- Cry of Jazz - 1959 - This 34-minute, black-and-white short is an early and influential example of African-American independent filmmaking directed by Ed Bland, with some 60 volunteer crew members. The film intercuts footage of life in Chicago's black neighborhoods with interviews of interracial artists and musical performance clips of Sun Ra and his Arkestra, to suggest that black life in America shares a structural identity with jazz music. The historic film comments on racism and the appropriation of jazz by those who fail to understand its artistic and cultural roots.
- Grey Gardens - 1976 - This cinema verité documentary by Albert and David Maysles presents a close and sometimes disturbing profile of East Hampton, N.Y., residents "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" Beale, an eccentric mother and daughter who were cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis.
- I Am Joaquin - 1969 - Luis Valdez, founder of the Teatro Campesino (Farmworkers Theater) directed this 20-minute short based on an epic poem by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, weaving the cultural roots of his Mexican, Spanish, Indian and American heritage with pre-Columbian mythologies. The film is an expression of Chicano culture, and focuses on hardships they've endured because of prejudice and discrimination.
- Let There Be Light - 1946 - This is the third of three documentaries John Huston directed for the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the period of 1943-46. Blocked from public distribution by the War Department for 35 years because it disclosed the identities of combat veterans suffering from psychological trauma, the film provides insight into how psychiatric professionals during World War II treated emotionally traumatized veterans and prepared them to return to civilian life. Filmed by famed cinematographer Stanley Cortez, with music composed by Dimitri Tiomkin.
- Newark Athlete - 1891 - This experimental film, produced in 1891 at the Edison Laboratory in West Orange, N.J., was one of the first moving pictures made in America. W.K.L. Dickson and William Heise, both employed as inventors and engineers in Edison's industrial research facility, made the film. Their work lead to the invention of the world's first successful motion picture camera - the Edison Kinetograph - and to the companion playback device - the Edison Kinetoscope - required for viewing early movies.
- Preservation of the Sign Language - 1913 - This two-minute film features George Veditz, onetime president of the National Association of the Deaf of the United States, demonstrating in sign language, without subtitles, the importance of defending the right of deaf people to sign as opposed to verbalizing their communication. Deafened by scarlet fever at the age of eight, Veditz was one of the first to make motion-picture recordings of American Sign Language. Taking care to sign precisely and in large gestures for the cameras, Veditz chose biblical passages to give his speech emotional impact. In some of his films, Veditz used finger spelling so his gestures could be translated directly into English in venues where interpreters were present. Veditz made this film specifically to record sign language for posterity at a time when oralists who promoted lip reading and speech in lieu of sign language were were gaining influence in the education of the hearing-impaired. The film conveys one of the ways that deaf Americans debated the issues of their language and public understanding during the era of World War I.
- Study of a River - 1996 - This experimental film by Peter Hutton represents a beautifully photographed two-year study of the winter cycle of the Hudson River, showing its natural environment, ships plying its waterways, ice floes, and the interaction of nature and civilization.
- A Trip Down Market Street - 1906 - This 13-minute "actuality" film was recorded by placing a movie camera on the front of a cable car as it proceeded along San Francisco's Market Street. A fascinating time capsule from over a 100 years ago, the film showcases the details of daily life in a major American city, including the fashions, transportations and architecture of the era. The film was originally thought to have been made in 1905, but historian David Kiehn, who examined contemporary newspapers, weather reports and car license plates recorded in the film, later suggested that A Trip Down Market Street was likely filmed just a few days before the devastating earthquake on April 18, 1906.
For the complete list of 2010 National Film Registry selections visit the National Film Registry Website.
