Public Domain
Isn't Life Wonderful
1924 · United Artists · Dir. D.W. Griffith
A family from Poland has been left homeless in the wake of World War I. They move to Germany and struggle to survive the conditions there, during the Great Inflation. Inga is a Polish war orphan who has only accumulated a small amount of money from the rubble and hopes to marry Paul. Weakened by poison gas, Paul begins to invest in Inga's future and he serves as their symbol of optimism.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The most prominent film with this title is the 1924 silent drama directed by D.W. Griffith. Under current US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of renewal status. As a 1924 production, its statutory copyright term has expired.
A search of the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) and the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database shows an original registration (LP20857) filed in late 1924. While the film was renewed in 1952 by United Artists (R94576), this renewal only extended the copyright for the second 28-year term under the 1909 Act. The maximum protection period for works from 1924 was 95 years, which concluded at the end of 2019. Consequently, the film entered the public domain on January 1, 2020.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.