Public Domain
The House with Closed Shutters
1910 · Biograph Company · Dir. D.W. Griffith
During the Civil War a young soldier loses his nerve in battle and runs away to his home to hide; his sister puts on his uniform, takes her brother's place in the battle, and is killed. Their mother, not wanting the shameful truth to become known, closes all the shutters (hence the film's title) and keeps her son's presence a secret for many years, though two boyhood chums stumble upon the truth...
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The House with Closed Shutters is a well-known silent short film directed by D.W. Griffith for the Biograph Company. It was originally released on August 8, 1910.
Under U.S. copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of whether they were originally registered or renewed. Because this film was released in 1910, it predates the current 95-year copyright term limit for works for hire. Its copyright protection expired 75 years after publication (under the older 1909 Act rules) and it was not eligible for the extensions provided by the 1976 and 1998 acts because it was already in the public domain at that time. The film is currently preserved by several archives, including the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art, and is widely available on public domain video collections.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.loc.gov/item/00694119/
- https://archive.org/details/TheHouseWithClosedShutters
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0001248/
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1893-1910 records)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.