Celluloid Ghosts: Top Ten Lost Films

[@bhbailie]

My late father told me he saw Theda Bara’s “Cleopatra“, and he saw it after the silent era was over but because his own father was deaf, they saw a lot of silent pictures that were re-released in the 30s and 40s. He described Cleopatra’s death, with Theda Bara holding up the asp to her breast, as one of the hottest things he ever saw on-screen, and it was absolutely considered one of the “most scandalous” things ever, certainly in 1930’s rural Georgia. I’m sorry to never get the chance to see it, and, by extension, share it with him.

[@classicfilmcartoonfan007pe3]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCTcqKslt2tpK8

[@JoeWhite3572]

You should watch it. It's a great movie.

[@jangofett0807]

@@JoeWhite3572 if only it were that easy!

[@JoeWhite3572]

@@jangofett0807 There not many things that are not easy. This is one of the easiest things.

[@jangofett0807]

@@JoeWhite3572 if it was that easy then i would have enjoyed the film before. that's like driving a car that hasn't been made yet.

[@Aster_Risk]

My heart hurts every time I think about all of these lost films. So much art and history that we may never ever get to experience. The remaining images of London After Midnight and The Cat Creeps just pull me in, and it's so unfortunate that's all we get.

[@classicfilmcartoonfan007pe3]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCTcqKslt2tpK8

[@Funz2022]

Lots and lots of movies from the 1920s-30s survive and are on KZbin. Watch those and then lament the others.

[@steelers6titles]

But, fortunately, films thought to have been lost turn up now and then, around the world. "The Godless Girl", "Up the River", and others.

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

Yesterday they just rediscovered footage of the mythical Theda Bara's Cleopatra (1917).Together with Salome (1919) and The Queen of Sheeba (1921) all three epics were belived to be lost during Fox vault fire in 1937 but some clips resurfaced .

[@thetooginator153]

“The Passion of Joan of Arc” was found in a Norwegian mental institution? That has the makings of a great movie right there! There must be an interesting story behind that.

[@mkmarnes1187]

Yes multiple lost films were found in the same institution

[@pmdk1953]

It was loaned out to the institution by the Danish Filmmuseum. It was quite a sensation when the print was returned to them.

[@pmdk1953]

@@mkmarnes1187 Do you know what the other titles were?

[@mkmarnes1187]

@@pmdk1953 not from the top of my mind, but I'm sure you can find them out on the Internet. These lost films pop up from time to time in the most unusual places

[@pmdk1953]

@@mkmarnes1187 They certainly do, not even the archives themselves always knows what they have, and can, sadly, be arrogant when asked about a lost title.

[@pacard33]

I saw "Sunrise" in college and really enjoyed it. It got me looking into old movies and discovered "Cat People", "I Was A Fugitive of a Chain Gang", "The 39 Steps", and "Nosferatu". There's something special about these films. They are often more haunting than films of today that just seem to beat you over the head with shock value or they have no real, redeeming quality to them.

[@thekornwulf]

"Imagine seeing Fellowship of the Ring and never being able to see the other two parts" Yeah, that actually happened with the original animated attempt at a Lord of the Rings adaptation, back in '78.

[@memnir1066]

Rankin / Bass (1980) or Ralph Bakshi (1978); not a fan of the first but was hopeful of the second.

[@classicfilmcartoonfan007pe3]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCTcqKslt2tpK8

[@tyrssen1]

That's because the "original animated attempt" was awful. Whaddaya expect from guys who are more used to doing "Yogi Bear." (That is, I trust, the one you're referring to.)

[@ianallan8005]

@@tyrssen1 fell asleep in the cinema during the dead dull cartoon Lord of the rings. It soured me against the Peter Jackson versions, haven’t bothered to see them either

[@jfridy]

@@ianallan8005 The Peter Jackson films are masterpieces, especially the first one. It's a series I can watch the extended versions of (12 hours total,) and never feel bored.

[@Rhubba]

Another contender: Flaming Youth starring Colleen Moore. It's the movie that launched the Flapper fad and F. Scott Fitzgerald thought it was the definitive Jazz Age movie.

[@classicfilmcartoonfan007pe3]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCTcqKslt2tpK8

[@fireballninja01]

The international nature of all of this is absolutely spectacular, I can’t imagine such freedom. I see a freedom of expression like the early internet honestly, and like the countless directors and studios now turning into basically just Disney, the Internet seems to be going the same way. Thank you for this introduction into such an amazing field.

[@julietfischer5056]

That happens, unfortunately. Innovation and experimentation at the beginning, then the standardization. Early television didn't know what worked and what didn't, so there were a lot of ideas tried out. Eventually, the networks figured out what would draw viewers. Before that, films were pushing borders until the pearl-clutchers got involved. Rather than submit to an outside authority, Hollywood set up the Hays Code. Good filmmakers slipped a lot of stuff past the radar, but sometimes left audiences scratching their heads because the good stuff couldn't be included when adapting stage plays and novels. It took a while to get out from under the Hays Code and the lingering influence of Anthony Comstock.

[@annoythedonkey]

I’m deeply saddened by the sheer amount of lost films that “get lost” every day

[@JakesMetalChat]

London After Midnight is the one Lon Chaney film I would love to see. Hopefully somewhere out there, someone has a copy. Awesome video. Keep the amazing work!

[@tenhirankei]

I caught TMC's constructed version a few years ago. It was interesting.

[@pmdk1953]

London... is THE lost Chaney film, but I'd sure love to watch another lost Chaney film, "A Blind Bargain," also.

[@marknelson2-ih6sq]

@@pmdk1953 Yesss, I'd love to see A BLIND BARGAIN too !

[@ChandlerRuss]

Wonderful, thank you so much! Imagine if Nosferatu had been lost, how much poorer would we be?

[@neilpower60]

Bram Stoker's estate actually demanded the film be destroyed, obviously not all prints were destroyed

[@alexiskuwata]

@@neilpower60 yeah because if all was destroyed, then how did it get into SpongeBob Squarepants?

[@godlaydying]

11:35 "Imagine watching The Fellowship of the Ring and never being able to see the next two films". You don't have to imagine this if you're old enough to remember the animated film, which only covered one and a half books of the trilogy.

[@ian2081]

The difference being those films were not lost, they were never made.

[@blatherskite3009]

It wasn't too bad having Bakshi's 1978 LOTR stop half-way, because just a few years later (1981) we got the BBC radio dramatization of LOTR with key voice-actors from the Bakshi film reprising their roles (e.g. Peter Woodthorpe as Gollum) and actually completing the story. It felt like *some* kind of closure, albeit audio-only :)

[@thomashumphrey4953]

Return of the King was made into a animated film shown on TV and available on DVD.

[@corod-1]

1930s moviegoers were like, I hate all these remakes, movies aren't what they use to be when will they make something new? 2020 moviegoers, I hate all these remakes, movies aren't what they use to be when will they make something new?

[@writerpatrick]

1930s moviegoers would be at least 100 today. Hollywood has a way of remaking things every generation but that isn't always a bad thing. There have been some good remakes. It's when Hollywood remakes movies for cash that things tend to go badly.

[@maxis2k]

Thankfully no one in Hollywood has tried tried to remake Metropolis...yet.

[@mariogiresi6792]

Corod It seems to me that many of today’s filmmakers are simply fans of older movies that are given blank cheques by the money people to remake all of their childhood faves. This is no way to stimulate a change in the industry. There are hundreds of good, original stories waiting to be told, but, as long as Hollywood is run by lawyers and accountants those new ideas will never make it the screen.

[@corod-1]

​Yes, @@writerpatrick 1930s moviegoers would be at least 100 today, good job you get a cookie...

[@corod-1]

More proof 10% of youtube comment readers have no sense of humor...

[@Quicksilverfan69]

It is so sad to see so much cinematic history lost. Any Theda Bara or Lon Chaney films would be interesting to see, and 4 Devils' description makes it crushing that a potential masterpiece is lost. (Murnau is my favourite silent director).

[@watchwaddle]

Hey guys. I’ve heard of a lost film, the first full length animated film actually (cutout animation like what I use) and done in 1917 (20 years before Disney’s Snow White and 10 years before Reninger’s Prince Acmed). It’s called El Apóstol from Argentina. Man, I wish I could’ve seen that film.

[@JustAPrayer]

Wait really, so Prince Achmed wasn’t the first? Interesting

[@bostonrailfan2427]

⁠​⁠@@JustAPrayerit was probably the first widely released, but El Apostol was the first overall…

[@steelers6titles]

For Lon, it would be a print of The Miracle Man, which started his career, without question. James Cagney recreated a crucial scene in Man of a Thousand Faces.

[@antonnym214]

I found you by accident and immediately subscribed! Loving this! Well-done!

[@butteredtoast8666]

The same goes for me too.

[@JeffreyDeCristofaro]

Fun Fact: both London After Midnight and the Theda Bara version of Cleopatra are listed by the American Film Institute among their Top Ten Missing/Lost Films, with LAM at the top spot as the "Holy Grail" of Missing/Lost Films.

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

And now circa 30 sec to 1 minute of Cleopatra was rediscovered.

[@robertmusacchio9409]

Am surprised you didn't mention the famously lost Greta Garbo silent (directed by Victor Sjostrom) "The Divine Woman". I was able to see at the MoMA the one reel found recently in Russia. Even this short found bit exhibited Garbo's extraordinary ability as a film actress. The museum had to trade a complete copy of the 1959 "Ben Hur" for the one reel, it was a swap well negotiated.

[@albertojesusalcaidetejedor2264]

I saw It too. Not only Garbo was exceptional, The whole reel is an absolute master piece. Imagine the quality of the picture.

[@stevemartin239]

That was stunning. So much hard work has been put into this, but so so worth it. Thank-you

[@monkeyboy90100]

I really want Ernst Lubitsch’s The Patriot (1928) to be rediscovered. It’s the only film nominated for best picture category at the Academy Awards to be completely missing. Only the trailer survives and Emil Janning’s performance seems incredible.

[@josephdougherty2456]

Hats off, gentlemen. A wonderful year-end gift to all film-lovers.

[@classicfilmcartoonfan007pe3]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCTcqKslt2tpK8

[@meemurthelemur4811]

And just as wonderful a gift through this past crazy year.

[@covid-9117]

Speaking of HATS OFF (Laurel & Hardy, 1927). That's a missing film too! 🤣

[@pmdk1953]

@@covid-9117 Sadly, Yes. The only remaining materials are a continuity script and 23 stills. I hope to see it before I die!

[@eddieboyky]

We may still be opening days on the Vladvent Calendar, but this was the present under the tree for me.

[@Gappasaurus]

You hit most of my wishlist, with the exception of 1921’s “The Mechanical Man”, of which only about a third still exists 😢 Also, along with the lost Kingu Kongu films is 1934’s “The Great Buddha Arrival”, about the giant statue going for a stroll across Japan, which recently got a remake/tribute movie. Only a few stills from a contemporary newspaper article exist of the original ☹️ Congratulations on an outstandingly excellent video that I’m going to watch again right now 😁

[@amb163]

Thank you so much for this video -- wonderful list, and I really hope some of them are found someday! Especially London After Midnight. I've wanted to see that one for years.

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

Never seen anything from this channel but really enjoyed this, will come back for more

[@ikillomega]

Thank you for this. Please do more film history content like this. There are so few channels that cover the topic and it would be awesome to have more occasional specials like this one.

[@victorcabanelas]

Amazing video! We have a TV show here in Argentina called Filmoteca and, each week, they pick a theme and air 5 movies about it. Every year, they do at least a week about found films and it's amazing what you get to see. Keep up the great work!

[@veralenora7368]

Many decades ago I heard a tremendous "cache" of old films had been found in Alaska. The theatre that had shown them was the "end of the line" for many films, and after showing the films were tossed outside. They froze. The ground held permafrost anyhow so even in winter it was cold. Time went by, they were covered in dirt and yearly more snow and the pile was forgotten. I don't know how it was discovered but thank heavens the person who found them realized what a treasure these frozen old films were!

[@joshuariser8605]

To this video I say “bravo.” Absolutely fascinating subject and film choices.

[@sitarnut]

Bro... Your unlimited passion would run some small cities energy bill. I feel so lucky to have found your channel....a massive education. You are articulate and concise. Something missing in 90% of conversation currently heard. The melancholy mood I'm in after watching is somehow comforting whilst mixed with hope for new arrivals on the scene. I remember Stephen Fry telling those stunned university students that 85% of the greatest films ever made are in black and white. I've immediately subbed. Very best wishes.

[@ShuttleFactoryScaleModels]

This is a fantastic video & haunting video. Well done to the team at Dark Corners! The whole topic of lost films, always breaks the hearts of film lovers . In fact I was shock to learn most of Micheal Powell's early filmography is lost. I was unaware of about the fate of Powell's early work which is just heartbreaking ! One can only hope we can find all of these lost films. Two lost films that aren't featured in this video, I wish would be found THE IMMORTAL ALAMO (1911) & SAVED FROM THE TITANIC (1912). The Immortal Alamo was shot on the grounds of The Alamo. But infamously was rife with major Historical Inaccuracies, making one of cinema's earliest Historically Inaccurate films. As for SAVED FROM THE TITANIC (1912), that film was made 29 days after the disaster. The film starred Dorothy Gibson, who was one of the Titanic's survivors. She even wore the same outfit she wore on board the titanic.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

I'm not even sure that I've ever seen a full silent film, but this really makes me want to start. Really impressively curated job!

[@bentramer682]

You put it out at the perfect time! Most other KZbinrs do it too early or late.

[@DarkCornersReviews]

tough to find a time that is not too late for the UK, and not too early for the US

[@JoshAddison78]

While I appreciate the work that goes into the bite-sized reviews, these longer form histories/retrospectives are fantastic.

[@DoReMi123acb]

WOW! Thank You KZbin recommendations. This channel is amazing! I have always been fascinated with old-timey films since watching Cecile DeMille's bible epics and snippets of Charlie Chaplin as a kid in Nigeria. Thank you for this awesome vid that reminds us that cinema was once, and is still, art of the highest order. But also, it must be treasured and preserved like all art in order to enlighten, entertain, and inspire us forever.

[@WeeRattyMau5]

It breaks my heart ♥ I can't live without my vintage movies! 🎥 I am over my mid forties, but, sheesh there is so much to see and learn in these films from a cultural and artistic... Heck, even a social perspective. No, so much effort was put into these films, eg. Metropolis..... Let's do our utmost to save and salvage what we can. Love the T - shirt, BTW 8) Tis truly awesome! :)

[@ryandtibbetts2962]

I'd love for all of George Melies' films to be found. Apparently, he himself burned most of them near the end of his life. In particular, I would love to see A Midnight Episode, which is supposedly the very first giant monster film ever made.

[@zantara]

An absolutely stunning piece of historical work, both fascinating, informative, and funny. I love that, despite that this is a serious look at lost films, you still manage to brand it with your style of wicked humor. ("Good smoothie, Adam"! Priceless! Having read multiple books on the mysterious murder of silent film director William Desmond Taylor (whose "Anne of Green Gables" got a mention in the From Page to Screen section), I would love to see 1914's "Captain Alvarez", one of the last films Taylor starred in. Of the films Taylor took part in as an actor,, I believe only the 1914 short "The Kiss" survives, and "Captain Alvarez" was rumored to be an epic, stunt-filled adventure and was the film that the wife he abandoned years before saw him in which made her realize her former husband was actually still alive.

[@continentalgin]

The Welles 'director's cut' version of The Magnificent Ambersons.

[@copperdog]

That’s for me the holy grail. Sadly I don’t think it will be ever found. Josh Grossberg has looked for the film for the last 25 years with no results.

[@continentalgin]

@@copperdog Yep, the saddest thing. Hearst arranged for it to be destroyed, thus sinking the Hollywood career of Welles.

[@continentalgin]

@Miles August Yes, that's true, Miles. All we have is the 'butchered' version, cut to pieces by a young Robert Wise. My opinion is that Hearst coerced the studio into destroying Ambersons because he hated Welles so much over Citizen Kane and wanted revenge.

[@maxamillion5175]

Yes

[@dejanstevanic5408]

Yes, and the Eisensteins "Bezhin Meadow" as well.

[@connorbrennan4233]

Um...wow. I had no idea that the history of film (or lost film) ran that deep. Thanks once again, Dark Corners, for educating and enlightening me on a subject we've just scratched the surface on. As for a lost film I'd like to see, I'd love to see the complete The Miracle Man (1919) with Lon Chaney, just because the scene where he feigns being crippled and becoming "cured" by the so-called faith healer makes me wonder what other kind of acting tricks Chaney pulled off.

[@steelers6titles]

James Cagney recreated that scene in "Man of a Thousand Faces" (1957). I think that, in that film, Chaney had his legs bound up painfully for the role.

[@dennisdaily5463]

What stunningly well produced documentary. Plus, the narrator is well spoken and articulate. Thanks.

[@christophernelson4624]

I would love it if they found some of the Warner Oland lost Charlie Chan films

[@orbyfan]

Charlie Chan carries on comes to mind.

[@GrandOldMovies]

Beautiful video essay, just about your best! Fascinating and informative - I hadn't heard of the lost Murnau film 4 Devils, but given how splendid Sunrise is, it must be a treasure worth finding. Your remark at the end about how films are now being (re)discovered in archives recalls the story I once heard about the Chaney/Browning film "The Unknown" - that it was rediscovered in a French archive with the name "l'inconnu" on it - which everyone assumed simply meant 'unknown film.' Apparently it wasn't until someone thought of viewing the film that they realized what it was.

[@angelinadi]

Brilliant video. Thank you for making it. I'd love to see "A Country Hero", a lost Roscoe Arbuckle/ Buster Keaton film.

[@waynevia6976]

i loved it. i hope you do more lost movies in the future.

[@limlaith]

You, sir, are a scholar! Thank you for this fascinating documentary about lost films. There are so many of FW Murnau and Lon Chaney that I would love to see. And for me, Conrad Veidt is in a class all on his own. I am unashamed to say that I have a huge crush on him. I would definitely pick "Der Januskopf" over "4 Devils." ☺

[@anaveragefilmmaker1422]

I must say that lost films are what got me into filmmaking

[@tobiwalker7145]

Lovely to see you take a serious look at classic film. Do it more often! I'd love the "10 Lost Films of Lon Chaney." I was weaned on Kevin Brownlow...

[@H3len50]

Fascinating and so well researched. Thank you so very much for all the hard work you do. Merry Christmas to my favourite channel.

[@trashcanhands19]

Extremely riveting & highly captivating stuff, this topic...could watch "Lost Film" analysis (and any other DC cinema topic for that matter :) all day; Excellent work and thoroughly researched as ever!!

[@AC-gb7do]

As always, these longer vids are documentary level in my opinion. 👍🏻

[@H3len50]

I totally agree. The effort, knowledge and the quality is always outstanding.

[@SneedyKetler]

27:53 starts summing it up excellently. This was a perfect video.

[@drummerwarrior1]

Excellent as ever. I will have to watch “Sunrise”.

[@ajivins1]

Early in the mornin'?

[@hekstoo5988]

That's on my Bluray watch list on eBay.

[@QuarrellaDeVil]

I've handed a DVD copy of that to a few people who balk at silents, and every one of them has come back to say "Wow...I was wrong."

[@michaelbrandt5416]

I have a book that list the most influential silent movies ever made, Sunrise, being one of them. Being a silent movie fan myself, i was curious to see this particular film, which i now have on DVD. It didn´t strike me as being that awesome compared to other silents.

[@stephenbrasher]

So much interesting stuff here. Congrats on a great video. I would personally vote for any of the lost Michael Powell films

[@Pioneers_Of_Cinema]

Thoroughly researched and narrated. This is the first I've seen of your channel - hope to explore much more. You are correct, otherwise thought-lost films do turn up. I recently was given a reel of 35mm nitrate film from the 1928 'Tropic Madness' which I scanned, edited and uploaded. Luckily with knowledge of the complete plot the single 13 minute reel stands alone as a coherent work. Quite touching it is too. This is listed as a lost film by the Library of Congress.

[@lanedexter6303]

As a science fiction enthusiast, I say the ultimate lost film is the original, uncut and complete Metropolis.

[@RobotMaria]

Not sure I would really call that lost anymore. There's only about 5 min of confirmed missing material from the latest restoration (because it was in too poor condition to work with). Unless you're referring to the rumoured 3 hours director's cut which, as far as I know, remains merely a rumour and not something that's been verified to have existed at any point.

[@lanedexter6303]

@@RobotMaria I had heard that the long director’s cut was actually released somewhere in Europe, but was then greatly cut down for American release. And years ago, I saw the version with some colorized scenes and sound track by Queen. I have the book. Great film.

[@RobotMaria]

@@lanedexter6303 Yep, it's my favourite film of all time. It was indeed cut for its American release and I believe the Moroder/pop music version (83 min, slightly higher fps) and the 2001 restoration (124 min) are both mostly based on the international theatrical cuts. The 2010 restoration is based on the full original though and contains 148 min out of the confirmed 153 min from the German premiere.

[@lanedexter6303]

@@RobotMaria thanks! I will have to look for that one. 👍

[@HeavyMetalTones]

I worked with Mr Powell’s nephew here in Australia he was a set designer and a rather odd fellow.. Again I have watched this twice now.. You really love your medium

[@henrybrennan9522]

THIS is why I love being subscribed to this amazing channel. It\s also why I support it on Patreon. These are the types of posts that need to be seen by everyone who loves watching films :)

[@grypeseye]

Thanks for introducing me to more silent films, even if so many are missing. I subscribed to your channel after watching this. I would love to see more on lost films. When you talked about Japanese silent movies (and their King Kong movies in particular), you showed a benshi performance. I was fortunate enough to see that same benshi perform for silent Ozu and Chaplin movies. I'll never forget the experience.

[@WynneAlexander]

Echoing the surprise and opinion of both Robert Musacchio and Alberto Jesus Alcaide Tejedor, can't imagine how the famously lost Garbo film "The Divine Woman" did not make your list. I know how hard it is to compile lists of this kind, but between the GARBO brand of excellence and her huge fame, it makes such a film disappearance even more illogical. It's not only an interesting example, it's a towering loss. On another hand, I very much like what you did here, well researched and handsomely produced. Appreciate the page and premise, Thank You!

[@inanimatecarbongod]

This is a really interesting video, and I was unfamiliar with many of the films you mentioned. Glad to see the sound era rreferenced, too; I have a really odd fascination with the whole transition to sound period, and I know a lot of films from that time are lost because the technology was improving so rapidly in a short span that a lot of 1928/29 part-talkies became almost immediately redundant. Curious there was no mention of Convention City, though, I thought that was the best-known lost Hollywood film of the 30s. (Also, isn't there some contention about whether or not those Japanese King Kong films were actually real?) I have a feeling most of those early Michael Powell films were lost very quickly after release and well before anyone knew he would amount to anything in the 40s. The quota quickie period resulted in a more than usually functional attitude towards the end product, though some of Powell's early stuff does survive. I also suspect that if London After Midnight ever reappears, it will almost certainly prove to be an amazing letdown and Chaney would likely be the only good thing about it. (Then again, he'd probably also be sufficient. He could make some godawful tosh watchable purely by him being in it. And that really is stunning makeup.) As far as lost films from other countries go, well, I live in Australia, so where do you begin with lost films? We've lost vast amounts of our film history well into the 1940s. If you ever happen to see the 1927 version of For the Term of His Natural Life (one of the relatively few survivors), you can see it quite literally going up in smoke at one point; there's a shot of a ship on fire and some of the fuel for the flames was old nitrate film reels. It induces shudders of a different kind to the films you usually cover :)

[@fredhannum3573]

My great, great aunt (Lucille Teft) screen name Taft was in Cleopatra with Theda Bara in 1917. She lived to be 106 years old. She was a great lady , and I would spend Summer vacations at her ranch in old Camarillo California.

[@DarkCornersReviews]

I am loving how many comments on this video come from people with personal connections to these films.

[@VomitPinata]

LOVE this video! Great content. Immediately subbed!

[@petersolomon5227]

Good points well made. A passion for this subject coupled with solid research characterises Dark Corners Reviews.

[@nobodysperfect06]

I would love it and I hope a miracle occurs if lost films of Clara Bow and Colleen Moore resurfaced or were rediscovered.

[@tobi2731]

Huge kudos to the enormous dedication that went into this and the breadth of films you cover. This really feels like a labour of love and I could listen to you babble on for hours. Great job! And I agree with the 4 Devils as Sunrise is also my favourite silent film. It's a great shame so many of Murnau's films are lost. One little nitpick is that presumably Paul Wegener didn't direct The Student of Prague but the author Ewers did, at least according to research. It's not very widely acknowledged though. Rye was co-director either way.

[@ShadowsHeat]

Here is hoping private collectors have some of these and make them available for everyone.

[@dalewilson4329]

I freaking love your shirt! R.I.P. Lon Chaney .

[@DarkCornersReviews]

Thanks we designed it especially for this review.

[@RavenHouseMystery]

An excellent video on lost films, most of which I had not heard of. Even the silent King Kong films of Japan got a mention. Those are the ones I would be very curious to see.

[@lonniethehorrorwritertobin1128]

Thank you for teaching me things I didn't know. Thank you for insight into these movies. Thank you for showcasing horror too.

[@alanr4447a]

The notion of "lost material" is intriguing to me as someone who is personally responsible for the recovery of some presumed "lost" pieces from a famous newspaper comic strip!

[@WaxWingedAvian]

Wait you’re Craig Rogers of Deaf Crocodile, right? Love your restoration works

[@alanr4447a]

@@WaxWingedAvian Afraid I'm NOT, sorry. The comic strip I recovered pieces of was "Peanuts", BTW.

[@WaxWingedAvian]

@@alanr4447a how did I send this to you?

[@alanr4447a]

@@WaxWingedAvian If I understan what you're asking, you replied to my comment, for which I received a KZbin notification.

[@WaxWingedAvian]

@@alanr4447a No I mean I swear I commented this on another video not this one

[@steelers6titles]

It would be nice if intact prints of Queen Kelly and London After Midnight turned up somewhere.

[@Tyrconnell]

I've made three comments without saying thank you for the great video. It's brought a lot of new titles to my attention. So thank you, graet work. A couple of ones you might like to take a look at. "The Patriot' from Lubitsch, and actor Emil Jannings, is, as far as I am aware, the only Best Picture Oscar nominee to be lost (it won for best writing). It's trailer is viewable on KZbin and it looks very impressive. As you mentioned, the losses here in Japan are even worse then elsewhere, with only about 5% of silents surviving. 14 of Ozu's feature films are lost, along with 21 of Naruse's, but the greatest sufferer is Mizoguchi, with an incredible 65 of his silents gone. The highly influential director Sadao Yamanaka, who, like Rye, died young in the war in China, only has 3 of his 24 films remaining. As a relative late-starter Akira Kurosawa has no loses to his filmography, but there is the annoyance of 'Those Who Make Tomorrow', a film he co-directed with two others and which he disowned. I cannot find it viewable anywhere, which makes a completist like me very annoyed! If anyone knows where this film might be watchable let me know.

[@lastrada52]

Excellent documentary. Wonderful. Great details. Educational. A must-see for film students. What a great face Lon Chaney had for film. Amazing how creative those early directors, actors & writers were with the new medium throughout the world. Stunning creativity. The horror movies excelled because of the marvelous makeup artists. So many resources & stories. How the cinematographers mastered such terrific angles, scenes & set-ups. All thrilling. I have an old industry film magazine (having been in the business) that detailed all the films that went before the cameras but were never completed, films that lost financing & were shelved, films that were completed but the film company didn't know how to advertise or market the film so they buried it. Stories that were bought but no working script went before the cameras so instead of selling the project to another film company they put it in a vault. I had two Australian films I developed campaigns for in the USA ready to release in the 80s called "Barry MacKenzie Holds His Own," & "The Adventures of Barry MacKenzie" filmed in the early 70s. But director Bruce Beresford was up for an Academy Award for "Tender Mercies," so Paramount Pictures wanted to buy his 2 earlier comedies, the MacKenzie films from us -- to SHELVE. They considered them an embarrassment. We didn't. Star Barry Humphries' Aunt Edna Everage (later Dame Edna Everage) became a famous character later, even in the USA. While not lost -- Peter Lorre in "M" is one of the greatest single performances on celluloid I have ever seen. The first serial killer film -- and Lorre is unbelievable especially at the end. Trivia: in order for an early film company to guarantee their rights to their work they often incorporated their logos in the background scenes, on trucks, wagons, walls, drapery, masonry, etc. I'm surprised Edison himself didn't successfully develop his own film company & record company like so many others did later. This was a great video, thoroughly enjoyable, and well done. Today's movie makers haven't got a clue compared to these masters. I often tell students I meet to keep one theory in mind when creating a film -- "tell me a story." Continuity helps also.

[@DarkCornersReviews]

Thank you. You might be interested in a couple of other docs we made "M - The First Serial Killer movie" kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYq6dWdjn9GrgJI and Lon Chaney Shall Not Die kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIvNiaicjKuKr68

[@lastrada52]

@@DarkCornersReviews - Thanks. I will watch it.

[@smilodon]

I believe the book, The Complete Wedding March has a synopsis of The Honeymoon.

[@davidfrost2819]

They may be lost but they're never forgotten

[@HieMan-g1n]

We're reaching the limit. Fewer and fewer discoveries every year. Almost nothing of note found in 2019. We won't see the Cuban or Russian archives any time soon.

[@osborn.illustration]

I have been waiting to see Theda Bara's Cleopatra! The still images alone are beautiful. Maybe somehow a reel survives & we will find it. I'd kill to see it.

[@vixtex]

Check New Zealand: the “last stop” for movies back in the day.

[@doraran2138]

Jacinta probably outlawed and demanded they be turned in for destruction. After all one person may see a film and become violent . Nanny must protect her subjects since she knows best!

[@julietfischer5056]

@@doraran2138 - Your red hat is on too tight.

[@alexbest381]

Brilliant! So informative and enjoyable

[@TheGodsrighthandman]

I'm not, by any stretch of an imagination, a film buff. The last film I saw at cinema was the 2nd LOTR jobbie . . . However I am acutely aware of the importance of the early 20th Century when it comes to films and I really enjoy watching them when they come to my attention. Thanks for this list, very interesting and informative.

[@destroyerofcitysduck5937]

One lost film I'd love to see is The Crimson Paradise from 1933. It was the first talkie made in Canada as well as being the first film made in my home town.

[@fernandarangelgoncalves1817]

Your video is very interesting. About Theda Bara's Cleopatra Old Films and Stuff has found a 41 seconds nitrate of it.

[@orangehogproductions4555]

I believe that a Scottish author by the name of “Fergus Gwynplaine Macintyre” knew a film collector who has a lot of films believed to be lost in his collection. I mainly remember him having the 1917 Golem film, and possibly another lost horror film the 1928 film “The Terror”. To my knowledge he has many others. But we can’t be too sure as Fergus Macintyre died in June 25, 2010.

[@thhomasppp]

During 1933, RKO Studio did a version of "The Monkey's Paw," and at Columbia Studio Fay Wray did an early 2-strip Technicolor film called "Below the Sea." Both are lost films.

[@5dinsdale]

I just found this channel today. Please keep gems like this coming!

[@ian2081]

Another highly recommended book on the subject of lost and forgotten films: "forgotten films to remember" by John Springer from 1980. It has the perspective of a film fan in the days just before home video, when lesser known films might not have been lost, but there was still no way for the average viewer to see so much of film history.

[@deronhanson5454]

would love to see all the lost early episodes of Dr. Who get found

[@andreacook7431]

I'm wondering if the gentleman who goes through all the papertrails for those has ever run across any of these, or the missing Avengers episodes.

[@QuarrellaDeVil]

@@andreacook7431 I knew someone years ago who went to Africa, hoping to find missing DW at any of the outlets that were known to have copies of the show's episodes at one point. To make a long story short, he came up empty-handed, and literally spent his last dollar, bribing someone to get him off the continent. Interestingly, he'd also been in touch with someone who claimed to have "Power of the Daleks" in its entirety, but who was punishing the BBC for junking it by withholding it himself. I won't say it tops my list, but I'd sure like to see William Hartnell's performance in "The Massacre" before I leave the planet.

[@Cyber_Smoke]

I would also love to see the anthology out of the unknown episodes found. Patrick troughton,Debroah watling,Anthony Ainsley starred in episodes, the daleks made their first appearance in color as a cameo and the mind robber robot costumes came from this.

[@aadamtx]

Excellent review of lost films, many I'd never heard of. When I first learned of FOUR DEVILS, that reference lead me to the Soviet film THE CIRCUS (1936), which though not lost is well worth viewing, particularly for the Busby Berkeley-style climax in the center ring. Here in the States, the search continues for many lost films by African-American film pioneers - KINO has a great collection of restored and partially-restored movies. Oscar Micheaux's first film, THE HOMESTEADER (1919), is considered lost, but after the discovery of the Tyler, Texas collection some years ago, there are hopes that more of the almost 500 "race films" of the era will be found.

[@vanaals]

Don't have the film, but I have two on-set stills from Douglas Fairbanks' "The Man in the Iron Mask". When I found them, they were curled up in a tight roll. Had them conserved and then museum framed. Both photos are embossed with the photographer's stamp, Chas. E. Lynch.

[@johnpresnell]

I just discovered your channel and can’t get over how great these videos are - bravo!

[@classicfilmcartoonfan007pe3]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCTcqKslt2tpK8

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

It is really sad that so many silent films were lost.

[@ellsworth1956]

I have been using silent movie clips to make music videos, I would love it if they found Theda Bara's Cleopatra! I have learned a lot about Silent Movies doing this and discovered just how great these actors, directors, and Producers really were. The technics they developed are still used today.

[@fatbloke143]

I have a "lost" film story. It's a little long to share the whole thing here, but I saw a "complete" version of Metropolis in Canada in the '70s. If it still exists it would be difficult (to say the least) to track down now, but I'm sure the film archivists responsible for the DVD release of The "Complete" Metropolis would be interested in hearing my story all the same.

[@laustcawz2089]

So no missing scenes?

[@SenorZorrozzz]

I’d like to talk to the young man who hosts this wonderful video. When we do speak, remind me to mention a reason for films being “lost.” Also, the Marx Brothers film that I saw as a child. By the way, this is a great documentary that he’s done here.

[@DarkCornersReviews]

He reads the comments and runs the twitter and facebook pages, so you can reach Robin there.

[@TheNecessaryEvil]

1919's Behind the Door isn't really lost, but the only remaining copy is bad and in a museum. I just read that it was FINALLY released to DVD though I haven't seen it. I fully believe it has to be the inspiration for Last House on the Left, including a character named Krug. A captain's wife is killed and the man who did it eventually and inadvertently becomes the captains guest only to be skinned alive once the captain learns the man's identity.

[@fernandarangelgoncalves1817]

You could also talk about Brasilian lost films. The most searched one is called O Mistério do Dominó Preto (The Mystery of the Black Domino in english).

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

Também tem o filme mudo brasileiro que a Carmen Miranda gravou mas nunca foi lançado.

[@fernandarangelgoncalves1817]

@@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526 nem sabia disso!

[@glenmcculla6843]

Brilliant stuff, guys. I didn't know what could top the Chaney video essay, but here we are. I really must explore the oeuvre of Stellan Rye (which sounds a bit filthy when said like that). Bravo on another excellent treatise on the ribbon of celluloid dreams.

[@Kratescz]

This video is really amazing! Wish you would do a sequel or full video on recovered films

[@DarkCornersReviews]

We are working on it.

[@Kratescz]

@@DarkCornersReviews Awesome,thank you!