Ephemeral films

1,681–1,728 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 The Muscle spindle 1970 · Educational · 18 min · Subtitles Credits: Writer, Ian A. Boyd; editor, Michael Packard Shows how the electrical impulses produced by movement and tension of a muscle are transmitted to and… Internet Archive People of the Cumberland 1937 · Film Documentary celebrating the work of the Highlander Folk School, a progressive adult education center founded in 1932 in the mountain community of Monteagle,… Internet Archive The Farming of Fish 1977 · Educational · 58 min Coastal communities and life in Norway; shows how aquaculture has changed the economic situation Internet Archive Let's Talk American English Course B 1992 · Talk "LET'S TALK is a specifically designed video course for learning advanced conversational and colloquial English quickly and easily. The series of nine… Internet Archive Cassette: "Classical Loon II" 1992 · Film SEEKING SOUND FILMSTRIPS FOR PRESERVATION. Sound filmstrip was a 35mm film-based still image educational media format used in schools and industry. I am the… Internet Archive Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad 1964 · Educational · 25 min Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Reel 2 Reel 1 available here Discusses the Underground Railroad, emphasizing the role of Harriet Tubman in the… Internet Archive Piaget's Developmental Theory: An Overview 1989 · Educational David Elkind Presents current developmental psychological theories as interviews are conducted with children of varying ages Music, Thad Davidson Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Marriage Requires Adjustments" 1960 · 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 Arrow to the Sun 1963 · Educational Based on a folktale from the Acoma Pueblo Native Americans of the southwest, this beautifully animated film tells the story of a mysterious boy's search for… Internet Archive DOPE 274 1997 · Film · Subtitles Deneuve smoke Opium, A&E Prohibition, Elvis meets Nixon, Princess Diana dead, Mother Teresa, HBO "Flashback", PEP Study, Science Fiction. See scans of liner… Internet Archive Romantic vs. Classic Art: The Romantic Rebellion 1974 · Educational · 27 min Kenneth Clark studies the rich and turbulent world of 18th- and early 19th-century art--the romantic movement. Classicists Jacques Louis David and Jean… Internet Archive Watch Mr Wizard Short · 26 min A promotional film for the TV show Watch Mr Wizard (starring Don Herbert as Mr Wizard) sponsored by the Cereal Institute. To license this film and get a… Internet Archive Once Upon a Honeymoon 1956 · Film Glossy musical made to promote color “decorator” telephones. The short tells the story of newlyweds whose honeymoon must be delayed until the husband… Internet Archive On Death and Dying 1974 · Educational Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross discusses her experiences in helping terminally ill patients who are facing death without fear Internet Archive SF Airport 1941 And Clipper Cove From Lost Landscapes No 1 1941 · Film from Lost Landscapes #1, 2007, courtesy Prelinger Archives footage from 1941 at SFO when there had been less than 100,000 commercial air passengers, followed… Internet Archive " THE DECISION TO DROP THE BOMB " 1965 DOCUMENTARY w/ CHET HUNTLEY HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMB 90984 Documentary Dating to 1965, this documentary film "The Decision to Drop the Bomb" takes a look at the most difficult decision in President Harry Truman's term in office:… Internet Archive Frances and Her Rabbit 1961 · Film Shows a girl who draws a picture with her rabbit's help. To license this film and get a higher quality version for broadcast/film purposes, contact A/V Geeks… Internet Archive In Search of the Soul 1972 · Educational · 31 min Writer and narrator, Laurens Van der Post Examines the childhood and student years of Carl Gustav Jung, and traces his relationship and break with Sigmund… Internet Archive Butterflies 1990 · Educational · 52 min · Subtitles This film uses colorful close-up and time-lapse photography to teach students about butterflies Internet Archive Japan Surrenders 1945 · Newsreel · 10 min This short newsreel, produced for the home market, shows the final events of World War II, including the development and testing of the atomic bomb, the… Internet Archive Hidden San Francisco Stop E 4 Laguna Dolores 2020 · Film In February 2020, Pluto Press published Hidden San Francisco: A Guide to Lost Landscapes, Unsung Heroes, and Radical Histories by Chris Carlsson. This video… Internet Archive Where Did the Colorado Go? 1976 · Educational Also issued as videocassette Discusses the problems that have resulted from man's interference in the natural flow of the Colorado River and examines… Internet Archive Drive In Intermission 11 Short · 13 min Time to go to the snack bar for some candy and popcorn. Complete intermission film. Suggestion: insert clip between two movies when making your double feature… Internet Archive John Ross on the 1966 Armory Riot 2007 · Film Revolutionary and journalist John Ross describes the efforts of Mission Rebels and militants of the Progressive Labor Party to blockade the Mission Armory in… Internet Archive DOPE 131 1989 · Film · Subtitles Singapore heroin, World Series, Lost Inca Cities, Nixon resigns, crack kids, Bush speech to kids, DC war Internet Archive DOPE 034 1987 · Film · Subtitles Len Bias coke, Animal House, Fabulous Sixties, 1965, Youth gangs, Teens & Drugs, AIDS & Privacy, Nepal living goddess See scans of liner notes for detailed… Internet Archive Safety in the home 1965 · Educational · 11 min · Subtitles With teacher's guide Another issue. b&w Collaborator, Vivian Weedon Prescribes a course of action to follow in order to prevent accidents in the home.… Internet Archive Redbook Pregnancy Workout 1993 · Film "Safe and effective exercises to keep you fit while you're expecting"-- description from box. Internet Archive How To Judge Authorities 1948 · Film Explains how to judge an authority by considering his evidence, his experience and the validity of his decisions. Explains that authorities can differ. This… Internet Archive Antonio Gaudi 1964 · Educational · 26 min Presents the major architectural achievements of Gaudi and his integration with early Gothic 'art nouveau' breakthroughs. Explains his theories of organic… Internet Archive Physics of Toys In Space 1993 · Film (January 15, 1993) The astronauts on STS-54 conduct experiments with physics and toys on their shuttle mission. The crew members interact and take questions… Internet Archive Kashia Men's Dances:Southwestern Pomo Indians 1963 · Educational · 38 min Kashia Men's Dances:Southwestern Pomo Indians Kathak is a storytelling dance of North India that uses stylized gestures and facial expressions. This film… Internet Archive I Live In Hawaii 1960 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles We spend a day with Randy Akiona, his family, and classmates. Through Randy's eyes we see modern Hawaii--its homes, shopping centers, industry, and schools.… Internet Archive Collective Behavior Civil Disturbances, Part 1 1975 · Film Examples what turns civil demonstrations into civil disturbances and eventually riots and violent action. To license this film and get a higher quality… Internet Archive A Joking relationship [motion picture] 1966 · Educational · 12 min The joking relationship is an important part of institutionalized kinship behavior among the!Kung Bushman Search Educational Film Journals at Media History… Internet Archive Bacteria 1980 · Educational With teacher's guide Uses photomicrography and laboratory demonstrations to show the basic characteristics of bacteria, including their structures, ways of… Internet Archive "SEVEN SIRENS" 1950s GIRLIE SHORTS w/ MARILYN MONROE & THE BLUE BOOK MODELS BIKINIS XD7898 Film In 1946, a young filmmaker named Leo Caloia shot 16mm film footage of the "Blue Book Models" -- a group of starlets who posed in fashion shows at the… Internet Archive The Road Is Open Again 7 Mins 1933 · Film 1933, 7 minutes A Songwriter falls asleep while writing a song about the NRA. He dreams that Washington, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt appear in his room asking… Internet Archive The Tigris Expedition 1979 · Educational Follows explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his crew as they sail their bardi reed boat, the Tigris, over routes believed to have been followed by Sumerian traders… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "The Story of Prospector Pete" 1957 · 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 Focus on the '50s 1981 · Educational Title from data sheet Intended audience: Junior high school students through adults Issued also as videorecording Uses archival photographs, sound… Internet Archive Tanzania: progress through self-reliance 1969 · Educational · 21 min · Subtitles Also known under the title Tanzania self reliance: the key to progress Edited version of the motion picture entitled Tanzania chooses her own way Search… Internet Archive " THE GREAT WAR " 1956 WORLD WAR 1 DOCUMENTARY FILM WWI 1914-1918 29554 Documentary This 1956 film about World War I was produced by NBC as part of the "Project Twenty" series. The music was written by Robert Russell Bennett and narrated by… Internet Archive Aggression: The Explosive Emotion 1976 · Educational · 59 min Aggression: The Explosive Emotion Through the use of hand puppets in play therapy, a psychiatrist discovers why six-year-old Philip is always in trouble at… Internet Archive The Young Vote: Power, Politics, and Participation. 1972 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles With study guide Raises questions about attitudes and values relating to voting, politics, and the democratic process itself by examining the young voter as… Internet Archive More Than Meets the Eye 1952 · Film Film sponsored by the radio network to assert the continued relevance of radio advertising at a time when television was emerging as a major broadcast medium.… Internet Archive The DNA Story 1973 · Educational Narrator, Paul Vaughan Film editor, Peter Delfgou Concentrates upon the role of chemistry and physics in finding the structure of DNA; it thereby sets the… Internet Archive DOPE 031 1987 · Film · Subtitles Monterey Pop, AIDS Outreach Workers, AIDS tests, STML, Chicago 8 trial (Abby mentions George Washington) See scans of liner notes for detailed content.