Question: What about public domain films?

Open Forum question from 305 wwriter:

I know public domain books are fair game for adaptation, but can public domain films be used in the same way?

First, a definition:

Public Domain refers to the body of creative works and knowledge in which no person, government or organization has any proprietary interest such as a copyright. These works are considered part of the public cultural heritage and may be freely used by all.

Then the traditional caveat: I’m not a lawyer, I don’t even play one on TV. But logic would suggest that the same public domain legalities would extend both to book and films. 

If there are lawyers who read this and have a differing (and more informed) opinion, please post a reply in comments.

I did some bumping around the Internet and found these sites:

The Public-Domain Database

Public Domain Movie Torrents

Desert Island Films

OpenFlix

All of them claim to host public domain movies, but the language is a bit squishy:

“OpenFlix provides a directory of movies commonly thought to be in the public domain and works their owners are willing to let be distributed.”

So clearly if you find a movie you want to adapt, you need to make sure that it is in the public domain and that someone else doesn’t hold the copyright.

As a side note, browsing these sites is a great way to source potential plot ideas. Here’s a few of the horror movie loglines I found:

Mad scientist makes a criminal invisible so he can steal the radioactive materials he needs. 

“Boris Karloff. Obsessed with curing paralysis, man slays townspeople to tap them of their spinal fluid.”

Giant leeches in a murky swamp suddenly decide to make human flesh their new food supply.

So another way to feed your brainstorming process.

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