The Shining among 25 films inducted into US National Film Registry

The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name.
The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name. PHOTO: WARNER BROS

NEW YORK • The clock will never strike midnight for Walt Disney's Cinderella (1950).

Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison can perpetually dance all night in My Fair Lady (1964), while the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park (1993) can live without fear of extinction.

These are three of the 25 movies that the American Library of Congress has chosen for induction into its National Film Registry this year, helping to ensure their preservation.

Other films that have been selected include Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Rebecca (1940); Hud (1963); Broadcast News (1987); Eve's Bayou (1997), the feature-directing debut of Kasi Lemmons; Lee Ang's Academy Award-winning film version of Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Stanley Kubrick's terrifying take on The Shining (1980).

Lemmons said she learnt of the honour upon returning from production on her next film, Harriet, about activist Harriet Tubman.

"As a black woman film-maker, it is particularly meaningful to me and to future generations of filmmakers, that the Library of Congress values diversity of culture, perspective and expression in American cinema and recognises Eve's Bayou as worthy of preservation."

The roster also includes the John Sturges thriller, Bad Day At Black Rock (1955); the Blake Edwards melodrama, Days Of Wine And Roses (1962), starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick; Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai (1947), with Rita Hayworth; and documentary Monterey Pop (1968).

The Library of Congress said these 25 films had been chosen "because of their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation's film heritage".

Ms Carla Hayden, the librarian of Congress, said: "The National Film Registry turns 30 this year and for those three decades, we have been recognising, celebrating and preserving this distinctive medium.

"These cinematic treasures must be protected because they document our history, culture, hopes and dreams."

Films chosen for the registry must be at least 10 years old.

The library said more than 6,300 titles were nominated by the public and that final selections were made by the librarian of Congress after consulting members of the National Film Preservation Board and other specialists.

Brokeback Mountain, which is now the most recent film of the 750 on the registry, focuses on the tragic tale of two cowboys who fall in love and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger.

Lee Ang, the film's director, said it was not intended to make a statement - he simply wanted to tell a love story.

"To my great surprise, the film ended up striking a deep chord with audiences; the movie became a part of the culture, a reflection of the darkness and light - of violent prejudice and enduring love - in the rocky landscape of the American heart," Lee added in a statement.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 14, 2018, with the headline The Shining among 25 films inducted into US National Film Registry. Subscribe