Copyright Comedies and More

From the Library of Congress

Copyright Comedies and More — Plot

A compilation of thirteen rare silent films digitized by the Library of Congress, selected for the 2022 Domitor conference theme “Copy/Rights and Early Cinema.” Drawn from nitrate and safety film, the program spans comedies, trick films, and dramas exploring censorship, invention, adaptation, and social rights. Titles include: Pruning the Movies (Nestor, 1914); Imperial Japanese Dance (Edison, 1894); Early Edison Camera Tests (Edison, c.1890s); Censorship and its Absurdities (Edison, 1915); In Wrong (Crystal, 1914, dir. Phillips Smalley); Tillie’s Tomato Surprise (Lubin, 1915, dir. Howell Hansell); Indian Land Grab (Champion, 1910); The Stolen Play (Falcon Features, 1917, dir. Harry Harvey); And the Villain Still Pursued Her (Vitagraph, 1906, dir. J. Stuart Blackton); The Doll’s Revenge (Hepworth, 1907, dir. Lewin Fitzhamon); The Disintegrated Convict (Vitagraph, 1907); The Mexican Joan of Arc (Kalem, 1911, dir. Kenean Buel); and Fads and Fashions of 1900 (U.S., 1940s).

• Release date
• June 6, 2022
• Runtime
• 135 min
• Genres
• Comedy, Documentary, History

Copyright Comedies and More — Cast

Marie Dressler Archive Footage, "Tillie’s Tomato Surprise" Ruth Roland Archive Footage, "The Stolen Play" Alice Joyce Archive Footage, "The Mexican Joan of Arc" Vivian Prescott Archive Footage, "In Wrong" Eddie Lyons Archive Footage, "Pruning the Movies" Paul Panzer Archive Footage, "And the Villain Still Pursued Her" Lee Moran Archive Footage, "Pruning the Movies" William Conklin Archive Footage, "The Stolen Play"