Prelinger Archives
6,385–6,432 of 10,346 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 Ones | Films for young children by name: nursery rhymes, lullabies, preschool. |
|---|---|
| Kids | Cartoons and animation, children's and family films, and educational films, unless they deal with war, propaganda, crime, horror or drugs, or carry racial caricature. |
| Tweens | Documentaries, science, nature and space, classic comedies, newsreels, commercials and lectures. |
| Teens | Everything else, including anything we cannot tell about; war, crime, horror and westerns go no lower. |
| Adult | Sexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, atrocity footage. |
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Dill Collection: Can C8: 004071
Can notes: "1965 / Saratoga / Ball Games / Delray / Etc / C8" Note found with can reads: "D[?] going to Saratoga 1965 / Race / Presentation / Millbrook:…
Internet Archive
Retrievers at Work
Internet Archive
[Nicaro Nickel Company]
Internet Archive
Forest Fun (part nine of a series)
Live action and puppet animation about california forests
Internet Archive
Earth Worm: A Classroom Picture, The
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Dill Collection: 004081
Tourism footage of New Orleans featuring a peacock garden, riverboat cruise, and sailing vessels. Can notes: "D6 / March, 1976 / Delta Queen trip / Bird at…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Newhouser Collection: 011758
A close, affectionate, and fashionable African American family in the 1930s celebrates weddings, family time, academics, and athletics in Iowa and Nebraska.…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 001100
Upper-class white passengers cruising the world on the S.S. Franconia in 1928 stop to tour Japan. Includes a crowd of locals welcoming the passengers with…
Internet Archive
Cooking Trio and Best of Wine Segments
Multiple titles on cooking and wine spliced together, including: The Art of Outdoor Cookery How to Cook a Wolf in a Hurry M.F.K. Fisher Test Your Taste The…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Arnot Collection: 099022
Home movie footage of Seabiscuit, the racing horse; Mendocino County, and Patricia Bay. Can notes: "Seabiscuit / Patricia Bay Sunset / Faded"
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 004354
A suburban New York couple vacations at a coastal mansion, then spends time at home with their small children.
Internet Archive
[Home movie: 098758: A New England family around 1930, with baby, beach, and a trip to a Revolutionary War historical reenactment]
A New England family around 1930, featuring domestic scenes centered on a baby and a Boston Terrier, then to a historical reenactment of a Revolutionary War…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Vusovich Collection: 003532
A family's trip to the Eastern Sierra and Yosemite National Park. Also includes footage of several car shows and a family poolside in Ojai. Can notes: Home…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Janet Dill Collection: 004063
Young boys and their family members celebrate holidays and swim at their estate in upstate New York. Can notes: "B12 / 1959 / Telephone Fire the night before…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Galante Collection: 004323
Scenes of suburban life and Christmas celebrations from the early days of 16mm film. Christmas footage at beginning of the reel is notably under-exposed.
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Koura Collection: 006103
A Japanese American family's vacation to Hawai'i, including a visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the grave of a relative at Maui Veterans' Cemetery.…
Internet Archive
Mode-Art Can 639
Barges, ships, and tug boats in New York Harbor; views of the Lower Manhattan skyline; and nature shots of leaves, streams, and waves crashing. Notes on can…
Internet Archive
[Home Movies: San Francisco Trip]
to come
Internet Archive
[Gould can 5227.1]
Oakland, California skyline from top of Capwell's Department Store building
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 10005: Rocky Mountains and Farm Scene, ca. 1930s
Reference scan from 16mm home movie showing Rocky Mountains (possibly Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods or Yellowstone) and family scenes.
Internet Archive
[Anthracite]
Lots of diagrammatic animation Anthracite coal mining underground mining shots
Internet Archive
Mode-Art Can 3032 R1
Workers of the Hydro Conduit Corporation assembling concrete piping. note on leader: "FRESNO - 4506" "ACPA FRESNO tails"
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Janet Dill Collection: 004058
Family road trip through Virginia, horse racing activities, and a visit to a horse farm. Can notes: "B7 / Deepwell Farm / Oct 18-20 1957 / Jan 20 1958 /…
Internet Archive
Conductor, Part 3
Internet Archive
Soundie : Minnie The Moocher (Cab Calloway)
Soundie : Minnie The Moocher (Cab Calloway)
Internet Archive
Home Movie: James McColl Collection: 003798
Dramatic countryside of the Western American continent. Includes fishing, water-skiing, and camping. notes on can:"Vilencia // Home Movies // "James McColl"…
Internet Archive
Alp Way Freight (A Roll)
A-roll footage of Whit Towers' HO Scale Alturas & Lone Pine Model Railroad. Date estimated according to the release date of Alturas & Lone Pine model.
Internet Archive
[Children's Put-Put (Sandlot Go-Kart) Racing]
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 97037: Florida, August 1958
To come.
Internet Archive
Emergency First Aid: A Study in Motion Pictures to Aid Civil Defense Volunteers
Internet Archive
Home movie: 097823: 1920s, 1930s Havana Cuba with winter hiking
Home movie: 097823: 1920s, 1930s Havana Cuba with winter hiking
Internet Archive
[Home movie: 098745: A Danish American family in San Francisco visits the State Fair and local destinations]
A Danish American family in San Francisco. This reel features a trip to the California State Fair in Sacramento, visits to family in other California towns,…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Rochester Collection: 004271
Extensive documentation of the construction of a church, including planning, excavation, pouring concrete, and laying of a cornerstone dated 1948. This…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Carrol Taylor Collection: 003853
Domestic scenes of a Southern California family, including backyard barbecues, house parties with singing and drinking, children playing with dogs, and more.…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Coy Collection: 005085
A multi-generational Black family travels to the Griffith Observatory, drives around Los Angeles, and cares for a newborn baby. Includes views of children…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Hoogerhyde Collection: 098636
Content warning: This film contains images of women bathing in a river likely filmed without consent and through a white touristic gaze. American tourists…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 11834: Phal Family, Lima Peru, Alcatraz, Freedom Train
To come.
Internet Archive
Stillman Fires Collection: Lumberyard Fire
from Stillman Fires Collection.
Internet Archive
Home movie: 098511: Michigan 1940s sailing fun, and Detroit parade]
9 min., color & BW: 1946 sailing on Lake St. Claire, couples having fun on the lake at the lakeshore, and picnicking; Detroit Auto Jubilee parade with many…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 98808: Untitled
To come.
Internet Archive
Norelco Speedshaver Commercial
Norelco Speedshaver Commercial
Internet Archive
United Way
Sponsored film about the United Way campaign in Dutchess County, New York. Includes footage of the organizations that the campaign will benefit such as the…
Internet Archive
Stillman Fires Collection: Parade
from Stillman Fires Collection.
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Galante Collection: 003373
Leisure scenes of the Galante family around Placer County, including beach bonfires on the Yuba River, snowball fights near Donner Lake, garden strolls, and…
Internet Archive
America Goes Over (Parts 1 and 2)
Film documenting the activities of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I under General John J. Pershing (parts 1 and 2 of 5 total). This film…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: Jesus Villareal Collection: 000411
The Villareal family, of Los Angeles, hosts a party on their backyard patio with home bar and built-in grill. Includes images of a man preparing food, and…
Internet Archive
Home Movie: 010314
Tourists visiting Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines in the 1920s. Includes images of Indonesian farms, outdoor markets, and dances. Notes on Can:…
Internet Archive
[Gould can 5484.3: Kinograms Newsreel]
Lake Merritt, Oakland, California : Fairyland Flotilla in historic fete