. It pretty much paved the way for other animated films that followed its trends, though that also meant its downsides. This was the film that made Dreamworks decide to use pop culture songs and dance parties at the end, which pretty much most other animation studios followed too.
As much as the later films felt into the tropes it popularized and his meme status, the first Shrek film has left a lasting impact and the character has evolved in various pop culture statuses. That’s more than you can say for a vast majority of animated characters
Jaimelee80 on June 4th, 2021 at 03:39 UTC »
I mean, it won an oscar.
cferrios on June 4th, 2021 at 03:00 UTC »
The Library of Congress’s National Film Registry picks 25 films every year. This is the full list of 2020:
Suspense (1913)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
Bread (1918)
The Battle of the Century (1927)
With Car and Camera Around the World (1929)
Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Outrage (1950)
The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
Lilies of the Field (1963)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971)
Wattstax (1973)
Grease (1978)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Losing Ground (1982)
Illusions (1982)
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
The Devil Never Sleeps (1994)
Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
The Ground (1993-2001)
Shrek (2001)
Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege (2006)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Freedom Riders (2010)