A trio of captivating films from the world of music and entertainment have been selected by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Film Registry.
As Variety reports, The Last Waltz, Martin Scorcese’s 1978 concert film chronicling The Band‘s star-studded farewell performance, Purple Rain, which starred Prince in his acting debut, and Amadeus, the 1984 fictionalized biography about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which won the Academy Award for “Best Picture”, are just three of the films which will now be preserved for future generations to learn from and enjoy under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act.
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Other films that were included in the annual selection include Clerks, She’s Gotta Have It, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Sleeping Beauty, Boys Don’t Cry, The Phenix City Story, Gaslight, Old Yeller, Platoon, and Zoot Suit.
The soundtrack for Purple Rain was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2011–The same year as the Grateful Dead‘s Barton Hall Concert at Cornell University.
“I am deeply honored that ‘Purple Rain’ has been selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry in 2019,” Purple Rain director Albert Magnoli added. “All of us strived to create a film that would capture the attention of what we believed at the time was a small audience. None of us expected this longevity. We simply worked hard every day to get it right, and this honor is a testament to the music, story and characters that were created by all of us so many years ago.”
The report also clarifies that seven of the 25 films selected for 2019 are directed by women, including Elaine May who was the first woman to write, direct, and star in a major American studio feature with 1971’s A New Leaf.
“The National Film Registry has become an important record of American history, culture and creativity,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “Unlike many other honors, the registry is not restricted to a time, place or genre. It encompasses 130 years of the full American cinematic experience – a virtual Olympiad of motion pictures.”
[H/T Variety]