National Film Registry Preserving ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ ‘Forrest Gump’

The National Film Registry revealed Wednesday that “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Forrest Gump” were among movies that are relevant enough for it to preserve for generations to come this year, along with 23 others. The registry, which has preserved 25 films annually since 1989, also listed “Bambi,” “El Mariachi,” “Norma Rae,” “Porgy and Bess,” “Stand and Deliver,” “War of the Worlds,” John Cassavetes’ “Faces” and Charlie Chaplin’s first feature “The Kid” as treasures that earned a place in its archive.

“Our film heritage must be protected because these cinematic treasures document our history and culture and reflect our hopes and dreams,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington in a statement.

“That there are no films that reflect gay and lesbian culture and history suggests an area that remains to be addressed,” board member Bob Rosen said Tuesday to The Washington Post, which noted that the registry’s selections over the years included “Midnight Cowboy” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Billington, who annually picks 25 films out of a massive amount of suggestions from the public, had to choose from no fewer than 2,228 titles that people recommended. A great deal of the movie lovers who contacted the library via email nominated “Forrest Gump,” which, apart from giving Tom Hanks his second Academy Award in 1995, beat “Pulp Fiction” and “The Shawshank Redemption” to win the Oscar for best picture.

Three years earlier, “The Silence of the Lambs” won Oscars in the five major categories: best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and screenplay. Only “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “It Happened One Night” were able to achieve the same feat.