Prelinger Archives

529–576 of 10,345 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 Mother Takes a Holiday (Part II) 1952 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles How the all-electric home emancipates women: a drama of how the women in the family manipulate their men to upgrade the laundry facilities. Internet Archive Snap Out of It! (Emotional Balance) 1951 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Discusses why an achievement-conscious boy becomes emotionally upset when he fails to get an expected 'A' in a history course. Internet Archive Henry Browne, Farmer 1942 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Daily life of a patriotic African American farmer in Georgia during World War II. Internet Archive None for the Road: Teenage Drinking and Driving 1957 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Hybrid nonfiction/fiction film showing experiments with alcohol-addled rats, plus a story of teenagers who die while DUI. Internet Archive From Dawn to Sunset (Part III) 1937 · Short · 5 min · Subtitles This classic example of "capitalist realism" depicts a day in the life of Chevrolet workers in the U.S., while attempting to convince them that their own… Internet Archive Animals in Modern Life 1937 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Contributions of animals to the life of modern man, principally as transporters and as food. Internet Archive Let Yourself Go 1940 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles How architecture, furniture and transportation have been designed to help Americans relax. Internet Archive Terrible Truth, The 1951 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Early (and sensational) film on marijuana use as a route to heroin addiction. Internet Archive Atom Bomb Effects 1959 · Film · Subtitles Color footage of atomic bomb tests with active duty military personnel at Camp Desert Rock, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. Shows soldiers in foxholes as nuclear… Internet Archive Freedom and Power (Part I) 1952 · Cartoon · 13 min · Subtitles This opulently produced film defines freedom as the abundance of electric power, and reviews U.S. history from an electrocentric viewpoint. With animation. Internet Archive [California Color Film / Golden Gate International Exposition] 1939 · Short · 7 min · Subtitles Views of pre-World War II San Francisco and the Golden Gate International Exposition. Internet Archive Keeping Clean and Neat 1956 · Film · Subtitles Children in an eighth grade learn the value of making a good appearance. Illustrates practical step-bystep routines for personal grooming and care of clothing. Internet Archive Attitudes and Health 1949 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Demonstrates how self-confidence and right attitudes are necessary to good health. Internet Archive Ask Me, Don't Tell Me 1961 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles San Francisco teenage gangs and the unfriendly world they inhabit. Internet Archive Brink of Disaster (Part II) 1972 · Short · 1 min · Subtitles How 1960s activism "threatens" American moral, religious and ethical principles. Internet Archive [Amateur film: Medicus collection: New York World's Fair, 1939-40] (Reel 3) (Part II) 1939 · Home movie · 17 min · Subtitles Detailed documentation of the "World of Tomorrow" in beautiful Kodachrome. (found on 0164_HM_Medicus_collection_New_York_Worlds_Fair_1939-40_Reel_2_04_00_47_00) Internet Archive Bright Young Newcomer, The 1958 · Short · 6 min · Subtitles How a laissez-faire office manager (male) stands aside as women workers compete with one another. Internet Archive Water 1953 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles John Kieran explains in his inimitable style the basics of water, sustainer of life. Internet Archive Mother Takes a Holiday (Part I) 1952 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles How the all-electric home emancipates women: a drama of how the women in the family manipulate their men to upgrade the laundry facilities. Internet Archive Making a New Day Out of Tuesday (Part II) 1946 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles How the Ironrite automatic ironing machine makes the life of the housewife much easier. Internet Archive Master Hands (Part III) 1936 · Short · 5 min · Subtitles Classic "capitalist realist" drama showing the manufacture of Chevrolets from foundry to finished vehicles. Though ostensibly a tribute to the "master hands"… Internet Archive Saint Paul Police Detectives and Their Work: A Color Chartoon 1941 · Cartoon · 8 min · Subtitles Visionary stop-motion animation film showing the activities of St. Paul Police detectives. Internet Archive Bottle and the Throttle, The 1961 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Reveals the dangers of drinking and then driving. Shatters the myth which says you have to be drunk before your driving ability is materially impaired.… Internet Archive Care of the Hair and Nails 1951 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles A fairy tale character uses magic to help youngsters learn good health habits. Internet Archive Anarchy, U.S.A. 1966 · Film · Subtitles Content warning: R1: extensive still photography of mutilated bodies, including children, as well as mutilated dead bodies and mutilated survivors of armed… Internet Archive Goodbye, Mrs. Ant 1959 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles The life cycle and habits of the ant, and how to control and exterminate them with insecticides. Begins with a wonderful sequence in which we hear ants… Internet Archive American Engineer (Part II) 1956 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Tribute to engineers and their role in improving American life through technology. Internet Archive Big City, The 2026 · Film · Subtitles 05:36:40:18 Great shot 1950s St. Louis traffic police car pulls up to curb, number 72 on side of car; police officer in passenger seat looks up; enormous… Internet Archive Fourth Kingdom, The 1942 · Film · Subtitles Tells the story of development of Bakelite materials and rapid expansion of uses for these man-made products since 1909 when discovery was first made. Film… Internet Archive Who's Right? 1954 · Short · 17 min · Subtitles Dramatization of the experience of a young married couple whose quarrels undermine their happiness and prevent the development of adult love based on mutual… Internet Archive Here's Looking 1939 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Visual perception in animals, humans, and from the driver's seat of a Chevrolet. Internet Archive Flatboatmen of the Frontier 1941 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Presents a phase of pioneer agricultural economy in the early nineteenth century. Portrays Ohio Valley farmers as they fell trees, prepare the lumber, and… Internet Archive Liberty Short · 10 min · Subtitles The film presents Liberty as a powerful symbol of hope and opportunity for all immigrants and oppressed individuals. It highlights the contributions of… Internet Archive Lewis and Clark 1950 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles Dramatization of the expedition made by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the land from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. Internet Archive To Market, To Market (Part II) 1942 · Short · 4 min · Subtitles Proliferation of outdoor advertising billboards through Chicago and the methods of analyzing potential advertising sites. This part, shot in Kodachrome,… Internet Archive [Completion of Northwestern Pacific Rail Road] (Part I) 1914 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Golden Spike ceremonies and celebration for the completion of the Northwestern Pacific Rail Road, October 23-25, 1914. Filmed in Willits, Cain Rock, Arcata… Internet Archive Special Delivery 1963 · Short · 25 min · Subtitles How Superior Coach Co. school buses move children safely to and from school, told through the experience of Mickey Miller, who is just a bit too young to ride… Internet Archive A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire (4K scan, 2018-10-11) 1906 · Film This is a scan of 35mm material held by Prelinger Archives, San Francisco and thought to be an original 1906 print. It was scanned by Adrianne Finelli at… Internet Archive Banks and Credit 1948 · Film · Subtitles Woman deposits money; man writes check to withdraw money. Film shows how two transactions are interrelated. Film explains role of credit in our national… Internet Archive They Grow Up So Fast 1956 · Short · 24 min · Subtitles The film "They Grow Up So Fast" explores the importance of physical education in children's development. It follows a mother who notices her son, Paul,… Internet Archive Nightmare for the Bold 1959 · Film · Subtitles Car crash at night with four occupants. Intense, drawn-out safety film. 04:00:52:05 CU Air Force officer makes speech; LS audience of Air Force soldiers.… Internet Archive American Frontier (Part I) 1953 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Humanistic film showing the effects of an oil discovery on Williston, North Dakota and the surrounding region. Internet Archive Management of Mass Casualties, Part X: Management of Psychological Casualties 1958 · Short · 23 min · Subtitles One in a series of military training films that can only be described as post-apocalyptic. Internet Archive Taking the Air 1941 · Film · Subtitles STUDIES IN STREAMLINING FROM THE DAYS OF HORATIO PHILLIPS TO MODERN TIMES. EVOLUTION OF AUTOMOBILE FROM ITS BEGINNING TO PRESENT STREAMLINED SHAPE IS… Internet Archive For the Living 1949 · Short · 21 min · Subtitles Improvement of living conditions in 1940s New York City through the construction of public housing. Internet Archive Danger — Women at Work! 1940 · Film · Subtitles World War II-vintage film on health and occupational safety issues facing women workers Old-time footage of male workers leaving factory door and dispersing… Internet Archive Life in the Central Valley of California 1949 · Film · Subtitles Shows the agriculture, trade and infrastructure of California's Central Valley, all made possible by irrigation. Internet Archive Chicken of Tomorrow, The 1948 · Short · 17 min · Subtitles How scientific agriculture changes the life and taste of the chicken.