Retroformat Silent Films

See our Calendar page for full information on Cinema's First Nasty Women,
a series of free screenings at the Billy Wilder Theater, August 12 -21.

News from The Vault

The Vault is Retroformat's archive of rare silent films, featuring brilliant new music by Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick, plus special content for members.

Available now at The Vault, Retroformat's Patreon page:

William Wyler's The Stolen Ranch (1926), written by Robert F. Hill and George H. Plympton, and starring Fred Humes, Ralph McCullough, Louise Lorraine and William Bailey (keep your eyes peeled for Janet Gaynor, who appears as an extra)!

Ostensibly a Western, but really a “buddy film” about two World War I veterans, one with PTSD, this moving and exciting feature clearly shows why Wyler came to be regarded as one of classic Hollywood’s great directors. A big hit last February at a recent screening by the Silent Treatment at the Autry Museum in L.A. we loved the film (and Cliff's brilliant accompaniment) so much that we decided we had to share it with you!

SPECIAL: TWO WEEKS ONLY! Check out William Wyler’s The Stolen Ranch for only $3.50! This special offer will be available until June 30 only!

Also available for our members now at The Vault: The Mystery of the Double Cross, Episode 4: Kidnapped. Support Retroformat Silent Films by joining The Vault and becoming a Film Pioneer!

Go to The Vault

Your membership in our Patreon project, The Vault, will help ensure that we can continue programming online. It's also the best way to support our unique educational and entertainment programming in Los Angeles.

Current Vault exclusives include:

Theda Bara in The Unchastened Woman (1925)
"An Hour to Live", Episode 3 of “The Mystery of the Double Cross.” One of the last serials intended primarily for an adult audience, you’ll love it’s quirky, suspense-filled story of mystery and romance.
Tom Mix in The Man from Texas (1915) (from a beautiful tinted print) and An Arizona Wooing (1915).
Harold Lloyd in Bumping into Broadway (1919) and High and Dizzy (1921)
Jack Pickford in The Man Who Had Everything (1924)

- All with brand new, original scores by L.A.'s finest live film accompanist, Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick!

For premium subscribers, legendary historian/writer Anthony Slide talks with Jason Culp about film preservation and his memories of working for Blackhawk Films.
And much, much more. Only at The Vault!

The Vault

Theda Bara in
The Unchastened Woman

An Hour to Live
Episode 3 of Mystery of the Double Cross

What is a Film Pioneer?

Film Pioneers have access to each month's new additions to The Vault, including Retroformat's most recent, exclusive digital scans of carefully selected, rare silent films! Film Pioneers also receive a subscription to "Gems from The Vault," a monthly magazine of rare silent movies, selected from Retroformat's growing online trove of cinema history! This month's films include

Legendary African American Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux's "Body and Soul" (1925) featuring the film debut of Paul Robeson
Felix the Cat, Koko the Clown and Pete the Pup in a spooky selection of animated film from the 1920s, and much more!

Become a Film Pioneer

Our Mission is to promote education and enthusiasm about the art of Silent Film.
Our Vision is a future where the silent film era is widely enjoyed & fully appreciated as a cornerstone of modern film & visual art.

Our Community Partners

Retroformat Silent Films is the proud recipient of a 2021 grant for $1,500.00 from the Los Angeles Breakfast Club Foundation, “in recognition of Retroformat’s efforts to promote education and enthusiasm about the art of silent film…We believe Retroformat Silent Films to be a worthy recipient and it is our sincere honor to be able to support (Retroformat) in this way.” We are proud to be honored by such a historic, distinguished ham-and-eggs organization.