<p> Before Ted Turner became classic film\'s beloved benefactor by establishing TCM, he was the Philistine who colorized the classics, claiming no one wanted to see them in black and white. The controversy over colorization led to Congressional hearings and the passage of the National Film Preservation Act (1988), which created the Library of Congress\' National Film Registry, a roster of motion pictures deemed aesthetically, historically or culturally significant. </p> <p><em>These Amazing Shadows: The Movies that Make America</em> looks at the Registry and its significance. The documentary by Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton (out on DVD) includes interviews with members of the board responsible for nominating movies to the Registry as well film historian Leonard Maltin and filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, John Waters and Rob Reiner. Aesthetically great films (the <em>Citizen Kanes</em> of Hollywood) have been officially Registered, but the legislation implies a wider scope of inclusion. As a result, the Registry includes interesting artifacts on the lines of “Duck and Cover,” the Cold War short where a talking turtle counsels school kids to hide under their desks in the event of atomic war, and <em>Topaz</em>, a home movie shot at a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. <em>The Birth of a Nation is Registered</em>, as is <em>Boyz in the Hood</em>. </p> <p>Winning an Oscar is a mark of the industry\'s acclaim in the aftermath of a movie\'s release. Earning a spot on the National Registry, by contrast, is a seal of approval by experts who have determined that film remains important long after its first run. </p>
