Hell Bent

The film 'Hell Bent', directed by John Ford and starring Harry Carey, was released in June 1918. According to the U.S. Copyright Act, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This applies regardless of whether the copyright was renewed, as the maximum possible term for works from this era has expired. Historical records from the Library of Congress and the AFI Catalog confirm the 1918 release date. Even if the copyright had been perfectly maintained and renewed, it would have expired no later than 95 years after publication. For a 1918 film, this expiration occurred at the end of 2013.