Shortly after Totem's initial run in 1927, the movie studio went bankrupt and the movie was thought lost, until re-discovered in good quality in 2014. As of 2015 it is being restored, digitized, and re-scored and slated for festival release.
The lost silent film, after being rediscovered was restored, digitized, and finally re-premiered with a new original score at the Rialto Theatre in Tacoma in September 2015 (the same theater where the producers of the film first watched it in 1926).
Shot in 1926, not released until 1927.
This film is being shown in Tacoma, WA at the Little Blue Mouse Theatre on 11/25/2016 before being shown in Seattle in 12/16. Should be a thrilling experience. Thank you to all of those involved in it's restoration that allows for the rest of us to enjoy it.
One of 3 films that were filmed at WC Production Studio in Tacoma, Washington. Hearts and Fists (Jan 3, 1926) and The Heart of the Yukon (May 29, 1927) are considered lost. The Eyes of the Totem (May 15, 1927) was found on 7 reels at New York's MoMA in 2015. All 3 were released by Pathe' Exchange.