The Survival of American Silent Feature Films : 1912–1929 - September 2013
▻http://www.loc.gov/film/pdfs/pub158.final_version_sept_2013.pdf
How many films survive?
There is no single number for existing American silent-era feature films, as the surviving copies vary in format and completeness. There are 1,575 titles (14%) surviving as the complete domestic-release version in 35mm. Another 1,174 (11%) are complete, but not the original —they are either a foreign-release version in 35mm or in a 28 or 16mm small-gauge print with less than 35mm image quality. Another 562 titles (5%) are incomplete—missing either a portion of the film or an abridged version. The remaining 70% are believed to be completely lost.
Signalé par @karlpro, ce rapport montre la fragilité de la création intellectuelle, surtout sur un nouveau support (pas sans lien avec l’#archivage_militant).