Library of Congress: 70 percent of silent-era films are lost

Politics & Government

Library of Congress: 70 percent of silent-era films are lost

Tish Wells - McClatchy Washington Bureau

December 04, 2013 11:14 AM

The foot and hand prints of silent screen actress Mary Pickford, cast in 1927, are some of the oldest displayed at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT

According to the Library of Congress, roughly 70 percent of America's silent feature films have been lost to neglect and time.

A new study, "The Survival of American Silent Films: 1912-1929", was released today.

10,919 silent feature films made in America were released in that period according to previous documentation. Only 14% remain in their original format. 11% of those are complete in foreign or lower-quality versions.

Many of these early films were made with nitrate film stock which is flammable and easily deteriorates. There have been discoveries over the years of lost films.

Film actress Mary Pickford's films were saved since she paid for preservation. Over 80 of Western cowboy icon, Tom Mix's films no longer exist, and out of the 16 films from Will Rogers, only 5 have survived.

The study can be read National Film Preservation Board website.

Comments

Investigations

Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting

By Peter Stone and

Greg Gordon

December 27, 2018 10:36 AM

One of Michael Cohen’s mobile phones briefly lit up cell towers in late summer of 2016 in the vicinity of Prague, undercutting his denials that he secretly met there with Russian officials, four people have told McClatchy.