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The Library of Congress honors a third Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi, with the same distinction as A New Hope and The Return of the Jedi.
One of film’s top honors has been bestowed upon the original Star Wars trilogy, now that Return of the Jedi has joined A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back on the National Film Registry.
According to Lucasfilm, Return of the Jedi is one of 25 films deemed “important in American culture and film history” this year. Out of a pool of 6,150 potential candidates, it received the most public votes, cementing its place in film history. A New Hope was among the first class of inductees back in 1989, followed by Empire in 2010.
The Librarian of Congress, currently Dr. Carla Hayden, makes the final selections after consulting with members of the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB). Its members include such luminaries as actor Alfre Woodard and directors Martin Scorsese, M. Night Shyamalan and Christopher Nolan.
“The National Film Preservation Board is very pleased with the inclusion of Return of the Jedi to the National Film Registry,” said John Ptak of both the NFPB and the American Film Institute. “George [Lucas] has created such great characters with enduring stories that are fresh with every viewing. The success and influence of the Star Wars series films on filmmakers, the industry and a global audience is remarkable and will stand the test of time.”
Since the passing of the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the NFPB has promoted the conservation and preservation of the film heritage of the United States, as well as making the films selected more publicly available via the Library of Congress. The 2021 class of inductees brings the total number of films on the Registry to 825. The criteria for inclusion is relatively loose. Films do not have to be traditionally released or even feature-length. The most important aspect is that they are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” in some way.
Originally released in 1983, Return of the Jedi wrapped up the epic original trilogy of Star Wars films with rousing battles on the forest moon of Endor and at the second Death Star, featuring a gripping confrontation between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Emperor. In an effort to outdo the previous two films in the franchise, it also raised the bar for special effects with around 900 individual effects-based shots. This pushed Industrial Light & Magic to its limits as an effects company and set new standards within the industry.
Source: StarWars.com
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