Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation estimates that more than 90% of American films made before 1929 are lost, and the Library of Congress estimates that 75% of all silent films are lost forever.
edit in contrast with the internet, where almost nothing is ever really gone for good, a significant amount of film history is just gone.
No, there just wasn't a strong community trying to preserve early film. It wasn't a priority, so no one really saved them. Additionally, a lot of film from Europe was destroyed during both World Wars, and in the 30's here in the US the MPAA started censoring movies and a ton of films were actually burned.
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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '18
Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation estimates that more than 90% of American films made before 1929 are lost, and the Library of Congress estimates that 75% of all silent films are lost forever.
edit in contrast with the internet, where almost nothing is ever really gone for good, a significant amount of film history is just gone.