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London After Midnight: The Lost Film
For decades, the mystique of Lon Chaney's 1927 mystery-thriller, London After Midnight, has pondered the minds of horror buffs, silent film enthusiasts and film collectors alike. Before Dracula (1931), before Mark of the Vampire (1935), London After Midnight was America’s first cinematic delve into the notion of vampirism by incorporating elements of author Bram Stoker’s original novel (Dracula) while careful to sidestep the outright supernatural, as was the style for American “horror” films of the 1920s. From its production, to its mysterious disappearance in the 1960s, and now its endearment having bled through into the 21st century, the hypnotic lure of London After Midnight has elevated it to becoming the most sought-after of lost films in silent cinema history. With countless vehement searches in archives and collections across the globe, no such print has yet surfaced. In its wake, a series of publications and articles have sought to shed light on the mysterious film title, each contributing a unique leading perspective in addressing the many questions and uncertainties surrounding it; a lost masterpiece? or a contemporary flop? Now, historian Daniel Titley brings us the very latest written and compiled compendium in London After The Lost Film. Containing within its Gothic exterior, a treasure trove of newly-unearthed finds ranging from the fascinating to the impossible, this heavy-knit milestone book presents, most-notably, newly-found nitrate remnants from the actual ill-fated film itself, having laid dormant for years and are finally brought into the light, and scholarly perspective for the very first time, all richly-illustrated and presented in this new colossal coffee table volume of over 420 pages dripping with a wide gallery of never-before-seen materials from stills, to rare lost newly-translated texts, to the early production documents, posters and press-books to name a few. Mr. Titley has meticulously crafted in-depth revelatory dissertations for each chapter exploring the film’s long-standing from production, distribution and original critical reception, to even delving further into the fuller unknown details surrounding the strange case of Robert Williams who was said to have committed a murder after having witnessed the film upon its release in England. The study also finally laments the often-blurred details of when and exactly how London After Midnight became suddenly lost to future generations. Ultimately, London After The Lost Film is a book that is sure to rejuvenate belief in hopefuls and confound naysayers alike, and thus keeping the vault door slightly ajar for any new potential discovery.
452 pages, Hardcover
Published December 28, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 22, 2023
A Horrific Photo that Defined a Great Actor
I’m a lifelong fan of Lon Chaney Sr.’s enormous range of acting. I was hooked on Chaney’s work as a boy when I saw one of several iconic still-photos from “London After Midnight,” a silent film in which Chaney portrayed a ghastly ghostly vampire-like figure. What I learned in Daniel Titley’s exhaustive collection of materials about that particular “lost” film is that a large number of other boys and girls were mesmerized by those movie stills way back then. This is in the era when American kids, in particular, became fans of what often were described for film fans with phrases like “Classic Monsters” or “Famous Monsters.”
Perhaps you know the “London after Midnight” photos I’m referencing here: They show Chaney in a top hat, an unnaturally grinning smile and strangely popped-open eyes. Often, he is posing with a very creepy, ghoulish young woman dressed in black. I now know that I was not alone in my fascination with these photos, because I read about some of the other young people who were transfixed by those photos in the pages of Titley’s book. Some of those, like me, grew up to become professionals in the media business.
Here's the other shocker I found in this book: The film was not lost when I was a boy and first saw those stills! In fact, we know precisely when it became “lost” and touched off the international quest to find another copy of the movie: August 10, 1965. That’s the day that MGM’s Vault No. 7 exploded. Back in that era, studios saw so little value in their old movie reels that, often, they simply destroyed them rather than store them. If they did store them, they took minimal care to preserve them.
And here’s yet another surprise in this book: MGM actually led the industry in film preservation even back in those days when these old movies were regarded as all but worthless. MGM built enormous concrete “vaults,” although the architects of this plan apparently paid little attention to the science of what they were storing. Sometimes, those concrete vaults reached interior temperatures that could easily ignite the nitrate stock with even a tiny spark. That’s what happened with the contents of Vault No. 7, which included the archival reels of “London after Midnight.” Despite that devastating 1965 explosion, Titley points out, MGM should be praised for having saved far more of its early films, overall, than the other major studios. I had no idea that, on balance, MGM did a pretty good job of storage and preservation until I read Titley’s account of that history.
Then, even though I count myself among the fans still hoping to see a restored copy of the film in my lifetime, the next surprise is that Chaney’s quasi-vampire appears, based on Titley’s calculation, in a mere 5 minutes and 53 seconds of the film’s total runtime of just over one hour. And, it turns out, he’s not a real vampire! I won’t spoil the film for others who may either read Titley’s book or who may choose to see one of the two creative “reconstructions” of the film based on versions of the script and montages of the many still photographs that have survived over the century since the film was released. One of those two reconstructions was co-sponsored by TCM.
So, how did this big book reach publication, even though the original film remains “lost”? Like me, Titley is a writer and editor who simply reached a point in his life when he decided to give the world a one-volume compendium of all that is known, to date, about this movie that has fascinated countless fans worldwide. I use that phrase, “all that is known, to date,” because Titley illustrates how research into this film changes almost with each passing year. For example: We now know, based on additional found fragments that both of the existing reconstructions, even the TCM version, are inaccurate in some details.
One of the big surprises in this book is how many different versions of this “movie” exist in multiple print formats! The film began as what was supposed to be the next creepy collaboration between Todd Browning and Lon Chaney, guaranteed to chill and mystify audiences under the title “The Hypnotist.” Apparently in the mid 1920s, hypnotism was so misunderstood that Browning and Chaney could twist it into a horrific plot in which a detective who used hypnotism could crack a “cold case” of murder with this discipline.
There were early movie summaries, drafts, publicity articles and other published material about “The Hypnotist” before it finally evolved into “London After Midnight.” Then, there were multiple versions of screenplays, one of which is reproduced in a section of this big volume. However, even that screenplay is not believed to be the final version finished and sent to theaters by MGM. One problem is that a large number of scenes were cut in post-production to reach what MGM thought was the ideal run-time for this feature.
And that’s not all! This movie then was written about by critics, summarized by MGM for promotional purposes and even released in authorized “novelizations” in various languages. There’s even an example of a short novelization in one section of this book. These bewilderingly diverse text versions of this one story explain why it is so difficult to reconstruct what moviegoers actually saw in their local theaters in 1927.
Among the many intriguing sections of this book are those that reproduce original advertisements and materials that the big studios sent to theater owners around the world to help them promote new movies. One of those suggestions was to have a local actor dress up in costuming similar to Chaney’s vampirish character and make a dramatic entrance into the theater just before the film began, scaring moviegoers and setting them in a proper mood for what they were about to see on the big screen. Gosh, I have to admit: I wish I had been able to attend an original showing of his film with some of these promotional ideas unfolding in the theater.
I am thankful to Titley for creating such a huge hardcover “dossier” about one of my own beloved films. He concludes that it’s most unlikely a print will be discovered, but then he also tantalizes us with a whole section about the unlikely places other “lost” films have been found in recent years.
Maybe, someday, I’ll get to see the film I wanted to see as a boy but never got to see.
I’m a lifelong fan of Lon Chaney Sr.’s enormous range of acting. I was hooked on Chaney’s work as a boy when I saw one of several iconic still-photos from “London After Midnight,” a silent film in which Chaney portrayed a ghastly ghostly vampire-like figure. What I learned in Daniel Titley’s exhaustive collection of materials about that particular “lost” film is that a large number of other boys and girls were mesmerized by those movie stills way back then. This is in the era when American kids, in particular, became fans of what often were described for film fans with phrases like “Classic Monsters” or “Famous Monsters.”
Perhaps you know the “London after Midnight” photos I’m referencing here: They show Chaney in a top hat, an unnaturally grinning smile and strangely popped-open eyes. Often, he is posing with a very creepy, ghoulish young woman dressed in black. I now know that I was not alone in my fascination with these photos, because I read about some of the other young people who were transfixed by those photos in the pages of Titley’s book. Some of those, like me, grew up to become professionals in the media business.
Here's the other shocker I found in this book: The film was not lost when I was a boy and first saw those stills! In fact, we know precisely when it became “lost” and touched off the international quest to find another copy of the movie: August 10, 1965. That’s the day that MGM’s Vault No. 7 exploded. Back in that era, studios saw so little value in their old movie reels that, often, they simply destroyed them rather than store them. If they did store them, they took minimal care to preserve them.
And here’s yet another surprise in this book: MGM actually led the industry in film preservation even back in those days when these old movies were regarded as all but worthless. MGM built enormous concrete “vaults,” although the architects of this plan apparently paid little attention to the science of what they were storing. Sometimes, those concrete vaults reached interior temperatures that could easily ignite the nitrate stock with even a tiny spark. That’s what happened with the contents of Vault No. 7, which included the archival reels of “London after Midnight.” Despite that devastating 1965 explosion, Titley points out, MGM should be praised for having saved far more of its early films, overall, than the other major studios. I had no idea that, on balance, MGM did a pretty good job of storage and preservation until I read Titley’s account of that history.
Then, even though I count myself among the fans still hoping to see a restored copy of the film in my lifetime, the next surprise is that Chaney’s quasi-vampire appears, based on Titley’s calculation, in a mere 5 minutes and 53 seconds of the film’s total runtime of just over one hour. And, it turns out, he’s not a real vampire! I won’t spoil the film for others who may either read Titley’s book or who may choose to see one of the two creative “reconstructions” of the film based on versions of the script and montages of the many still photographs that have survived over the century since the film was released. One of those two reconstructions was co-sponsored by TCM.
So, how did this big book reach publication, even though the original film remains “lost”? Like me, Titley is a writer and editor who simply reached a point in his life when he decided to give the world a one-volume compendium of all that is known, to date, about this movie that has fascinated countless fans worldwide. I use that phrase, “all that is known, to date,” because Titley illustrates how research into this film changes almost with each passing year. For example: We now know, based on additional found fragments that both of the existing reconstructions, even the TCM version, are inaccurate in some details.
One of the big surprises in this book is how many different versions of this “movie” exist in multiple print formats! The film began as what was supposed to be the next creepy collaboration between Todd Browning and Lon Chaney, guaranteed to chill and mystify audiences under the title “The Hypnotist.” Apparently in the mid 1920s, hypnotism was so misunderstood that Browning and Chaney could twist it into a horrific plot in which a detective who used hypnotism could crack a “cold case” of murder with this discipline.
There were early movie summaries, drafts, publicity articles and other published material about “The Hypnotist” before it finally evolved into “London After Midnight.” Then, there were multiple versions of screenplays, one of which is reproduced in a section of this big volume. However, even that screenplay is not believed to be the final version finished and sent to theaters by MGM. One problem is that a large number of scenes were cut in post-production to reach what MGM thought was the ideal run-time for this feature.
And that’s not all! This movie then was written about by critics, summarized by MGM for promotional purposes and even released in authorized “novelizations” in various languages. There’s even an example of a short novelization in one section of this book. These bewilderingly diverse text versions of this one story explain why it is so difficult to reconstruct what moviegoers actually saw in their local theaters in 1927.
Among the many intriguing sections of this book are those that reproduce original advertisements and materials that the big studios sent to theater owners around the world to help them promote new movies. One of those suggestions was to have a local actor dress up in costuming similar to Chaney’s vampirish character and make a dramatic entrance into the theater just before the film began, scaring moviegoers and setting them in a proper mood for what they were about to see on the big screen. Gosh, I have to admit: I wish I had been able to attend an original showing of his film with some of these promotional ideas unfolding in the theater.
I am thankful to Titley for creating such a huge hardcover “dossier” about one of my own beloved films. He concludes that it’s most unlikely a print will be discovered, but then he also tantalizes us with a whole section about the unlikely places other “lost” films have been found in recent years.
Maybe, someday, I’ll get to see the film I wanted to see as a boy but never got to see.
February 12, 2023
Although "London After Midnight" may be the most famous "lost film" of the silent era, I have to admit that my curiosity was put "on hold" for some weeks because of the price of the book. Through the years, I'd read several interviews with people who had seen the film upon its initial release, and the verdict was quite consistent that the film's mythic reputation was the result more of what people wanted it to be rather than the actual finished product. Indeed, having seen (and been disappointed by) Director Todd Browning's sound remake, "Mark Of The Vampire," and having a copy of TCM's famous reconstruction of the original, it seemed a high price to pay just for the privilege of seeing less than 20 individual frames discovered from the feature film.
Well, I was very wrong.
LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT: THE LOST FILM is not only the most comprehensive exploration of the movie I've ever read, but it is an indispensable reference into the status and marketing of silent film just on the cusp of being replaced by the recently introduced "talkies." It explores the creation of the story, the making of the film, the tandem filming of versions for "foreign" markets, the marketing procedure, the critical reviews and public reminiscences, differences between the versions (based on existing shooting scripts, treatments, and production records), and "movie tie-in" publications that included retellings of the story ... and one that fantasized on a entirely different story based solely on production stills!
The writer, Daniel Tilley, has compiled an amazing amount of information in his files, and the book is jam-packed with photographs. (I was especially fascinated by one photo "blow up" revealing one of Lon Chaney's make-up techniques!) Through it all, the book is beautifully written, avoiding the scholarly (and dry) writing style, but not resorting to swooning fandom hyperboles, either. I (quite literally) couldn't wait for my next reading session ... although I forced myself to slow my pace so the experience wouldn't be over too quickly.
Titley also describes related information. For instance, there is an explanation of why nitrate-based films are so easy to "lose," and details of why there may well be copies under private possession waiting for the "right time" to be revealed. He also covers the typical discovery process, and the things that may hamper it. (It made so much sense to learn that since the film was given different titles in different markets, people may be searching for it "under the wrong title" in various archives.)
The writer devotes a chapter to the MGM fire that destroyed the only known copy of the film. He also relates the case of a murder trial in which the accused claimed that Chaney's vampiric character from the movie encouraged him to commit the crime!
LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT: THE LOST FILM not only fascinated me while I was reading it, but is also a book to which I've returned. I've also brought it out on two occasions to share with film collector friends (who had also balked at the price, but now very much want a copy). I feel not only that I know more about the film itself, but also more about the periphery filmmaking and distribution processes of the time.
I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the silent film era.
Well, I was very wrong.
LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT: THE LOST FILM is not only the most comprehensive exploration of the movie I've ever read, but it is an indispensable reference into the status and marketing of silent film just on the cusp of being replaced by the recently introduced "talkies." It explores the creation of the story, the making of the film, the tandem filming of versions for "foreign" markets, the marketing procedure, the critical reviews and public reminiscences, differences between the versions (based on existing shooting scripts, treatments, and production records), and "movie tie-in" publications that included retellings of the story ... and one that fantasized on a entirely different story based solely on production stills!
The writer, Daniel Tilley, has compiled an amazing amount of information in his files, and the book is jam-packed with photographs. (I was especially fascinated by one photo "blow up" revealing one of Lon Chaney's make-up techniques!) Through it all, the book is beautifully written, avoiding the scholarly (and dry) writing style, but not resorting to swooning fandom hyperboles, either. I (quite literally) couldn't wait for my next reading session ... although I forced myself to slow my pace so the experience wouldn't be over too quickly.
Titley also describes related information. For instance, there is an explanation of why nitrate-based films are so easy to "lose," and details of why there may well be copies under private possession waiting for the "right time" to be revealed. He also covers the typical discovery process, and the things that may hamper it. (It made so much sense to learn that since the film was given different titles in different markets, people may be searching for it "under the wrong title" in various archives.)
The writer devotes a chapter to the MGM fire that destroyed the only known copy of the film. He also relates the case of a murder trial in which the accused claimed that Chaney's vampiric character from the movie encouraged him to commit the crime!
LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT: THE LOST FILM not only fascinated me while I was reading it, but is also a book to which I've returned. I've also brought it out on two occasions to share with film collector friends (who had also balked at the price, but now very much want a copy). I feel not only that I know more about the film itself, but also more about the periphery filmmaking and distribution processes of the time.
I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the silent film era.
February 20, 2023
A monument to the much-lamented lost Tod Browning/Lon Chaney film and to its fans, this book is clearly a labor of obsession as well as love. For movie enthusiasts like me, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT has been for decades on the list of films we'd like to see but probably never will, since the last known copy was lost in a nitrate conflagration in the early 1960s. Titley has done a great job here though of recreating LONDON as a movie and as a cultural relic, reprinting contemporary reactions-- including a murder case in London (the city) with the culprit blaming Lon Chaney's vampire as the image that incited the crime -- and fictionalized versions of the story that appeared around the world in the late 1920s. The book is absorbing and the author's enthusiasm communicates clearly with the reader.
One thing that the book doesn't do is attempt to explain the power that the still images of Chaney in makeup have exerted all these years, transforming what is probably a minor moment in cinema history into a lost "masterpiece." There is something iconic, even hypnotic, in the fanged, top-hatted visage that lingers in the same place nightmares do, inspiring thousands of film fans and even the weird homage of the BABADOOK's titular monster, borrowed from Chaney's creation. "Haunting" is probably not too strong a word.
Recommended to anyone with an interest in the film; this is likely to be the closest you'll ever get to seeing it.
One thing that the book doesn't do is attempt to explain the power that the still images of Chaney in makeup have exerted all these years, transforming what is probably a minor moment in cinema history into a lost "masterpiece." There is something iconic, even hypnotic, in the fanged, top-hatted visage that lingers in the same place nightmares do, inspiring thousands of film fans and even the weird homage of the BABADOOK's titular monster, borrowed from Chaney's creation. "Haunting" is probably not too strong a word.
Recommended to anyone with an interest in the film; this is likely to be the closest you'll ever get to seeing it.
April 30, 2025
Author Daniel Titley offers a fascinating look at the history of one particular film--and the industry practices in the late 1920s Hollywood. Profusely illustrated with stills, reproductions of actual film frames, and copies of everything from working scripts to the Spanish Photoplay novelization, any silent movie lover would come away enlightened after reading this giant of a book. Fans of Lon Chaney should be ecstatic. Through the marvels of interlibrary loan, I managed to spend a few weeks with this fascinating tome and am already plotting to add a copy to my collection.
February 19, 2023
The most comprehensive collection of materials from the infamous lost Chaney classic. A must for the esoteric cult lighting a candle for the vampire in the Balfour Mansion
March 28, 2023
If you are a fan of Chaney and the lost film, London After Midnight, this is the book for you. It ranks up there with Riley's book and would make a great addition to anyone's Chaney collection.
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