The list of features that entered the public domain this year is also fairly interesting.
It’s pretty eclectic, including several classic silent pictures and early talkies, alongside vintageBuster Keatonand an earlyHitchcockthriller.
Surrealism, screwball comedies, and groundbreaking sci-fi can also be counted among their number.
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With this in mind, here are the ten best movies whose copyright expired in 2025.
It makes me think of home."
This adventuremovie marked directorJohn Ford’s(Stagecoach,The Searchers) first foray into sound filmmaking.
Image via Fox Film Corporation
The movie is pretty good for its time, though not without its flaws.
He’s a suave ex-military officer turned amateur detective, played here byRonald Colman.
Drummond is drawn into a thrilling case involving a damsel in distress and an international conspiracy.
It was well-received on release and remains decent despite a few melodramatic moments.
Richard Jones’s direction keeps the whole thing chugging along at a good pace.
I just wish you’d go away.
Image via United Artists
Plus, Johnson deserves props for elevating the dialogue with her wry delivery.
Run out and find me a four-year-old child.
Chaos ensues as the brothers become embroiled in various romantic entanglements and a jewel heist.
Still,The Cocoanutswas a box office success, paving the way for the Brothers' future success.
“Buster Keatonhelms this romantic comedy, his last silent movie.
He plays Elmer, a hapless suitor infatuated with stage actress Trilby Drew (Dorothy Sebastian).
Image via Loew’s Inc
Pabst
“The mountains demand everything.
Still,The White Hell of Pitz Paluis one of the better examples of the short-lived mountain film genre.
Theirs is a painstaking voyage across peaks and precipices, with the threat of avalanches always looming.
Image via Paramount Pictures
The visually arresting, dialogue-free opening sequence is also memorable.
The standout scene, however, is the climax, set in and around the British Museum.
Taken together, these elementsmakeBlackmailahead of its time and miles above most other thrillers of its day.
“Woman in the Moonis apioneering and defining sci-fi movieby the icon of German expressionism,Fritz Lang.
The visuals look quaint now but were groundbreaking for the time.
In particular,Lang’s depiction of rocket technology has been praisedfor its surprising accuracy.
Image via MGM
This disjointed sequence of events, laden with abstract symbolism, is designed to provoke emotional and intellectual reactions.
Un Chien Andalouoscillates between the sublimeand the shocking.
He was even a little disappointed that most critics embraced the film rather than recoil from it in disgust.
1’Pandora’s Box' (1929)
Directed by G.W.
Pabst
“I love you, and I will never leave you.”
The plot was provocative for the time, leading many countries to censor or even ban the film.
Image via British International Pictures
Brooks was one ofthe most iconic stars of the silent era, andher magnetic presence elevates the film considerably.
Pabstknew how to photograph her, making her seem even more vivid and larger-than-life.
Although mostly dismissed on release,Pandora’s Boxis now considered a classic of ’20s cinema.
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