​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!
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Become a Film Pioneer, and watch each month's brand new additions to The Vault, plus have access to "Gems from The Vault," a constantly changing  selection of films, for just $7.00 per month.  

VAULT EXCLUSIVES WITH ALL NEW MUSIC INCLUDE

AND MANY MORE FEATURES & SHORT FILMS!

CURRENT VAULT EXCLUSIVES:
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Available now for Deluxe members of the Vault, Retroformat founder Tom Barnes speaks with historian and author Roy Liebman talks about his fascinating new book, Theda Bara: Her Career, Life and Legend.

Roy answers questions about why, for a brief time, Theda Bara was popular as Mary Pickford or Charlie Chaplin, what caused her popularity to end almost as quickly as it began, and how she reacted to it. And finally, what makes Theda Bara such a fascinating figure today, even to people who have never seen any of her films?

You can also check out Theda Bara's rarely seen final feature film, The Unchastened Woman (1925), with an original music score by Cliff Retallick... If you're a silent film fan, become a member of the Retroformat Vault today, and help keep the Silent Film Era a living legacy.


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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!  
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​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.
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​the social secretary (1916)

With its focus on sexual harassment, The Social Secretary predates today's focus on the workplace in bold and surprising ways.  Written by the legendary Anita Loos (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) The Social Secretary stars too-rarely seen Silent Era superstar Norma Talmadge, with a very creepy turn by Erich von Stroheim as a society gossip columnist. 
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​Availailable now, exclusively for members of the Retroformat Vault! Become a member today and help keep the Silent Film Era a living legacy. 


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​THE MYSTERY OF THE DOUBLE CROSS (1917)

One of the last serials intended for an adult audience, and one of only a small handful of silent serials that has survived in its complete, original form, this amazing adventure story still enthralls with it's 15 quirky, half hour episodes, combining mystery and suspense.

​"Perhaps the best serial I've ever seen! Really well-written; well performed; well directed..." - IMDB review


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WHEN THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1916)
Douglas Fairbanks plays Daniel Boone Browne, whom the mad Dr. Metz (Herbert Grimwood) hilariously tries to drive to suicide through psychological manipulation, in When the Clouds Roll By, the first film directed by Victor Fleming (The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Hula) . 

Available now for our members in the Retroformat Vault. Memberships start at just $5.00 per month, and free trials are available...Join today and see When the Clouds Roll By on us! 

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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. 
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