75% of all silent films are lost

[Hardline]

Which is a shame. One of my greatest interest is in the 1920s.

75% of original silent-era films have perished; only 14% of the 10,919 silent films released by major studios exist in their original 35 mm or other formats; 11% survive only in full-length foreign versions or film formats of lesser image quality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lost_films

Library of Congress: 75% of Silent Films Lost​

https://variety.com/2013/film/news/...ly-14-of-u-s-silent-films-survive-1200915020/​

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Actress Theda Bara made over 40 films and only two survive. ​

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[VaqueroTD]

Don’t worry, we still have the audio transcripts.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Which is a shame. One of my greatest interest is in the 1920s.

75% of original silent-era films have perished; only 14% of the 10,919 silent films released by major studios exist in their original 35 mm or other formats; 11% survive only in full-length foreign versions or film formats of lesser image quality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lost_films

Library of Congress: 75% of Silent Films Lost​

https://variety.com/2013/film/news/...ly-14-of-u-s-silent-films-survive-1200915020/​

​

Actress Theda Bara made over 40 films and only two survive. ​

​

​

I didn't realize the percentage was so high. I love old silent films. There are sites where you can download them legally for free. Their copyrights have expired, so you get to watch any one of them that you want for free. There is some chance that some long-lost films could resurface. Occasionally, one turns up in someone's house or in storage somewhere.

 

[1942willys]

another problem is that most of the silent era films were made on cellulose and that was VERY FLAMMABLE.
IT also shrank, and needed to be stored in climate controlled vaults.
The vast majority of silent films were not considered worth the effort.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I hadn’t heard about that…

 

[The Fonz]

AI will recreate them again

 

[nobody]

It sucks, but it's to be expected. How many potential masterpiece plays or bits of music were lost to time? We only have really a small sampling of what was created.

 

[Hardline]

Two of the most sought after lost films is Cleopatra 1917 and London After Midnight 1927.
If you run across one of these you found a gold mine.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

another problem is that most of the silent era films were made on cellulose and that was VERY FLAMMABLE.
IT also shrank, and needed to be stored in climate controlled vaults.
The vast majority of silent films were not considered worth the effort.

Yes, all true. Back then they also grossly underestimated the interest that future generations would have in their films. The predecessor to silent films was stage theater. Once a play wraps, it's over and done with. That's even the case today, though it's possible for a play to live on in publication, and a play's performance MIGHT have been filmed. But back then, when a play was over, that was it. They thought of their films the same way. They did not know of the future technologies of television, VCRs, DVDs, streaming, etc.

 

[RodeoJake]

There's several lost talkies from the early 30s too. One of my favorite film series is Charlie Chan. Sadly, a handful of Warner Oland Chans fall in that category.

 

[Hardline]

Lost Clara Bow film recently found.
She's one of my favorite silent movie actresses.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Lost Clara Bow film recently found.
She's one of my favorite silent movie actresses.

Wow. It's always exciting when a new lost film is found.