Effective date: July 3, 2026
Welcome to The Lost Reel (thelostreel.com). By using this site you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the site. That's the short version — the details follow.
The Lost Reel is a free viewing guide to classic motion pictures and television episodes believed to be in the public domain in the United States. We write about these films and organize them for easy browsing. The video itself is streamed directly from the Internet Archive (archive.org) through embedded players — we do not host, upload, copy, or distribute any video files ourselves.
Every title listed here is included in good faith based on publicly available information indicating it is in the public domain in the United States (expired copyrights, failure to renew, or publication without required notice). However:
The film write-ups, blog articles, and other editorial text on this site are original works created for The Lost Reel. You're welcome to quote brief excerpts with a link back; please don't republish whole articles without permission. Film posters, stills, and the films themselves are believed to be in the public domain and belong to everyone.
Don't misuse the site: no attempting to disrupt or overload it, no scraping at abusive volume, no using the site to violate any law, and no framing it in a way that misrepresents its source.
The site embeds content from the Internet Archive and links to external websites. Those services have their own terms and policies, and we are not responsible for their content, availability, or practices. Playback quality and availability of any title depends entirely on the Internet Archive.
The site may display third-party advertising (such as Google AdSense) to cover costs. Advertisers are responsible for their own content, and an ad's appearance here is not our endorsement of it. See our Privacy Policy for how advertising cookies work and how to opt out of personalization.
The site is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied — including accuracy of film information, uninterrupted availability, or fitness for a particular purpose. This is a free hobby project; we do our best, but we make no promises.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Lost Reel and its operator will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of (or inability to use) the site. Your sole remedy for dissatisfaction with the site is to stop using it.
We may update these terms at any time; the effective date above reflects the latest version. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance.
Questions about these terms? Email rovertdude@gmail.com.