Prelinger Archives

865–912 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 Singing Wires 1951 · Short · 22 min · Subtitles Sings the praises of rural electrification. Story of a farm family whose work and play are transformed when their place is hooked up to the grid. Internet Archive Date With Your Family, A 1950 · Film · Subtitles A Date With Your Family, a true suburban horror story, outdoes all other social guidance films by advising kids to do whatever is necessary — even lie — to… Internet Archive Home on the Range 1942 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles The contribution of the Western range country to the World War II effort: wool, mutton, beef and leather. Internet Archive Big Trains Rolling 1955 · Short · 23 min · Subtitles Railroads and how they keep the U.S. economy rolling. Internet Archive [Home Movies: Medicus collection: New York World's Fair, 1939-40] (Reel 3) 1939 · Home movie · Subtitles 05:00:45:21 - 06:02:24:00 color silent 1939-40 World's Fairs: New York, 1939-40; Amateur films. Detailed documentation of the "World of Tomorrow" in beautiful… Internet Archive Deadline for Action (Part I) 1946 · Short · 21 min · Subtitles How left-wing labor unions engaged in political activism to combat corporate influence on the U.S. Congress in the years following World War II. Internet Archive Steel: A Symphony of Industry 1936 · Film · Subtitles An impression of a basic industry. 23:11:32:00 Steel: A Symphony of Industry 23:11:38:00 strange “collage” like shots of factories - superimposed with med… Internet Archive Aluminum on the March 1956 · Film · Subtitles Live location photography, stop-motion and special effects chronicle an industry that contributes to everyday living and national defense. The documentary… Internet Archive [International Frog Jump at Angels Camp, California] 1950 · Newsreel · 1 min · Subtitles Famous frog-jumping contest memorialized in Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Newsreel story presenting the 100th… Internet Archive California Is Climate 1958 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Promotional film for the eastern San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda and part of Contra Costa counties) emphasizing its excellent weather, advanced… Internet Archive A Report To Home Builders Film · Subtitles A presentation of Stran-Steel Division, Great Lakes Steel Corporation. The film presents a report on advancements in modern construction materials and… Internet Archive Driving Tips, Part 1 1958 · Film · Subtitles This safety film warns against following too closely in traffic and the hazards of litterbugs, provides meanings attached to the shapes of traffic signs,… Internet Archive Coveted East Indies, The (Part II) 1938 · Film · Subtitles This film appears MOS, but originally had sound and was produced and narrated by the radio world travel radio commentator Deane Dickason. Interesting silent… Internet Archive Desert Venture (Part II) 1958 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles "This is a story of a venture by American capital in a strange and ancient land," says the narrator. Shows the search and extraction of oil in Saudi Arabia,… Internet Archive Voice of Victory (Part I) 1944 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles How radio equipment helped to win World War II. Internet Archive Miracle of the Can (Part I) 1956 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles Panoramic exploration of cans and canning in the United States, with excellent imagery of mass production and agribusiness. Internet Archive Passenger Train, The 1940 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Describes a journey from a large city to the country on a streamline train. Shows duties of many of the people who work in the station and on the train. Internet Archive Drawing Account 1941 · Cartoon · 9 min · Subtitles Behind the scenes in a 1940s animation studio, showing the making of a Chevrolet advertising cartoon. Internet Archive General Motors Around the World (Part III) 1927 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles How one of the first multinational corporations organized itself to sell to the world under the leadership of Alfred R. Sloan. With excellent images of… Internet Archive Hanford Science Forum 1957 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Television program (one of a series) sponsored by General Electric Company for telecasting to residents of the Richland, Washington area. This interview with… Internet Archive Miss Clark Introduces Panorama 1960 · Educational · 10 min · Subtitles Promotional film for ÂPanorama, a filmstrip/phonograph record/book playback unit, demonstrating how this early multimedia device can be useful in teaching. Internet Archive [Edison Newsreels: San Francisco Earthquake aftermath] 1906 · Newsreel · 4 min · Subtitles Cleaning up downtown San Francisco after the conflagration. Internet Archive Trader Thorne 1956 · Short · 22 min · Subtitles Auto dealer sales film explaining why trade-ins are necessary -- because almost all customers already have cars. Director: Jack Tilles. Writer: George… Internet Archive [First Private Atom Power Plant Opens] 1957 · Newsreel · Subtitles Vallecitos Atomic Electric Power Plant, the first licensed nuclear power plant, opens at Pleasanton, Calif. on November 25, 1957. Newsreel story. Internet Archive Science in Action: Submarines (Part I) 1956 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Kinescope of Fifties science TV program featuring discussions and demonstrations. This episode is devoted to submarines, their design and operation, the… Internet Archive Moment of Decision 1962 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Tells the story of four boys who are faced with a decision--whether or not to steal a car and take a joy ride. Shows that even though a boy's decision may be… Internet Archive Bees and Spiders 1927 · Film · Subtitles Life history of the bee, the economic value of bees through honeymaking and pollinization, and the habits and appearance of the garden and trap door spider. Internet Archive Programmer with Magic Memory: Another Newsmaker 1959 · Short · 4 min · Subtitles Presents a special device that automatically tunes in your favorite preselected TV shows. This is a silent film. Internet Archive Holiday for Bill (Part I) 1951 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Cliche-ridden rural/urban improbable romance concocted to promote Ford tractors. Internet Archive Curtiss-Wright Shorts (7 Subjects) 1944 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Short screen ads recruiting workers for aircraft manufacturing during World War II. Internet Archive Trichinosis 1942 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Shows how trichinosis infestation occurs. Describes the preparation of microscope slide specimens and, through photomicrographic sequences, the life history… Internet Archive Gospel Dynamite 1940 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Charles O. Baptista, a Venezulean-born, US-educated piano salesman, started Scriptures Visualized Institute to produce educational and evangelism films. The… Internet Archive Styling and the Experimental Car 1964 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles Illustrates the design process involving in making a new car - the Mustang. Internet Archive Southern Highlanders 1947 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Residents of the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee and their culture. Internet Archive Sound Recording and Reproduction (Sound on Film) 1943 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Explains the mysteries of sound recording on film. Internet Archive Great Swindle, The (Part I) 1948 · Short · 24 min · Subtitles Union recruitment film criticizing monopoly control of the U.S. economy and advocating union membership as a defense against corporate power. Internet Archive Narcotics: Pit of Despair (Part II) 1967 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Dark vision of drug use and its effect on American youth. Internet Archive Dial D For Design (Pt 1) Film · Subtitles Produced by Cinefonics, Inc (a division of Cook Research Laboratories) and based on Engineering and Systems Integration Studies by Cook Research Laboratories.… Internet Archive It Takes All Kinds 1950 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Choose your marriage partner with care and accept him or her for what he or she is. Internet Archive Adelante Cubanos (Part II) 1959 · Short · 7 min · Subtitles Exhorts the Cuban people to support industrialization on the island and the production of consumer goods. Internet Archive Menace of Guatemala (Ideal What-Nots series) 1934 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Sensationalist "documentary" on the Agua area of Guatemala, where people live in the shadow of a volcano. Internet Archive Home Economics Story, The (Part I) 1951 · Short · 12 min Four years in the lives of four home economics students at Iowa State University. Internet Archive Is This Love? 1957 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles 2 couples are getting married - one couple rush to tie the knot, while the other's courtship lasts a lot longer. The two relationships are compared. Internet Archive [Amateur films: Ivan Besse collection: Britton, South Dakota 1938-39] (Part IV) 1938 · Home movie · 16 min · Subtitles Daily life in a South Dakota town during the Great Depression, shot by Ivan Besse. Internet Archive Cities How They Grow 1952 · Educational · Subtitles Encyclopedia Britannica Films in collaboration with Robert S. Lynd, PhD, Columbia University. Internet Archive Modern Trends in Swine Production 1961 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Up-to-date methods of hog raising, plus suggestions on breeding, feeding, farrowing and management. Internet Archive Prom: It's A Pleasure!, The 1961 · Short · 17 min · Subtitles How to behave. Internet Archive Desert Empire (Part II) 1948 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Railroad tour through the state of Utah, stopping off at many natural attractions and in Salt Lake City. Shows Bingham and other towns in Utah. Director:…