‘When Harry Met Sally’ Finally Deemed Culturally Important By the National Film Registry

When Harry Met Sally will never have to be out there again—that is, left off the National Film Registry list. The Library of Congress has announced its annual crop of 25 films that will join the list of 850 titles they deem culturally, historically, or aesthetically important. And Rob Reiner’s 1989 movie, which Vanity Fair has billed as one of the best romantic comedies of all time, made the cut at long last. 

Also included in this year’s selections, which date back to 1898’s Mardi Gras Carnival, are 1963’s Charade starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, 1972’s Super Fly (a key film in the blaxploitation movement), 1976’s horror classic Carrie, 1988’s Hairspray from John Waters, 1989’s The Little Mermaid, 1990’s House Party, 2008’s Iron Man, and 2011’s Pariah from filmmaker Dee Rees.

“I am especially proud of the way the Registry has amplified its recognition of diverse filmmakers, experiences, and a wide range of filmmaking traditions in recent years,” Jacqueline Stewart, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures and chair of the National Film Preservation Board said in a statement. “I am grateful to the entire National Film Preservation Board, the members of the public who nominated films, and of course to Dr. Hayden for advocating so strongly for the preservation of our many film histories.” According to the organization, this year’s honorees include at least 15 films directed or codirected by filmmakers of color, women, or LGBTQ+ filmmakers.

A number of the collaborators on the films spoke about what this honor means to them, including Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, who spoke about the cultural significance of the Robert Downey Jr.–led film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced,” Feige said. “It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on, and it was really make or break for the studio.” He added,  “All of our favorite movies are the ones that we watch over and over again and that we grow up with. The notion that here we are, almost 15 years after the release of Iron Man, and to have it join the Film Registry tells us it has stood the test of time and that it is still meaningful to audiences around the world.”

As for When Harry Met Sally, which joins rom-coms like Bringing Up Baby and Broadcast News, star Billy Crystal said: “It was just such a joy to see it come to life.” As for what makes the Nora Ephron–penned story, which he led alongside Meg Ryan, continue to resonate, he said: “The movie is beautiful and simple and appropriate, and every shot is just right. The timing, which is in the hands of Rob, who is, for this movie, a modern-day Billy Wilder…and it’s New York, it’s the fall, it’s the music.”

Turner Classic Movies will host a TV special which screens a number of this year’s selected films on December 27. 

Here are all the films that have been selected this year by the National Film Registry in chronological order:

Mardi Gras Carnival (1898)

Cab Calloway Home Movies (1948–1951)

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)

Charade (1963) 

Scorpio Rising (1963)

Behind Every Good Man (1967)

Titicut Follies (1967)

Mingus (1968)

Manzanar (1971)

Betty Tells Her Story (1972)

Super Fly (1972)

Attica (1974)

Carrie (1976)

Union Maids (1976)

Word is Out: Stories of Our Lives (1977)

Bush Mama (1979)

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)

Itam Hakim, Hopiit (1984)

Hairspray (1988)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Tongues Untied (1989)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

House Party (1990)

Iron Man (2008)

Pariah (2011)