Lost Films: Important Movies That Disappeared

by Frank T. Thompson

Provides story lines, production notes, and reviews for twenty-seven silent films, which due to lack of film preservation, have no viewable prints available

Genres: Film, History, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in the middle of reading a huge history book and thought I would take a break to revisit an old favorite. This is a quick but informative read about those films that have long since disappeared due to the fact that nitrate film has a short shelf life and turns to mush unless transferred to another format. Unfortunately, no one thought much about that in the early days of the movies and important films were lost forever.

The author concentrates on silent film and researched 27 titles which are no longer extant. It should be noted that the book is more than 20 years old so it is possible that one or two of the films mentioned here may have been rediscovered but the chances are not favorable. The American Film Institute, Eastman House, and various other organizations are constantly working to save film and searching for the elusive print of a "lost film" that may be lurking somewhere in a personal collection.

Using still photos, notes from critics, studios, the Library of Congress and other sources, the author describes each film......the plot, actors, directors, and his thoughts on each of the 27 choices. I have to admit I only was familiar with a few of the titles and was intrigued by some of the stories. It is a shame that the early film "powers-that-be" did not realize the importance of preserving film stock or possibly didn't know that nitrate film would disintegrate in a very short time. And this book only concentrates on a very small number of the hundreds of films that are lost to us. I would recommend this book to the film buff.

[LexIconDevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read from...eons ago. A good overview of a couple dozen films that nobody can find a copy of. The author makes a pretty good case as to why each one might be worthy of finding, although a couple veer close to "I dunno - this one just seems kinda interesting". But to be honest, isn't that the best reason of all?

Each film gets ten or so pages, along with some photos - either of that production or (when unavailable) the actors/directors around the same time period. The synopses can get a bit overblown, as they're often taken straight from the studios, but that actually helps set the scene for each one. I'd love a sequel to this book with another gaggle of lost films.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The synopsis were sometimes a little dry and the single nude photo should never have been there. That cost it a star, but it was an otherwise VERY good book about movies lost to history. The authors a bit biased at times, but it’s his book

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopses (from contemporary sources) and information about the lost films:The Immortal Alamo (1911), Saved from the Titanic (1912), The Battle of Gettysburg (1913), Damaged goods (1914), Purity (1916), A daughter of the gods (1916), The Conqueror (1917), Cleopatra (1917), Roped (1919), The Knickerbocker Buckaroo (1919), The Miracle Man (1919), Hollywood (1923), Pied Piper Malone (1924), So Big (1925), The Flaming frontier (1926), That Royle Girl (1926), The last moment (1927), The rough riders (1927), Time to love (1927), Gentlemen prefer blonds (1927), Beau Sabreur (1928), The Divine woman (1928), Legion of the condemned (1928), Ladies of the mob (1928), The patriot (1928), The case of Lena Smith (1929), 4 Devils (1929). Also noted as lost in the appendix is Human Wreckage (1923), Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s court (1921), Senorita (1927), Forty Winks (1925), Time to Love (1927), Wedding Bills (1927), Prunella (1918), The battle cry of peace (1915), Life’s whirlpool (1916), The Rogue Song (1930), The Exquisite Sinner (1925), The Sea gull (1926), The Drag Net (1928), The siege and fall of the Alamo (1913), The fall of the Alamo (1914), the Fall of the Alamo (1938), The battle of the sexes (1914), The escape (1914) the Great love (1918), The greatest thing in life (1919), The Honeymoon (pt. 2 of the Wedding march, 1928)

[Lior · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good primer on a fascinating subject which tells the stories of 27 silent films that were not preserved and simply disappeared, some of them from well known talents. But the book is from 1996 and quite dated in some respects. Furthermore, every single film gets a lengthy plot synopsis (obtained from sources from the period) that sometimes spans a few pages, and honestly it was a bit much. Still, definitely recommended if you're interested in the subject matter.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Account of 27 films whose prints are lost or missing.

[Heather Domin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fascinating, but it's also 13 years old. I'm curious if any of these films have been found, and I wonder how many more have been lost.

[Chandler]

Great listing of important lost films, of which 5 of the 27 have been found complete or in part since the book was written. However, the lengthy plot synopses were a bit daunting at times.