Ephemeral films

961–1,008 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 Apollo 10 - To Sort Out The Unknowns 1969 · Film Describes the flight of the Apollo 10, including photography of the moon from high and low orbits. To license this film and get a higher quality version for… Internet Archive China and the Chinese, Part 2 1917 · Film 1,000 feet from an educational documentary showing everyday life in China. Preserved in collaboration with the New Zealand Film Archive and The Museum of… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Unit III: Sentences" 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 Dope 140 1990 · Film · Subtitles L-tryptophan, Mayor Barry crack, Ice labs, Chicago 1968, gymnastics (Svetlana), pediatric AIDS, Colombia drug summit, Bush war costs, dope in sports, Steve… Internet Archive AIDS SCARED SEXLESS 1987 · Film · Subtitles AIDS, Scared Sexless, Beaty and the Beast, Paracelsus' Deadly Drug, AIDS Lifeline, Suzi's Story, December 1987, March 1988. See scans of liner notes for… Internet Archive The Media center in action. 1972 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles With study guide Shows how modern media centers work with schools to help teachers make the best use of media Summary Shows how today's modern media center is… Internet Archive The Warren years: The great decisions. 1970 · Educational · 23 min · Subtitles Producer, Jim Karayn; director, Max Shindler; editor, Howard Milken Examines the major Supreme Court rulings in the areas of school desegregation and civil… Internet Archive Birth: A Labor of Love 1977 · Educational Title on container: Labor of love : childbirth without violence Rating: Recommended Review date: June 1980 Reviewer: Association of American Medical… Internet Archive Group Dynamics: Groupthink 1973 · Educational Producer, director, and writer, Steven Katten The film analyzes, discusses, and illustrates the eight specific traits of group behavior isolated by Dr.… Internet Archive Drive-in Intermission 6 Film Candy, popcorn, coffee, and cigarettes, it's all here. Suggestion: insert clip between two movies when making double feature dvd. Internet Archive Mole as a Painter 1974 · Educational · 10 min The twelfth episode of the famous children cartoons about little Mole. In this one Mole finds a set of colors, paints the fur and feathers of all animals and… Internet Archive The Recognition of Russia: a climate of mutual mistrust 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles From the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 until the Roosevelt Administration attempted to officially recognise the USSR in the first detente in 1933, American… Internet Archive Communicating with the public. 1970 · Educational · 12 min · Subtitles Secretaries, clerks, and switchboard operators are interviewed about important things to remember when dealing with the public. The three sections of the film… Internet Archive Between the wars. 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Narrated by Eric Sevareid Opposed by isolationists in Congress, President Woodrow Wilson took his case for the establishment of the League of Nations to the… Internet Archive USA Dance: New York City Ballet (1965) 1967 · Educational · 28 min USA Dance: New York City Ballet (1965) An assault on the alienation of modern industrial life, this film takes the viewer on a chilling tour of a paper… Internet Archive An Essay On War 1971 · Educational CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STUDY GUIDE FOR THIS FILM "Some historians think that war is nothing more than an inexorable cycle in human society, or others think… Internet Archive Body In Progress 1992 · Film " In Jennie's program she will show you that being fit, feeling energized and looking terrific, comes from balancing exercise with a practical and nutritious… Internet Archive 1967 ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SIX DAY WAR RAW FOOTAGE 54634 Film This footage from just after the 1967 Six Day War begins with footage from an Israeli beach where civilians are seen swimming and relaxing despite the sound… Internet Archive Psychedelic Bic Lighters (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Commercial Category: Drive-In Movie Ads Title: Psychedelic Bic Lighters (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Length- :44 Sound: Yes Color Description: Unique blend of animation,… Internet Archive !Kung Bushmen Hunting Equipment 1966 · Educational Director, photographer, Johnn Marshall; script, Lorna Marshall; editor, Frank Galvin Shows the way in which the!Kung bushmen of the Nyae Nyae region of South… Internet Archive Du Hua Shu Shi Ding Zhi Lu 5 - Children's Circle Mandarin Compilations 1982 · Film Five animated classic picture books, narrated in Mandarin. It's mine / Leo Lionni -- A story, a story / Gail E. Haley -- Frederick / Leo Lionni -- The hat /… Internet Archive Supernova II 1988 · Film Describes the recent discovery of the supernova SN 1987A on February 23, 1987. NASA scientists explain how natural nucleosynthesis (formation of heavy… Internet Archive Fatty Arbuckle 1915 · Film Fatty Arbuckle and one of his adoring dames, posing for the publicity cameras of the PPIE in 1915. Internet Archive Spheres 1971 · Cartoon Produced by the National Film Board of Canada Presents a visual interpretation of Bach's music by cavorting spheres that multiply and divide, grow larger and… Internet Archive Introduction to contour drawing. 1967 · Educational · 12 min · Subtitles Shows how to use the technique of contour drawing to develop powers of observation. Contour drawing aids in seeing unusual details and also in developing hand… Internet Archive Paddle to the Sea (1966) 1966 · Educational · 28 min Paddle to the Sea (1966) Winsome tale of the little boy who dreams everyone else has vanished. Alone in Copenhagen, Palle does everything a small boy longs to… Internet Archive Three Approaches to Psychotherapy 3: Dr. Donald Meichenbaum 1986 · Educational VHS Same patient is interviewed by three different therapists. In this film Dr. Meichenbaum describes cognitive behavior therapy. Actual interview filmed Internet Archive Radio, racism and foreign policy 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Series producer, Anthony Potter Eric Sevareid Summary Describes how the United States tried to isolate herself after being disillusioned by the horrors of the… Internet Archive DOPE 103 1989 · Film · Subtitles Drug Czar William Bennet meet the press, AIDS and AZT, Washington DC curfew re drugs, Angela Landsbury AIDS Benefit, Lou Reed, McGyver drugs, Moscow on the… Internet Archive A Soviet family 1970 · Educational · 24 min · Subtitles Film advisor, Dr. Wesley A. Fisher Depicts the family life of Ivan, a construction worker; his wife, Antonia, a nursery teacher and their sons, Yura and Kolia… Internet Archive The Very Remarkable Yamato Family, Part 1 1975 · Educational · 28 min · Subtitles Produced by NET Examines many institutions of Japanese life, including the work ethic, group identification, traditional ceremony, the structure of the home,… Internet Archive Stars and Stripes 1943 · Educational A Norman McLaren experiment in film animation, made without a camera by drawing directly on movie film with pen and ink, in which stars and stripes perform… Internet Archive Four views of Caesar 1964 · Educational · 21 min · Subtitles Martin Gabel, Alan Bedel, Peter Donat, Dennis King ; Charles Collingwood, narrator Originally broadcast on the television program Chronicle Summary Shows four… Internet Archive The Devil and Daniel Mouse 1978 · Cartoon An animated fable that demonstrates the importance of being true to yourself and to your friends. A performer, Jan Mouse, deserts her partner, Daniel Mouse,… Internet Archive DOPE 496 2006 · Film · Subtitles Israel, Lebanon, Talking Med bottles, Pluto not a planet. See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Wing to Wing 1951 · Short · 10 min RAF aircraft and their commitment to Western defence through NATO. P1067.Washington B36 Super Fortress. Canberra. Valliant. Vampire Internet Archive Journey Through the Solar System, Episode 1: Our Star The Sun 1982 · Film In episode 1 of Journey Through the Solar System focuses on our sun. Thousands of pictures taken by Skylab astronauts are examined and used to explain the… Internet Archive Megiddo, city of destruction. 1980 · Educational · 28 min · Subtitles Title from data sheet First released in Israel Director, Shira Lindsay; script, Yigael Yadin; photography, Adam Grumberg, Milek Knabel A guided view of… Internet Archive Pas de deux (Motion picture) 1969 · Educational · 13 min Illuminates the grace, beauty, and movement of the classical ballet form through the use of strobe-like or multi-image patterns. Features Margaret Mercier and… Internet Archive From the ocean to the sky. 1980 · Educational · 53 min Records the undertaking of Sir Edmund Hillary, who in 1977 with a party of 19 men in three jet boats, ascended the Ganges River from its mouth to its source.… Internet Archive Mission Bay Railyards 1963 From Lost Landscapes No 1 1963 · Film A brief aerial glimpse of the Mission Bay railyards in 1963. This is a short excerpt from the Prelinger Archives' "Lost Landscapes #1" which was originally… Internet Archive Turning a Sphere Inside Out 1976 · Educational · 22 min Title from data sheet Commentary, Nelson Max, Stephen Smale, Charles Pugh, Judith Bregman Produced as part of the Topology films project Intended audience:… Internet Archive DOPE 067 1988 · Film · Subtitles DOPE 67, March 1988. Crime, Inc Miami-NYC dope, Bay Area drug wars, Koop on IVDU AIDS, Crime Story LSD, Miss USA, John Holmes, Crossfire Koch war on drugs,… Internet Archive Handling marital conflicts 1965 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles Eastman color Correlated with the book Your marriage and family living, by Paul H. Landis Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for… Internet Archive DOPE 014 1986 · Film · Subtitles AIDS, prostitutes, IVDUs crackdown, electrodes for pain, Levy new AIDS theory, condoms 1640 AD, Oliver North, Leary & Liddy, PCP babies, Fats Domino, teen… Internet Archive Redevelopment and ILWU 1974 · Film excerpted from a one-hour documentary called "Redevelopment: A Marxist Analysis", this clip shows the frustration of the retired longshoremen in the Yerba… Internet Archive Indian mainstream. 1980 · Educational · 24 min · Subtitles Director, Indian Mainstream Program Describes a program sponsored by the Department of Labor that was designed to regenerate the Indian culture of the tribes… Internet Archive DOPE 049 1987 · Film · Subtitles Feinstein crackdown on drugs, AIDS priests, Lenny Bruce film, NY AIDS bandit, Reagan wants to ban funds for abortion counseling, 2-1/2 ton coke bust, Rajiv…