Educational films

145–192 of 4,000 films, free to watch, from the world's open archives.

Where these films come from, and who sees what

Every film here plays from the archive that keeps it: the Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, the NASA Image and Video Library, the Library of Congress and Open Images (the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). Nothing is copied to this site. Each film's page names its archive, links to its page there, and states its licence or status as the archive does.

Archive films carry no age ratings, so each is placed from the collections it sits in and the subjects the archive gives it, cautiously. Sexual content and nudity are left out altogether.

Little OnesFilms for young children by name: nursery rhymes, lullabies, preschool.
KidsCartoons and animation, children's and family films, and educational films, unless they deal with war, propaganda, crime, horror or drugs, or carry racial caricature.
TweensDocumentaries, science, nature and space, classic comedies, newsreels, commercials and lectures.
TeensEverything else, including anything we cannot tell about; war, crime, horror and westerns go no lower.
AdultSexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, atrocity footage.
Internet Archive Prehistoric man in Europe. 1965 · Educational · 23 min · Subtitles Producer, D. C. Chipperfield Surveys the early development of mankind in Europe, showing aspects of the paleolithic period, followed by a look at the tools… Internet Archive Chinese X-ray film. 1962 · Educational · 16 min · Subtitles Material is selected to show the various ways that tongue and lips are used in order to contrast the principal syllable types of Peking Chinese. X-ray… Internet Archive Barbara's Problem Dogs 1982 · Educational · 27 min · Subtitles Barbara's Problem Dogs Reel 1 Reel 2 available here Dog trainer Barbara Woodhouse demonstrates remedies for common canine behavior problems such as car… Internet Archive The Golden Fish 1959 · Educational · 20 min The Golden Fish SummaryPortrays a young boy who yearns for a goldfish he sees at a Paris street fair. Depicts a kind of communication between the boy and the… Internet Archive The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth: 1--Building of the Earth 1984 · Educational · 58 min · Subtitles The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth: 1--Building of the Earth reel 2 Part one of a twelve-part study of how organisms have adapted to their physical… Internet Archive The Displaced Person 1977 · Educational · 58 min · Subtitles An adaptation of the short story of the same title by Flannery O'Connor John Houseman Executive producer, Robert Geller; director, Glenn Jordan Portrays… Internet Archive Madness and Medicine 1977 · Educational · 22 min · Subtitles Madness and Medicine Reel 1 Reel 2 available here A critical look at mental institutions and their diverse treatment programs which help some patients but… Internet Archive Mark Twain (1963) 1963 · Educational · 26 min Presents a biography of Mark Twain showing his experiences and varied environments which furnished material for his stories, essays and novels. Internet Archive Senses of man. 1965 · Educational · 18 min · Subtitles -----Another issue. b&w Discusses the senses of man, describing the importance of external and internal sense receptors, illustrating the general sense… Internet Archive The Living Planet a Portrait of the Earth 8 Sweet Fresh Water 1984 · Educational · 57 min · Subtitles Title from data sheet Intended audience: Ages 16 through adult Issued also as videorecording Host David Attenborough follows the Amazon River, the world's… Internet Archive A Season in the Sun 1989 · Educational · 55 min · Subtitles A Season in the Sun Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary Visits East Africa which has only two… Internet Archive The Living Planet A Portrait of the Earth: 9 - the Margins of the Land 1984 · Educational · 58 min · Subtitles Intended audience: Ages 16 through adult Host David Attenborough talks about the animals and plants that make their homes in the shifting world of mud and… Internet Archive Susie, the Little Blue Coupe 1951 · Cartoon Director, Clyde Geronimi ; story adaptation, Bill Peet, Don da Gradi ; music, Paul Smith ; animation, Ollie Johnson, Cliff Nordberg, Hal King, Bob Carlson… Internet Archive The Ancient Egyptian 1964 · Educational · 26 min Shows Egyptian history from 2700 B.C. to the Roman conquest. Portrays the religion and daily activities of the Pharaohs and citizens of ancient Egypt.… Internet Archive Methodology: The Psychologist and the Experiment 1975 · Educational · 29 min Methodology: The Psychologist and the Experiment Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Shows various types of… Internet Archive Shoplifter 1975 · Educational · 19 min This film details the techniques used by amateur and professional shoplifters to steal over $6 billion in merchandise annually. Emphasizing how much of this… Internet Archive Les Miserables 1946 · Educational · 42 min Les Miserables Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film SummaryAn excerpt from the 1935 feature film of the same… Internet Archive The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth: 2--The Frozen World 1984 · Educational · 58 min · Subtitles The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth: 2--The Frozen World Explores the snowy peaks of the Andes, Antarctica, and the Arctic to show how plants and… Internet Archive Palle Alone in the World 1950 · Educational · 16 min Palle Alone in the World Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film SummaryA story of a little boy who dreams that… Internet Archive Japanese calligraphy. 1957 · Educational · 16 min · Subtitles Examines Japanese language symbols in art, rediscovered by the painter Pierre Alechinsky. Abstract Western art is compared to Japanese art, which has been… Internet Archive Excretory systems in animals. 1971 · Educational · 16 min · Subtitles Author and editor, George Vuke; photographers, George Vuke, Tom Held Compares the excretory systems of a variety of phyla. Points out principal excretory… Internet Archive Not Me Alone: Preparation for Childbirth 1970 · Educational · 31 min Presents one couple's experience with childbirth preparation classes, breathing exercises, labor, and delivery of their baby using the Lamaze technique, with… Internet Archive Directed by John Ford 1971 · Educational Producers, George Stevens, Jr., James R. Silke; director, Peter Bogdanovich; narrator, Orson Welles Reviews the achievements of director John Ford in a… Internet Archive Electronic labyrinth. 1967 · Educational · 15 min Formerly entitled THX 1138 4 EB Presents a nightmare impression of a world in which a man is trying to escape a computerized world which constantly tracks his… Internet Archive The Anderson Platoon 1969 · Educational · 1 h 4 min Documents the life of a small group of GI's as they fight against an unseen enemy in the jungle of Vietnam. Search Educational Film Journals at Media History… Internet Archive Barbara's Problem Dogs 1982 · Educational · 25 min · Subtitles Barbara's Problem Dogs Reel 2 Reel 1 available here Dog trainer Barbara Woodhouse demonstrates remedies for common canine behavior problems such as car… Internet Archive Anglo-Saxon England. 1971 · Educational · 22 min · Subtitles Archeological adviser, Stanley E. West Outlines English history from the end of Roman rule around 410 to the Norman invasion in 1066. Presents the various… Internet Archive Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom 1959 · Educational · 10 min Originally released in 35 mm. in 1953 With teacher guide Directors, C. August Nichols, Ward Kimball; story, Dick Huemer; animators, Ward Kimball, Julius… Internet Archive Boys and Girls 1983 · Educational Title from data sheet Adapted from the short story of the same name by Alice Munro A foreign film (Canada) Intended audience: Ages 10-18 Issued also as… Internet Archive Australia's Animal Mysteries 1983 · Educational · 59 min · Subtitles Title from data sheet Camera, Joe Seamens ; editor, Lisa Palattella ; music, Gerald Fired Intended audience: General Issued also as videorecording Shows… Internet Archive The Last Great Race on Earth 1982 · Educational · 53 min · Subtitles The Last Great Race on Earth Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary Documents the 19./ia mearod Trail… Internet Archive Fashion Horizons 1940 · Educational · Subtitles Combines airplane trips and fashion. Heavy on the fashion. • 42:93- 1:04:38 Still shot of a shiny silver airplane floating in the sky above the clouds—the… Internet Archive Psychiatric Interview No. 18: Evaluation for Diagnosis 1967 · Educational Shows a brief interview with a young man, a student, who demonstrates negativism in a catatonic schizophrenic Internet Archive The Hunters. [Motion picture] 1958 · Educational · 44 min Director, John Marshall in collaboration with Robert Gardner; narrator and photographer, John Marshall A study of the life and culture of primitive African… Internet Archive The Hunters [Motion picture] 1958 · Educational · 28 min Summary Presents a study of the life and culture of primitive African Bushmen as portrayed through the experiences of four aborigines and the giraffe which… Internet Archive Those Wonderful Dogs 1989 · Educational · 59 min · Subtitles From WorldCat: A beautifully photographed documentary about dogs: dogs' herding skills, dogs helping handicapped persons, dogs in combat, dogs in rescue… Internet Archive American music, from folk to jazz and pop. 1967 · Educational · 20 min · Subtitles Commentary by Duke Ellington Traces lesser streams of American music such as the hoedown, square dance, and hillbilly song. Tex Ritter at Nashville's Grand… Internet Archive Verniers 1941 · Educational · 18 min Verniers Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film SummaryUses animation to tell the principles of the Vernier… Internet Archive Trick or Treat 1952 · Educational The cartoon, which takes place on Halloween night, follows a series of pranks between Donald Duck and his nephews with Witch Hazel. Internet Archive English X-ray film. 1964 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Articulatory movements are shown by X-ray techniques. Prepared scripts illustrate selected phonetic features in the phonemic contrasts of the language, ending… Internet Archive Kiss Me Petruchio 1983 · Educational · 58 min Title from data sheet Meryl Streep, Raul Julia Made in 1979 Intended audience: Ages 14 through adult Issued also as videorecording Observes a performance… Internet Archive Major Religions of the World: Development and Rituals 1953 · Educational · 19 min Major Religions of the World: Development and Rituals An animated training film which reviews the basic principles of salesmanship and demonstrates an… Internet Archive America: 4--Inventing a Nation 1972 · Educational · 50 min · Subtitles America: 4--Inventing a Nation "The American Constitution, said 19th century British statesman William Gladstone, is 'the most wonderful work ever struck off… Internet Archive America: 8--Money on the Land 1972 · Educational · 53 min · Subtitles America: 8--Money on the Land reel 2 Deals with the industrialization of the United States. Early inventors, like Edison, as well as lucky prospectors, found… Internet Archive Oedipus Rex: 1-- The Age of Sophocles 1959 · Educational · 29 min Oedipus Rex: 1-- The Age of Sophocles SummaryPresents a discussion by Bernard Knox on the customs, culture and philosophy of the ancient Greeks. Explains the… Internet Archive The Long Search: 11 -- Taoism: A Question of Balance 1978 · Educational · 53 min · Subtitles Also issued as videocassette Producer, Peter Montagnon; narrator, Ronald Eyre Examines the different types of religious beliefs that make up the spiritual… Internet Archive Introducing the mentally retarded 1964 · Educational · 22 min · Subtitles An introduction to mental retardation. Discusses types and levels of retardation, the education and training of the retarded child, and the importance of… Internet Archive The Day the Universe Changed: 6 - The Factor and Marketplace Rrevolution 1985 · Educational · 54 min VHS Written and presented by James Burke; produced by the BBC and RKO Pictures Locates the origins of contemporary consumer society in the English…