Ephemeral films

913–960 of 19,486 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 Lascaux: Cradle of Man's Art 1952 · Educational · 17 min · Subtitles Lascaux: Cradle of Man's Art SummaryExplores the prehistoric wall paintings in the Lascaux cave of France. Explains the laboratory-experimental approach to… Internet Archive Your Very Good Health 1948 · Short · 8 min Charley has the workings of the National Health Service explained to him. NHS. National Health Service Act. National Health Service Scheme Internet Archive Abstraction 1968 · Educational Abstraction is defined as the elimination of everything that is not essential. Using a variety of examples, this film shows how abstraction is used daily for… Internet Archive Streetcar Strike 1917 · Film Silent footage of picketers marching through the streets and attacking a scab-driven streetcar at Haight and Buchanan during violent 1917 streetcar strike. Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Filmstrips and Slides" 1977 · 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 Napoleonic era 1957 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles Shows scenes typifying Napoleon's rise to power, his governmental reforms in France, his conquests and the disintegration of the Grand Empire in a rising wave… Internet Archive Rabbit Hill 1968 · Educational · 54 min Rabbit Hill Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary Tells how the small animals who live on Rabbit Hill… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Part 2: News Reporting" 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 Fluids in weightlessness 1980 · Film Illustrates basic principles of fluid dynamics by utilizing film footage from the Skylab in-flight science demonstrations. Astronaut Owen K. Garriott… Internet Archive Alaskan Eskimo 1953 · Educational Short documentary film produced by Walt Disney. It won an Academy Award at the 26th Academy Awards in 1954 for Documentary Short Subject. Describes the daily… Internet Archive Angular Momentum: A Vector Quantity 1966 · Educational · 26 min Angular Momentum: A Vector Quantity Shows views of the work of the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. Describes his architectural style in which he became… Internet Archive 25 Years of Progress, Episode 7: Moon Landing 1983 · Film In 1969 the first men land on the Moon. With the beginning of the seventies, NASA pursues its research in aeronautics and satellite technology. To license… Internet Archive How level is sea level? 1970 · Educational · 11 min · Subtitles In collaboration with John S. Shelton A discussion of sea level, what it is, how it is determined and factors that influence sea level at various locations on… Internet Archive Adults With Attention Deficit Disorder 1994 · Film · Subtitles "Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. Essential information for ADD adults."-- description from box. Internet Archive Radio, racism and foreign policy 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Series producer, Anthony Potter Eric Sevareid One of a series of 16 documentaries on American diplomacy, 1919-1941, broadcast over WNEW-TV, New York A… Internet Archive On seeing film: film and literature 1958 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles A behind-the-scenes study of director David Lean directing scenes in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai Summary Made from footage filmed behind the scenes… Internet Archive In the Beginning 1975 · Educational Sir Kenneth Clark discusses Egypt and the Nile Valley. Shows him traveling there and pointing out the ways in which Egypt flourished as an early civilization.… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "A Cause For Alarm" 1984 · 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 Filmstrip: "Romeo and Juliet Acts I & II: "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Copy 1)" 1975 · 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 Problems of conservation: wildlife 1970 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Explains the need for conservation of wildlife in order to preserve the ecological balance of nature. Describes the endangered status of many species today,… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Filmstrip 1: Meet Smokey Bear" 1970 · 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 Photography: The Day Books of Edward Weston How Young I Was 1966 · Educational · 29 min Photography: The Day Books of Edward Weston How Young I Was Emphasizes the quality of simplicity in the work of Edward Weston as reflected in photographs of… Internet Archive Slavery 1965 · Educational · 28 min Slavery Uses a combination of high and low magnification, phase contrast, dark field, bright field, normal speed and time-lapse cinephotomicrography to show… Internet Archive Balzac à Paris. 1964 · Educational · 21 min · Subtitles Visits Le Musee Balzac and highlights the life and works of French author Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), who deplored social injustice and satirized the… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "3. Donna's Story" 1981 · 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 065 1988 · Film · Subtitles DOPE 65, Feb. 1988. Noriega cocaine, Liz Taylor drugs, Haight homeless, Domestic partners bill, AIDS homeless, Folsom hotel, SF State AIDS conf, Noriega &… Internet Archive The Great Depression and foreign affairs. 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Writer, Anthony Potter; producers, Charles Musser, Anthony Potter; editor, Charles Musser; host narrator, Eric Sevareid A documentary presentation on America… Internet Archive Sure, Mac, Sure... PSA 1970 · Educational · 1 min A humorous spot dispelling the myth that alcohol's effects can be reduced by eating food. To license this film and get a higher quality version for… Internet Archive Painting, the creative process. 1968 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles Artist: Reginald Pollock An artist organizes the materials he needs for his work. Sketching from life helps the artist understand the structure of things and… Internet Archive Sucking Doctor 1964 · Educational Presents, in its entirety, the second and final night of a curing ceremony held by the Kashia group of the Southwestern Pomo Indians. Shows how on the first… Internet Archive Music of Africa 1964 · Educational · 29 min Features Fela Sowande of Nigeria, African musicologist, composer, and organist, who explains how contemporary African music has mingled traditional African… Internet Archive Metamorphosis, life story of the wasp. 1966 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Traces the development of the wasp from egg to larva to pupa to adult. Photomicrography illustrates change in body organization that takes place within the… Internet Archive Why Not Be Beautiful? 1969 · Film Stresses the importance of cleanliness, good diet, and exercise as prerequisites for a healthy body and a beautiful face. Explains how to apply basic facial… Internet Archive Decision To Drop The Bomb 1965 · Educational · 34 min Combines historic film clips, an analysis of the facts behind the decision to drop the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, and personal interviews with the… Internet Archive LUCIFER COMPLEX 1988 · Film It has been over fifty years since Germany lost the second world war. It is 1996. On an island somewhere off the South American Coast a loyal band of fanatic… Internet Archive Don't Touch 1970 · Short · 7 min We learn about the blasting caps and their danger to kids. To license this film and get a higher quality version for broadcast/film purposes, contact A/V… Internet Archive VR Surfer 1996 · Cartoon "VR Surfer VCR/TV Setup Concerto in 3D 3D Demo Sampler VR Surfer Computer Setup" -- description from tape. Scan of installation guide and user's manual on… Internet Archive My Trip With Dad On The California Skunk Train 1995 · Film "Ride up in the thundering locomotive with Matthew and the Skunk Train fireman and engineer as the journey through the Giant Redwoods on one of America's… Internet Archive End of the World's Fair 1984 · Film images from the End of the World's Fair, held May 12, 1984, marching up Market Street and ending at Dolores Park. Internet Archive A Class Divided (1985) 1985 · Educational · 55 min Reviews how an Iowa third-grade class learned the realities of prejudice and discrimination through a class exercise, portrayed in the film ""Eye of the… Internet Archive Cloud in the Sky 1939 · Educational · 18 min This film courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) DIRECTOR: Edgar Ulmer. SPONSOR: National Tuberculosis Association. CAMERA: J.… Internet Archive The Parenting Journey: First Days 2000 · Film · Subtitles "Parenting is a journey that begins before you meet your baby face-to-face. Birth and the days and weeks that follow are wonderful, exciting, and challenging.… Internet Archive Good Health Practices, Part I 1953 · Film The makers of Soapy the Germ Fighter are back to teach other things to keep us healthy. Young Jim and Judy learn about proper eating, keeping clean, proper… Internet Archive Principles of the Transistor 1959 · Educational · 21 min Principles of the Transistor SummaryBriefly discusses the early crystal set and the valve and its development. Gives a detailed explanation of how the… Internet Archive The Silent Witness: An Investigation into the Holy Shroud 1978 · Educational Producer and director, David W. Rolfe An off-beat detective story that attempts to unravel the mystery that has surrounded the Shroud of Turin since its… Internet Archive The Special Effects of Karel Zeman 1980 · Educational Summary: Karel Zeman is a Czech animator who moved from poster design to filmmaking in the mid-forties. In his work he has frequently combined live action,… Internet Archive But What If the Dream Comes True? 1971 · Educational · 52 min Produced by CBS Recounts four months in the lives of the upper-middle-class Sam Greenawalt family of Birmingham, a community near Detroit, that reveal… Internet Archive The Warren years. 1969 · Educational · 22 min · Subtitles Produced by NET Views the political and legal career and personal philosophy of Earl Warren Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for…