List of lost films



For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films.

Reasons for loss
Films may go missing for a number of reasons. One major contributing factor is the common use of nitrate film until the early 1950s. This type of film is highly flammable, and there have been several devastating fires, such as the Universal Pictures fire in 1924, the Warner Bros. First National fire in 1933, the British and Dominions Imperial Studios fire in 1936, the 1937 Fox vault fire, the 1965 MGM vault fire, and the 1914 Lubin vault fire.

Black-and-white film prints judged to be otherwise worthless were sometimes incinerated to salvage the meager scrap value of the silver image particles in their emulsions. Silent films in particular were once seen as having no further commercial value and were simply junked to clear out expensive storage space. Occasionally, a studio would remake a film and destroy the earlier version. Films have also disappeared when production companies went bankrupt.

Statistics on lost films
Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation claimed in 2017 that "half of all American films made before 1950 and over 90% of films made before 1929 are lost forever". Deutsche Kinemathek estimates that 80–90% of silent films are gone; the film archive's own list contains over 3,500 lost films.

A study by the Library of Congress of 2013 states that 75% of all silent films are lost. While others dispute whether the percentage is quite that high, it is impractical to enumerate here any but the more notable and those which can be sourced.

For example, roughly 200 out of over 500 Méliès films and 350 out of over 1,000 of Alice Guy's films survive. Of approximately the 1,100 films made in India between 1912 and 1931, only 29 of them are known to have survived.

Notable lost films
Amongst the films commonly mourned among critics and film historians are early films by noted directors and films of unique cultural importance. The Mountain Eagle was the second film to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1926; the silent melodrama has been described by the British Film Institute as their "most wanted" lost film. London After Midnight, starring Lon Chaney and directed by Tod Browning in 1927, was a silent-era mystery-thriller pseudo-vampire film that is now considered to be the "holy grail" of lost films by collectors. Hollywood, a 1923 silent comedy film directed by James Cruze, featured over 30 cameo appearances from major stars of the day, including Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Astor and Pola Negri, but no footage exists.

Sound films

 * From 1929 on, films are "all-talking" unless otherwise specified.

1920s
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 * 1900 || Romeo and Juliet || Clément Maurice || Emilio Cossira || Believed to be the first film adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name ||
 * 1900 || Romeo and Juliet || Clément Maurice || Emilio Cossira || Believed to be the first film adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name ||


 * rowspan="2"| 1910 || Jean and the Calico Doll || Laurence Trimble || Jean, Vitagraph Dog, Helen Hayes (unconfirmed)|| Jean was the first canine star to have her name in the title of a film. Unconfirmed appearance by then nine-year-old actress Helen Hayes ||
 * Jean Goes Fishing || Laurence Trimble || Julia Swayne Gordon, Florence Turner, Jean, Vitagraph Dog|| Jean short film ||
 * Jean Goes Fishing || Laurence Trimble || Julia Swayne Gordon, Florence Turner, Jean, Vitagraph Dog|| Jean short film ||
 * Jean Goes Fishing || Laurence Trimble || Julia Swayne Gordon, Florence Turner, Jean, Vitagraph Dog|| Jean short film ||


 * The World, the Flesh and the Devil || Floyd Martin Thornton || Frank Esmond || First dramatic feature film made in color (Kinemacolor) ||
 * The World, the Flesh and the Devil || Floyd Martin Thornton || Frank Esmond || First dramatic feature film made in color (Kinemacolor) ||


 * Romeo and Juliet || J. Gordon Edwards || Theda Bara || ||
 * Romeo and Juliet || J. Gordon Edwards || Theda Bara || ||


 * The Honor System || Raoul Walsh || || One of Walsh's first features, and one of his most successful ||
 * The Spirit of '76 || Frank Montgomery || John Big Tree, William Beery (brother of Wallace Beery and Noah Beery) || Seized because it showed British Army "atrocities" during the American Revolution and was deemed to be detrimental to American support for England during World War I. ||
 * The Spirit of '76 || Frank Montgomery || John Big Tree, William Beery (brother of Wallace Beery and Noah Beery) || Seized because it showed British Army "atrocities" during the American Revolution and was deemed to be detrimental to American support for England during World War I. ||
 * The Spirit of '76 || Frank Montgomery || John Big Tree, William Beery (brother of Wallace Beery and Noah Beery) || Seized because it showed British Army "atrocities" during the American Revolution and was deemed to be detrimental to American support for England during World War I. ||


 * The Hope Chest || Elmer Clifton || Dorothy Gish, Richard Barthelmess || ||
 * The Prussian Cur || Raoul Walsh || Miriam Cooper || Early World War I propaganda film ||
 * The Prussian Cur || Raoul Walsh || Miriam Cooper || Early World War I propaganda film ||
 * The Prussian Cur || Raoul Walsh || Miriam Cooper || Early World War I propaganda film ||


 * Counterfeit || George Fitzmaurice || Elsie Ferguson || ||
 * Evangeline || Raoul Walsh ||Miriam Cooper || One of Walsh's most successful silents up to that time, one of Miriam Cooper's most successful ||
 * The Homesteader || Oscar Micheaux || Evelyn Preer || Believed to be the first feature-length "race film" made with a black cast and crew, for a black audience ||
 * In Old Kentucky || Marshall Neilan, Alfred E. Green (asst. dir.)||Anita Stewart|| ||
 * The Misleading Widow || John S. Robertson || Billie Burke || ||
 * A Society Exile || George Fitzmaurice || Elsie Ferguson || ||
 * The Woman and the Law || Raoul Walsh ||Miriam Cooper || Based on the Blanca de Saulles trial ||
 * In Old Kentucky || Marshall Neilan, Alfred E. Green (asst. dir.)||Anita Stewart|| ||
 * The Misleading Widow || John S. Robertson || Billie Burke || ||
 * A Society Exile || George Fitzmaurice || Elsie Ferguson || ||
 * The Woman and the Law || Raoul Walsh ||Miriam Cooper || Based on the Blanca de Saulles trial ||
 * A Society Exile || George Fitzmaurice || Elsie Ferguson || ||
 * The Woman and the Law || Raoul Walsh ||Miriam Cooper || Based on the Blanca de Saulles trial ||
 * The Woman and the Law || Raoul Walsh ||Miriam Cooper || Based on the Blanca de Saulles trial ||


 * The Ghost Breaker || Alfred E. Green || Wallace Reid, Lila Lee, Walter Hiers|| Re-filming of the 1913 Broadway play and a remake of Cecil DeMille's 1914 film. It is a story about ghosts and haunted houses. ||
 * Uncle Jasper's Will || Oscar Micheaux || || A sequel to the 1920 feature Within Our Gates ||
 * Uncle Jasper's Will || Oscar Micheaux || || A sequel to the 1920 feature Within Our Gates ||
 * Uncle Jasper's Will || Oscar Micheaux || || A sequel to the 1920 feature Within Our Gates ||


 * The Blue Lagoon|| W. Bowden, Dick Cruickshanks || Molly Adair || First and only silent film of The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole ||
 * ''The Isle of Lost Ships || Maurice Tourneur || Anna Q. Nilsson, Milton Sills|| A story of ships caught, lost or missing in the Sargasso Sea ||
 * The Mummy || Norman Taurog || || A short comedy film ||
 * On the Banks of the Wabash|| J. Stuart Blackton || Mary Carr, Madge Evans, Burr McIntosh || Shot on location in the Mid-West and Southern United States ||
 * The Mummy || Norman Taurog || || A short comedy film ||
 * On the Banks of the Wabash|| J. Stuart Blackton || Mary Carr, Madge Evans, Burr McIntosh || Shot on location in the Mid-West and Southern United States ||
 * On the Banks of the Wabash|| J. Stuart Blackton || Mary Carr, Madge Evans, Burr McIntosh || Shot on location in the Mid-West and Southern United States ||
 * On the Banks of the Wabash|| J. Stuart Blackton || Mary Carr, Madge Evans, Burr McIntosh || Shot on location in the Mid-West and Southern United States ||


 * Gold Heels || W. S. Van Dyke   || Robert Agnew || Partly inspired by the racehorse of the same name ||
 * Sinners in Heaven || Alan Crosland || Bebe Daniels, Richard Dix || ||
 * Wanderer of the Wasteland || Irvin Willat || Billie Dove || A Technicolor feature. Willat had the only existing print, which had disintegrated by 1971. ||
 * West of the Water Tower || Rollin S. Sturgeon || Glenn Hunter, May McAvoy || ||
 * Wanderer of the Wasteland || Irvin Willat || Billie Dove || A Technicolor feature. Willat had the only existing print, which had disintegrated by 1971. ||
 * West of the Water Tower || Rollin S. Sturgeon || Glenn Hunter, May McAvoy || ||
 * West of the Water Tower || Rollin S. Sturgeon || Glenn Hunter, May McAvoy || ||
 * West of the Water Tower || Rollin S. Sturgeon || Glenn Hunter, May McAvoy || ||


 * The Coast of Folly || Allan Dwan || Gloria Swanson || Swanson had dual roles as mother and daughter. ||
 * The Coast of Folly || Allan Dwan || Gloria Swanson || Swanson had dual roles as mother and daughter. ||


 * Aloma of the South Seas|| Maurice Tourneur || Gilda Gray, William Powell || Filmed in Puerto Rico and Bermuda ||


 * The Big City || Tod Browning || Lon Chaney, Betty Compson || A story about criminals cheating other criminals ||
 * The Home Towners || Bryan Foy || Doris Kenyon, Richard Bennett || Warner Bros.' third all-talkie ||
 * On Trial || Archie Mayo || Pauline Frederick, Johnny Arthur || Warner Bros.' fourth all-talking feature ||
 * Take Me Home || Marshall Neilan || Bebe Daniels, Neil Hamilton || ||
 * Tenderloin || Michael Curtiz || Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel || Second feature film to have synchronized dialogue sequences ||
 * Women They Talk About || Lloyd Bacon || Irene Rich || An early all-talking picture ||
 * 1929 || The Careless Age || John Griffith Wray || Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Loretta Young || All-talking ||
 * The Case of Lena Smith || Josef von Sternberg || Esther Ralston || Silent film withdrawn from circulation when talkies began to dominate. Only a four-minute clip is known to exist. ||
 * The Cavalier || || Richard Talmadge || Part-talkie released with music and sound effects by Tiffany Pictures ||
 * College Love || Nat Ross || George J. Lewis, Eddie Phillips || All-talking ||
 * Conquest || Roy Del Ruth || Monte Blue, H. B. Warner || All-talking ||
 * Dark Streets || Frank Lloyd || Jack Mulhall, Lila Lee || All-talking. Mulhall's character, first attempt at dual role double exposure photography in a talking film. ||
 * The Doctor's Secret || William C. deMille || Ruth Chatterton, H. B. Warner || All-talking ||
 * Evidence || John G. Adolfi || Pauline Frederick, Conway Tearle || All-talking ||
 * Fancy Baggage || John G. Adolfi|| Audrey Ferris, Myrna Loy || A part-talkie from Warner Bros. ||
 * Fast Life || John Francis Dillon || Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Loretta Young || All-talking ||
 * Footlights and Fools || William A. Seiter || Colleen Moore || Part-Technicolor. Vitaphone discs survive.||
 * The Forward Pass || Edward F. Cline || Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Loretta Young || All-talking ||
 * Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 || David Butler || John Breeden, Lola Lane || All-talking. Multicolor sequences. ||
 * The Girl From Havana || Benjamin Stoloff || Lola Lane, Paul Page || All-talking ||
 * Hearts in Exile || Michael Curtiz || Dolores Costello, Grant Withers || All-talking ||
 * Hot For Paris ||Raoul Walsh || Victor McLaglen, Fifi D'Orsay || All-talking ||
 * In The Headlines || John G. Adolfi || Grant Withers, Marion Nixon || All-talking ||
 * Jealousy || Jean de Limur || Jeanne Eagels, Fredric March || All-talking ||
 * Hard To Get || William Beaudine || Dorothy Mackaill, Louise Fazenda || All-talking ||
 * Her Private Life || Alexander Korda || Billie Dove, Walter Pidgeon || All-talking ||
 * Little Johnny Jones || Mervyn LeRoy || Edward Buzzell, Alice Day || All-talking ||
 * Love, Live and Laugh || William K. Howard || George Jessel, Lila Lee || All-talking ||
 * The Love Racket || William A. Seiter || Dorothy Mackaill, Sidney Blackmer || All-talking ||
 * Lucky In Love || Kenneth S. Webb || Morton Downey, Betty Lawford || All-talking ||
 * Madonna of Avenue A || Michael Curtiz || Dolores Costello, Grant Withers || All-talking ||
 * Melody Lane || Robert F. Hill || Eddie Leonard, Josephine Dunn || Universal's first 100% talking musical. ||
 * A Most Immoral Lady || John Griffith Wray || Walter Pidgeon, Leatrice Joy || All-talking ||
 * Nix On Dames || Donald Gallaher || Mae Clarke, Robert Ames || All-talking ||
 * The Painted Angel || Millard Webb || Billie Dove, Edmund Lowe || All-talking ||
 * Pleasure Crazed || Donald Gallaher || Marguerite Churchill, Kenneth MacKenna || All-talking ||
 * Rich People || Edward H. Griffith || Constance Bennett, Regis Toomey || All-talking ||
 * The Sacred Flame || Archie Mayo || Pauline Frederick, Conrad Nagel || All-talking ||
 * Seven Faces || Berthold Viertel || Paul Muni, Marguerite Churchill || All-talking ||
 * The Shannons Of Broadway || Emmett J. Flynn || James Gleason, Lucile Gleason || All-talking ||
 * Skin Deep || Ray Enright || Monte Blue, Betty Compson || All-talking ||
 * A Song Of Kentucky || Lewis Seiler || Lois Moran, Joseph Wagstaff || All-talking ||
 * Sonny Boy || Archie Mayo || Edward Everett Horton || Part-talkie || This reference states a print exists:
 * South Sea Rose || Allan Dwan || Lenore Ulric, Charles Bickford || All-talking ||
 * Speakeasy || Benjamin Stoloff || Paul Page, Lola Lane || All-talking ||
 * The Terror || Roy Del Ruth || Edward Everett Horton, Louise Fazenda || Warner Bros.' second all-talkie. First feature with no title cards (even the credits are recited) ||
 * The Time, the Place and the Girl || Howard Bretherton || Grant Withers, Betty Compson || All-talking ||
 * Tonight at Twelve || Harry A. Pollard || Madge Bellamy, Robert Ellis || All-talking ||
 * Twin Beds || Alfred Santell || Jack Mulhall, Patsy Ruth Miller || All-talking ||
 * Cold Turkey || Walter Lantz || Bill Nolan ||, Tom Palmer || All-talking ||
 * Wedding Rings || William Beaudine || H. B. Warner, Olive Borden || All-talking ||
 * Why Leave Home? || Raymond Cannon || Sue Carol, Dixie Lee || All-talking ||
 * Words and Music || James Tinling || Lois Moran, David Percy || All-talking ||
 * Young Nowheres || Frank Lloyd || Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon || All-talking ||
 * UNREFERENCED ****************************** -->
 * Love, Live and Laugh || William K. Howard || George Jessel, Lila Lee || All-talking ||
 * The Love Racket || William A. Seiter || Dorothy Mackaill, Sidney Blackmer || All-talking ||
 * Lucky In Love || Kenneth S. Webb || Morton Downey, Betty Lawford || All-talking ||
 * Madonna of Avenue A || Michael Curtiz || Dolores Costello, Grant Withers || All-talking ||
 * Melody Lane || Robert F. Hill || Eddie Leonard, Josephine Dunn || Universal's first 100% talking musical. ||
 * A Most Immoral Lady || John Griffith Wray || Walter Pidgeon, Leatrice Joy || All-talking ||
 * Nix On Dames || Donald Gallaher || Mae Clarke, Robert Ames || All-talking ||
 * The Painted Angel || Millard Webb || Billie Dove, Edmund Lowe || All-talking ||
 * Pleasure Crazed || Donald Gallaher || Marguerite Churchill, Kenneth MacKenna || All-talking ||
 * Rich People || Edward H. Griffith || Constance Bennett, Regis Toomey || All-talking ||
 * The Sacred Flame || Archie Mayo || Pauline Frederick, Conrad Nagel || All-talking ||
 * Seven Faces || Berthold Viertel || Paul Muni, Marguerite Churchill || All-talking ||
 * The Shannons Of Broadway || Emmett J. Flynn || James Gleason, Lucile Gleason || All-talking ||
 * Skin Deep || Ray Enright || Monte Blue, Betty Compson || All-talking ||
 * A Song Of Kentucky || Lewis Seiler || Lois Moran, Joseph Wagstaff || All-talking ||
 * Sonny Boy || Archie Mayo || Edward Everett Horton || Part-talkie || This reference states a print exists:
 * South Sea Rose || Allan Dwan || Lenore Ulric, Charles Bickford || All-talking ||
 * Speakeasy || Benjamin Stoloff || Paul Page, Lola Lane || All-talking ||
 * The Terror || Roy Del Ruth || Edward Everett Horton, Louise Fazenda || Warner Bros.' second all-talkie. First feature with no title cards (even the credits are recited) ||
 * The Time, the Place and the Girl || Howard Bretherton || Grant Withers, Betty Compson || All-talking ||
 * Tonight at Twelve || Harry A. Pollard || Madge Bellamy, Robert Ellis || All-talking ||
 * Twin Beds || Alfred Santell || Jack Mulhall, Patsy Ruth Miller || All-talking ||
 * Cold Turkey || Walter Lantz || Bill Nolan ||, Tom Palmer || All-talking ||
 * Wedding Rings || William Beaudine || H. B. Warner, Olive Borden || All-talking ||
 * Why Leave Home? || Raymond Cannon || Sue Carol, Dixie Lee || All-talking ||
 * Words and Music || James Tinling || Lois Moran, David Percy || All-talking ||
 * Young Nowheres || Frank Lloyd || Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon || All-talking ||
 * UNREFERENCED ****************************** -->
 * A Song Of Kentucky || Lewis Seiler || Lois Moran, Joseph Wagstaff || All-talking ||
 * Sonny Boy || Archie Mayo || Edward Everett Horton || Part-talkie || This reference states a print exists:
 * South Sea Rose || Allan Dwan || Lenore Ulric, Charles Bickford || All-talking ||
 * Speakeasy || Benjamin Stoloff || Paul Page, Lola Lane || All-talking ||
 * The Terror || Roy Del Ruth || Edward Everett Horton, Louise Fazenda || Warner Bros.' second all-talkie. First feature with no title cards (even the credits are recited) ||
 * The Time, the Place and the Girl || Howard Bretherton || Grant Withers, Betty Compson || All-talking ||
 * Tonight at Twelve || Harry A. Pollard || Madge Bellamy, Robert Ellis || All-talking ||
 * Twin Beds || Alfred Santell || Jack Mulhall, Patsy Ruth Miller || All-talking ||
 * Cold Turkey || Walter Lantz || Bill Nolan ||, Tom Palmer || All-talking ||
 * Wedding Rings || William Beaudine || H. B. Warner, Olive Borden || All-talking ||
 * Why Leave Home? || Raymond Cannon || Sue Carol, Dixie Lee || All-talking ||
 * Words and Music || James Tinling || Lois Moran, David Percy || All-talking ||
 * Young Nowheres || Frank Lloyd || Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon || All-talking ||
 * UNREFERENCED ****************************** -->
 * Twin Beds || Alfred Santell || Jack Mulhall, Patsy Ruth Miller || All-talking ||
 * Cold Turkey || Walter Lantz || Bill Nolan ||, Tom Palmer || All-talking ||
 * Wedding Rings || William Beaudine || H. B. Warner, Olive Borden || All-talking ||
 * Why Leave Home? || Raymond Cannon || Sue Carol, Dixie Lee || All-talking ||
 * Words and Music || James Tinling || Lois Moran, David Percy || All-talking ||
 * Young Nowheres || Frank Lloyd || Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon || All-talking ||
 * UNREFERENCED ****************************** -->
 * Words and Music || James Tinling || Lois Moran, David Percy || All-talking ||
 * Young Nowheres || Frank Lloyd || Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon || All-talking ||
 * UNREFERENCED ****************************** -->
 * Young Nowheres || Frank Lloyd || Richard Barthelmess, Marian Nixon || All-talking ||
 * UNREFERENCED ****************************** -->