Why Are Films Listed As "Lost?"

Phillyrich · Post by **Phillyrich** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:25 am

I have never quite understood why popular or successful film titles, from any time from about 1930 onward, are now listed as "lost" or missing.

For instance "Convention City (c1933)" appears to have no surviving elements; not one reel.

How could any popular film--totally vanish--not exist, at least in part (a few reels)? Wouldn't a collector somewhere,
have a copy. Wouldn't an actor's, director's producer's estate--have a copy? Wouldn't they have kept at least, a
favorite reel/ or scene? For example, Chaplin and Harold Lloyd preserved films beautifully, that are now nearly a hundred years old.

How about worldwide film archives? And I assume wealthy people had their own home projection
equipment in the 1930's-40's. Wouldn't some of their holdings be preserved?

There must be some good essays on this topic. I'd love to read them.

vitaphone · Post by **vitaphone** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:48 am

Here's my write-up on CONVENTION CITY. Am confident it will ultimately turn up!

http://www.jazzage1920s.com/conventionc ... oncity.php" target="_blank

Ron.

Post by **silentfilm** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 5:58 pm

You should read Nitrate Can't Wait by Anthony Slide and Silent Cinema: An Introduction by Paolo Cherchi Usai for two great discussions on why some films are lost. There are stories in these books about heroic people who saved films, and films that were lost due to greed, neglect and incompetence.

And just because one print has survived doesn't mean we have the whole film Usai goes into great detail about how different two prints of one film can be.

David Pierce · Post by **David Pierce** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:54 am

silentfilm wrote:You should read Nitrate Can't Wait by Anthony Slide and Silent Cinema: An Introduction by Paolo Cherchi Usai for two great discussions on why some films are lost. There are stories in these books about heroic people who saved films, and films that were lost due to greed, neglect and incompetence.

Also, check out my "Legion of the Condemned: Why American Silent Films Perished," Film History Vol. 9, No. 1, (1997), pp. 5-22

This is available for reading online, following free registration, at:
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3815289

David Pierce
Media History Digital Library
www.mediahistoryproject.org

Why Are Films Listed As "Lost?"

Why Are Films Listed As "Lost?"

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