Public Domain
Lady of the Night
1925 · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) · Dir. Monta Bell
The story of two baby girls, born near in proximity but worlds apart in society: Molly Helmer, the daughter of a thief, and Florence Banning, the daughter of the judge who sent Molly's father to prison. The girls' lives come together as they reach the age of eighteen, when Florence leaves the security of the exclusive Girls Select School, and Molly, now orphaned, begins her life after reform school.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Lady of the Night, directed by Monta Bell and starring Norma Shearer, was released on February 2, 1925. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published before 1928 have exhausted their maximum possible copyright term of 95 years.
Since 1925 films entered the public domain on January 1, 2021, this film is definitively in the public domain in the United States regardless of whether a renewal was filed. Under current US law (specifically the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act), all works published before January 1, 1929, have now expired and are free for use.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.