The Library of Congress delivered the latest additions to the National Film Registry this morning, and as usual there are some nice nonfiction showings in their selections. The most notable is Michael Moore’s Roger and Me, which I’m happy to say was actually on my submission of nominees for this year. Number three on my list, in fact, behind the non-doc Paradise Lost and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (other docs I nominated include Gimme Shelter, The Last Waltz, Word is Out, Atomic Cafe and Spellbound — maybe next year, guys!).
25 entries are added every year at this time, and among the 2013 crop are the following documentary works: Bill Morrison’s deteriorating archival footage compilation Decasia, Lee Dick’s 1940 miner issue film Men and Dust (watch it below), Frank Stauffacher’s 1951 experimental doc Notes on the Port of St. Francis (watch it here), the 1966 civil rights film Cicero March (watch down below) and Martha Graham’s early dance films — technically four films in one entry, specifically Heretic (watch), Frontier, Lamentation and Appalachian Spring.
Of course, most of the added titles can have a documentary function in featuring images of a past time and real people and places that are no longer around. The new selection of the 1966 all-Native American-cast western Daughter of the Dawn is the most perfect example of this from the 2013 batch. Also blurring reality and fiction this year is Stanton Kaye’s 1969 experimental autobiographical film Brandy in the Wilderness.
For the full list of films (including popular works like Mary Poppins and Pulp Fiction) and explanation of their merits, see the press release on the Library of Congress site.
