Protected
The Strangler
1964 · Allied Artists · Dir. Luigi Capuano
Three year old Ada, daughter of the British captain McPherson, is captured by the Indian Tukh sect to represent the incarnation of Kali. Ever hidden in a vast underground system of caverns, she watches over human sacrifices, doubting her vocation. 15 years have passed when her father finally finds her and attempts a rescue, together with a snake-hunter who has fallen in love with her.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'The Strangler', starring Victor Buono, was released in the United States by Allied Artists in early 1964. Under the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, works published between 1964 and 1977 were granted automatic renewal, meaning a manual renewal filing in the 28th year was not required to maintain copyright protection. Therefore, the common 'no renewal record found' search that applies to films from 1928–1963 is not a valid path to the public domain for this work.
A search of the US Copyright Office records (CCE) confirms the film was registered for copyright by Allied Artists Pictures Corp. on February 19, 1964, under registration number LP27394. The film remains under active commercial exploitation, having been released on DVD via the Warner Archive Collection (Warner Bros. absorbed the Allied Artists library). Because it was registered with notice and falls within the automatic renewal window, it is protected for a term of 95 years from publication, expiring at the end of 2059.
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
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, 1960-1969
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database (checked for 1964 window)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1961-1970)
- Warner Archive Collection catalog listings
- U.S. Copyright Office Online Database (checked for related assignments)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.