Among the Library of Congress’ recent additions to the National Film Registry, the library’s collection of films deemed worth preserving, are the likes of “Inception,” “The Karate Kid,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Incredibles.” But tucked away in that list is a little-known silent film that carries with it a major legacy. Produced in 1914, “The Oath of the Sword” is the oldest Asian American film on record. Its mere existence reveals a significant gap in cinematic history: The films made by Asian Americans in the silent film era are largely lost to time. And it would have remained hidden if not for Denise Khor.
Khor, a scholar of Asian American cinema, associate professor of Asian American studies and associate director of Asian American studies at Northeastern University, found the 30-minute silent film tucked away in the George Eastman Museum archives. Working with the George Eastman and Japanese American National Museum, Khor brought the film out of the archives and into the spotlight.
