How are people rating this?!


This film is lost, did the 927 people who've rated this actually see the film or have their own private copies? There may be one or two who ight've seen it but I'm doubting the majority of these votes being absed ona ctual viewings, this is a problem with IMDBs ratings...

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[deleted]

[deleted]

I agree, as I've once been told, you should only rate films if you've actually seen the entire film and because the film is lost, it doesn't make sense to rate it. It's a real shame the film is lost, an all-time classic and no-one can see it. :(

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I haven't seen the film in it's original format (obviously). What I have seen is the closest thing available, which is the reconstruction from 2002, which you can find on YouTube, based on the exceptional amounts of promotional photographs taken during shooting, documenting every scene.

So, no, in that reconstruction you do not actually see the actors moving or hear them talking. Well you wouldn't have heard them talking anyway, since the original was a silent film. ;)

But I think I can form a reasonable mental image of what the original film would have looked like based on what you do get to see:
- The story, including the title cards with dialogue and plot elements, which I assume they were able to copy from any surviving scripts, for instance and which I assume look similar if not identical to the original title cards.
- The great range of locations, atmospheres and facial expressions, makeup and costumes that you get to see in the photographs. After all, the collection of promotional photographs that exist from this film document every scene from the film from multiple angles.
- Seeing comparable films from the same genre and period
- Seeing some of the actors at work in other films

What I'm trying to say is: the quality and enjoyability of a film is determined by more than actually seeing the actors move. The story, dialogue, locations, makeup, costumes, casting also make up a big part, and you get to see all of those things in the reconstruction. I mean, some people can enjoy films by simply reading the script and nothing more. Compared to that, the reconstruction of London After Midnight is still a pretty rich experience to give you an impression of the film! :P

Also, for my own personal archive I rate every film that I see (or in this case: the closest possible thing that exists to actually seeing the film) on IDMb, so that's why I also rated this film.

-- Greetings, RagingR2

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I rated based on the reconstruction. If the film is ever found, I'll watch it and adjust my rating accordingly

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