It’s a sad reality – just a fourth of all silent films produced in the United States remain, and many of them are in heartbreakingly poor condition. 
A study from the Library of Congress titled The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929, reveals for the first time how many feature films produced by U.S. studios during the silent film era still exist, what condition they’re in and where they’re located. Authored by film historian and archivist David Pierce, the report also includes recommendations for further preserving and protecting our nation’s rare cinematic treasures, including repatriation of American films held in archives around the world. The study also gets big approval from famed director and film preservation advocate Martin Scorsese, whose film Hugo was a tribute to the silent film era.