Is there a place on the net where you can download old black and white/silent films?

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In particular, 'The Man Who Laughs'. I really want to see this film mainly based on images of Conrad Veidt in it. I've tried a google search but nothing has come up. Links to p2p sites or even a website that has this film available to download would be greatly appreciated.

― fractal (fractal), Sunday, 23 February 2003 01:29 (twenty-three years ago)

you should post your question at www.zeropaid.com/.

― the hegemon, Sunday, 23 February 2003 02:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Thanks.

― fractal (fractal), Sunday, 23 February 2003 02:58 (twenty-three years ago)

www.thesync.com has a few old films that you can watch (and I assume, download). Caligari is one. I don't recall seeing Man Who Laughs, though.

― nickn (nickn), Sunday, 23 February 2003 06:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I hope you have more luck

How do you find Silent Films on p2p groups?

― erik, Sunday, 23 February 2003 11:43 (twenty-three years ago)

I've never seen this film, either. It's best known because artist Jerry Robinson largely based the look of the Joker on Veidt in this, as I'm sure many of you knew.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 23 February 2003 11:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely a lot of these films must be out of copyright now? Is there not some kind of Project Gutenberg style archive site, if not there should be. There is definately a strong early recordings community out there with mp3s of shellac discs and wax cylinders on line.

― Ed (dali), Sunday, 23 February 2003 12:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Having said that whose is the death date that films go by for the lapse of copyright? The director, actors, screenwriters, whose?

― Ed (dali), Sunday, 23 February 2003 12:19 (twenty-three years ago)

It's not exactly what anyone is looking for, but I recommend checking out the Prelinger Archives. It's mostly old advertisements, educational shorts, and documentary footage--all in the public domain.

― Matt B., Sunday, 23 February 2003 16:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah, Prelinger. Wonderful Prelinger, supplier of the many shorts that MST3K tackled over the years, and so therefore glorious. On a related note, the book Mental Hygiene specifically studies the forties-into-sixties educational film phenomenon; very well worth it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 23 February 2003 16:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Having said that whose is the death date that films go by for the lapse of copyright? The director, actors, screenwriters, whose?

This is kind of tautalogical, but it's the copyright owner. Particularly for early films, well, for any films, it's more likely to be the releasing company and not an actual person. It's almost a certainty that the actors in silent films were not the copyright holders unless they were producers too, e.g. chaplain. (for american films, no idea about others)

― Skottie, Sunday, 23 February 2003 18:36 (twenty-three years ago)

But even companies can't hold copyright in perpetuity. Disney just had there rights to Mickey Mouse extended by 25 years through a fudge in the law. For example when would 'The Great Dictator' come out of copyright? 75 years after chaplin's death or 75 years after the demise of the studio?

― Ed (dali), Sunday, 23 February 2003 22:42 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm not sure if copyright existed as a thing for films initially, or when it came in (i can bore u rigid abt when it how it came in for music)

― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 23 February 2003 23:34 (twenty-three years ago)

This is not "the Man who Laughs," but there are some good American silent films here at the library of congress website:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/collections:@field(FLD003+@band(origf+Motion+Picture)):heading=Original+Format%3a+Motion+Pictures

― A Nairn (moretap), Sunday, 23 February 2003 23:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Here, try this instead:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/finder.html

― A Nairn (moretap), Sunday, 23 February 2003 23:45 (twenty-three years ago)

That Prelinger Archives site is clearly one of the greatest sites on the web. Thank you for pointing it out.

― Chris P (Chris P), Monday, 24 February 2003 03:20 (twenty-three years ago)

My pleasure.

― Matt B., Monday, 24 February 2003 03:47 (twenty-three years ago)

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