No, not the most expensive in cost to produce, nor box office figures, or the like…
I am referring to an original complete filmstock negative, or finished print. Most likely, the film would be extremely rare and a powerful classic. I should define “most valuable” as in three parts (a)monetary value (b)rarity ©content.
Anyone may feel free to name films according to one, or more of the three. I am, however, leaning more towards the monetary value and rarity. The movie can be from any era, but older doesn’t necessarily mean rarer. If there is only ONE original negative or print remaining in existence, of a movie, then that’s it.
hypothetical example: The classic silent film, Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” of 1926 is critically acclaimed as one of the most outstanding science fiction films of early cinema. Unfortunately, the film studio forced Lang into cutting out a great deal of his original work. The film is still an incredible piece of work, but one can only imagine how much more stunning it would be, if the undiscovered missing footage were found in restorable or perfect condition. If such footage were to exist, it would be extremely valuable. Metropolis has been pieced together many times over the years, yet a great deal remains missing to this day.
Are there any film students/enthusiasts here who can offer insight into the most valuable film ever made? Note: I only used missing footage as an example, not a requirement. Also, this is not intended to become a debate on what is the “greatest” movie ever made, as in the critical and Oscar sense. I do realize, however, that “most valuable” and “greatest” may be intertwined, and difficult (or impossible) to classify as only one, or the other.