Public Domain
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
1904 · Star Film Company · Dir. Georges Méliès
A Chinese conjurer stands next to a table, it becomes two tables. A fan becomes a parasol, lanterns appear and disappear. The conjurer spins the open parasol in front of himself, and a dog leaps out from behind it. The dog becomes a woman, then a masked man appears. The conjurer sits them each on a box a few feet apart: suddenly the woman and man have changed places. The disappearing and the transfers continue in front of a simple backdrop.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
This film, also known by its French title 'Le Thaumaturge chinois', was directed by the cinema pioneer Georges Méliès and released in 1904. Under US copyright law, all works published anywhere in the world before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their maximum possible copyright term. Furthermore, Méliès's works from this era were frequently distributed in the US by his brother Gaston Méliès through the Star Film Company's New York branch; however, regardless of registration or renewal status, the 1928 cutoff is a definitive boundary for public domain status in the United States. The film is widely available in public domain archives and collections of Méliès's surviving works.
Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Malthête, Jacques; Mannoni, Laurent (2008). L'oeuvre de Georges Méliès. Paris: Éditions de la Martinière.
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Internet Archive - Georges Méliès Collection
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15a
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.