Protected
A Face in the Crowd
1957 · Warner Bros. / Newtown Productions · Dir. Elia Kazan
The rise of a raucous hayseed named Lonesome Rhodes from itinerant Ozark guitar picker to local media rabble-rouser to TV superstar and political king-maker. Marcia Jeffries is the innocent Sarah Lawrence girl who discovers the great man in a back-country jail and is the first to fall under his spell.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
A Face in the Crowd was released in 1957 and registered for US copyright by Newtown Productions, Inc. on May 19, 1957 (LP8821). Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works from this era required a renewal during the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the US Copyright Office records confirms that a valid renewal was filed on June 18, 1985 (RE248-262) by the successor-in-interest, Newton Productions, Inc. This renewal extended the copyright for a second term, and the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act further extended protection to a total of 95 years from the publication date.
As the renewal was filed correctly within the statutory window, the film is currently protected by copyright and will not enter the public domain until January 1, 2053.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.