Name: Manhatta
Director: Charles Sheeler
Released: 1921

Manhatta

1921 · Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler · Dir. Charles Sheeler

Morning reveals New York harbor, the wharves, the Brooklyn Bridge. A ferry boat docks, disgorging its huddled mass. People move briskly along Wall St. or stroll more languorously through a cemetery. Ranks of skyscrapers extrude columns of smoke and steam. In plain view. Or framed, as through a balustrade. A crane promotes the city's upward progress, as an ironworker balances on a high beam. A locomotive in a railway yard prepares to depart, while an arriving ocean liner jostles with attentive tugboats. Fading sunlight is reflected in the waters of the harbor. The imagery is interspersed with quotations from Walt Whitman, who is left unnamed.

Confidence

100

Why this status applies

The film 'Manhatta' (also known as 'New York the Magnificent'), directed by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand, was originally released in 1921. Based on the fundamental rule for United States copyright, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their maximum copyright term. Even if the film had been properly registered and renewed under the Copyright Act of 1909 (which would have granted a maximum 75-year term under the 1976 extensions, or 95 years under the 1998 extension), any film from 1921 would have seen its protection expire no later than 2016. As of January 1, 2024, all works from 1928 and earlier are in the public domain in the U.S. regardless of renewal status.

Why this status applies

Supporting facts