There’s a long list of classic films that might never be seen again: major movies starring some of the most popular stars of the silent cinema. It is always thrilling for a film buff when a lost film resurfaces. A study in 2013 published that most of the feature-length Hollywood movies created during the golden age of silent films have been lost forever. Down below is a list of some cinematic masterpieces that went missing. Cleopatra (1917) The publicity photos from this film, featuring the charming Theda Bara in the title role are so famous that you’d think the movie still exists. Unfortunately, the movie is lost. In fact, almost all the films starring Bara are now lost. Fox was less careful in the early years, but 20th Century Fox is much more diligent about preserving its films now. Hollywood (1923) This film is one of the first Hollywood dramas about Hollywood and was largely adored by the critics of the time. Despite the film’s popularity, it still went missing somehow. It was a comedy about a girl who goes to Hollywood to become a film star, only to find herself unemployed as her loved ones accidentally get movie roles. The Mountain Eagle (1927) The Mountain Eagle was the second movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and its prints were lost during his lifetime. This silent melodrama was described as “awful’ by Hitchcock but a contemporary writer, Dan Auiler reported that “The Mountain Eagle” was far superior to Hitchcock’s first film “The Lodger”. London After Midnight (1927) London After Midnight is seen alongside “The Mountain eagle” as the ‘holy grail’ of film collectors. This 1927’s silent mystery was released just two months after “The Jazz Singer”, the first talkie feature. This movie was Tod Browning’s first vampire movie preceding his film Dracula with Bela Lugosi by four years. The original print of the film was destroyed in a 1967 fire at MGM, and despite claims of sightings and a hoax YouTube video, the movie has never been found. Yet with releases in around 11 countries, there is still a chance it could turn up in a vault. The Patriot (1928) This semi-biographical drama from 1928 was nominated for five Oscars, including best director and best actor, but it won best writing credit. The Patriot was the only silent film nominated for Best Picture that year and was also the last to receive that nomination until “The Artist” won in 2012. Sadly, only fragments of the movie remain and it is considered one of the most critically praised lost films ever. According to a new comprehensive study conducted by the Library of Congress, 75 percent of silent-era films have been lost to history forever.
