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Movies Star Wars Prequels Entertainment

The Empire Strikes Back Added To National Film Registry 129

Posted by CmdrTaco from the what-no-phantom-menace dept.
aztec1430 writes "Airplane!, The Empire Strikes Back, The Exorcist, and All the President's Men, were among the 25 films named by the Library of Congress to the National Film Registry on Tuesday for their cultural, historical or aesthetic significance. Now, which version was added? And will each new Lucas-a-fied version need to be resubmitted every year? ;)"
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The Empire Strikes Back Added To National Film Registry More

The Empire Strikes Back Added To National Film Registry

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  • I'm surprised they didn't include Birth Of A Nation.

  • Airplane!? (Score:5, Funny)

    by FrYGuY101 ( 770432 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @08:59AM (#34697788) Journal
    Surely you can't be serious!

    • Re:Airplane!? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Eevee ( 535658 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @09:10AM (#34697886)
      I am serious. And stop calling me Shirley.
      • That's up in my top ten of Leslie Nielsen lines. My favoritest line is "Nice Beaver!".

        • Didn't the "Don't call me Shirley" line get used in the 1978 Superman film as well? I may be misremembering, but I thought that that fellow who was the editor of the Daily Planet (can't remember his name) said "Don't call me Shirley" to either Lois, Clark, or Jimmy.

          • Didn't the "Don't call me Shirley" line get used in the 1978 Superman film as well? I may be misremembering, but I thought that that fellow who was the editor of the Daily Planet (can't remember his name) said "Don't call me Shirley" to either Lois, Clark, or Jimmy.

            Perry White added "don't call me sugar" to his request for coffee from Jimmy Olsen. He was trying to say, "don't call me chief."

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I am Shirly, and don't call me Sirius.

      • I am Shirly, and don't call me Sirius.

        As an amateur astronomy buff, I would agree with you. Sirius certainly is a dog star. But, since dyslexics worship it, you might want to calm down.

  • That would be pretty funny.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by phrackwulf ( 589741 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @09:02AM (#34697804)

    If a government archive ends up being the only place the original un-sullied version of Empire ends up existing. LucasFAIL!

    "Hundreds of years from now, in the ruins of civilization, rumors reach the roving tribes of the over-nerd that a pure copy of the fabled 'Second War of the Stars' exists." A brave band of technomancers and their trusty and nubile amazons set out on a quest for this fabled item."

    • Screw that. I've got the Holiday Special.

      My favorite part of Wierd Al's "White and Nerdy" video is when they trade a bootleg copy vhs with a cover drawn in crayon of that thing.

      It really is more horrible than you can imagine. I had to watch it in two sittings.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Dude. This is Slashdot. We've all got the Holiday Special.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by bipbop ( 1144919 )
        I think it's funny that all the responses are trying to one-up watching the Holiday Special, when this clearly can't be done. Instead, I'll offer my condolences, as a fellow victim :-(

      • I had to watch it in two sittings

        You. You. Watched? (blinks) The whole thing? (stares in disbelief). No. Not possible. (walks away).

    • rumors reach the roving tribes of the over-nerd that a pure copy of the fabled 'Second War of the Stars' exists.

      You mean Attack of the Clowns?

      Ocean's started at 11, Apollo started at 13, and Zombi started at 2 [wikipedia.org]. Star Wars started at 4, just like The Fantastic. Get it right :p [tvtropes.org]

      • Part of me wants to agree with you, because you are technically correct. However, the other part doesn't want to acknowledge the truth in your assertion because that leads to a risk that Lucas might actually make I, II, and III someday. And that's a horror on a scale too large to contemplate. It took years of therapy to get rid of that bad dream I had a while back that Lucas had actually done such a thing, and I still scream sometimes at night when I think of that nightmarish monstrosity that can only be

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

        Since Star Wars started at IV, the second one was indeed V.

        And "Apollo" didn't start at 13, 13 was the only movie made about the Apollo program, and it was about the most suspenseful spaceflight that ever launched anywhere. Nobody expected those astronauts to live, but they and the engineers on the ground pulled off some of the greatest hacks in history.

        Yes, I was alive then. [slashdot.org]

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by PCM2 ( 4486 )

          Correction: Star Wars started at nothing -- no sequels, no episode number.

        • And "Apollo" didn't start at 13, 13 was the only movie made about the Apollo program, and it was about the most suspenseful spaceflight that ever launched anywhere.

          Sigh. Nobody talks about The Right Stuff anymore.

      • You forgot Leonard starting at part 6.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

      Um, my DVDs of episodes IV-VI have both the borked and original versions. Check disk 2 for the theatrical version.

      • That's not film. It's actually not even a very good transfer. When creating the screwed up versions, they restored the film from all the copies they could get their hands on, not in high def, and then made all their edits and unnecessary CG filler. Then, they ordered the original film destroyed, I believe. The "originals" on there are from an older scan of the film and don't even use the better film copy they used for the "special" edition.

  • Poor poor (Score:3)

    by santax ( 1541065 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @09:02AM (#34697812)
    Kenny, Eric, Stan and Kyle. They fought so hard.

    • Too soon to tell if they have actually contributed (or detracted from) our culture, although it might in time. The movie Bigger, Longer and Uncut was considered to be one of the most important musicals when it was released, as that genre has been slowing fading away. The music score is actually quite impressive.

      Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein would be worthwhile examples of our culture and the best works of Mel Brooks, who is arguably one of the more influential film creators in the late 20th century

    • Kenny, Eric, Stan and Kyle. They fought so hard.

      Blame Canada.

      • Kenny, Eric, Stan and Kyle. They fought so hard.

        Blame Canada.

        NO, NO, NO!!!
        Blame Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. WE'VE already apologized, it's their turn.

  • Which Version? (Score:3)

    by A. B3ttik ( 1344591 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @09:05AM (#34697844)

    Now which version was added?

    This is version 4.38.11.9, the one where Lucas replaced Boba Fett with Jar-Jar Binks.

    • Now which version was added?

      This is version 4.38.11.9, the one where Lucas replaced Boba Fett with Jar-Jar Binks.

      Wrong. Its version 4.39.12.8, where they replaced the millennium falcon with a taco. Please hand over your nerd card and report to your local deportation office.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by sharkey ( 16670 )
        No, it's 5.110.1645.2300998.a, where Meow Skywalker gets the Bob Barker treatment from Dearth Nadir when battling to save Elora Danan from being chilled in a Jello brick.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by GoNINzo ( 32266 )
      Heesa nosa goodsa to meesa dead!

      • Why do I want to mod you funny and kill you at the same time? Is that a sign of good humor, or bad? :)

  • Leslie Nielsen died at a time conducive to his legacy. Timing is everything.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by JustOK ( 667959 )

      I hope he was buried with a fart machine.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gmuslera ( 3436 )
      Now if Lucas could do the same and stop killing our childhood movies the timing could had been better, in fact, could had happened before the cristal skull movie.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

        Now if Lucas could do the same and stop killing our childhood movies

        In another generation, Jar Jar will be "our childhood movies"; I was in my twenties when I saw EPIV in the theater when it first came out, and rather than "the last three were high art but the prequels killed my childhood movies", I enjoyed EPs1-3, but absolutely HATED EPVI. Jar Jar? Pshaw, those goddamned Ewoks spoiled the end of the fucking story!

        I'm finally starting to realise that all the people who hate EPs1-3 saw EPs4-6 as children.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Radres ( 776901 )

          No, they really were bad, incoherent movies. You owe it to yourself to watch RedLetterMedia's reviews on YouTube:

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI [youtube.com]

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

            Why would I want to see a review of a movie I've already seen? I don't need a movie critic to make my mind up for me. But if you want critical reviews, there's wikipedia [wikipedia.org]; 62-80% positive reviews for the prequels.

            How old were you when you saw EPs IV-VI?

  • Electronic Labryrinth: THX 1138 4EB was also added. That was a student film of Lucas' in 1967 while he was at USC.

    • It's sortof strange that THX 1138:4EB (note the colon, sir) would be included on the registry when his actual feature film version of THX 1138 was declined. The second was much longer and had an actual plot; the original film school version was rather plotless and hard to follow, and as an avant-garde art film there are much more interesting works from that period-- Lucas was just one voice in a chorus of experimental filmmakers from that period. On the other hand, the web informs me that Jonas Mekas's Re

  • Ahem, the other 24... (Score:5, Informative)

    by arielCo ( 995647 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @09:19AM (#34697960)

    Y'know, there's a lot more to movies than Star Wars:

    1. Airplane (1980)
    2. All the President’s Men (1976)
    3. The Bargain (1914)
    4. Cry of Jazz (1959)
    5. Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (1967)
    6. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    7. The Exorcist (1973)
    8. The Front Page (1931)
    9. Grey Gardens (1976)
    10. I Am Joaquin (1969)
    11. It’s a Gift (1934)
    12. Let There Be Light (1946)
    13. Lonesome (1928)
    14. Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
    15. Malcolm X (1992)
    16. McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
    17. Newark Athlete (1891)
    18. Our Lady of the Sphere (1969)
    19. The Pink Panther (1964)
    20. Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)
    21. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
    22. Study of a River (1996)
    23. Tarantella (1940)
    24. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
    25. A Trip Down Market Street (1906)

    • I'm pretty unimpressed by this list. I can't speak to a lot of the old stuff, but Saturday Night Fever was awful and, despite popular belief and the flack I'll likely receive for saying this, Airplane is not funny. To be fair, Empire Strikes Back and Malcolm X rule.

      • Re:Ahem, the other 24... (Score:5, Informative)

        by gmuslera ( 3436 ) on Wednesday December 29, 2010 @09:37AM (#34698102) Homepage Journal
        Maybe arent there because they were great movies, but how they helped to build (for good or bad) the culture of the country. And if probably in that sense Saturday Night Fever had more impact than Empire Strikes Back.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Lectoid ( 891115 )
          "And if probably in that sense Saturday Night Fever had more impact than Empire Strikes Back." I don't know about that. Saturday Night Fever was made after the disco era started. Has had no spoofs (Family Guy, Robot Chicken). And I doubt you'd find anyone who can recite more than one quote in that movie. The same can't be said about the Empire Strikes back, where any number of people could probably remember any given scene or quote from that movie.

          • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

            by algaeman ( 600564 )
            Disco Stu says untrue to you!

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by gmuslera ( 3436 )
            Had no spoofs? Even in Airplane! was done a great one, you can see a few in imdb [imdb.com]. But i give that Empire strikes back could had more. But regarding culture, sometimes acts are stronger than words, you may not remember any quote of SNF, but for some generations saturday nights got a very specific meaning, and not just in the US.
        • Agreed. It's not supposed to be a just a list of the absolutely best movies ever because that's subjective anyway and it's more about their impact on culture and society.
        • All they need to add now is a good zombie movie.

      • Well, to be fair to them, the list has been added to since 1989, at the rate of 25 movies a year. Also, the selection has little to do with the quality of the films, but more with their lasting effects on American culture. "Airplane" and "Saturday Night Fever" both introduced of lines and memes that have come into common usage.

        As far as flack for "Airplane!", comedy is a matter of taste. Personally, I run the risk of hurting myself laughing each time I see it, and it's one of the fewer than 20 movies in

        • Everytime i see that movie, i laugh so hard a big banana falls from my mouth....
          Ooooohhh... did that sound gay to you?

          And no, i've never seen a gladiator movie........... recently.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

          There are absolutely no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever, it's a "check your brain at the door and pour a good glass of whiskey"

          With Airplane (or any comedy with Leslie Nielson), a big fat doob works a lot better than that glass of whiskey.

          • Probably true.

            I've always worked for companies with random drug testing policies, however, so the potential enjoyment has been outweighed by ending a career I've put a large amount of money and effort into.

            Until I retire or it gets legalized, whiskey will have to do.

      • Saturday Night Fever was awful...

        The song Staying Alive can be used to time CPR [msn.com].

        That partially makes up for Travolta's hair.

        • So can "Another One Bites The Dust". My EMT-P instructor had an interesting sense of humor the day I was taught CPR in EMT school.

        • Any song with a tempo of about 100 BPM (that article specifies 103) can be used.
          Another One Bites The Dust, mentioned by the sibling post to mine, also is mentioned in that article.

          BTW:

          MC Lars, one of my favorite indies, did a song called "That's CPR" for the American Heart Association as a side project; he talked about how he set the tempo to an even 100 for exactly this reason. (Not bad as far as purposely educational songs go, but I like his regular stuff more. :P)

      • Saturday Night Fever is an amazingly good movie if you realize that there's a lot more to it than disco and really ugly suits but rather there's lots of stuff about working class masculinity. Roger Ebert includes it in his 100 Greatest Movies http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990307/REVIEWS08/401010357/1023 [suntimes.com]

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

        I hated disco, so of course I hated Saturday Night Fever, but despite my loathing it, it was a cultural phenomena that made it worthy of the list.

        You didn't think Airplane was funny? Surely you jest! You probably saw the "sanitized for TV" version; I refuse to watch a comedic movie on TV, because they usually excise the funniest parts. The old white woman translating jive for the stewardess, with subtitles, was a stroke of comedic genius. Black fellow: "Sheeeet." Subtitle: "Golly!" The part where the kid is

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward
      A lot more to film than just Star Wars. In some ways it makes me wonder why I have to see greats like The Exorcist listed along side of crap like Saturday Night Fever.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by sootman ( 158191 )

      > Y'know, there's a lot more to movies than Star Wars:

      Yeah, and if the charter of this site weren't ``Linux, Open Source Software, Legos, Games, Star Wars, Science, Technology and pretty much anything else that falls into the "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters" umbrella'' [cmdrtaco.net] they might have been mentioned. For example, if this were a site run by dance fans, the headline might have been "Saturday Night Fever Added To National Film Registry."

    • Even thought they were not movies,
      I think we should add
      I Love Lucy
      Star Trek
    • "I told you once Injune,"
      "I'm not going to tell you again,
      "Get off my land!"

      If that doesn't represent historical and cultural significance, what does?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

      HERESY!!!!!

      Well, ok, there's Star Trek...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Nyder ( 754090 )

      Y'know, there's a lot more to movies than Star Wars:

      1. Airplane (1980)

      2. All the President’s Men (1976)

      3. The Bargain (1914)

      4. Cry of Jazz (1959)

      5. Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (1967)

      6. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

      7. The Exorcist (1973)

      8. The Front Page (1931)

      9. Grey Gardens (1976)

      10. I Am Joaquin (1969)

      11. It’s a Gift (1934)

      12. Let There Be Light (1946)

      13. Lonesome (1928)

      14. Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)

      15. Malcolm X (1992)

      16. McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)

      17. Newark Athlete (1891)

      18. Our Lady of the Sphere (1969)

      19. The Pink Panther (1964)

      20. Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)

      21. Saturday Night Fever (1977)

      22. Study of a River (1996)

      23. Tarantella (1940)

      24. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

      25. A Trip Down Market Street (1906)

      I haven't seen most of those. I guess I'll do the proper thing and download them via torrents.

      Wouldn't want the MIAA or whomever to get money they don't deserve.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by arielCo ( 995647 )
        Ditto, after proper consultation with My Friend Wikipedia. Be warned that these are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films". That's why Saturday Night Fever is on the list.

  • Greedo shot first.

    Surely you can't be serious!

  • This was done so Cheney could get his theme song without having to pay royalties.

  • If these are of our cultural significance, should we still be requiring people to spend money on them?

    Maybe adding them to a list and requiring people to pay money to view them is even more telling about our culture.

    Seems like late, but free advertising to me...

    • In a sane world, most of these works would have fallen out of copyright protection years ago anyway, rendering the point moot.

      In fact, I'd say that only movies that have fallen out of copyright protection should be eligible for this list, since "cultural significance" takes a while to develop anyway. We just need to go back to the 20-year copyright and we're good.

    • If these are of our cultural significance, should we still be requiring people to spend money on them?

      No one is "required" to spend any money on them.

      That is why master prints are lost or allowed to deteriorate.

      That is why films [and radio and television productions] disappear from broadcast and cable schedules.

      Government support for the arts in the United States is fragile.

      Corporate charitable support for the arts in the United States is fragile.

      The one reason why classics like Forbidden Planet remain in

  • Airplane? (Score:1, Funny)

    by aressa ( 35705 )
    Surely you can't be serious.

  • How many Libraries of Congress does it take to store those movies in the Library of Congresses database?

    • The same amount of nerds it takes to kill Jar Jar...
      Just one, my man. Just one.
      One named Shirley. (I'm serious)
  • Airplane, 'Empire Strikes Back', 'Pink Panther', "Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB", "The Exorcist", "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", "Saturday Night Fever"

  • It was pulled? What?

  • Why should public monies be spent to preserve any film not in the public domain?

    Pug

    • So they're still around by the time they become public domain -- and not locked away in rotted, obsolete, DRMed 95-year-old media.

  • I thought Reagan loved Star Wars. I would've assumed the SW trilogy was already in the registry

  • I goto help & preferences -> classic index -> sections ... and i want to hide Entertainment stories from the home page ... but Entertainment is not listed as a section? Thanks

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