Ephemeral films

2,593–2,640 of 19,489 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 Gulf War protests 1991 · Film scenes from demonstrations against the 1991 Gulf War in San Francisco. Internet Archive Snort History, A Cartoon · 6 min A partially-animated, humorous short that illustrates how drinking alcohol can impair one's judgement when driving. Animation by Pat Oliphant To license this… Internet Archive Abenaki: The Native People of Maine 1982 · Educational Title from data sheet Intended audience: Junior high school through college students and adults Issued also as videorecording Through personal… Internet Archive The Last Tasmanian Extinction 1980 · Educational Title from data sheet A foreign film (Australia) Intended audience: High school students through adults Issued also as videorecording Tells the story of… Internet Archive Earthwatch: Your Chance To Live 1973 · Film Portrays the earth's three personalities: cold and silent in space, tranquil and benign on the surface, and suddenly violent and devastating in natural and… Internet Archive Introduction to drawing materials. [Motion picture] 1966 · Educational · 18 min Explains that drawing can express what one sees, knows, and feels; discusses the effects and special qualities of different kinds of drawing materials… Internet Archive Israel and the Arab States 1978 · Educational This film is about the setting up of the State of Israel, the Arab response, and the resulting dispute over the territory once known as Palestine. It covers… Internet Archive Closed Mondays 1974 · Cartoon Uses clay animation in presenting a story about a wino who wanders into an art museum where the art objects cause him to have visions Internet Archive Fusion: The Energy Promise 1974 · Educational · 57 min Also issued as videocassette Narrator, David Rose Traces the history of the international race to develop a way of making fusion an economically viable… Internet Archive Bernstein on Beethoven: Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony 1971 · Educational · 26 min Kinescope Presents the Ode to joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, performed by the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by… Internet Archive Dr Leakey and the Dawn of Man (1966) 1967 · Educational · 26 min Dr Leakey and the Dawn of Man (1966) Uses actual photographs and movies to depict events in the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower, following his military career… Internet Archive The Mosses: simple land plants 1965 · Educational · 13 min With guide Advisers, DeWolfe Merriam, Gary L. Smith Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary Describes… Internet Archive The Peripheral Nervous System 1977 · Educational Title from data sheet Also issued as videorecording First released in England in 1973 Adviser, A. J. Brosby-Browne Explains the components of the spinal… Internet Archive Interpreting test scores realistically. 1961 · Educational · 17 min · Subtitles Dr. Scarvin B. Anderson discusses two guiding principles in test interpretation--any test score is only an estimate of a student's ability, and percentiles… Internet Archive Tennis: basic tactics for doubles 1968 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Describes and demonstrates such tennis strategies as how to move on a court with a partner in relation to where the ball is served, how to react to offensive… Internet Archive The Skeleton 1953 · Film Animated sequences are used in presenting a discussion of the development and functions of various bones which form the human body and explaining how food and… Internet Archive Ways To Better Conversation 1950 · Film Likens a good conversation to a volleyball game. Considers the requirements of a good conversation-courtesy, contributing, following the subject and careful… Internet Archive A City Decides 1956 · Film Documentary, with some dramatized sequences, covering the racial integration of St. Louis public schools after the 1954 Brown decision. William J. Sloan… Internet Archive Living And Working Spaces 1958 · Short · 19 min Details what the medical crew needs to look for when inspecting living and working spaces on a ship. To license this film and get a higher quality version for… Internet Archive "Frog and Toad": Behind the Scenes 1985 · Educational Title from data sheet General Shows how the animation in the award-winning film Frog and Toad are friends was achieved. Demonstrates how the characters were… Internet Archive Henry's Busted Romance 1922 · Film Animated tale, inspired by Aesop, in which a tomcat falls for Mademoiselle Kittie. Preserved in collaboration with the New Zealand Film Archive and the… Internet Archive Good Eating Habits 1951 · Film This Coronet cautionary tale attacks excess in customary Fifties fashion, focusing on gluttony. Bill sits down to dinner with an aching stomach because he's… Internet Archive Seals Stadium Rodeo 1950s LLSF 2016 20 Mbps 1 1950 · Film from "Lost Landscapes 11, 2016" courtesy Prelinger Archives Footage shot in and around Seals Stadium, apparently of a rodeo that was staged there at the time,… Internet Archive Life In Old Louisana Short · 10 min Depicts the culture of old Louisiana, including such aspects as slavery on cotton and cane plantations, the prevailing French language, Mississippi River… Internet Archive The Heart of the Dragon: 10 -- Mediating 1984 · Educational · Subtitles VHS format "The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Library Video Classics Project." Videocassette release of the 1984 production Narrator, Anthony… Internet Archive Do We Really Need the Rockies? [motion picture] 1980 · Educational · 30 min Reel 2 available here Produced by WGBH for the Nova series Investigates the pros and cons of shale oil production in the western Rocky Mountains. States that… Internet Archive Interpersonal Process Recall: Inquirer Role and Function 1974 · Educational · 49 min Tradition methods of supervision are contrasted with interpersonal process recall methods. Conceptual material is presented along with a series of practice… Internet Archive The Possum That Didn't 1972 · Cartoon With study guide Based on the book of the same title written and illustrated by Frank Tashlin An animated film in which littering busybodies from the city… Internet Archive DOPE 307 1999 · Film · Subtitles Peter Tosh, Mayoral Debates, Dawn Passar, Seattle Riots. See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Among Your Souvenirs 1967 · Film Portrays the menace foreign plant and animal pests present to U S Agriculture and Public Health. Shows how tourists unwittingly bring serious foreign pests… Internet Archive Himeji Castle 1972 · Educational · Subtitles A tour of Himeji Castle, also known as the Snowy Heron Castle, illustrates Japanese feudal architecture during the Middle Ages. Traces the development of… Internet Archive Aeronautics - Flying Machines 1978 · Film Presents the story of powered flight in America, with special emphasis on the current state of aviation and future research plans. Also describes the National… Internet Archive Taking Back Detroit 1980 · Educational Participants: Kenneth Cockrel, Justin Ravitz, Sheila Murphy Also available as videocassette A film depiction of Detroit, the only major American city with… Internet Archive DOPE 378 2002 · Film · Subtitles Ed Rosenthal Trial, Marijuana Logs, WAMM bust See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Hamburger Ad 1 (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Commercial Category: Drive-In Movie Ads Title: Hamburger Ad 1 (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Length- :09 Sound: Yes Color Description: Shot of a hamburger and then a kid… Internet Archive We Learn About The Telephone 1965 · Film Tells the history of communications, from smoke signals to telephones This film can be purchased on DVD and higher quality versions of the film can be… Internet Archive DNA: Molecule of Heredity 1961 · Educational With teacher's guide Dr. George W. Beadle of the California Institute of Technology explains, with the help of photomicrography, animation models, and live… Internet Archive Games people play : the practice. [Motion picture] 1967 · Educational · 28 min Continues an interview with Dr. Eric Berne on transactional analysis during which he explains his use of the terms game, script and the others. Presents a… Internet Archive Discovering Creative Pattern 1984 · Educational Explains that pattern is visual organization, that it is designed repetition of one or more motifs, and that it enriches surfaces by leading the eye from part… Internet Archive The Joy That Kills 1984 · Educational · 32 min Title from data sheet Francis Conroy, Jeffrey De Munn Adapted from the short story: The story of an hour / Kate Chopin Ages 14 through adult A drama about… Internet Archive Poland: Communism's New Look 1965 · Educational · 58 min Produced by NET Surveys the many facets of modern Polish life. Traces Poland's history from World War II to the mid-1960's, contrasts life in Warsaw with… Internet Archive Circulation 1950 · Educational · 16 min Circulation Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Describes the excitement and drama of circus day, showing… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "While You Can" 1973 · 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 Civilisation: 3 -- Romance and Reality 1969 · Educational -----Another issue. 35 mm Writer and narrator, Kenneth Clark Surveys the development of western civilization during the 13th century. Depicts a world of… Internet Archive Jean the Match-maker 1910 · Film Charming one-reeler in which the family dog steps in to serve as matchmaker for two shy brothers. Preserved in collaboration with the New Zealand Film Archive… Internet Archive Seven Arts 1958 · Educational · 11 min Ion Popescu-Gopo's animated short subject ȘAPTE ARTE (THE SEVEN ARTS) was created in Romania, and released in 1958. This print was published in 1972. Of the… Internet Archive "E" Is for Energy 1979 · Educational An animated film which focuses on electrical, solar, and nuclear energies and shows how they are produced and used. For elementary grades This film isn't in… Internet Archive The Big Show 1926 · Film Only surviving fiction film made by the Oklahoma-based Wild West Show managed by the Miller Brothers. Preserved in collaboration with the New Zealand Film…