"One of the most unusual of the creative treasures to enter the public domain this month is King of Jazz. The plotless, experimental 1930 musical film shot in early Technicolor centers on influential bandleader Paul Whiteman, nicknamed "The King of Jazz." In one memorable scene, the portly, mustachioed Whiteman opens a small bag and winks at the camera as miniature musicians file out one after another like a colony of ants and take their places on an ornate, table-top bandstand."
"A new video based on clips from King of Jazz has won this year's Public Domain Film Remix Contest an annual competition that invites filmmakers from around the world to reimagine often long-forgotten literary classics, films, cartoons, music, and visual art that are now in the public domain. This means creators can use these materials freely, without copyright restrictions. In 2026, works created in 1930 entered the public domain."
King of Jazz is a plotless, experimental 1930 musical film shot in early Technicolor centering on bandleader Paul Whiteman. A memorable scene shows Whiteman opening a small bag as miniature musicians file out and take their places on a table-top bandstand. Works created in 1930 entered the public domain in 2026, enabling free reuse without copyright restrictions. The video Rhapsody, Reimagined remixes clips from King of Jazz and won the Public Domain Film Remix Contest. The two-minute piece uses collage, looping and repetition to create dream-like shapes. Seattle-based filmmaker Andrea Hale created the piece with composer Greg Hardgrave. The Internet Archive digitizes and provides public access to a large repository of content.
Read at www.npr.org
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