Ephemeral films

337–384 of 19,488 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 Bay Bridge from the water 1994 · Film Footage shot from a canoe ride under the Bay Bridge takes a look back at the San Francisco waterfront from under the bridge. Internet Archive Oedipus Rex: 1-- The Age of Sophocles 1959 · Educational · 29 min Oedipus Rex: 1-- The Age of Sophocles SummaryPresents a discussion by Bernard Knox on the customs, culture and philosophy of the ancient Greeks. Explains the… Internet Archive The Long Search: 11 -- Taoism: A Question of Balance 1978 · Educational · 53 min · Subtitles Also issued as videocassette Producer, Peter Montagnon; narrator, Ronald Eyre Examines the different types of religious beliefs that make up the spiritual… Internet Archive Critical Mass police attack 1997 · Film footage of the chaotic July 1997 ride in which Mayor Brown unleashed the police to attack bicyclists. Internet Archive Introducing the mentally retarded 1964 · Educational · 22 min · Subtitles An introduction to mental retardation. Discusses types and levels of retardation, the education and training of the retarded child, and the importance of… Internet Archive The Day the Universe Changed: 6 - The Factor and Marketplace Rrevolution 1985 · Educational · 54 min VHS Written and presented by James Burke; produced by the BBC and RKO Pictures Locates the origins of contemporary consumer society in the English… Internet Archive Thomas Fleming on 1966 Hunter's Point Riot 1999 · Film Former editor of San Francisco Sun Reporter, Thomas Fleming, gives his account of the 1966 Hunter's Point Riot, which led to three days of martial law in some… Internet Archive Our Totem is the Raven 1971 · Educational · 21 min Dramatizes the ordeal of an Indian boy in his endurance and ritual ascent to manhood. Shows how Indian customs clash with twentieth-century values, by giving… Internet Archive Embarcadero Freeway Entry 1957 1957 · Film From the Prelinger Archives Lost Landscapes of San Francisco programs, a harrowing ride onto an on-ramp of the Embarcadero Freeway in 1957 before the skyway… Internet Archive The third pollution 1966 · Educational · 23 min · Subtitles Demonstrates principles of solid waste management. Describes the problems of collecting and disposing of refuse, garbage, and other solid wastes, and outlines… Internet Archive Spaces to live in. 1971 · Educational · 20 min · Subtitles Considers the organization and characteristics of planned spaces for community living in a study of the functional and aesthetic problems in the design of… Internet Archive Skylab, Program 4: Gyroscopes in Space 1973 · Film Uses gyroscope demonstrations in the zero-gravity Skylab orbit to explain both the principles and applications of gyroscopes on Earth. The fascinating motion… Internet Archive Night of The Squid 1970 · Educational · 24 min · Subtitles Night of The Squid Reel 1 Reel 2 available here Traces the life cycle of the giant squid, and shows some of its antics and bizarre night life. Search… Internet Archive Journey Into Life The Triumph Of Creation 1994 · Documentary "powerfully moving film captures...from the moment of conception...the remarkable journey that ends with the magic of birth" Internet Archive Kathak ( Dance of India ) 1945 · Educational · 9 min Kathak ( Dance of India ) SummaryPresents Malabar's age - old dance drama, the gorgeous spectacle of Kathakali. Explains the meaning of the Kathakali gesture… Internet Archive It's an ill wind. 1972 · Educational · 16 min · Subtitles Principal scientist: Dr. Charles Hosler of The Pennsylvania State University Explores the problem of atmospheric pollution through an imaginary interstellar… Internet Archive Wonderfully Wacky Animals 1997 · Film · Subtitles Wild About Animals series, Volume 3. "From dogs who ski, to horses who sing, 'Wonderfully Wacky Animals' is just what you'd expect: a delightfully funny look… Internet Archive A rite of passage 1972 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles Producer, director, photography, John Marshall ; editors, Joyce Chopra, Timothy Asch, Frank Galvin Tilkay, a young boy of the Kalahari Desert, shoots his… Internet Archive DOPE 094 1988 · Film · Subtitles Soviet Earthquake, anti-abortion group poses as birth control, Berkeley crack, Hefner and PB Foundation, Miami Vice, Scarface, Data as Holmes, Singing… Internet Archive A place of dreams: the National Air and Space Museum 1980 · Educational · 59 min · Subtitles From WorldCat: Explores the exhibits at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. and reveals the human stories and struggles behind many of the… Internet Archive The World at War 24 - The Bomb, February - Sept 1945 1974 · Educational · 56 min · Subtitles The World at War 24 - The Bomb, February - Sept 1945 Summary Discusses the first atomic bomb, used by President Truman in August, 1945, dropped on the city of… Internet Archive DOPE 075 1988 · Film · Subtitles Rock'N'Roll the Early Days, Dukakis on Noriega drugs "legalization is surrender," Dukakis, Legalization debate Baltimore mayor, prison drug tests, Angels in… Internet Archive The Mystery of Stonehenge 1965 · Educational · 56 min Presents an account of Stonehenge, a prehistoric stone monument in England. Tests the theory that it was built as an observatory and computer Internet Archive Night on Bald Mountain 1933 · Cartoon · 8 min Night on Bald Mountain Uses shadow and pin - board animation to create the mood of the music of 'NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN,' by Moussorgsky. Produced by… Internet Archive Halloween Safety 1977 · Educational · 11 min This 11-minute, color film is designed to acquaint primary through intermediate students with Halloween safety. The film presents a little girl who has an… Internet Archive Young Lover Message (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Commercial Category: Drive-In Movie Ads Title: Young Lover Message (from Drive-In Movie Ads) Length- :26 Sound: Yes (enhanced) Color Description: A short musical (no… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Part 1: What Is Acne?" 1980 · 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 Gemini XII Mission Film Traces the major accomplishments of the Gemini manned space-flight program and their relationships to the Apollo lunar landing program. To license this film… Internet Archive Tutankhamun: the immortal Pharoah. 1962 · Educational · 11 min · Subtitles Uses still photographs in presenting a brief history of the Tutankhamun treasures. Provides a view of the site of the tomb and scenes of the excavation.… Internet Archive Munchers: A Fable 1973 · Cartoon · 9 min Proto-claymation goes awry with talking teeth and a demonic tooth decay character. A food group hoe-down highlights the importance of good nutrition to help… Internet Archive The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth: 4--Jungle 1984 · Educational · 58 min · Subtitles The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth: 4--Jungle reel 2 As host David Attenborough descends a kapok tree in a tropical rain forest, he describes the… Internet Archive DOPE 062 1988 · Educational · Subtitles DOPE 62, Jan 1988. AIDS in prisons, right to die study, Miami Vice, Star Trek hypo, Robin Williams, Trading Places, Billie Holiday, Fibonacci at Karnak, AIDS… Internet Archive Any Place But Here 1979 · Educational · 51 min Examines the problems of the mentally ill in America and the people who try to help them. Provides an intimate look at the Creedmore Psychiatric Center in… Internet Archive DOPE 105 1989 · Film · Subtitles Time Travel back to Psychedelic 70's, Midnight Caller crack house intervention 1hr., Killer Dope Chevy Chase on SNL, Rolling Stones, Bangles, Sexy ads, MTV… Internet Archive Connections 5 -- the wheel of Fortune 1979 · Educational · 28 min · Subtitles Title from data sheet Also issued as videorecording Directors, Mick Jackson, David Kennard; writer, James Burke Host James Burke traces the connection… Internet Archive One Day at Teton Marsh 1966 · Educational · 47 min One Day at Teton Marsh SummaryDescribes the wildlife in a swamp where animals and birds are free and nature reigns supreme. Based on a book by Sally… Internet Archive Matrix 1970 · Educational Additional credit: Produced under a research grant from IBM and Caltech Arts Program Running time: 05:47 Copyright date on film: 1970, Motion Graphics Inc… Internet Archive The sword and the flute 1959 · Educational · 24 min · Subtitles Uses Indian music and Moghul and Rajput miniature paintings in presenting four facets in the the thinking of India: the courtly life during the reign of the… Internet Archive Square Dancing Short · 13 min "Sets In Order", a magazine devoted to square dancing, created this film to attract new audiences. To license this film and get a higher quality version for… Internet Archive Token economy: behaviorism applied. 1972 · Educational · 21 min · Subtitles Psychologist B. F. Skinner outlines his theories on the treatment of the mentally ill, criminals, and retardates, showing the successful application of these… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "Scooby-Doo Locates The Locus" 1977 · 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 Gemini Status Report, No. 2 Film Begins with the unmanned Gemini I launch in early 1964 and concludes with the recovery of the Gemini II space capsule following the early January 1965 launch.… Internet Archive Go For Assembly: Building the International Space Station 1997 · Film This video chronicles the logistics of building an orbiting laboratory in space. To license this film and get a higher quality version for broadcast/film… Internet Archive Donald in Mathmagic Land 1959 · Educational With guide Donald Duck learns the importance of mathematics from the early Greeks who discovered its basic principles. Sequences show how these principles… Internet Archive The Light Fantastick 1974 · Cartoon · 58 min Producer, Wolf Koenig; directors, Ruppert Glover, Michel Patenaude; narrator, Stanley Jackson; collaborating authority, Michel Patenaude; animator, Ishu… Internet Archive Curious George Goes To the Hospital 1982 · Educational True to his name, Curious George's curiosity leads him on another adventure when he swallows a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. George is taken to hospital by the… Internet Archive Let's Make A Sandwich 1950 · Short · 4 min Sally Gasco (short for "gas company") and her mother make tuna rarebit for their young boy guests. Thanks to their gas stove, this process is quick and easy.… Internet Archive The World at war. 1974 · Educational · 56 min British General Sir Richard O'Connor, commander of the Western Desert Forces, reminisces, blaming himself for the "error" of dividing the strength of his…