Public Domain
The Prisoner of Zenda
1922 · Metro Pictures Corporation · Dir. Rex Ingram
A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bride, the beautiful Princess Flavia.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Prisoner of Zenda, directed by Rex Ingram and starring Lewis Stone and Alice Terry, was released on September 11, 1922, by Metro Pictures. As a work first published and registered for copyright in the United States before January 1, 1928, it has entered the public domain regardless of whether the copyright was renewed or not.
Under current U.S. copyright law, all works published prior to 1928 have seen their maximum copyright term (originally 75 years, later extended to 95 years) expire. Consequently, the original 1922 film version of Anthony Hope's novel is now free to use in the United States. This status is confirmed by the Library of Congress and the Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain, which lists the film as having passed into the public domain by expiration of term.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Prisoner of Zenda (1922)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939 (Hurst / Baer)
- Library of Congress CCE: Motion Pictures 1912-1939 (L20847)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.