Tropescilloscope: Public Domain Feature Films
More Tropes
Chekhov's Gun
Tempting Fate
Mood Whiplash
Here We Go Again!
The Mafia
Cluster F-Bomb
Karma Houdini
Documentary
Intrepid Reporter
The Musical
Anti-Hero
Get Out!
Cool Old Lady
Curb-Stomp Battle
All Girls Want Bad Boys
"Awesome McCool" Name
Badass Bookworm
Author Appeal
Obfuscating Stupidity
Destination Defenestration
Meaningful Echo
The Film of the Book
The Chick
Defiant to the End
Dogged Nice Guy
timeperiod
Police are Useless
Time Skip
Honor Before Reason
Bare Your Midriff
Freudian Excuse
Sacrificial Lion
Dumb Blonde
Rasputinian Death
Police Brutality
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Take a Third Option
Wretched Hive
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Kubrick Stare
Evil Is Petty
Only Sane Man
Fingore
Deal with the Devil
Sequel Escalation
Crazy Jealous Guy
BFG
Costume Porn
The Load
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Animal Motifs
Papa Wolf
The Alcoholic
One-Man Army
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Car Fu
An Aesop
Actually Pretty Funny
Mind Screw
Ambiguously Gay
My God, What Have I Done?
Evil Is Hammy
Femme Fatale
Lock and Load Montage
Shirtless Scene
Artistic License Geography
The Ghost
Vacation Films
The Cameo
What Happened to the Mouse?
Sinister Minister
Dissonant Serenity
Artistic License Biology
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Dutch Angle
Only Known by Their Nickname
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Super Strength
Villain Protagonist
Playing Gertrude
Affably Evil
Genre Savvy
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Faking the Dead
Catch-Phrase
Card-Carrying Villain
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Spiteful Spit
Badass Grandpa
Training Montage
Male Frontal Nudity
Bond Villain Stupidity
Setting Update
Stuff Blowing Up
Dying Moment of Awesome
Bald of Evil
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
As Himself
Redshirt Army
All There in the Manual
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Awesome, but Impractical
Running Gag
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Intergenerational Friendship
Even Evil Has Standards
Brainless Beauty
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Flashback
The Lancer
Nothing Is Scarier
Madness Mantra
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Title Drop
Creepy Child
Unreliable Narrator
Irony
Black Best Friend
Abusive Parents
The Starscream
Expy
Bond One-Liner
Amusing Injuries
Rousing Speech
Historical-Domain Character
Our Zombies Are Different
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Continuity Nod
Laughing Mad
Not So Different
Posthumous Character
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Taking You with Me
Room Full of Crazy
Sadistic Choice
Psychological Thriller
Laser-Guided Karma
Cloudcuckoolander
The Alleged Car
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Famous Last Words
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Monumental Damage
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Drugs Are Bad
Really Gets Around
Took a Level in Jerkass
Tap on the Head
Affectionate Parody
Celebrity Paradox
Wham Shot
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Didn't Think This Through
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Sole Survivor
Reality Has No Subtitles
Dark Action Girl
Hero of Another Story
Air-Vent Passageway
MacGuffin
Naked People Are Funny
Reality Is Unrealistic
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Black Comedy Rape
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Obviously Evil
Ghost Fiction
The Dragon
Apocalypse How
Damsel in Distress
Blackmail
Hidden Depths
Reckless Gun Usage
Knife Nut
Cain and Abel
Expository Hairstyle Change
The Voiceless
Funny Foreigner
And Starring
Deconstruction
Recycled IN SPACE!
Hong Kong Films
Villain Song
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Would Hurt a Child
Mama Bear
Action Survivor
Heroes Want Redheads
Heel Realization
Early Installment Weirdness
Anti-Villain
Eye Scream
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Punny Name
Reasonable Authority Figure
The Faceless
For the Evulz
Superhero
Defrosting Ice Queen
It Will Never Catch On
Bland-Name Product
Overprotective Dad
The '80s
Adaptation Dye-Job
Bloodless Carnage
Film Noir Index
Daylight Horror
Worthy Opponent
Cat Fight
She's Got Legs
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Let's Get Dangerous!
Mr. Fanservice
Yandere
Dressing as the Enemy
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Historical Villain Upgrade
Bi the Way
Shut Up, Hannibal!
Match Cut
Arc Words
Fat Bastard
Cat Scare
Stalker with a Crush
Improbable Aiming Skills
Butt-Monkey
The Chessmaster
Bowdlerise
Ms. Fanservice
Rule of Funny
Plot Hole
Bittersweet Ending
The Bad Guy Wins
Eldritch Abomination
Bullying a Dragon
Light Is Not Good
Abhorrent Admirer
You Have Failed Me
FaceHeel Turn
Sealed Evil in a Can
Blatant Lies
Dirty Cop
Evil Counterpart
Hair-Trigger Temper
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Decoy Protagonist
Mr. Exposition
Big-Bad Ensemble
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
The Sociopath
Artistic License Law
Retcon
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Vampire Fiction
Hate Sink
The Dog Bites Back
Stealth Hi/Bye
Refuge in Audacity
The Quiet One
Children Are Innocent
The Stinger
Death of a Child
Boom, Headshot!
No Ending
Badass Boast
Karmic Death
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Babies Ever After
Retirony
Villainous Breakdown
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
The Ace
Bavarian Fire Drill
Oh, Crap!
Informed Ability
Silent Movie
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Action Girl
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Adult Fear
Wham Line
Older Than They Look
Vomit Discretion Shot
Bring My Brown Pants
Fanservice Extra
Comically Missing the Point
Never Trust a Trailer
Storming the Castle
The Dreaded
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Rule of Cool
Developing Doomed Characters
Death by Irony
He Who Fights Monsters
Artistic License Gun Safety
Big "NO!"
Loophole Abuse
Crazy-Prepared
Almost Kiss
Silence Is Golden
Market-Based Title
What the Hell, Hero?
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Bound and Gagged
No Antagonist
Face Death with Dignity
Heroic Sacrifice
Adaptational Attractiveness
Revenge
Easily Forgiven
Every Car Is a Pinto
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Guile Hero
Double-Meaning Title
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Accidental Murder
Bottomless Magazines
Truth in Television
Big Eater
Straight Gay
Ax-Crazy
Big Bad Duumvirate
Epic Fail
Faux Affably Evil
Credits Gag
Horror Comedy
Adaptation Distillation
Good Is Not Nice
Spanner in the Works
Military and Warfare Films
Ungrateful Bastard
Too Dumb to Live
Black Dude Dies First
Tagline
All Just a Dream
Hope Spot
Action Genre
The Cavalry
Jerkass Has a Point
Foreshadowing
Meaningful Background Event
Handicapped Badass
Gratuitous English
Award-Bait Song
Married to the Job
Wrong Genre Savvy
Film Noir
Film Series
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Show Within a Show
All for Nothing
Adapted Out
Flipping the Bird
The '90s
Offscreen Teleportation
Bury Your Gays
Motor Mouth
Pretty in Mink
Canon Foreigner
Deliberately Monochrome
Fire-Forged Friends
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Red Right Hand
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Loads and Loads of Characters
Humans Are Bastards
Eyepatch of Power
Failed a Spot Check
Totally Radical
Small Name, Big Ego
Half the Man He Used to Be
Amoral Attorney
Zombie Stories
Composite Character
Have a Gay Old Time
Diabolus ex Machina
Naïve Newcomer
Psychopathic Manchild
Henpecked Husband
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Imagine Spot
Bloodier and Gorier
Mighty Whitey
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Protagonist Title
Insult Backfire
The Stoic
Poor Communication Kills
And I Must Scream
Neck Snap
A Father to His Men
Captain Obvious
Tranquil Fury
And the Adventure Continues
Framing Device
HeelFace Turn
Slasher Smile
The Power of Love
Dramedy
All Men Are Perverts
Mundane Made Awesome
Idiot Ball
Taking the Bullet
Punch-Clock Villain
Ominous Latin Chanting
Paper-Thin Disguise
Non-Indicative Name
Mooks
Only a Flesh Wound
Visual Pun
One Steve Limit
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Woman in White
Moment Killer
Funny Background Event
Trailers Always Spoil
My Greatest Failure
Works Set in World War II
Star-Crossed Lovers
After the End
Smug Snake
Wicked Cultured
Fan Disservice
Creative Closing Credits
Bad Boss
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Death by Adaptation
In Name Only
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Chewing the Scenery
Adaptational Heroism
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Green-Eyed Monster
Sequel Hook
Hypocritical Humor
The Un-Reveal
Better to Die than Be Killed
Fourth Date Marriage
The Place
Big Applesauce
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Bad "Bad Acting"
Corpsing
Jerkass
Russian Films
Antagonist Title
Pragmatic Adaptation
All There in the Script
Sanity Slippage
Adorkable
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Lampshade Hanging
Captain Ersatz
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Japanese Films
Love Triangle
Asshole Victim
Body Horror
Historical In-Joke
Improvised Weapon
Enemy Mine
Pyrrhic Victory
Aside Glance
Sexy Discretion Shot
I'm a Humanitarian
Hero Antagonist
Calling the Old Man Out
Auto Erotica
Betty and Veronica
Daddy's Girl
Manchild
Bait-and-Switch
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Villain Opening Scene
Disappeared Dad
Meet Cute
Soft Glass
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Disney Villain Death
Domestic Abuse
Break the Cutie
Agony of the Feet
Love at First Sight
Scary Black Man
World of Ham
Animal Title Index
Chiaroscuro
Properly Paranoid
Not What It Looks Like
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Double Entendre
In Medias Res
Homage
Armor-Piercing Question
Knight Templar
Left the Background Music On
The Atoner
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Spell My Name with an "S"
She Cleans Up Nicely
Adaptation Name Change
Self-Deprecation
Everyone Has Standards
War Is Hell
Index of Film Westerns
Cool Car
It's All About Me
Smoking Is Cool
Made of Iron
Pay Evil unto Evil
Canadian Movies
Skewed Priorities
Dies Wide Open
Badass Longcoat
Broken Aesop
Ascended Extra
20 Minutes into the Future
Not Quite Dead
Man on Fire
Morality Pet
Re-Cut
Hollywood Law
Logo Joke
Christmas Movies Index
Line-of-Sight Name
Narrator
Rich Bitch
Sports Stories
Manly Tears
Downer Ending
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
What You Are in the Dark
Martial Arts Movie
Accidental Misnaming
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Animated Credits Opening
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Plucky Comic Relief
Big Damn Heroes
Meaningful Name
Chekhov's Gunman
Shown Their Work
Serious Business
Red Herring
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Make It Look Like an Accident
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
One-Word Title
Precision F-Strike
Camp Gay
Mythology Gag
Fantasy Films
Evil Sounds Deep
Gory Discretion Shot
Greater-Scope Villain
Scenery Gorn
Maybe Ever After
Be Careful What You Wish For
Translation Convention
Eagleland
Leave the Camera Running
Bar Brawl
Death by Sex
Chase Scene
Getting Crap Past the Radar
A Minor Kidroduction
Kill 'em All
Unusual Euphemism
He Knows Too Much
Scare Chord
Soundtrack Dissonance
Closed Circle
Gone Horribly Right
Central Theme
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Bloody Hilarious
Fiery Redhead
Rape as Drama
No Name Given
Death Glare
Dark and Troubled Past
Author Avatar
Undying Loyalty
Big Brother Instinct
A God Am I
Coming-of-Age Story
Does This Remind You of Anything?
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
La Résistance
Ambiguous Disorder
Attempted Rape
Anyone Can Die
In the Back
Sci-Fi Horror
Bilingual Bonus
Facial Horror
Real Life
Psycho for Hire
Parental Substitute
Chekhov's Skill
Fatal Flaw
The Great Depression
Serial Killer
Our Vampires Are Different
It's Personal
The Brute
Malevolent Masked Men
Badass Normal
The Reveal
Exact Words
Deadpan Snarker
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Australian Movies
Hypocrite
Final Girl
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Insistent Terminology
Reality Ensues
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Demonic Possession
Demoted to Extra
Dramatic Irony
Science Fiction Films
Shout-Out
Villain with Good Publicity
Vitriolic Best Buds
My Beloved Smother
Actor Allusion
Back from the Dead
Italian Films
Stealth Pun
Big Fancy House
Red Shirt
Nice Guy
Character Development
Arranged Marriage
Authority Equals Asskicking
Beta Couple
Mexican Standoff
Gainax Ending
B-Movie
Guns Akimbo
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
Dark Reprise
Fate Worse than Death
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Anachronism Stew
Gender Flip
Determinator
Dull Surprise
Parental Abandonment
Parental Neglect
Stock Footage
Contrived Coincidence
Deus ex Machina
Politically Incorrect Villain
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Cold-Blooded Torture
Blood Knight
Country Matters
Disney Death
Happily Married
Adaptation Expansion
Suspiciously Specific Denial
The Hero
Black and Gray Morality
Kill It with Fire
NO INDOOR VOICE
The Big Guy
The Mole
Male Gaze
Race Lift
Those Wacky Nazis
Noodle Incident
Interrupted Suicide
Mad Scientist
For Want of a Nail
Brutal Honesty
Random Events Plot
Becoming the Mask
Improbable Weapon User
Blood from the Mouth
Word of God
Riddle for the Ages
Villain Ball
Broken Bird
Mugging the Monster
Those Two Guys
Neck Lift
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Spared by the Adaptation
Badass in a Nice Suit
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
From Bad to Worse
I Need a Freaking Drink
Casting Gag
The X of Y
Extremely Short Timespan
An Axe to Grind
Insane Troll Logic
'80s Hair
Implacable Man
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Alpha Bitch
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Not Using the "Z" Word
Real Life Writes the Plot
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
An Arm and a Leg
Dual Wielding
The '60s
Ironic Echo
As You Know
Pimped-Out Dress
Adaptational Villainy
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Not So Stoic
Historical Hero Upgrade
Beware the Nice Ones
Would Hit a Girl
Ship Tease
Shower Scene
Combat Pragmatist
The Ditz
How We Got Here
Ripped from the Headlines
Despair Event Horizon
Up to Eleven
Kids Are Cruel
Berserk Button
Genre Shift
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Shipper on Deck
Ambiguous Ending
Mercy Kill
Dramatic Gun Cock
Anguished Declaration of Love
Conspicuous CG
Pretty Little Headshots
The Smurfette Principle
Missing Mom
Horror Films
Pragmatic Villainy
Jerk Jock
Race Against the Clock
Epic Movie
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Darker and Edgier
Creator Cameo
Together in Death
Whole Plot Reference
Foregone Conclusion
Empathic Environment
Cruel and Unusual Death
Dirty Coward
Retired Badass
Stylistic Suck
Music Stories
Killed Mid-Sentence
Broken Pedestal
Important Haircut
Those Two Bad Guys
Gilligan Cut
Action Prologue
Hollywood Darkness
Beard of Evil
Evil-Detecting Dog
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Television Movie Index
Grievous Bottley Harm
Jitter Cam
Foil
Sassy Black Woman
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Cowboy Cop
Romantic False Lead
Grey and Gray Morality
Instant Death Bullet
Did Not Get the Girl
The Remake
Pet the Dog
Video Credits
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Fanservice
The Hero Dies
Alliterative Name
Evil Plan
Death Seeker
Rated M for Manly
Never Found the Body
Five-Man Band
Anachronic Order
Extreme Doormat
No-Sell
Twist Ending
Your Cheating Heart
Call-Forward
From Nobody to Nightmare
Heroic BSoD
Novelization
Evil Laugh
Curse Cut Short
Major Injury Underreaction
I Did What I Had to Do
Slasher Movie
Big Bad
Token Minority
Fatal Family Photo
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Fake Shemp
Alas, Poor Villain
Never My Fault
French Films
The Vamp
The Smart Guy
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
"Shaggy Dog" Story
The Lost Lenore
As the Good Book Says...
Covers Always Lie
Dwindling Party
True Companions
Toplessness from the Back
Jump Scare
Humiliation Conga
Batman Gambit
Dirty Old Man
Fantastic Racism
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Rule of Symbolism
Only in It for the Money
Book-Ends
Based on a True Story
N-Word Privileges
German Films
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
The '50s
Eiffel Tower Effect
Adults Are Useless
Mystery and Detective Films
Put on a Bus
Due to the Dead
Public Domain Feature Films
More Dakka
Romantic Comedy
Establishing Character Moment
It Can Think
British Films
This Is Gonna Suck
Take That!
Rule of Three
BrotherSister Incest
Immune to Bullets
Large Ham
Took a Level in Badass
Camera Abuse
Genre Throwback
Earn Your Happy Ending
A Date with Rosie Palms
Call-Back
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Biopic
The Bully
Last-Name Basis
Evil Brit
The Oner
Frame-Up
Thriller
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
MayDecember Romance
Arch-Enemy
Friend to All Children
Bolivian Army Ending
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Catapult Nightmare
Overly Long Gag
Artistic License History
Redemption Equals Death
Spiritual Successor
Hoist by His Own Petard
Outrun the Fireball
Leitmotif
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Does Not Like Shoes
Artistic License Military
Nice Hat
Adaptational Badass
Dark Is Not Evil
Stepford Smiler
Off with His Head!
Fainting
Rewatch Bonus
Brick Joke
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Say My Name
Break the Haughty
Mistaken for Gay
Depraved Bisexual
Product Placement
Cool Guns
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Gorn
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I Have Your Wife
The '70s
Not So Above It All
Only One Name
Annoying Younger Sibling
Darkest Hour
Parental Incest
The Stoner
Hell Is That Noise
The Casanova
Gold Digger
No OSHA Compliance
Manipulative Bastard
Groin Attack
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Woman Scorned
Crapsack World
Made of Explodium
Advertised Extra
Disguised in Drag
Department of Redundancy Department
Cool Shades
Cool Old Guy
Kick the Dog
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Artistic License Physics
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
The End... Or Is It?
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Lighter and Softer
Distracted by the Sexy
You Killed My Father
Early-Bird Cameo
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Once More, with Clarity!
Disproportionate Retribution
Fish out of Water
Cassandra Truth
Age Lift
Fun with Acronyms
Crucified Hero Shot
Ass Shove
Same Language Dub
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
Slashed Throat
Driven to Suicide
Your Head A-Splode
Eureka Moment
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Evil vs. Evil
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Scenery Porn
Drowning My Sorrows
Drives Like Crazy
Black Comedy