Buzz
A lost film is one for which no surviving copies are available for screening. Many of these films date back to the early 20th century, especially the period from the turn of the century through the 1950s, when safer, less flammable film stock became standard in the film industry. It is believed that more silent films have been lost than those that have survived, and many talking films from the 1930s have also vanished. There are various reasons a film can become lost. The early film stock was highly flammable, which led to frequent film warehouse fires. In some cases, studios destroyed films due to negligence, silver recovery efforts, or simply discarding them. Additionally, older film stock deteriorated into a gooey mess, even if properly stored, contributing to the loss of numerous films, particularly silent ones. However, there are exceptions, as in the cases of Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton, each of whom has only a few lost films.
Sometimes lost films reappear, often found in forgotten corners of old movie theaters. A notable example is the silent film *Wings*, which went on to win multiple Academy Awards.
Below is a list of the most highly sought-after lost films, though there are many more that could easily have been included.
10. *London After Midnight* 1927
This silent film is widely considered to be the most coveted lost film. The primary fascination lies in Lon Chaney's portrayal of a vampire. Directed by Todd Browning, who later brought *Dracula* to life with Bela Lugosi, the film has become the stuff of legend. Turner Classic Movies recreated it a few years ago using the original script and surviving stills, even airing the re-creation as recently as 2011. Lon Chaney, often regarded as one of the greatest actors of his time, has several other lost works, including *The Tower of Lies* (1925) and *The Big City* (1928). Finding any of these films would be as monumental as discovering *London After Midnight* itself.
9. *The Mountain Eagle* 1926
A silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, *The Mountain Eagle* was lost during his lifetime, and, interestingly, he seemed rather pleased by its disappearance. It stands as the only lost film directed by Hitchcock and holds the top spot among lost British films.
8. Convention City 1933
Convention City was so notorious that after the motion picture production code was introduced, it was banned from further screenings. Starring Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, and Mary Astor, it tested the moral boundaries of the 1930s, possibly even speeding up the adoption of the code. Warner Brothers is believed to have intentionally destroyed the film, making it one of the most sought-after lost films, alongside London After Midnight. The plot follows the drunken and promiscuous employees of the Honeywell Rubber Company during a convention in Atlantic City. Dr. James Wingate, head of the Motion Picture Division of the New York State Department of Education — which managed the state’s censorship board — referred to it as “a pretty rowdy picture, dealing largely with drunkenness, blackmail and lechery, and without any particularly sympathetic characters or elements.”
7. Charlie Chan Carries On 1931
Although not widely recognized on many top lost film lists, this movie deserves to be included. It marked the debut of the Chan character, portrayed by Warner Oland, and was the beginning of a long-running and profitable detective series for Fox Films. Today, some view the casting of Swedish actor Oland in the role of an oriental detective as problematic, but Charlie Chan was depicted as an honest, hardworking family man with keen intellect. Regrettably, like many early Fox Films produced before 1935, this Charlie Chan film was lost in a warehouse fire. Out of the first six films featuring Oland as Chan, only one survives.
6. Cleopatra 1917
Cleopatra (1917) starred Theda Bara, one of the era's most popular silent film actresses. Out of her forty films, only six remain today. Cleopatra was an expensive production for the time, and surviving stills reveal its grand scale. Bara’s costumes, in particular, received widespread press coverage. Other lost films of Theda Bara include Camille (1917), Romeo and Juliet (1916), The Two Orphans (1915), The Serpent (1916), and Salome (1918).
5. The Life of General Villa 1914
The Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa was gathering funds for his revolution when D.W. Griffith paid him to star in a film. Only a few seconds of the footage remain.
4. This Man Is Dangerous 1941
This James Mason film aired on British television in 1987, but has since vanished from the British movie archives. It's surprising that no one recorded it, especially considering it aired so recently. It remains a likely candidate for rediscovery.
3. The Way of All Flesh 1927
This is the only lost performance to have won an Academy Award. Emil Jannings received the first-ever Oscar for Best Actor for his role in this film and another released in the same year. However, the rules changed the following year, making this the sole instance of an Oscar-winning performance where no full copy of the film exists. Jannings remains the only actor with an Oscar-winning performance that has no known film copies in any private collection or archive. This film might also mark the only missing film by director Victor Fleming.
2. The Patriot 1928
Nominated for Best Picture at the second Academy Awards, this is the only Best Picture nominee to be lost. It starred Emil Jannings, who also appeared in the next film on this list. Released in 1928, this semi-biographical film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch and distributed by Paramount Pictures, tells the story of Tsar Paul I of Russia.
1. A Daughter of the Gods 1916
This film is regarded as the first feature to cost over a million dollars, and it notably includes full nudity from a major star, actress Annette Kellerman. The plot follows a sultan who agrees to help an evil witch destroy a mysterious beauty in exchange for the witch’s promise to bring his young son back to life.
