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How to Watch the 25 New Movies Added to the National Film Registry in 2021

It’s a huge honor for 25 important films. Library of Congress’ National Film Registry just selected titles like “Return of the Jedi,” “WALL-E” and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” to join the list of 800 other classics deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.

While some titles are too obscure or the footage may be too damaged, you can still watch many of these gems on streaming services today.

New Entries in the National Film Registry

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    December 18, 2001

    Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

  • Return of the Jedi

    May 25, 1983

    Luke Skywalker leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, while the Emperor seeks to destroy the Rebellion once and for all with a second dreaded Death Star.

  • WALL·E

    June 22, 2008

    In the distant future, Earth has become a desolate wasteland, abandoned by humanity and overrun by mountains of trash. Amidst the rubble, a small, lovable robot named WALL-E spends his days tirelessly cleaning up the mess. But when a sleek, high-tech robot named EVE arrives on a mission to search for signs of life, WALL-E is immediately smitten. Together, they embark on a journey across the cosmos.

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street

    October 31, 1984

    Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop’s daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers’ children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world…

  • Richard Pryor: Live in Concert

    January 26, 1979

    Richard Pryor delivers monologues on race, sex, family and his favorite target—himself, live at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach, California.

  • Selena

    March 21, 1997

    In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.

  • The Watermelon Woman

    March 5, 1997

    A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played ‘mammy’ archetypes.

  • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

    October 12, 1962

    A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.

  • Who Killed Vincent Chin?

    March 11, 1987

    This film recounts the murder of Vincent Chin, an automotive engineer mistaken as Japanese who was slain by an assembly line worker who blamed him for the competition by the Japanese auto makers that were threatening his job. It then recounts how that murderer escaped justice in the court system. Restored by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation, in association with the Museum of Chinese in America. Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, with additional support provided by Todd Phillips.

  • Sounder

    September 24, 1972

    The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.

  • The Wobblies

    September 15, 1979

    “Solidarity! All for One and One for All!” With that slogan, the Industrial Workers of the World, aka the Wobblies, took to organizing unskilled workers into one big union and changing the course of history. This award-winning film airs a provocative look at the forgotten American history of this most radical of unions, screening the unforgettable and still-fiery voices of Wobbly members—lumberjacks, migratory workers, and silk weavers—in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

  • Stop Making Sense

    November 16, 1984

    A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album “Speaking in Tongues.” The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.

  • Strangers on a Train

    June 27, 1951

    Two strangers meet on a train. They’ve never met before. Both of whom have someone they’d like to murder. So, they swap murders. A psychopath shares this concept with tennis star Guy Haines, whose wife refuses to get a divorce. He agrees, thinking it is a joke. But now his wife is dead, Haines finds himself a prime suspect and the man wants Guy to kill his father.

  • The Long Goodbye

    March 8, 1973

    In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.

  • Cooley High

    June 25, 1975

    In the mid-1960s, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest…parties, hanging out, meeting new friends. Then life changes for two of the guys when they are falsely arrested in connection with stealing a Cadillac. We follow their lives through to the dramatic end of high school.

  • Flowers and Trees

    July 23, 1932

    A jealous stump threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and puts out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.

  • The Flying Ace

    November 5, 1926

    A veteran World War I fighter pilot returns home a war hero and immediately regains his former job as a railroad company detective. His first case: recover a stolen satchel filled with $25,000 of company payroll, locate a missing employee, and capture a gang of railroad thieves.

  • Hell-Bound Train

    December 31, 1930

    A jeremiad against intemperance, jazz music, and abortion, set on a train filled with unrepentant sinners hurtling toward damnation.

  • Pink Flamingos

    March 17, 1972

    Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as “The Filthiest Person Alive”.

  • Jubilo

    December 7, 1919

    Jubilo, a hobo, witnesses a robbery, finds work on Judge Hardy’s farm, and foils the vengeful machinations of a sinister villain.

  • The Murder of Fred Hampton

    May 1, 1971

    Fred Hampton was the leader of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. This film depicts his brutal murder by the Chicago police and its subsequent investigation, but also documents his activities in organizing the Chapter, his public speeches, and the programs he founded for children during the last eighteen months of his life.

Unavailable to Stream

  • “Evergreen” (1965) is a student film. The movie has been digitally restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
  • “Chicana” (1979) is a 22-minute collage. UCLA has digitally scanned the best surviving picture sources for interim preservation purposes and hopes to turn this provisional work into a full restoration effort.
  • “Requiem-29” (1970) is another student film. The original elements for the movie disappeared more than 40 years ago. The UCLA Film & Television Archive has facilitated a 4k scan of the surviving faded 16mm print for preservation purposes and hopes to turn this provisional work into a full restoration effort.
  • “Ringling Brothers Parade Film” (1902) is a 3-minute film recently restored by the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum.

Ben Bowman is the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.

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