Crossing the Blues

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

'Empire Strikes Back' and More Iconic Films Preserved


Iconic films including "The Empire Strikes Back", "The Exorcist" and "Saturday Night Fever" are to be preserved as American national treasures with an induction into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.

Twenty five films have been selected to be stored in the national archives as part of an annual drive to preserve movies with artistic, cultural or historical significance.
George Lucas' 1980 sci-fi sequel is among the 2010 inductees and will join the "Star Wars" film in the archive, while "Saturday Night Fever", starring a disco-dancing John Travolta, horror classic "The Exorcist", and political thriller "All the President's Men" also make the list.

A poignant addition to the archives this year is "Airplane!", just a month after the death of its star Leslie Nielsen, while "The Pink Panther" is also included. The film's writer/director Blake Edwards died earlier this month.