Serial Squadron DVDs

SQUADRON LIBRARY DVDS AND ARCHIVE TITLES
EXCLUSIVE RELEASES & SPECIAL RESTORATIONS

The Serial Squadron's mission is to restore and preserve rare serials and related or similar features, which are often last on the lists of larger film archives for preservation, in digital format, so they can be seen again and discovered, enjoyed and studied. The Squadron offers only copies of serials we have worked on and restored ourselves, often from original film prints we acquire, and which have not been made commercially available by studios. Some of the serials and related features listed on this page were not even preserved by the studios which made them and have not been made available by the original producers.

We do not copy any existing DVDs or VHS tapes and usually restore transfers of incomplete or damaged original film prints of serials shot by shot, translating intertitles when necessary, adding musical scores, stabilizing the image, noise-reducing sound and repairing credit sequences.

Donations related to these holdings and projects are used to help pay for new acquisitions to be restored and preserved.

For assistance on DVD disk replacement requests or other issues click
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Section 108 of the Copyright Act permits libraries and archives to make certain uses of copyrighted materials in order to serve the public and ensure the availability of works over time. Among other things, Section 108 provides limited exceptions for libraries and archives to make copies in specified instances for preservation, replacement and patron access. Section 108 was enacted as part of the Copyright Act of 1976, then amended in 1998 by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Copyright Term Extension Act, and in 2005 by the Preservation of Orphan Works Act.

In accordance with current copyright law, no serials will be listed here unless the original works are public domain, legal orphans, and/or more than 75 years old or in their last 20 years of a copyright term and not currently available as a commercial video product by a studio or legitimately licensed rightsholder (if any). Copies of orphaned serials in which we have invested time and funds to preserve and restore are (legally) available to the public from this archive in accordance with Section 108 of the US Copyright law which states that “for preservation, scholarship or research, libraries or archives may reproduce, distribute, display or perform published works in their last 20 years of copyright if the work is not subject to commercial exploitation and cannot be obtained at a fair price.”

By ordering a copy of one of the restored public domain titles you agree to respect its copyright as a new version of a public domain work by the Squadron and not to copy or resell the DVD. In regards to orphaned (abandoned) titles, you agree that you are a writer, reviewer, historian, or library and research, review, or study is your purpose in requesting a copy of any of these films which we have taken pains to restore to as close to their original condition as possible.