A big-screen marvel, a Billy Crystal classic and an under-the-sea adventure are among the latest additions to the National Film Registry, the Library of Congress announced Wednesday.
“Iron Man,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Little Mermaid” help headline 2022′s list of movies being preserved for their “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance,” the announcement says.
Other inductees include the 1988 comedy “Hairspray,” the 1976 supernatural horror “Carrie,” the 1990 cult classic “House Party,” and 1950s “Cyrano de Bergerac” — the first U.S. film adaptation of the timeless French play.
“Films have become absolutely central to American culture by helping tell our national story for more than 125 years,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “We are proud to add 25 more films by a group of vibrant and diverse filmmakers to the National Film Registry as we preserve our cinematic heritage.”
Released in 2008, “Iron Man” is the first of the 30 films so far in the box-office juggernaut known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon Favreau, “Iron Man” stars Robert Downey Jr. as the title superhero.
“Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced,” Kevin Feige, the studio’s president, told the Library of Congress. “It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio.”
Widely considered one of Hollywood’s greatest romantic-comedies, 1989′s New York-set “When Harry Met Sally...” stars Crystal and Meg Ryan as friends who fall in love.
“The Little Mermaid,” meanwhile, is credited with introducing a new era of Disney animated films. The 1989 flick about a mermaid longing to be human won the Oscars for best original score and best original song for “Under the Sea.”
Founded in 1988, the National Film Registry adds 25 movies every year. The Library of Congress received 6,865 submissions for consideration from the public this year.
Other 2022 additions include the 1898 film “Mardi Gras Carnival” capturing a parade in New Orleans; the 1967 short “Behind Every Good Man” about Black gender fluidity; and 2011′s coming-of-age “Pariah” about a Black teenager in Brooklyn, New York.
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