Ephemeral films

3,409–3,456 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 Hi Cat! 1989 · Educational Brandon Adams, Vaughn Jelks Editor, Nancy Robinson Archie's day would have been great if he hadn't started it by greeting the new cat on the block Internet Archive Perception and Communication (1967) 1967 · Educational · 32 min Gives concrete examples of how human perceptions affect the communication process and the individual's concept of reality, introduces two major theories of… Internet Archive A Sense of Touch 1985 · Educational CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STUDY GUIDE FOR THIS FILM Soapsuds, yellow bananas, soft grass. . . dozens of changing images show how children respond to touch. The… Internet Archive Battle of Britain 1943 · Educational Documentary film record of the bombing of England by the German Luftwaffe in 1940, and of the defense by the Royal Air Force Produced by Lt. Col. Frank Capra… Internet Archive It's Grits 1978 · Educational CREDITS: Director, Stanley Woodward SUMMARY: Presents interviews at shopping centers, business offices, and street corners in the South and in New York City… Internet Archive Intermission 4b Circus (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Commercial Category: Drive-In Movie Ads Title: Intermission 4b Circus (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Length- :53 Sound: Yes Color Description: This is apparently part 2 of an… Internet Archive Free to Choose: 1 -- The Power of the Market, Part 2 1979 · Educational Features a discussion among Milton Friedman and guests. Participants include Michael Harrington of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, Motorolo… Internet Archive The Christmas Tree 1975 · Educational Presents a traditional Ukrainian folktale about a boy whose faith brings a visit from St. Nicholas and a regained Christmas tree Internet Archive " NUCLEAR RADIATION FALLOUT " 1961 CIVIL DEFENSE FILM ATMOSPHERIC NUCLEAR BOMB TESTS 24792 Film Created by Cenco in 1961, this film discusses radioactive fallout and describes the types of radiation involved, how such radiation spreads, and how it… Internet Archive First Breath Cradle In The Sea 1996 · Film "Spotted Dolphin - Born into a world of crystal clear water, the spotted dolphin is welcomed by excited relatives...Sea Otter - The baby sea otter is born in… Internet Archive NASA CONNECT: Virtual Earth 2003 · Film (October 16, 2003) In NASA CONNECT’s Virtual Earth, students are introduced to Earth system science. In the 30-minute video, they learn what a system is and… Internet Archive Watercolor Painting: Working from Sketches with Louis J. Kaep 1973 · Educational · 19 min With study guide Artist Louis Kaep shows the progress of one of his pictures, a study of a Chinese sampan, from pencil drawings to finished watercolor Internet Archive J.T. 1970 · Educational · 28 min J. T. Reel 1 Reel 2 available here A dramatization in which, through his devotion to an old wounded alley cat, a lonely boy learns what is real and important… Internet Archive One Lousy Second 1980 · Film The focus is on the bus driver and his need for continuous and absolute concentration. There is emphasis on the potential disaster that is always lurking and… Internet Archive "NATURALLY A GIRL" 1973 JOHNSON & JOHNSON FEMININE HYGIENE & PRODUCTS PROMOTIONAL FILM XD12394 Film This color educational film is about the feminine products from Personal Products Company, an affiliate of Johnson & Johnson. It also teaches girls 9-16 about… Internet Archive The Theatre: One of the Humanities 1959 · Educational · 30 min The Theatre: One of the Humanities Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film A comprehensive report of… Internet Archive This is Robert 1942 · Educational · 45 min This is Robert A drama of the Civil War. Two Union soldiers and a Confederate soldier, facing each other at a battle front, agree on an hour's truce during… Internet Archive John Knox On Noe Valley 1970s 2009 · Film John Knox, Executive Director of the Earth Island Institute in Berkeley, has been a resident of Noe Valley since the early 1970s. Here he describes some early… Internet Archive Christians: 1 -- A Peculiar People 1976 · Educational First released in England Traces the growth of Christianity from its earliest beginnings to the time the Christians ceased to be a secret, persecuted sect Internet Archive Safety: Total Loss Control 1972 · Educational Points out that industry must direct its accident prevention efforts toward all incidents which might eventually lead to injury of employees. Notes that fire… Internet Archive Ships and Seafaring: Greece 478-336 B.C. 1979 · Educational VHS Produced by Mary Hoskins and the BBC for the British Open University Considers the role of water transport in ancient Greece for both trade and naval… Internet Archive Chick, Chick, Chick 1975 · Educational With teacher's guide Shows the life of a young chick and its mother hen in a barnyard. Follows the chick as it explores its world of the barnyard, including… Internet Archive The Magna Carta, Part 2 [motion picture] : Revolt of the nobles and the signing of the Magna carta 1959 · Educational · 15 min Another issue. b&w Collaborator, Lacey Baldwin Smith Explains that during the reigns of strong kings, the Crown had tremendous power, but when a weak king… Internet Archive Men and Dust 1940 · Film Documentary sponsored by a labor advocacy group to draw attention to the industrial diseases plaguing zinc and lead miners in the tristate region of Kansas,… Internet Archive Old Produce Market 1930s LLSF 2016 20 Mbps 1 1939 · Film from "Lost Landscapes 11" courtesy Prelinger Archives. It begins with a drive up Washington to Davis Street through the old Produce Market in the 1950s,… Internet Archive Algebra : mirror, mirror on the universe 2000 · Film Students will learn how algebra is used to explore the universe, using math concepts of estimation, expressions and solving equations and word problems. To… Internet Archive Obesity: Psychosomatic Conditions 1970 · Educational · 27 min Obesity: Psychosomatic Conditions Lesson no. 1 on Oedipus the King, by Sophocles. Bernard Knox presents a brief background of Greece at the time of Sophocles,… Internet Archive A Better West Virginia 1937 1937 · Film On Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects in West Virginia. The Tri-County Airport at Clarksburg is graded. Streets in Morgantown are repaired. Shows… Internet Archive Market Street 12th To 6th C 1940s LLSF 2016 20 Mbps 1 1940 · Film A trip down Market Street in the 1940s from approximately 12th Street, driving east across Van Ness, past 11th Street and 10th Street where the Merchandise… Internet Archive Structural Fire Attack 1978 · Educational Also issued as super 8 mm. reel and super 8 mm. cassette, and as videorecording Philip Courter, Gay Courter, Jim Trevorrow, Sally Trevorrow Relates fire… Internet Archive The AIDS Movie 1986 · Educational Title from data sheet Host: David Brumbach Camera, Chris Li, Tom Kaufman, George Voellmer ; editor, Judy Herbert ; music, Zenon Ages 14 through adults… Internet Archive The Coleman Report 1968 · Educational Based on a report prepared for the U.S. Office of Education Dr. Coleman's findings indicate that quality education for disadvantaged children rests on the… Internet Archive Butterfly With Four Birthdays 1965 · Educational · 25 min One of the A/V Geek's favorite filmmakers, Sid Laverents, makes an educational film about the life cycle of the butterfly. Internet Archive John Denver's Rocky Mountain Reunion 1979 · Educational Director and producer, Mark J. Stouffer Entertainer John Denver takes command of a modern-day Noah's Ark as he ventures deep into the mountains to release… Internet Archive Modelling Pollution 1977 · Educational · 26 min Produced by the BBC for the British Open University Shows the use of mathematical modelling to solve the problem of pollution in the River Thames during the… Internet Archive Two Soldiers 1985 · Educational Based on the short story by William Faulkner Director, Christopher LaPalm When his older brother Pete joins the war effort after the bombing of Pearl… Internet Archive Young Men on the Go Film A hip 1960s look at the Demolay organization for young men. Contact footage@avgeeks.com for more information. Contact footage@avgeeks.com for more information. Internet Archive Carlo Middione In Ashbury Heights 1968 1992 2015 · Film Carlo Middione describes living in the Upper Haight when it was still red-lined by local banks, insurers, and real estate companies. Internet Archive Waffles 1986 · Educational Title from data sheet Camera, John Schindel ; editor, Suzanne Jasper ; music, Ernest Troost Primary and intermediate grade children Designed to entertain… Internet Archive Daguerre: Ou la Naissance de la Photographie 1971 · Educational · 27 min Titre de la version anglaise: Daguerre : the birth of photography Documentaire sur l'inventeur français Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. Présentation du… Internet Archive Clip From PHANTOM LIMB 2015 · Film This is a short movie clip of Jay Rosenblatt's film Phantom Limb . Used by permission and courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt. Internet Archive Experimental Studies in Social Climates of Groups 1953 · Film Illustrates the behavior of boys organized in clubs, each of which is run either on democratic principles, an autocratic principles, or as a laissez-faire… Internet Archive Home to Stay 1977 · Educational Originally aired as an ABC Afterschool Special Henry Fonda, Kristen Vigard Story about a spirited farmer who has suffered a stroke and his granddaughter,… Internet Archive An Easter “Lily” 1914 · Film Fragment from a drama about the friendship between a white boy and the daughter of his family’s African American servant. Preserved in collaboration with the… Internet Archive Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Facts, Part B 1975 · Film The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was the first human spaceflight mission conducted jointly by two nations. A Russian Soyuz launched on July 15, 1975,… Internet Archive Insect Life Cycle: The Periodical Cicada 1975 · Educational Follows the visible phases of the life cycles of the periodical cicada, showing the emergence, transformation, and hatching of this unusual insect Internet Archive The Dingles 1990 · Educational Based on: The Dingles / Helen Levchuk ; illustrated by John Bianchi A warm animated film about a caring, grandmotherly figure, Doris Dingle, and her three… Internet Archive 25 Years of Progress, Episode 4: Preparing for the Moon 1983 · Film Part of the 25 Years of Progress series produced by Lewis Research Center. To license this film and get a higher quality version for broadcast/film purposes,…