The Forgotten Frontier is a 1931 American documentary film about the Frontier Nursing Service, nurses on horseback, who traveled the back roads of the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky. It was directed by Mary Marvin Breckinridge, and featured her cousin, Mary Breckinridge, who was a nurse-midwife and founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Also featured are the people of Leslie County, Kentucky, many of whom reenacted their stories. The film was shot with a hand-cranked camera, often in extreme climate. Stills created during the film's production are available at the Library of Congress. A soundtrack was added in the 1990s by the Library of Congress. In 1996, this film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films". Footage from the film was used in the 1984 documentary Frontier Nursing Service. References External links The Forgotten Frontier on the United States National Library of Medicine The Forgotten Frontier essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 178-179 The Forgotten Frontier can be seen on the National Screening Room of the Library of Congress 1931 films United States National Film Registry films Black-and-white documentary films American documentary films Sponsored films Documentary films about United States history Documentary films about pregnancy 1931 documentary films Works about midwifery Nursing in the United States Documentary films about Appalachia 1930s pregnancy films American black-and-white films American pregnancy films History of women in Kentucky 1930s English-language films 1930s American films