Public Domain
Zaza
1923 · Famous Players-Lasky / Paramount Pictures · Dir. Allan Dwan
Zaza is an actress and the favorite at an open-air theater in a small French town. When diplomat Bernard Dufresne comes to the village, he stays away for fear he will fall for her. But during one performance, while Zaza is singing on a swing, her rival cuts the rope and she falls. Zaza is badly injured and she makes Dufresne's acquaintance. A romance quickly springs up and he installs her in a villa. Their happiness is marred, however, when his wife appears.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Zaza' (1923), directed by Allan Dwan and starring Gloria Swanson, is definitively in the public domain in the United States. Under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the subsequent Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have seen their copyrights expire.
As a 1923 production, its maximum 95-year term ended on December 31, 2018. The film entered the public domain on January 1, 2019. Even if it had been properly registered and renewed in its 28th year (which it was, originally registered on September 19, 1923, under LP19438), the statutory expiration for works of this era is absolute based on the publication date.
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
- U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1921-1930)
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain
- Public Domain Review - Class of 2019 expiration records
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.