'Big Lebowski,' 'Saving Private Ryan' added to the National Film Registry

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Saving Private Ryan, Luxo Jr., The Big Lebowski, Rosemary's Baby and Ferris Bueller's Day Off are among the movies that have been named to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress this year.

Also added to the roster in alphabetical order are:

13 Lakes (2004) Bert Williams Lime Kiln Club Field Day (1913) Down Argentine Way (1940) The Dragon Painter (1919) Felicia (1965) The Gang's All Here (1943) House of Wax (1953) Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000) Little Big Man (1970) Moon Breath Beat (1980) Please Don't Bury Me Alive! (1976) The Power and the Glory (1933) Rio Bravo (1959) Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) Saving Private Ryan (1998) Shoes (1916) State Fair (1933) Unmasked (1917) V-E + 1 (1945) The Way of Peace (1947) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Spanning the period 1913-2004, the films named to the registry include Hollywood classics, documentaries, silent movies, student films, independent and experimental motion pictures. This year's selections bring the number of films in the registry to 650.

"The National Film Registry showcases the extraordinary diversity of America's film heritage and the disparate strands making it so vibrant," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in a statement Wednesday. "By preserving these films, we protect a crucial element of American creativity, culture and history."