Curated playlist

United States National Film Registry films

Psycho (1960 film)Paramount refused to fund Hitchcock's Psycho, so he financed the 1960 film himself. He used his television crew.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)Walt Disney once acted out all of Snow White for his animators, playing every character.
Alien (film)In the 1979 film Alien, the chestburster scene was shot in one take.
The Outlaw Josey WalesClint Eastwood fired his director on The Outlaw Josey Wales and took over. A Directors Guild rule followed.
Vertigo (film)The spiral titles of Hitchcock's film Vertigo were made with a World War II anti-aircraft computer.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingMany stars turned down Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. Sean Connery said he did not understand the plot.
Blade RunnerBlade Runner exists in seven versions, but Ridley Scott controls only one.
Star Wars (film)George Lucas forgot Star Wars was opening the day it came out. That night, he saw crowds lined up outside a theater.
2001: A Space OdysseyAt the New York premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey, 250 people walked out. The poster later said "the ultimate trip."
The TerminatorThe Terminator began as a fever dream in Rome. Director James Cameron, ill, dreamed of a metal torso crawling from fire.
The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight, a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, begins with a bank robbery that turns on its own crew. The bank belongs to the mafia in Gotham City. The masked robbers betray and kill one another until a single man…
National Film RegistryThe National Film Registry began as a fight over colorized movies. Directors were furious at colorized TV classics.
Jaws (film)The broken shark in Jaws made the film scarier. Spielberg had to suggest it with barrels and a fin.
Toy StoryToy Story was the first feature film built entirely inside a computer. It opened in November 1995.
A Clockwork Orange (film)Warner Bros. pulled the film A Clockwork Orange from British cinemas in 1973. Kubrick himself requested it.
Ben-Hur (1959 film)MGM bet its future on Ben-Hur, a 1959 epic whose budget more than doubled to $15.175 million.
Return of the JediReturn of the Jedi was briefly renamed Revenge of the Jedi. Lucas reverted it after posters were printed.
Mary Poppins (film)At the 1964 Mary Poppins premiere, the author demanded a cut and Walt Disney said the ship had sailed.
Apocalypse NowFrancis Ford Coppola bet his house and car on Apocalypse Now. He also put up his Godfather profits as security.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed in a working psychiatric hospital. Real patients joined the crew.
The Day the Earth Stood StillIn The Day the Earth Stood Still, a soldier shoots the alien before he finishes saying he comes in peace.
InceptionInception's crew built a hotel corridor that rotated a full 360 degrees. It was planned at 40 feet, then grew to 100.
The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz, a 1939 musical fantasy from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, holds a title few films can claim. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, it is the most seen film in cinematic history. A Kansas farm girl is swept away by a tornado…
The Empire Strikes BackOn the set of The Empire Strikes Back, the actor playing Vader was given a fake line.
Gone with the Wind (film)Hattie McDaniel was barred from the premiere of Gone with the Wind by Jim Crow laws, then won an Oscar.
Apollo 13 (film)The Apollo 13 film's famous line "Failure is not an option" was never spoken by Gene Kranz during the real mission.
City LightsCity Lights premiered as a silent film in 1931, four years into the talking-picture era.
Titanic (1997 film)Rather than cut Titanic, James Cameron gave up his $8 million director's salary.
Taxi DriverPaul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver in ten days while living in his car. He had been through a divorce and a breakup.
Annie HallAnnie Hall began as a murder mystery, not a romantic comedy. Woody Allen's 1977 film dropped the murder plot.
The GodfatherMarlon Brando stuffed cotton balls in his cheeks to audition for The Godfather. Paramount resisted casting him.
Flash Gordon (serial)The 1936 Flash Gordon serial reused Frankenstein's watchtower sets inside Emperor Ming's palace.
Jurassic ParkJurassic Park, the 1993 film directed by Steven Spielberg, came with an unusual house rule. On set, Spielberg banned the words "monster" and "creature" and told the crew to call the dinosaurs "animals" instead. The story takes place on…
Badlands (film)Badlands lost two cinematographers during its 1972 shoot. Malick's first film still finished and became a classic.
Citizen KaneOrson Welles began filming Citizen Kane without telling his studio. He logged the early footage as "Orson Welles Tests."
Paths of GloryBy his own account, Kirk Douglas threw a script across a room over the ending of Paths of Glory.
The Birth of a NationThe Birth of a Nation was screened at the White House in 1915. The next night, the Supreme Court cheered it too.
Easy RiderRip Torn walked away from Easy Rider after an argument with Dennis Hopper. Hopper then called Jack Nicholson.
Groundhog Day (film)A wild groundhog bit Bill Murray twice on the same knuckle while making Groundhog Day. Its name was Scooter.
High NoonIn High Noon, a marshal asks every friend in town for help and is refused. A killer arrives on the noon train.
The Shawshank RedemptionStephen King never cashed the $5,000 check that bought The Shawshank Redemption's story. He framed it instead.
American GraffitiEvery major Hollywood studio refused American Graffiti before Universal agreed to distribute it.
The General (1926 film)Critics called Buster Keaton's The General a flop in 1926, and it cost him his creative independence.
Glory (1989 film)The film Glory shows a soldier being flogged, but no such flogging of Black troops ever happened.
Harold and MaudeHarold and Maude opens with a young man hanging himself, but he is faking it. The 1971 comedy became a cult favorite.