Ephemeral films

481–528 of 19,488 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 Death of a Legend 1971 · Educational · 47 min · Subtitles Death of a Legend Examines the nature and plight of the wolf and relates it to the plight of other species of North American wildlife that have fallen afoul… Internet Archive The Exiles 1961 · Educational A documentary account of the problems that are encountered by American Indians who live in urban areas and are caught between two conflicting cultures Internet Archive China: A Class By Itself 1979 · Educational · 51 min · Subtitles China: A Class By Itself An inside look at China working towards the goal of becoming a superpower by the year 2000 via education as the key to modernization.… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Scooby Doo In The Signs Of The Times" 1978 · Educational SOUND FILMSTRIP IS AN AT-RISK MEDIA FORMAT. I am the only person on earth preserving American filmstrips. The media format is largely forgotten and very… Internet Archive Ascent of Man: 10--The World With in World 1973 · Educational · 25 min · Subtitles Ascent of Man: 10--The World With in World Reel 2 Explores the world within the atom and traces the history of the men and ideas that have made 20th century… Internet Archive The Shock of the New: View From the Edge 1979 · Educational · 28 min · Subtitles VHS Narrated and written by art critic Robert Hughes. Produced by the BBC and Time-Life Television Nineteenth-century romanticism gave way to 20th-century… Internet Archive The Shock of the New: The Threshold of Liberty part 1 1980 · Educational · 30 min · Subtitles Narrated and written by art critic Robert Hughes. Produced by the BBC and Time-Life Television Discusses surrealism, the last revolutionary art movement of… Internet Archive Meaning Of Pi 1949 · Film Explains how pi denotes the ratio of a circle to its diameter. Shows the use of circles in art, industry and commerce. Outlines a procedure by which the… Internet Archive From blossom to fruit 1969 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles With study guide Explains the function of flowers in the life cycle of the plant. Includes an analysis of the basic parts of the flower, the structure of a… Internet Archive Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes 1990 · Educational Based on the book by Eleanor Coerr Producer, director, George Levenson; writer, Eleanor Coerr; drawings, Ed Young Liv Ullman This iconographic film is the… Internet Archive Dope261 1996 · Film · Subtitles Medical Marijuana Debate on Prop 215, Election. See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Marine Flowers 1975 · Educational · 30 min · Subtitles Title from data sheet Also issued as videorecording Mizo Okada, Tohru Uchida Uses underwater photography to study the structure, behavior, and life cycles… Internet Archive The Shock of The New: Landscape of Pleasure Part 1 1979 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles The Shock of The New: Landscape of Pleasure Part 1 Part 3 of an 8-part series which presents a social history of the impact and development of the visual arts… Internet Archive The City 1939 · Film 1939, 43 mins. Visionary documentary that contrasts the conditions of life in small towns and in the industrialized cities, starting with a brief portrait of… Internet Archive The World at War: 9 - Stalingrad, June 1942 - February 1943 1973 · Educational · 31 min The World at War: 9 - Stalingrad, June 1942 - February 1943 Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary… Internet Archive The World at War 3 -- France Falls, May - June 1940 1940 · Educational · 56 min · Subtitles The World at War 3 -- France Falls, May - June 1940 Summary Documents the fall of France to Germany in May and June of 1940 as a result of the speed, daring… Internet Archive DOPE 208 1992 · Film · Subtitles AIDS Conf, Prop P, Magic J, Brownie Mary, Michelle APAN See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Eisenhower years. 1963 · Educational · 21 min · Subtitles Reviews the events that led to Eisenhower's election in 1952, and notes the significant issues of his administration. From the Presidential Administrations… Internet Archive The Lightning war in the Middle East. 1967 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles With study guide Traces the roots of unrest that led to conflict between Israel and Egypt in the short war of June 1967 Search Educational Film Journals at… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "The Scooby-Doo Gang in "Help Wanted" Part 2: Interviewing And Applications" 1979 · Educational SOUND FILMSTRIP IS AN AT-RISK MEDIA FORMAT. I am the only person on earth preserving American filmstrips. The media format is largely forgotten and very… Internet Archive DOPE 099 1989 · Film · Subtitles Little Shop of Horrors, Steve Martin on laughing gas. Jerry Brown and Jesse Jackson down with dope. Ollie North trial stopped by Reagan! Kaiser AIDS play for… Internet Archive Union Square 1903 · Film Dedication of Dewey Monument in Union Square, c. 1903. St. Francis Hotel visible behind scene. Internet Archive Ireland: The Making of a Republic 1972 · Educational · 25 min Documents the events, beginning with the uprising of 1916, that led to the formation of the Irish Republic as it is in the 20th century. Discusses… Internet Archive Psychiatric Interview No. 1: Evaluation for Diagnosis 1967 · Educational Young woman displays antisocial and impulsive behavior. History includes promiscuity, illegitimate pregnancies, lesbianism, multiple marriage, drug addiction,… Internet Archive Classic Dope 8 1995 · Film · Subtitles Feb. 1995. “Marker” TV series, Hawaii girls steal medical marijuana for AIDS patients. Pakalolo jokes.Richard Grieco “smart drinks” fight cancer with pot. The… Internet Archive The Communications Explosion (1967) 1968 · Educational · 25 min Investigates the world of the twenty - first century with particular reference to patterns of communication and their projected impact upon man. Describes the… Internet Archive Roots: 3 -- The Slave, Part 1 Educational · 50 min Roots: 3 Part 1 the Slave Summary Explains that the slave rebellion aboard the Lord Ligonier is quickly put down. Tells how the ship anchor./ia metadata… Internet Archive American Look 1958 · Film Promotional film celebrating the 1959 Chevrolet automobile line as an exemplar of American industrial design and styling. American Look highlights the… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Fundamentals of Motor Selection" 1950 · Educational SOUND FILMSTRIP IS AN AT-RISK MEDIA FORMAT. I am the only person on earth preserving American filmstrips. The media format is largely forgotten and very… Internet Archive Bicycle Safety 1950 · Film Help us get more films like this online! This film was digitized and uploaded thanks to contributions from this project: www.indiegogo.com/avgeeks100miles… Internet Archive Who Cares? 1968 · Educational · 10 min Dramatizes a story about a little boy who would rarely smile and was always grouchy because he felt he was not liked. Tells how his classmates discovered he… Internet Archive The World at War: 4 Alone May 1940 -- May 1941 1974 · Educational · 55 min · Subtitles Interviews with Lord Avon and the RAF pilots are featured in this study of how radar really won the Battle of Britain, and of what the bombings meant to… Internet Archive America: 12--The First Impact 1972 · Educational · 25 min · Subtitles America: 12--The First Impact reel 2 Reel 1 available here Presents a record of Alistair Cooke's impressions of the people, places, institutions, and… Internet Archive Discovering line. 1978 · Educational · 21 min · Subtitles Revised version of the motion picture issued in 1963 under the same title Defines line in art as being a record of movement, explaining how it serves as a… Internet Archive Walk-in Intermission Film This intermission film was made for walk-in theatres. "Let's all go to the lobby..." About 3 minutes. Internet Archive A Connemara Family 1982 · Educational · 57 min Studies the life of Kate Nee in Connemara, western Ireland, showing that family members who had left their homes are returning because of recession abroad and… Internet Archive The excavations at La Venta. [motion picture] 1963 · Educational · 30 min Reviews the large scale excavations of the Olmec site of La Venta begun in 1955. Includes a study of the results of the earlier investigations in 1942 and… Internet Archive The Spanish Civil War 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Host narrator, Eric Sevareid A documentary presentation on the events of and the attitudes towards the Spanish Civil War Internet Archive Rail 1968 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Director, Geoffrey Jones; music, Wilfred Josephs Uses photography and music without narration to convey the pulse, motion, and excitement of rail travel.… Internet Archive USA! USA! USAGreat American Olympic Moments 1992 · Film · Subtitles "...dramatic tape from Sports Illustrated Video...Cold War hockey players Lake Placid 1980...Jim Thorpe decathlon and pentathlon 1912 Games...Joan Benoit… Internet Archive The Making of a Continent: Part 2 -- The Land of Sleeping Mountains 1983 · Educational · 30 min · Subtitles The Making of a Continent: Part 2 -- The Land of Sleeping Mountains, Reel 1 Reel 2 available here Examines the traumatic events that led to the shaping of the… Internet Archive Life story of the hummingbird 1963 · Educational · 16 min · Subtitles With teacher's guide Collaborators, Emmet R. Blake, Margaret McKibben Lawler A study of the life cycle of the hummingbird, showing views of physical… Internet Archive The Garbage explosion. 1970 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles With teacher's guide Documents amounts and types of solid wastes, shows disposal methods, both legal and illegal, and describes the sophisticated methods for… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "2. How To Get Syphillis" 1974 · Educational SOUND FILMSTRIP IS AN AT-RISK MEDIA FORMAT. I am the only person on earth preserving American filmstrips. The media format is largely forgotten and very… Internet Archive The Long Search 13 -- Reflections on the Long Search 1978 · Educational · 51 min · Subtitles Also issued as videocassette Producer, Peter Montagnon Theater director Ronald Eyre presents some personal reflections on his pilgrimage throughout the… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Edgar Allen Poe Part 2: The Pit and the Pendulum" 1980 · Educational SOUND FILMSTRIP IS AN AT-RISK MEDIA FORMAT. I am the only person on earth preserving American filmstrips. The media format is largely forgotten and very… Internet Archive The World at War: Part 7--On Our Way, U.S.A. 1939-1942 1974 · Educational · 34 min · Subtitles The World at War: Part 7--On Our Way, U.S.A. 1939-1942 reel 1 Covers the U.S. entry into the war. Roosevelt's speeches, shortages, rationing, blackouts, the… Internet Archive Birth 1968 · Educational Produced by Arthur and Evelyn Barron for NET Documents the preparations for and arrival of a young couple's first child. Shows the couple's hopes and…