9 Films Lost to Time That Somehow Found Their Way Back

In today’s digital world, we don’t have to worry about losing a film (not like hard drive failures aren’t a thing), but overall, it’s pretty much impossible, considering the variety of storage and archive options available today. Unless you’re a disaster at organizing or purely unlucky, your films will definitely outlive you and a few generations after (so make sure you make great ones!).

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case in the early days of cinema, when filming was done on fragile and highly flammable nitrate. Naturally, countless movies shot on film have vanished due to negligence and fire.

Thankfully, some of these cinematic gems were found and restored, allowing cinephiles a chance to get a glimpse into cinema’s magical past.

In this article, we’re listing some of the incredible cinematic gems that were eventually recovered and the thrilling stories behind their rediscovery.

Lost Films That We Eventually Recovered

Zepped (1916)

Only about seven minutes long, this Charlie Chaplin short film was lost for almost a century. In fact, nobody even knew that it existed until 2009, when an English citizen stumbled upon a can of film labeled Zepped and bought it for a measly $5. Two years later, it was auctioned off for a whopping £100,000 ($164,070). Zepped explores Charlie Chaplin’s unique take on World War I.

Tarzan And The Golden Lion (1927)

It still baffles me how this film was recovered. For over half a century, lead actor James Pierce tried to track down lost copies of it, exhausting almost the majority of his life over this, but with no luck. Reportedly, it was a box office hit and disappeared right after its initial run at the theaters. Finally, this jungle saga following Tarzan and his pet lion Jad-bal-ja on their quest to restore Queen La to power was discovered within the walls of a French asylum.

The Sentimental Bloke (1919)

Losing such a magnificent silent era film to fire is greatly unfortunate. Even more unfortunate is not being able to rediscover it due to cultural and linguistic barriers. The film was considered to be gone for good until 1973, when an original negative was discovered at a film archive in Rochester, New York. It’s amusing how it was technically never lost, just mislabelled as The Sentimental “Blonde” instead of “Bloke,” only because the word existed in one culture and didn’t in another.

Outside the Law (1920)

Starring Lon Chaney, Tod Browning’s Outside the Law follows a criminal father-daughter duo, who find themselves victim to one of their rivals who frames the father for a murder, right before they were about to retire from their life of crime. Reportedly, a Universal Pictures delivery guy misplaced the copies of the movie after he stashed them at a friend's for safekeeping in Crystal, Minnesota, and never returned for them. About five decades later, a copy of Outside The Law made a mysterious appearance in a stash of old movies that lay forsaken in a corner of a random house’s barn (for God knows how many years), until they were discovered by a new resident. She called in Bob DeFlores after she heard his interview on the radio that centered on lost films.

The Mitchell and Kenyon Collection

Filmmaker Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon’s work between 1900 and 1913 is believed to have inspired Charlie Chaplin. The filmmaking duo roamed around the British Isles, capturing everyday, mundane lives, news, and slapstick comedy. For over a century, their films remained missing until two workmen found hundreds of spools of film in three milk churns at the site of an old toy shop! By luck’s grace, the highly flammable nitrate survived under such unfavorable conditions, and the films were finally restored. This makes me wonder how lost items end up in the most bizarre places. Is this why I can’t find my hair ties, eighth-grade watch, that impulsively bought crochet kit, my most expensive pair of earrings, the paperback copy of my favorite novel…and more?

Shadows (1959)

A bold confrontation of racism, John Cassavetes’ indie film Shadows follows three black siblings as they navigate society, experiencing prejudices and acceptance within the community, on the basis of their skin color. The film was rendered into two separate edits, out of which the original one was missing until 2003, until Professor Ray Carney recovered it through his relentless pursuit of the movie.

The Passion of Joan Of Arc (1928)

This film was so controversial that even the Archbishop of Paris was against its release. For years, it was believed that a lasting copy of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc had met the same fate as its titular character after being destroyed in a fire, until 1981, when a full version of the movie was recovered in Oslo’s Dikemark Mental Hospital’s janitor’s closet by an employee. The narrative follows the life of Joan of Arc, who was tortured and killed as a punishment for having holy visions.

The Old Dark House (1932)

One of the earliest and finest examples of Gothic horror, yet the film remained a secret for years, after it was misplaced and considered lost. All thanks to filmmaker Curtis Harrington, who stumbled upon a pristine copy of the movie while exploring the vaults of Universal Studios. The narrative is simple yet an exemplary horror, as it follows five travelers, who take shelter at the Femm family estate, in the face of a terrifying storm, only to be terrorized by their host, his obsessive malevolent sister, and younger brother, a psychotic pyromaniac who’s determined to set the house on fire. After it was discovered, Universal not only restored it but also got it reedited and re-released. Universal, we appreciate the effort!

The First Degree (1923)

Edward Sedgwick’s psychological political drama follows Sam Purdy, a banker-turned-politician-turned-sheep farmer who is being blackmailed by his half-brother over a woman they both are romantically attracted to. The only good thing that came out of COVID was probably the rediscovery of The First Degree by Olivia Babler, the director of film transfer operations at the Chicago Film Archives. With endless time and limited things to do, Olivia began going through a large number of film reels that came from Peoria, Illinois—The First Degree was one of them.

Have you watched any of these movies? Let us know which one you like the best.