1923 Is Almost in the Public Domain

[buskeat]

General question: Now that we're 13 days away from 1923's public domain status, which hard-to-find, impossible-to-find 1923 productions deserve legitimate video releases?

I'm interested in crowdfunding for a specific 1923 film, but it is held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Does that make such a project less feasible than Ben Model and Edward Lorusso's proects utilizing Library of Congress holdings?

[BenModel]

Well, the pricing may be different. I don't know what UCLA charges for access for a project like this, or what their willingness is as far as working with independent producer/distributors. With LoC you're paying for the scan and there isn't an additional price tag for access. And that's if the film has no donor restrictions on it.

Ben

[boblipton]

There have been some good 'uns from 1923 released recently. What shape is the current version of The Covered Wagon in? Other titles that I wish were available in clean versions were

The Merry-Go-Round
Wiene's Crime and Punishment
The Spanish Dancer
The serial La Maison du mystere
Der steinerne Reiter


I'd also like to see the Case talking shorts in good copies. Of course, there are all movies I have seen, so I'm not the particular market for a restoration. I'm looking for stuff I haven't seen before, and good copies are always to be desired.

Bob

[silentmovies742]

Wasn't there a Flicker Alley release of House of Mystery?

[Spiny Norman]

Lorusso never gives much insight in the budget, which makes me suspect he isn't exactly turning a loss. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

A scaled down version would be to sell some copies here, and perhaps even on amazon/ebay. (Provided you're sure the item is PD of course.)
But it depends what it is; very few people for example were interested in Damon & Pythias from 1914.

[Brooksie]

The Spanish Dancer (1923) was restored by the EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands several years ago. It could be that they were waiting for the copyright to expire before issuing a DVD or Blu Ray. It's a much better film than the jumbled versions currently available would have you believe.

[missdupont]

I believe Paramount released a DVD of the 1923 THE COVERED WAGON earlier this year, the restored version was shown at the Autry Museum in January.

[Claus Harding]

The BR of "The Covered Wagon" looks beautiful; the film has survived very well.
C.

[Spiny Norman]

The Spanish Dancer (1923) was restored by the EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands several years ago. It could be that they were waiting for the copyright to expire before issuing a DVD or Blu Ray. It's a much better film than the jumbled versions currently available would have you believe.

EYE doesn't seem to really be in the habit of creating its own DVD/BR a lot?

[Smari1989]

I suppose this will also make A WOMAN OF PARIS into the public domain as long as it's synced with another score than Chaplin's (and is not made of the same source material as the 1970s reissue)? Don't get me wrong, I generally love Chaplin's film scores, but some of the music which ended up on that particular film, argbuably, didn't quite fit (from what I recall, most of it was composed by Chaplin's collaborator Eric James, due to Chaplin's by then very frail health).

[boblipton]

The Spanish Dancer (1923) was restored by the EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands several years ago. It could be that they were waiting for the copyright to expire before issuing a DVD or Blu Ray. It's a much better film than the jumbled versions currently available would have you believe.

EYE doesn't seem to really be in the habit of creating its own DVD/BR a lot?

No, but they are generous in allowing others to.

Bob

[s.w.a.c.]

I have a DVD of Merry-Go-Round released years ago by Image, which I gather is now out-of-print, but was decent looking as I recall. More recently it was issued by PD film company The Film Detective, which tends to do a better-than-average job with its titles (they put out a BD of The Terror which is the first watchable copy of that Corman hash job that I've seen). But I bet a new HD scan of the title would be warranted.

[Spiny Norman]

The Spanish Dancer (1923) was restored by the EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands several years ago. It could be that they were waiting for the copyright to expire before issuing a DVD or Blu Ray. It's a much better film than the jumbled versions currently available would have you believe.

EYE doesn't seem to really be in the habit of creating its own DVD/BR a lot?

No, but they are generous in allowing others to.

Bob

Including whoever it is that is selling their copies on ebay and amazon at $35... for a simple youtube download converted to video DVD. Preposterous.

[Agnes]

"Merry Go Round" is a great choice.
It came out by Image in 2003 (I have it). I got it, then it got lost, & I found it last year & reviewed it for last Man's " Watch That Movie Night". It is a wonderful film.....though It was obvious that it started out as a VonStroheim, then moved to a more "Happy" Hollywood director .

It came out in 2003, I'm sure the image disk is well out of print at this point.


I'm hoping someone pulls out the reels of "Flaming Youth" that have been waiting for this moment.......but not putting money on it.


Agnes

[buskeat]

Well, the pricing may be different. I don't know what UCLA charges for access for a project like this, or what their willingness is as far as working with independent producer/distributors. With LoC you're paying for the scan and there isn't an additional price tag for access. And that's if the film has no donor restrictions on it.

Ben

Thanks. I'll obviously contact UCLA. I have some connections here in Chicago that might be of assistance. What's a good source to explain what donor restrictions there might be at an archive? What are some examples of such restrictions?

[Dave Pitts]

Lucretia Lombard is pure hokum, with a triple-threat denouement that has its two main female characters menaced by fire, flood, and wolves -- too much!! The film also looks good -- love that lodge in the woods. I already have a good copy but I hope it is more widely available soon.
My favorite silent film is probably the '23 Ten Commandments, which of course has been available in its best available print since the VHS days. The scene where the Bible-thumping old biddy is killed when a church falls on her is, in my most humble opinion, one of the funniest scenes ever filmed. Every time she looks up and sees the wall about to crumble on top of her, I hoot with laughter. Thank you, Cecil!!! (The old lady lugs a huge Bible around with her, big enough to knock out Walter Long. Why she didn't think to shelter herself under her Bible, God only know, literally.)

[Harlowgold]

My local news had a brief bit on January 1st about "seven silent films now in public domain" from 1923. Curious about who decided it was only seven but good to see snippets of Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd on local news in a story apparently supplied by a source outside the station.