Preserve and Protect

Posted on Jan 7, 2025 by

About a month ago, I watched ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ on Netflix. Eddie Murphy reprised the title role in the fourth installment of the franchise, and John Ashton and Judge Reinhold returned as Taggert and Rosewood. Even Paul Reiser came back to play Jeffrey and Bronson Pinchot as the sassy Serge.

The film was a fun, nostalgic trip down memory lane, but paled in comparison to the stalwart original. And don’t take my word for it – Congress agrees with me.

This year, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ is being added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, to be preserved for future generations.

The National Film Preservation Act of 1988 directed the Librarian of Congress to establish a National Film Registry to identify, acquire, store, and disseminate “films that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Each year since 1989, the Library has selected 25 motion pictures to be preserved given their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to America’s film heritage. To be eligible, films must be at least 10 years old. The Registry includes movies from all genres, after being nominated by filmmakers, academics and fans.

“Films reflect our nation’s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “We’re honored by the responsibility to add 25 diverse new films to the National Film Registry each year as we work to preserve our cultural Heritage.”

The Act also established the National Film Preservation Board, which is a federal agency located within the Library of Congress tasked with ensuring the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America’s film heritage. The Board advises the Librarian on its recommendations for annual selections to the National Film Registry, apprises the Librarian of changing trends and policies in the field of film preservation, and counsels the Librarian on ongoing implementation of the National Film Preservation Plan, which is designed to guarantee the survival of our film heritage.

The inaugural inductions in 1989 contained many vanguard films, such as Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, The Maltese Falcon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, On the Waterfront, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Some Like It Hot, Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz, and, of course, Star Wars.

In addition to ‘Beverly Hills Cop,’ this year’s entries also include ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘The Social Network,’ No Country for Old Men,’ Cheech and Chong’s ‘Up in Smoke,’ ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,’ and the James Cagney-Humphrey Bogart crime drama ‘Angels with Dirty Faces,’ which inspired ‘Angels with Filthy Souls,’ the gangster movie-within-a-movie from ‘Home Alone.’

Also joining the Registry this year is a movie that makes my Mount Rushmore of films: ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.’ This is the first ‘Star Trek’ film to be inducted and, like me, many fans consider it to be the best. The movie is essentially a sequel to the original series episode ‘Space Seed,’ which guest-starred Ricardo Montalban as a 20th-century villain in hibernation that the Enterprise crew inadvertently awakens.

The film captures the feel and camaraderie of the original series, particularly among the big three of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, while propelling the story with a big budget and awesome special effects. Montalban and William Shatner constantly try to out-ham each other with brilliant results, however, the emotional gravitas of the final act cinches it as a timeless classic.

This month, Turner Classic Movies will screen a selection of this year’s Registry additions. Select titles are also freely available for download online in the Library’s National Screening Room. I encourage you to do your patriotic duty by watching ‘Wrath of Khan.’



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Reg P. Wydeven

Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney at McCarty Law LLP
Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps from a young age, Reg’s practice primarily consists of advising individuals on estate planning, estate settlement and elder law matters. As Reg represents clients in matters like guardianship proceedings and long-term care admissions, he feels grateful to be able to offer families thorough legal help in their time of need.
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