Prelinger Archives

625–672 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 Lost Landscapes of Detroit 2010 Feature · 1 h 5 min · Subtitles Compilation of historical images of Detroit, Michigan (1917-1970), edited by Rick Prelinger for presentation at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) on… Internet Archive New Girl in the Office (Part II) Short · 13 min · Subtitles Presented by the Government's Committee on Government Contracts, produced by On Film, Inc. and directed by Lewis Freedman. Starring Ed Asner, Lester Rawlins,… Internet Archive Free and Easy 1940 · Film · Subtitles "OPERATION OF THE VACUUM GEARSHIFTING MECHANISM IN THE AUTOMOBILE IS EXPLAINED & COMPARED WITH THE FISH IN THE OCEAN, WHO ARE SUBJECTED TO TREMENDOUS PRESSURE… Internet Archive Rest and Health 1949 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Dick York plays a high-school track star whose running lags because of his lack of sleep. Internet Archive Making Films That Teach 1954 · Educational · 18 min · Subtitles Made to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, this film shows the steps in the process of producing educational films, including… Internet Archive Journey through a Day 1967 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles A young boy in red shirt and blue jeans wanders through the countryside and catches a fish. Poetic documentary-style evocation of a child's awareness of his… Internet Archive Good Wrinkles 1951 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles "Sunny Sweet," a cartoon prune, gives us a tour of prune growing and processing operations in California. Also promotes health effects of prunes. Internet Archive Bottle and the Throttle, The 1965 · Film · Subtitles Studies problems of drinking and driving, emphasizing the error of the statement that you must be drunk before your driving ability is materially impaired.… Internet Archive On the Firing Line 1936 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Efforts being made by the National Tuberculosis Association in the war against tuberculosis, with many interesting scenes from the 1930s. Posing interesting… Internet Archive Chance to Play, A 1950 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Promotes recreation (especially under nighttime lighting) as the answer to boredom, juvenile delinquency and social pathologies. Internet Archive [Amateur film: Medicus collection: New York World's Fair, 1939-40] (Reel 3) (Part III) 1939 · Home movie · 17 min · Subtitles Detailed documentation of the "World of Tomorrow" in beautiful Kodachrome. (0664_HM_Medicus_collection_New_York_Worlds_Fair_1939-40_Reel_2_21_00_35_00) Internet Archive You Can Tell by the Teller 1945 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Instructional film for telephone business office cashiers (tellers) who interact with the public, with a heavy dose of period sexism. Internet Archive Goodbye, Mr. Roach 1959 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Detailed film about cockroaches, their habits and methods of extermination, with a harrowing sequence of roach nymphs hatching. Internet Archive Chevrolet Leader News (Vol. 1, No. 2) 1935 · Film · Subtitles U.S. Highway 1 connects 25 islands from Florida coast to Key West. Oldest Chevrolet employees hold reunion in Baltimore plant. Jackson, Michigan: Combination… Internet Archive Marriage Today 1950 · Short · 23 min · Subtitles Post-World War II film for young couples advising them of means to strengthen their marriages. Directed by Alexander Hammid. Internet Archive Poverty in Rural America (Part I) 1965 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Visits poor areas of the United States and discusses "War on Poverty" social and economic programs. Internet Archive A Trip Down Market Street Before the Fire (uncompressed HD version) 1906 · Film · Subtitles This is an uncompressed HD version of the famous film. Not all machines and players can successfully play this film. It is suggested that you determine… Internet Archive Censorship: A Question of Judgment? 1963 · Short · 4 min · Subtitles Should the sponsor of a high-school newspaper have the power to determine whether a picture of a student fight should be printed? Internet Archive What to Do in a Gas Attack 1942 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Explains what war gas is, how it is used by the enemy, and how simple household items, such as bicarbonate of soda and bleaching solution, may be used to… Internet Archive Midwest Holiday (Part I) 1952 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Auto travelogue through the sights, monuments and mythologies of America's heartland. A jaded newspaper reporter returns from a long stint in Europe, takes to… Internet Archive So They Tell Me 1916 · Cartoon · 5 min · Subtitles Animated cartoon on a World War I theme, full of humor much of which is incomprehensible to today's audience. Internet Archive Safe Roads 1935 · Short · 7 min · Subtitles Driving is compared with running a railroad train. With excellent images of steam-era passenger trains. Internet Archive Quiet Revolution, The 1956 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Shows how Ford earthmoving equipment helps the builders of Levittown, Pennsylvania achieve great economies of scale. With excellent images of home and… Internet Archive Safety in Offices 1944 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles This is one of the few films that shows the dangers of the white-collar life. Mandated (we can guess) to grab and hold the attention of the tired war worker,… Internet Archive Are You Popular? 1947 · Film · Subtitles DRAMATIZES BEHAVIOR OF TWO TEEN-AGERS TO ILLUSTRATE CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONALITY WHICH LEAD TO POPULARITY & SUCCESS IN DATING. CONTRASTS CAROLYN, ATTRACTIVE… Internet Archive Food for Fighters 1943 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Importance of nutrition in wartime. Internet Archive Pioneers of the Plains 1942 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Experiences of a pioneer family on their journey from Illinois to the Midwestern plains. Internet Archive [Gould can 5185.4] 1925 · Film · Subtitles Arthur Edward Pillsbury footage of roses (all in color). Check to see whether this is an old natural color process, or whether film is artifically colored as… Internet Archive Coffee 1923 · Film · Subtitles 10:16:50:14 MS 1920s young female teacher waves ruler over map of Brazil on wall; great shot classroom of boys about 13 years old wearing white shirts and… Internet Archive Bus Driver, The 1946 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Father and son travel by bus from New York to Pittsburgh in the days when bus travel still attracted elite passengers. Internet Archive Model Railroad Film · Subtitles The film showcases a detailed model railroad created by the Westchester Model Club in Palom Manor, New York. It highlights the precision and dedication of the… Internet Archive To the Fair 1964 · Film · Subtitles 17:31:24:00 To the Fair 10240 17:31:33:00 MCU of stagecoach horses running through desert, Wells-Fargo style stagecoach (17:31:38:00) 17:31:38:00 med shot of… Internet Archive [National Recovery Administration (NRA) Promo] 1933 · Short · 2 min · Subtitles New Deal-era promo for the NRA (National Recovery Administration). Internet Archive ADT: When Every Minute Counts 1958 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles How ADT alarm systems secure property, with elaborate coverage of alarm and communications technology in the analog era. Internet Archive Practicing Democracy in the Classroom 1953 · Educational · 20 min · Subtitles Points out that democratic techniques are more effective in teaching good citizenship than laissez-faire and authoritarian methods. Internet Archive [San Francisco General Strike] (Part II) 1934 · Short · 1 min · Subtitles Union workers in San Francisco stage a general strike, shutting down the city to support striking longshoremen. Internet Archive [Martinez, California Scenes] 1927 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Scenes shot in Martinez, Contra Costa County, California, on San Pablo Bay, apparently in the late 1920s. Images include: pans over the waterfront; workers at… Internet Archive [Caroll's Beauty Salon, Hamtramck, Michigan] 1941 · Short · 3 min · Subtitles Rare view inside a community beauty salon, possibly made as part of a long-forgotten promotional film. Internet Archive What Is Business? 1948 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Business produces Mother's pen, the bread on the breakfast table, and the pop-up toaster into which the bread goes. Internet Archive Freedom of the American Road (Part I) 1955 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles Henry Ford II introduces this film designed to encourage private citizens to unite and support road improvement. Part of the lobbying campaign that culminated… Internet Archive Writing Better Social Letters 1950 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles While a teenage brother and sister write a thank-you note to their grandmother after visiting her on vacation, we learn the five parts of a friendly letter… Internet Archive Roscoe's Rules 2026 · Film · Subtitles Children receive safety instructions from police officer at school. Police officer uses Roscoe the drumming bear to help children remember four safety rules.… Internet Archive Practical Dreamer 1957 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles A fantasy of kitchen planning and modernization. With Augusta Roeland and Rege Cordic. Produced by Haford Kerbawy. Internet Archive Young Man's Fancy 1952 · Film · Subtitles "In an all-out effort to cash in on this potential market, Edison Electric has pulled out all the stops in a gigantic All-Electric Kitchen Program. Almost… Internet Archive American Maker 1960 · Short · 24 min · Subtitles Relates how Americans build, from youth throughout life, by using their ingenuity not only in technological advancement but in everyday efforts by everyone.… Internet Archive Project Dugout 1960 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Technical Film Report, part-animated, showing underground nuclear detonation tests. [NOTE: This film is silent.] Internet Archive Alaska's Silver Millions (Part I) 1936 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles Geography of Alaska, the life cycle of the salmon, the salmon industry, operation of the canneries and life of the fishermen's community. With commentary by… Internet Archive Chevrolet Leader News (Vol. 1, No. 1) 1935 · Film · Subtitles BUILDING OF NORRIS DAM IN TENN. VALLEY. ICEBOAT RACES AUTO ON LAKE. GAS ECONOMY TESTS ON DETROIT STREETS. HAIR STYLIST & MODELS SHOW STYLES. DAYTON SOAP BOX…