Ephemeral films

577–624 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 The Making of a Continent: Part 2 -- The Land of Sleeping Mountains 1983 · Educational · 28 min · Subtitles The Making of a Continent: Part 2 -- The Land of Sleeping Mountains, Reel 2 Reel 1 available here Examines the traumatic events that led to the shaping of the… Internet Archive Festival In London 1951 · Short · 9 min A documentary re-creation of the 1951 Festival of Britain South Bank Exhibition. Internet Archive Bitter Melons 1966 · Educational · 32 min STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE (CLICK HERE) INCLUDES MUSICAL NOTATION Presents music of the G/wi musician and composer Ukxone, as well as animal songs and games of the… Internet Archive The Great Whales 1978 · Educational · 58 min Also issued as videorecording A documentary on whales, including information on their anatomy and communication and migration patterns Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Understanding Human Reproduction Part 1" 1985 · 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 AIDS 87 Sept 12 1987 · Film · Subtitles AIDS, English, The Story of English, India, African, American, Valley Girls, Gay Slang, Japlish, Other Faces of AIDS, The Price of Democracy, Smiley's People.… Internet Archive Your Junior High Days 1963 · Film This film prepares elementary school kids for the harsh lessons of junior high: You will no longer be the smartest or best athlete. Your carefree days of the… Internet Archive I Like Bikes... 1978 · Educational This quirky film educates young drivers to try to share the road with bicyclists. We follow the growth of Lisa from a pig-tailed bicyclist to a teen driver… Internet Archive Mission Creek 1995 · Film canoe ride into Mission Creek before the freeway was reconfigured or Mission Bay was built. Internet Archive Skipper Learns A Lesson 1952 · Educational · 9 min · Subtitles In a departure from Sid Davis' traditional "kids in peril" scenarios, this film introduces us to Skipper - a bigoted dog who doesnt like the "funny looking'… Internet Archive Roberto Lovato and Hunts Donuts 2006 · Film Roberto Lovato, who grew up on Folsom near 25th Street during the 1970s, describes how his father was involved in the "alternative economy" centered on Hunt's… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "The Solution" 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 Dinosaurs Of The Jurassic And Other Periods 1991 · Film -- Journey back to the time of the Dinosaurs and learn the latest in Prehistoric facts! Internet Archive Filmstrip: "The Problem" 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 Valley Town - A Study of Machines and Men 1940 · Educational · 28 min A documentary study of workers displaced by automatic machinery in a typical American steel town in the 1920's and 1930's. Follows the development of the town… Internet Archive Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees 1965 · Educational · 50 min Narrator, Orson Welles Special edited version of the 1965 motion picture of the same title With teacher's guide Describes the experiences of a 26-year-old… Internet Archive Mr. Finley's Feelings 1956 · Cartoon · 10 min Our animated hero questions his sanity after blowing his top and driving his car into a police station. To license this film and get a higher quality version… Internet Archive The Very Remarkable Yamato Family. 1975 · Educational · 30 min · Subtitles Produced by NET Presents contrasts in society and politics in modern Japan: the change in family structure away from a strong matriarchy, school children… Internet Archive A World Is Born 1955 · Educational · 19 min An excerpt from the 1940 motion picture Fantasia, with narration An interpretation of Stravinsky's Rite of spring. Depicts the first two billion years of the… Internet Archive Freeze-In 1969 · Short · 16 min Made for Sears appliance salesmen, this film tries to capitalize on the zany format of TV's Laugh-In to introduce the new Kenmore freezer campaign. Even… Internet Archive Artificial Respiration 1974 · Short · 8 min Emphasizes the need of quick action when breathing has stopped. Outlines the basic principles of positioning the victim for artificial respiration, proper… Internet Archive Herb Mills on Containerization 1996 · Film Herb Mills, former secretary-treasurer of Local 10 ILWU, describes the role of containerization in the global economy. Internet Archive The Long Search: 3 -- Buddhism: Footprint of the Buddha 1977 · Educational · 23 min · Subtitles The Long Search: 3 -- Buddhism: Footprint of the Buddha, Reel 2 Reel 1 available here A look at how Buddhism is practiced in Sri Lanka and India. A religion… Internet Archive Wacky Babies 1997 · Film "Who are all these kooky kids? they're Mother Nature's weird and wacky wild babies. Marty Stouffer's Wild America."-- description from box. Internet Archive DOPE 007 Under The Influence 1986 · Film · Subtitles Countryman (reggae) Andy Griffith in Under the Influence Report card on drugs See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Women in Prison, part 1 1974 · Educational Examines the condition of women in prisons. Shows how women are often treated brutally in prison and explores plans which put women offenders under community… Internet Archive The Sky is Gray 1979 · Educational · 46 min Based on the story of the same title by Ernest Gaines, about a young Black farmboy's dawning of awareness about himself and society. Search Educational Film… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed: 9 - The New Physics Newton Revised 1986 · Educational · 54 min Title from data sheet Host, James Burke In two parts Ages 16 through adults Deals with the new era of scientific inquiry that started around 1800 with the… Internet Archive P.J. and the President's Son 1977 · Educational · 48 min · Subtitles Originally shown on the television series ABC afterschool specials Also issued as videorecording Two 15-year-olds in Washington, D.C.--one, an average… Internet Archive Almost everyone does 1970 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles Credits: Producer, director and script, Gene Feldman; music, the Eric Turkel Quartet; photographer, Richard Francis; film editor, Michael Weiner French… Internet Archive What are we doing to our children? 1973 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles Produced by CBS. Commentary by child psychologist Dr. Robert Coles Focuses on a low-income apartment complex in Atlanta, Georgia, which houses 8,000… Internet Archive Andre's Mother 1990 · Film · Subtitles AIDS, Andre's Mother, Randy Shilts, Ryan White, April- May 1990. See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive L'Humour francaise. 1964 · Educational · 20 min · Subtitles An overview of French humour. Interviews Pierre Danino and Rene Lefevre; discusses satirical newspapers such as Le Canard Enchaine, cartoons, and the… Internet Archive The Long Search 9 -- Buddhism: The Land of the Disappearing Buddha 1978 · Educational · 53 min · Subtitles Also issued as videocassette Producer, Peter Montagnon; narrator, Ronald Eyre Visits Japan to investigate the Japanese experience of Buddhist worship and the… Internet Archive Baobab, Portrait of a Tree 1972 · Educational · 26 min Looks at the baobab trees that grow in the dry bush country of Africa and shows the ecosystem created by them. Title from data sheet Summary Shows a century… Internet Archive Chemical families. Motion picture 1962 · Educational · 21 min A CHEM Study film Presents experimental evidence of the periodic nature of chemical elements and explains the development of the periodic table. Includes… Internet Archive Sandinistas in SF 1999 · Film Alejandro Murguia, who fought in the 1978 Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua, describes the role San Francisco played in the uprising. Internet Archive WWII GERMAN NEWSREEL UBOAT U-29 CREW AWARDED FOR SINKING HMS COURAGEOUS TYPE IX U-BOAT 2035a 1943 · Newsreel · 4 min This German newsreel was sold for the home market to civilians who wanted to track the progress of WWII. This particular film celebrates the German U-boats,… Internet Archive FDR and Hitler: their rise to power 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Host and narrator, Eric Sevareid The careers and styles of Franklin D. Roosevelt, aristocrat and democrat, and Adolph Hitler, bourgeois and demagogue, are… Internet Archive Destination America 2 -- on a Clear Day You Could See Boston 1976 · Educational · 54 min · Subtitles Director, Tom Steel Traces the history of Irish immigration to the U.S. from the famines of the 1850's. Documents the rise of Irish Americans from a much… Internet Archive Christmas Every Day 1986 · Educational Producers, Thea Flaum, Dick Orkin ; associate producer, Loretta Petersohn Based on a story by Wiliam Dean Howells Through Tilly, her family, and a magical… Internet Archive Harlem renaissance: the black poets 1971 · Educational · 20 min · Subtitles With study guide Presents dramatic vignettes which portray the emergence of black poets, essayists, and novelists. Includes excerpts from Countee Cullen,… Internet Archive Home front, 1917-1919: war transforms American life 1967 · Educational · 17 min · Subtitles Robert Ryan, narrator Music, Morton Gould Originally broadcast on the CBS-TV documentary program World War I in 1965 Shows how World War I brought about… Internet Archive Design for Dreaming 1956 · Film Best-known of the films presenting “Motorama,” General Motors’ annual traveling automobile and appliance trade show. This example introduces the 1956… Internet Archive Bicycle Clown 1958 · Film Because of his recklessness and foolish behavior, Johnny has an accident while riding his bicycle. His brother finds there are several reasons for Johnny's… Internet Archive Cigarettes (version 2) Film Get the item that adds to your personal comfort. Lucky Strike cigarette commercial with stop-motion animation of square-dancing cigarettes. Teleconference… Internet Archive Adventures in perception. 1973 · Educational · 21 min An introduction to the graphic works of the Dutch artist Maurits Escher, noted for his visual experiments with evolving forms, interlocking images, and… Internet Archive Face of Lincoln, The 1954 · Short · 22 min Presents Professor Merrell Gage, retired head of the Department of Sculpture at the University of Southern California, describing the life and career of…