Public Domain
Body and Soul
1925 · Micheaux Film Corporation · Dir. Oscar Micheaux
A convict escapes to a Southern town and passes himself off as a reverend, giving him the perfect cover to swindle the townspeople and corrupt an innocent young woman.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Body and Soul, directed by Oscar Micheaux and starring Paul Robeson, was produced and released in 1925. Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, works that were published or registered for copyright before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain in the United States.
As a 1925 production, the film was subject to a maximum copyright term of 95 years from publication (provided it was properly renewed). Even if a valid renewal had been filed, the copyright term for all 1925 works expired on December 31, 2020. Therefore, the film is now definitively in the public domain regardless of its renewal status during the mid-20th century.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15A: Duration of Copyright
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Body and Soul (1925)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Library of Congress: Film and Media Collections
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.