The Retroformat Vault

The Retroformat Vault is a one-of-a-kind online archive of rare silent movies and special features. Here you will find Retroformat's exclusive digital scans of films from the USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive and other private collections, plus restorations by the Library of Congress and more, with brand new additions every month!

Featuring our own high quality scans and new soundtracks by Musical Director Cliff Retallick, the Retroformat Vault is a cinematic time capsule, with an entire library of dozens of films & features. Starting at only $5 a month, the Vault is now offering FREE 7-day trials... Join today!

Enter The Vault

CURRENT VAULT EXCLUSIVES:

Stark Love (1927), released by Paramount Pictures, was shot entirely on location in the Great Smoky Mountains near Robbinsville, North Carolina, and features an almost entirely amateur cast, with leads Forrest James and Helen Mundy delivering authentic performances, expertly directed by Karl Brown. Loaded with anthropological detail from a forgotten way of life, it stands out as a distinctive production in both concept and execution. The production's unconventional practices, such as using natural light and forgoing makeup, add to the film's uniqueness.The production's unconventional practices, such as using natural light and forgoing makeup, add to the film's uniqueness.

Not commercially available elsewhere, Stark Love has been accessible to scholars mainly through unscored video copies made from the surviving Czech archival print, preserved at the UCLA film library and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Available now exclusively for members of the Retroformat Vault with brilliant new music by Cliff Retallick, scanned from a priceless, rare 16mm print found in the University of Southern California HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive!

Also available now in the Retroformat Vault: Thanhouser Company's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912) starring James Cruze, Paramount's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) starring John Barrymore; and Pioneer Film Company's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) starring Sinclair Lewis!

Journey back to the roaring twenties, as Retroformat Silent Films proudly presents It's the Old Army Game (1926), a timeless comedy masterpiece from a bygone era, featuring the iconic W.C. Fields and the enchanting Louise Brooks, a dynamic duo of humor and grace that appeared on the silver screen together one time only. A treasure trove of wit & heart, featuring skits plucked from Fields' own stage plays.

FELIX THE CAT IN
FLIM FLAM FILMS (1927)

Felix the Cat, created by Otto Mesmer, was the biggest animation star of the 1920s. The greatest stars of the Silent Era are coming to the Retroformat Vault, with new additions every month! Memberships start at only $5.00 per month, and free 10-day trials are now available. Join today, and see Felix and friends, on us!

LON CHANEY &
JOAN CRAWFORD IN
THE UNKNOWN (1927)

Tod Browning's The Unknown (1927) is ranked as one of the finest horror films of the silent era. Chaney’s performance as Alonzo, the armless knife-thrower is truly the stuff of nightmares.

Oscar Micheaux's
Within Our Gates (1925)

The earliest known surviving film directed by an African American, is available now at the Retroformat Vault, with brilliant new music by Cliff Retallick. A hard hitting, extraordinary film that explicitly portrays the racial situation in the United States during the early 20th century, it was was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1992.

Support Retroformat by becoming a member of The Vault today

The Retroformat Vault is a one-of-a-kind online archive of rare silent films for our members, featuring brilliant new music by Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick. See our 'The Vault' page for more information, or click below to join now. Members in the Los Angeles area can also claim discounts on tickets to our local shows!