Ephemeral films

3,217–3,264 of 19,487 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 “ TRIP TO WHERE ” 1968 US NAVY DRUG SCARE FILM DANGERS OF HALLUCINOGENIC DRUG USE & ABUSE 85814 Film This 1968 film "Trip to Where" was produced by the Petersen Company for the US Navy (MN-10494) and seeks to show the dangers of hallucinogenic drug use and… Internet Archive Boy with a Knife 1955 · Film Drama arguing for more sympathetic treatment of troubled adolescents. A social worker reaches out to Jerry, a disturbed youngster in an unhappy home dominated… Internet Archive Basic Electricity: 3 -- Magnetism 1982 · Educational Consultant, James M. McGrath, Lane Technical High School, Chicago Covers uses of magnetism; kinds of magnets; the magnetic field; demonstration with iron… Internet Archive The Freshman — Part 1 [Motion picture] 1976 · Educational · 31 min CLICK HERE to view part 2 (link). A comedy about the misadventures of a country boy who goes to college and, after many tribulations, saves the day when he… Internet Archive The Eleanor Roosevelt Story 1969 · Educational 35 mm. version released by LRO through Allied Artists With teacher's guide Director, Richard Kaplan; writer, Archibald MacLeish; narrators, Eric Sevareid,… Internet Archive The Hare and the Tortoise 1979 · Educational Title from data sheet Revised version of the motion picture issued in 1947 under the same title Producer, director, and writer, Paul Buchbinder Re-creates… Internet Archive Cassette: Reader's Digest "Till The End of Time" Demonstration Cassette 1990 · 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 Wild Goose Jack 1982 · Educational · 29 min Wild Goose Jack, Reel 1 Reel 2 available here A profile of Jack Miner, once a guide and avid hunter, who became the world's best known conservationist. Search… Internet Archive The Great Mojave Desert 1971 · Educational · 50 min National Geographic represents a study of life on the Mojave Desert and of the people who frequent the area: Basques, miners, desert rats, naturalists, and… Internet Archive Man and Color 1968 · Educational Created for Expo '67 to be shown in the Pavilion of Mirrors, this kaleidoscopic film uses multiple images, light, and motion to dramatize the effect of color… Internet Archive The Photographer 1948 · Educational Narration, Mel Brandt Camera, Benjamin Doniger; edited by Alexander Hammid Written by Ben Maddow, according to Circulating catalog / Museum of Modern Art A… Internet Archive Making that Sale 1952 · Educational · 17 min Making that Sale Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film SummaryMethods of closing difficult sales and the need… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Parent-Teacher Conferences" 1976 · 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 Case of the Disappearing Dirt, The 2003 · Film Summer fun suffers a setback when the tree house detectives discover that their favorite spot on the beach is shrinking. It is "match, set, point" as the… Internet Archive WORLD WAR II PROPAGANDA & COUNTER PROPAGANDA FILM "WAR FOR MEN'S MINDS" 24734 Film Dating to 1943, THE WAR FOR MEN'S MINDS was produced in 1943 by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and released in the USA by United Artists as part of… Internet Archive Drive-in: Coming Attractions BW Film runs only a few seconds. suggestion; insert clip directly before any trailers when creating drive-in dvd. Internet Archive Chaucer's England 1958 · Film Follows Chaucer's pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, telling stories as they ride. Shows some background scenery taken in England. Presents a dramatization… Internet Archive Lunar Mars Exploration 1990 · Film This 10-minute video collage begins with photos from Apollo 17’s mission to the moon. The voice of astronaut Eugene Cernan is heard saying “we leave as we… Internet Archive Dynamic Posture Film Narration is dry, but the visuals are repetitively stunning. Presents a study of dynamic posture in action, in motion and in preparation for motion.… Internet Archive Mom and Dad Can't Hear Me 1978 · Educational A 14-year-old girl who has just moved to a new town is afraid that her friends will reject her if they discover that her parents are deaf Internet Archive Role of the hypothalamus in emotion and behavior 1943 · Educational Research on the stimulation of the hypothalamus in cats. In Part 1, stimulation induces dramatic motor and sympathetic manifestations of "sham rage," but… Internet Archive The Final Frontier 1978 · Educational Explores the scientific prediction that by the year 2177 more people will be living in space than on Earth and examines the promise of space colonization Internet Archive The Lost Generation 1982 · Educational Title from data sheet Intended audience: Adults Issued also as videorecording Presents interviews with survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and… Internet Archive The Owl Who Married a Goose 1974 · Educational Director and animation, Caroline Leaf; adviser, Co Hoedeman; editing, Pierre Lemelin Based on an Eskimo legend on a theme of nature, this imaginary tale done… Internet Archive Documentary Part 3 [motion picture] 1979 · Educational · 55 min Produced and researched by Herman J. Engel and Sonya Friedman A compilation of major sequences from landmark documentaries with brief introductions. Each… Internet Archive Mohammed Reza Pahlavi: Politics of Oil 1979 · Educational Deals with the rise and fall of the Shah of Iran. Tells how he succeeded his father, Reza Shah, in 1941, survived a number of attempts on his life, and was… Internet Archive New Friends 1981 · Cartoon Title from data sheet Based on the book Howard by James Stevenson Animation designed and directed by Diane Goodrich ; produced by Dirk Wales ; music by… Internet Archive Trees For Tomorrow 1941 · Film Discusses the importance of forests as a renewable resource, and emphasizes the scientific management of woodlands and prevention of forest fires. Shows both… Internet Archive The Jolly Corner 1976 · Educational An adaptation of the story of the same title by Henry James Fritz Weaver Executive producer, Robert Geller; director, Arthur Barron Returning to New York… Internet Archive The Dairy Farm (Second Edition) 1963 · Educational We look at a dairy farm. This film isn't in the public domain. The copyright is owned by Phoenix Learning Group, Inc. For information on using footage of this… Internet Archive Nation of Immigrants 1976 · Educational · 53 min Based on the book of the same title by John F. Kennedy Dramatizes the history of immigration to America, telling of the difficult adjustments immigrants had… Internet Archive Path of the Paddle: Solo Basic 1977 · Educational Learning to paddle solo is still fundamental to learning the art of paddling. With the aid of animated lines the path of the paddle is clearly defined so… Internet Archive Thunder The Black Wolf 1992 · Film "Follow the Old Man of the Woods as he watches first hand and up close the every day life of a black timber wolf he's come to call Thunder."-- description… Internet Archive Mapping The Martian World : Mars Observer 1992 · Film The 1992 Mars Observer Mission is highlighted in this video overview of the mission objectives and planning. Using previous photography and computer graphics… Internet Archive Mr. Justice Douglas 1972 · Educational · 51 min Issued in 2 parts Also issued in b&w Producers, Isaac Kleinerman, Burton Benjamin Eric Sevareid interviews Justice William O. Douglas. Topics range from… Internet Archive The Other Side of the Mountain (1964) 1964 · Educational · 29 min The Other Side of the Mountain (1964) Dr. Gary Stollak presents the phenomenological perspective in abnormal psychology by interpreting a case study involving… Internet Archive Siberia: Russia's Frontier 1970 · Educational Pictures Siberia, land of the exiles, and its rapid growth in becoming a highly industrialized land. Focuses on the major manufacturing plants of the city of… Internet Archive Operation Correction 1960 · Film Excerpt from the ACLU's "Operation Correction" in which they took an anti-communist propaganda film paid for by the U.S. gov't. and added a new soundtrack… Internet Archive The Shock Of The New: Landscape Of Pleasure (part 1) Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Art critic Robert Hughes talks about the liberation of color which began in the late 19th century and was amplified by Matisse and Derain as a means of… Internet Archive DOPE 363 2002 · Film · Subtitles Doc can do MMJ, Noni Trial, Convant v. McCaffrey See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism 1976 · Educational Discusses how the British game of cricket has been adapted by the Trobriands Film-maker: Gary Kildea Internet Archive Peasant's Pea Patch 1973 · Educational With guide Based on the Russian folktale of the same title translated by Guy Daniels Presents a Russian folktale about an old peasant who tries to get rid… Internet Archive Media Probes: Photography 1981 · Educational Producer/Director, Mickey Lemle Model Cheryl Tiegs presents this program, focusing on five people who make their livings behind the camera. This program… Internet Archive I Just Don't Dig Him 1970 · Film The generation gap illustrated when father and son learn about each other and their selves during a crisis. This film can be purchased on DVD and higher… Internet Archive U.S. Navy Building Bluejackets 1930 · Short · 9 min Film shows basic physical training of new recruits into the U.S. Navy circa 1930. Location unknown, possibly the Presidio in San Francisco. Internet Archive Small Bodies, Big Impact: Cool Comets 1999 · Film “Cool Comets” looks at the dirty snowballs which turn into the beautiful celestial bodies we can see from Earth. Viewers will go behind the scenes to discover… Internet Archive School 1939 · Film Portrait of a typical day at the progressive Hessian Hills School in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, with narration by the students. The documentary includes… Internet Archive How to Pick Up Girls, Win Arguments, and Influence People 1982 · Educational A presentation with lots of humor of verbal and nonverbal communication methods for succeeding in social and business situations