The Bootleg Files: London After Midnight

BOOTLEG FILES 934: “London After Midnight” (2025 AI-fueled reconstruction of the lost 1927 film).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It rips off a 2002 copyright-protected reconstruction of lost the film.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Definitely not.

Among the vast and woeful realm of lost films, the 1927 Lon Chaney-starring vampiric mystery feature “London After Midnight” is among the most sought-after titles. Back in 2000, I interviewed Jon Mirsalis, a Chaney historian and film preservationist, for an article on Film Threat – this was when Film Threat was still readable, of course – and I asked him about this Tod Browning-directed film, which was considered lost after the last known surviving print was destroyed in a 1967 vault fire at the MGM studios. In that interview, Mirsalis openly questioned whether “London After Midnight” was the lost classic that too many people imagined it had to be.

“The photos of Chaney as the vampire look fascinating and it’s a Tod Browning film, so I’m sure that contributes to the excitement,” he said. “In reality, the film is probably a stinker. Film historians Bill Everson and David Bradley both saw it in the 50’s before the print was destroyed in a vault fire, and both told me it was a dog. ‘Three minutes of vampire footage and five reels of Polly Moran comic relief” is how Bill described it.”

Mirsalis added, “I am very doubtful it will turn up, at least not complete. In the past 30 years, the only MGM Chaney picture that turned up that was a complete surprise was a couple minutes of footage from ‘Thunder.’ Other than that, there have been no other MGM Chaney discoveries. MGM kept tight control of their prints and you just aren’t going to find this turning up in the attic of a projectionist. So, I am doubtful that we will see any of the lost Chaney MGMs turn up, but I’d love to be proven wrong.”

During its theatrical release, “London After Midnight” had a running time of roughly 65 minutes. In 2002, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) produced and broadcasted a 46-minute reconstruction of “London After Midnight” using the original title cards and the surviving publicity stills from the release. At the time, this was considered the closest we could come to experiencing “London After Midnight.”

Last September, a Japanese filmmaker using the handle “Minoru Ohki” posted what he described as an artificial intelligence (AI) designed reconstruction of “London After Midnight.” He identified the film as a “personal film born from passion and effort,” although he didn’t mention that he took the copyright-protected TCM reconstruction and used its still photograph presentation as the foundation of his AI-fueled animation.

In all fairness, it should be said that this version of “London After Midnight” might be among the very best examples of AI animation now online. The filmmaker used the cutting-edge technology to create full-textured character action that perfectly mirrors a live-action production. Some of the sequences as striking in their visual power, especially when they recreate Chaney’s vampiric character with his wild eyes, razor teeth, and bizarre clothing.

But perhaps the film does too good of a job. Instead of giving thanks for this AI recreation of the lost film, this presentation winds up confirming what Jon Miralis had to say about “London After Midnight.” The iconic image of Chaney’s vampiric character is merely a minor player in the film, and Polly Moran’s comic relief maid quickly becomes a bore. The rest of this recreation is mostly a series of static reaction shots, with no artistic rhythm. It is easy to come away from this wondering what all the hubbub is all about.

That was clearly not how Tod Browning created his silent films, which percolated with intrigue and drama. And considering that about 20 minutes of footage was absent from the TCM reconstruction and this subsequent reconstruction of the reconstruction, the AI version is obviously a poor truncated shadow of the lost film.

For those who are curious, this new version is linked below. Personally, I would recommend the original TCM version using still photos, which is also online in an unauthorized posting at this link. I would also recommend making some personal pleas to St. Jude to intervene and locate an extant print – hey, we film lovers need all the help we can get!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: While this weekly column acknowledges the presence of rare film and television productions through the so-called collector-to-collector market, this should not be seen as encouraging or condoning the unauthorized duplication and distribution of copyright-protected material, either through DVDs or Blu-ray discs or through postings on Internet video sites.

Listen to Phil Hall’s award-winning podcast “The Online Movie Show with Phil Hall” on SoundCloud and his radio show “Nutmeg Chatter” on WAPJ-FM in Torrington, Connecticut, with a new episode every Sunday. You can also follow his book reviews at The Epoch Times.