Public Domain
The Perils of Pauline
1914 · Pathé Frères · Dir. Louis J. Gasnier
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring the actress Pearl White playing the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel-in-distress, although viewers will find her character more resourceful and less helpless than the classic 'damsel' stereotype. Nine episodes (from a condensed 1916 re-release) survive to this day.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'The Perils of Pauline' is a famous silent movie serial released in 20 installments beginning in March 1914. Under current United States copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their maximum copyright term.
While the original 1914 negatives are considered partially lost, several restructured versions and surviving chapters exist in various archives. Because the work was published in 1914, its copyright term expired no later than the end of 1990 (75 years after publication under the 1976 Act, which was the applicable law at the time of its expiration). It is currently free of all copyright restrictions in the U.S. and is widely available on the Internet Archive and through public domain distributors.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.