Ephemeral films

1,777–1,824 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 DOPE 303 1999 · Film · Subtitles Peter Tosh, Mayoral Debates, Dawn Passar, Seattle Riots, Judy Appel, Homeless, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Drive In Intermission 16 Short · 4 min Time to make a trip to the snack bar. Suggestion: insert clip between two movies when making a double feature dvd. A complete intermission film. Internet Archive 1776 1965 · Educational Produced by ABC A re-creation of the events of 1776 that launched a world revolution. Filmed at Lexington, Concord, Boston, Philadelphia, and Williamsburg,… Internet Archive Our Weather 1955 · Film Shows how weather affects our lives, what causes the weather and how weather conditions are measured and forecast. To license this film and get a higher… Internet Archive Three Approaches to Psychotherapy 2: Dr. Arnold Lazarus, Multimodal Behavior Therapy 1977 · Educational Same patient is interviewed by three different therapists. In this film Dr. Lazarus describes multimodal therapy. Actual interview filmed Internet Archive Kim Phuc 1984 · Educational · 26 min Title from data sheet A foreign film (Netherlands) Intended audience: Adults Issued also as videorecording Focuses on Kim Phuc, who, as a small girl in… Internet Archive Memories From Eden 1978 · Educational · 58 min Memories From Eden Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary Explains how zoos are involved in breeding… Internet Archive Carlo Middione On Redevelopment ILWU And Black Churches 2015 · Film Former Redevelopment official Carlo Middione describes his views on the relationship between the Redevelopment Agency, the International Longshore and… Internet Archive Cloud in the Sky (Spanish version) 1939 · Educational · 19 min This film courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). DIRECTOR: Edgar Ulmer. SPONSOR: National Tuberculosis Association. CAMERA: J.… Internet Archive Human And Animal Beginnings 1966 · Film Presents in simple fashion the basic concepts of the family and reproduction. This film can be purchased on DVD and higher quality versions of the film can be… Internet Archive Document of the Dead [motion picture] 1979 · Educational · 37 min Producer, director, writer, Roy Frumkes; photographer, Reeves Lehman Susan Tyrrell An impressionistic but systematic look (from pre production to… Internet Archive Dinosaurs: A First Film 1978 · Educational Animated films shows how dinosaurs evolved, lived, and then disappeared. Also depicts the variety of dinosaurs Internet Archive Those who care. 1970 · Educational · 19 min · Subtitles Discusses the role of the National Education Association. Looks at individuals and teacher associates that have been aided by NEA on issues such as right of… Internet Archive Canon 1965 · Educational Produced by Norman McLaren, Grant Munro, and Eldon Rathburn for the National Film Board of Canada Presents a visual definition of the musical form, the… Internet Archive Barbary Coast C 1930s W Purcells LLSF 2012 1930 · Film Images of derelict establishments along Pacific Avenue on the Barbary Coast, c. 1930s, ending with a rare image of Purcell's, a well-known African American… Internet Archive The Sea Behind the Dunes 1980 · Educational · 58 min Title from data sheet Intended audience: Senior high school students through adults Issued also as videorecording Combines symphonic music, detailed nature… Internet Archive Jackie Chan Martial Arts Mayhem Film · Subtitles "an aural and visual assault"-- description from box. Internet Archive Magritte: The False Mirror 1970 · Educational Director, David Sylvester; words by E.L.T. Mesens, Louis Scutenarie, Rene Magritte; spoken by E.L.T. Mesens, Andrew Forge, Robin Campbell; music, Johannes… Internet Archive Works of calder 1950 · Educational · 20 min Works of calder SummaryInterprets Calder's mobiles. Rhythm./al sequences suggest parallels between familiar forms and movements in nature and the movements of… Internet Archive Mastery of Space, The Film Traces the development of the United States man-in-space program Project Mercury, showing scenes of the flight of Freedom 7 and the orbital flight of… Internet Archive The Inheritance 1964 · Film Documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America by outlining the improvements the union has won for clothing… Internet Archive The Fabric of Life 1981 · Educational · 25 min The Fabric of Life A documentary inspired by a photographic exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Depicts the working day of a Polish… Internet Archive Becket 1970 · Educational Excerpts from Paramount's 1964 motion picture of the same title; prepared for educational use on the initiative of the American Historical Association… Internet Archive The Ascent of Man: 13 -- The Long Childhood 1974 · Educational Also issued as videotape Producer and director, Adrian Malone ; writer and narrator, Jacob Bronowski In this closing film Dr. Bronowski draws together the… Internet Archive Paracelsus 1966 · Educational · 29 min Paracelcus The most common variety of schizophrenia is characterized by delusions of persecution. Story of a man who believes that everyone is part of a vast… Internet Archive Russia in World War I 1969 · Educational Covers the Russian declaration of war on Germany in the First World War, a major defeat of Russia in its first battle, and the "no surrender" policy of the… Internet Archive Very Special Man, A 1968 · Film Shows the importance of electronics to the Navy and opportunities available for recruits in advanced electronics. Plus the chicks dig it! Plenty of shots of… Internet Archive The World of Mother Teresa [motion picture] 1981 · Educational · 58 min Title from data sheet Intended audience: Ages 14 through adult Issued also as videorecording Opening with scenes of Mother Teresa being awarded the Nobel… Internet Archive C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands [motion picture] 1986 · Educational · 36 min Cataloged from contributor's data Clair Bloom, Joss Acklin Ages 16 through adult Dramatizes the loving relationship that developed between bachelor,… Internet Archive DOPE 460 2004 · Film · Subtitles Elvis drugs, pot clubs, gay marriage, Reefer Madness Bush on pot, Miles Davis, steroids, Angel Raich, Coltrane, Coleman. See scans of liner notes for detailed… Internet Archive Manos a la Obra: The Story of Operation Bootstrap 1983 · Educational · 1 h Title from data sheet Intended audience: Secondary through college students and adults Issued also in Spanish Issued also as videorecording A documentary… Internet Archive Julie Andrews ; Sings Her Favorite Songs 1989 · Film " Join Julie Andrews in a live concert evening of the songs she made famous on the stage and in motion pictures as well as those songs which she loves. This… Internet Archive Drive-in intermission Film It's intermission time. Hurry over to the snack bar for a treat. Suggestion: insert clip between two movies when creating your doule feature dvd. Internet Archive "A" 1965 · Cartoon A man is tormented by the letter "A". According to director Lenica, "It is a very simple film, with only one man and one letter in one set design. It is about… Internet Archive DOPE 489 2006 · Film · Subtitles EFF lawsuit against ATT, No Bonds 714, Mexican border fence, "Site 300." See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive The Monarch Butterfly Story 1967 · Educational Second edition Collaborator, F.A. Urquhart Traces the life cycle of the monarch butterfly from egg, through larva and chrysalis to imago. Show in detail its… Internet Archive SRO (single room occupancy). 1973 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Shows occupants in a welfare hotel as they comment on the hopelessness and poverty of their lives Internet Archive Slide Rule - Proportion, Percentage, Squares And Square Roots 1944 · Film Shows how to use the slide rule to calculate squares, square roots, proportions and percentages. This film can be purchased on DVD and higher quality versions… Internet Archive Survival Under Atomic Attack 1951 · Educational Explains the dangers of the atomic bomb, the effects of radiation and what the individual should do to protect himself if caught in the open or in his home.… Internet Archive Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin' 1984 · Educational Producer, director, Jim Brown; host, Arlo Guthrie This documentary, hosted by Arlo Guthrie, presents the songs and writings of Woody Guthrie and traces the… Internet Archive Great Railway Journeys of the World: The Long Straight 1981 · Educational · 32 min · Subtitles Great Railway Journeys of the World: The Long Straight Reel 1 Reel 2 available here Playwright and journalist Michael Frayn journeys by train across Australia… Internet Archive War comes at Pearl Harbor. 1978 · Educational · 26 min Title on film can: War comes to Pearl Harbor Producer and writer, Anthony Potter; narrator, Eric Sevareid Presents a documentary on the events leading to… Internet Archive DOPE 283 1998 · Film · Subtitles Reuter on Drug War, Dennis Miller, Olympics Pot Test, No Fed $ Needle Exchange, Viagra, Clinton, Monica Lewinsky, Cannabis Club stays open See scans of liner… Internet Archive Tai Chi for Seniors 1993 · Film "Special exercises that may relieve symptoms, increase your strength and endurance" -- description from box. Internet Archive Across Five Aprils: A Time to Choose 1990 · Educational This is part one of a two part program. Part two, War and Hope, can be viewed here (LINK). Based on the novel by Irene Hunt Internet Archive Hidden San Francisco Stop T 1 Mission Plank Road 2020 · Film n February 2020, Pluto Press published Hidden San Francisco: The Guide to Lost Landscapes, Unsung Heroes, and Radical Histories by Chris Carlsson. This video… Internet Archive DOPE 154 1990 · Film · Subtitles Rollins' habit, Velvet Underground, Tequila Sunrise, Schmoke(8-20-90). See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Great Sea Farm 1971 · Educational · 8 min · Subtitles " Shows vital operations performed by mariculturists in their closed-loop sea farm systems. Includes farm-controlled life cycles of the shrimp, sea trout, and…