I don’t see many films, but this seems a worthwhile exercise.
It is estimated that 50 percent of the films produced before 1950, and 80 to 90 percent made before 1920, have disappeared forever. The Library of Congress is working to stanch those losses by recognizing, and working with many organizations to preserve, films that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today [26Dec2006] added 25 motion pictures to the National Film Registry (see attached list) to be preserved for all time, bringing the total number of films on the registry to 450.