Expert: DM - 8/24/2009

Question
Hello...I've been trying to assemble a collection of silent movies that dealt with the fears radicalism in the US after the Russian Revolution. Almost all these movies were released in 1919/20.

I've managed to get two of them ("Dangerous Hours" and "Bolshevism on Trial") but other movies elude me.

What's really driving me crazy is I'm not even sure they exist! I've read synopses of the movies, even some that read like reviews; where I've been able to, I've contacted the author to see if their writing was first-hand, or whether they cribbed their info from a book or website.

From what I gather, all these reviews of movies like "Bullin' the Bullsheviki," "The Right to Happiness," and "The Volcano" (among others) are simply reworded from books, clippings and the like.

So how do I find out if my list of silent movies even exist? Is there some way, shape or form to see if someone has what I'm looking for?

Thanks for any help!

Answer
Dear Katy,

Thank you for asking an interesting question. Your query happens to be the one most often asked by everyone interested in silent films. The sad fact of the matter is that more than 80% of motion pictures made from 1900 to 1929 have been lost due to neglect, nitrate film decomposition, accidental fires, or deliberate destruction by the very studios that made the films. In those days, celluloid contained valuable silver content, and no one thought that the films had any life after their initial release, much the way we think of magazines today. They were frequently melted down to recover the silver. Add to that unfortunate practice the other reasons stated above and we have all but wiped out the majority of our film history.

That said, the best ways to find if a particular film exists is to question current distributors of silent films and query silent film enthusiasts around the world. I recommend that you search through the following list and ask them about specific titles. They may know, or they may know someone else who knows the whereabouts of certain titles. I will caution you that many obscure films from the silent era have very little market potential, and although they may exist, they remain stuck away in vaults, untouched by distributors who are unwilling to spend the time and money necessary to transfer film to DVD, create scores, and then delve into marketing and all its associated costs. I'll give you one example: this past year, my company located and fully restored a rare film, perhaps the best one, starring the legendary Sarah Bernhardt, one of the most famous actresses of the past two centuries. We did the restoration as a labor of love, but the film has barely sold during these tough economic times, and we will never recover our costs on the project.

To discover if the titles of interest to you exist, please contact the following companies and organizations. Best of luck to you with your search!

Sincerely,
David W. Menefee
   

MOVIES UNLIMITED
http://www.moviesunlimited.com

GRAPEVINE VIDEO
http://www.grapevinevideo.com/

FLICKER ALLEY
http://www.flickeralley.com/

ASHFAULTS CLASSIC MOVIES
www.ashfaultsclassicmovies.com
E-mail: ashfault@earthlink.net

SILENT GOOGLE GROUP SITE ( a good source to reach silent film fans)
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.movies.silent/topics?hl=en

NITRATEVILLE.COM SITE  ( another good source to reach silent film fans)
http://www.nitrateville.com/index.php

The Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
333. S. La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, Ca. 90210
Telephone: 310.657.3020

American Film Institute
Telephone: 213.856.7660

David W. Menefee is the author of:

Sarah Bernhardt in the Theater of Films and Sound Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Telephone (336) 246-4460

The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
www.greenwood.com
US telephone 1-800-225-5800
e-mail: orders@greenwood.com

The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
www.bearmanormedia.bizland.com
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265      

Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
www.bearmanormedia.com
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265

George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood
(Coming in January 2010)
www.bearmanormedia.com
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265

"Otay! The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story
(Coming in 2010)
www.bearmanormedia.com
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265     


Please visit my web site:
www.thegreatstars.com
for many other exciting films and recordings of great stars in great plays that I have located around the world. You're certain to find several you will want for your own library, or to give as a gift, including:

Mothers of France starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD

Camille starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Queen Elizabeth starring Sarah Bernhardt
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Sarah Bernhardt in Performance
18 restored recordings on one CD,
plus the Sarah Bernhardt 101 Photo CD Album

Cenere, the only motion picture ever made
starring theater legend Eleonora Duse.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Madame X with Broadway legend Jane Cowl
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Pygmalion with Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Peg O' My Heart with Broadway legend Laurette Taylor.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

John Barrymore performing excerpts from Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
Restored audio recordings of America's greatest actor on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.