​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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​the social secretary (1916)

We screened The Social Secretary at the Woman's Club of Hollywood last January,  from a rare, privately owned 16mm print, in one of our most successful public events early this year.  

Used to be, if you couldn’t make it to one of our Los Angeles events for any reason, you were just out of luck. But no more! Now you can stream The Social Secretary, expertly scanned from that same 16mm print, with original music by Cliff Retallick, recorded live before our audience at the Woman’s Club of Hollywood on Saturday, January 18, 2023!

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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​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. 

THE PONY EXPRESS (1925)

A highly entertaining Paramount production directed by James Cruze, set during the early days of the Civil War. Its outstanding cast includes Ricardo Cortez, who was being groomed by Paramount as a possible successor to Valentino, and Betty Compson, supported by Wallace Beery, Ernest Torrence, George Bancroft and Frank Lackteen.

REGENERATION (1915)

The brilliantly directed 1915 feature by Raoul Walsh, based on the true story of an impoverished Irish American who turned to a life of crime. Its depiction of life in streets of New York City’s lower east side is amazingly realistic, with real gangsters and prostitutes, as extras. With a beautiful new score by Cliff Retallick!

THE MYSTERY OF THE DOUBLE CROSS (1917)

The complete American Pathe serial from 1917, starring Mollie King. One of the last serials intended primarily for an adult audience, you’ll love its quirky, suspense-filled story of mystery and romance.  A new episode is being released to the Vault each month!
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