Prelinger Archives

1,105–1,152 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 In the Suburbs 1957 · Film · Subtitles Shows typical facets of the family life of young couples living in the suburbs. Points out how Redbook Magazine, aimed exclusively at young adults, is of… Internet Archive Cool Hot Rod B 1953 · Film · Subtitles Uses narration by a teen-ager to show how a hot-rod club contributes to safe driving through its strict membership rules and restriction of speed runs to… Internet Archive Coney Island 1940 · Film · Subtitles Brooklyn, N.Y. * 11:01:52:27- 11:02:13:25 Nice montage of Coney Island boardwalk. Starts with image of soldier taking his friends' photo. All around them are… Internet Archive Our Enemy: The Japanese 1943 · Film · Subtitles Film which attempts to convey an understanding of Japanese life and philosophy; it does this in an way which is overly generalizing and racist. military;… Internet Archive Science and Agriculture: The Soy Bean 1952 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Describes the interdependence of science and agriculture in modern life. Explains how the soy bean was cultivated in China and then introduced in the United… Internet Archive Science in Action: Aero Medicine (Part I) 1956 · Film · Subtitles Kinescope of Fifties science TV program featuring discussions and demonstrations. This episode is dedicated to the study of the effects of space travel on… Internet Archive Sounds Familiar 1957 · Film · Subtitles "The audience is invited to listen to the telephone voice of famous theatrical stars who sound familiar, and to guess their identity. Explains how the… Internet Archive Birds of Prey 1938 · Film · Subtitles A study of several American birds of prey. Introductory scenes show the general characteristics of birds of prey—their talons for grasping and carrying prey,… Internet Archive Screw Drivers of 1940 1940 · Film · Subtitles Film-within-a-film: two men eating lunch at restaurant see another Shell Oil film entitled "The Largest Club in the World" with Lew Lehr and Don Wilson.… 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 Distant Drummer: A Movable Scene Film · Subtitles Narrator: Robert Mitchum. 0:49:17 VS Chicago cityscapes: tracking shot along highway, tracking shot from street, corn-cob apartment buildings 0:49:31 VS… Internet Archive Road to Better Living, The 1959 · Short · 23 min · Subtitles Tribute to the mortgage banking industry and its role in building America's housing and industrial infrastructure. Internet Archive Child Went Forth, A 1942 · Film · Subtitles A simple, poetic exposition of a child's day at a modern summer camp. The six- to twelve-year-old children have been candidly photographed at work and play as… Internet Archive Conquering Roads 1937 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Highway engineering and development in the pre-Interstate era. Internet Archive Good Health Practices (Part 2) 1953 · Film · Subtitles Shows Judy and Jim's good health practices related to teeth, eyes, ears, nose, and posture. The setting is a vacation day spent at home and at the beach.… Internet Archive Farmer Miller Goes Into High Gear (Part II) 1920 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles A farmer is convinced that his tractor will do more and better if it rolls on Goodyear tires rather than steel wheels. Includes scenes of tractor tire… Internet Archive Our Community 1952 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Illustrates the interdependence of people in a community by showing shared community functions and services. Internet Archive General Motors Around the World (Part IV) 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 Skateboard Sense 1976 · Film · Subtitles Shows how good equipment and proper riding techniques enhance the thrill and safety of skateboarding techniques. Demonstrates the use of elbow and knee pads,… Internet Archive Fundo in Chile 1949 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles Contrasts new and old farming methods on large Chilean ranches and shows the daily lives of fundo workers and their families. Internet Archive American Cowboy 1950 · Film · Subtitles "VISITS THE ROBERSON HEREFORD RANCH IN GUNNISON, COLORADO. INCLUDES SCENES OF A RODEO, DRIVE TO SUMMER PASTURES & WINTER FEEDING IN RAGING BLIZZARDS.' Internet Archive Industrial Breakthrough 1958 · Film · Subtitles On March 11, 1958, a significant advancement in manufacturing was achieved with the introduction of electronically controlled machines working together as an… 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 Deadline for Action (Part II) 1946 · Short · 15 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 Magic in the Air (1955) 1955 · Film · Subtitles 00:01:20:06-00:01:22:25 LS crowds in large stadium (Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, N.Y.) 00:01:22:26-00:01:24:19 MS crowd of people, some in shadow (foreground) some… Internet Archive Selling America 1938 · Short · 21 min · Subtitles A 1938 salesman speaks with Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest Generic version of a film originally produced for Frigidaire. Internet Archive Story of Television, The 1956 · Film · Subtitles Shows efforts of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the creation, development and introduction of the all-electronic TV system; explains how science… Internet Archive Family Affair, A 1952 · Film · Subtitles Depicts the everyday life of a family whose relationships are strained to the breaking point. Internet Archive Bird Circus 1951 · Film · Subtitles With a background of circus music, Dorothy's trained birds perform a variety of circus acts. Woman wearing green dress conducts bird circus. Birds doing… Internet Archive In Our Hands, Part 4: How to Keep What We Have 1950 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles How a limited government and private control over labor, resources and tools can stave off a Communist takeover of the U.S. Internet Archive Problems of Housing 1944 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Modernizing antiquated U.S. housing stock to bring it up to health and safety standards. Internet Archive Someone's In the Kitchen 1960 · Film · Subtitles Film contains many artfully shot closeups of housework, cooking, food preparation, food and kitchen activity.PA-0710 section:12:49:11:29 Mother pours Log… Internet Archive Science in Action: Antibiotics 1950 · Film · Subtitles 16:29:17:19 VS men in white lab coats working in chemistry laboratory. 16:20:03:25 Reenactment of ancient Chinese doctor using early antibiotic treatment on… Internet Archive Uruguay 1949 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Compares the agriculture, economic well-being and culture of Uruguayan people with those of the U.S. Internet Archive Shy Guy 1947 · Film · Subtitles Phil HAS JUST ENTERED NEW HIGH SCHOOL & HAS DIFFICULTY MAKING FRIENDS. HE SEES THAT MOST POPULAR STUDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN OTHERS, HELPFUL & SHARE… Internet Archive 'Till It Helps! 1959 · Short · 6 min · Subtitles How the United Fund intervenes to help poor residents of St. Louis. With rare footage of low-income residential areas in the late 1950s. Internet Archive Town and the Telephone, The 1950 · Film · Subtitles Followed by an outro by and about Southwestern Bell Telephone Employee orientation film for telco workers explaining structure and corporate values of the… Internet Archive Operation Cue (1964 revision) 1964 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Study of a nuclear test in 1955 at Nevada Test Site. Internet Archive [Twin Peaks Tunnel Construction and Opening] 1917 · Short · 6 min · Subtitles Twin Peaks trolley tunnel under construction and opening ceremony. Internet Archive Look at Pontiac for 1954! 1953 · Film · Subtitles 1954 Pontiac advertising film. Great shots of Pontiac showroom cars on rotating platforms. VS POV from inside Pontiac driving on race tracks and open road.… Internet Archive Industrial Revolution, The 1942 · Film · Subtitles DESCRIBES EFFORTS OF PRIMITIVE MAN TO DO WORK CHIEFLY WITH HIS OWN & ANIMAL MUSCLES; COMPARES METHODS OF WORK FROM THE TIME OF THE FIRST STEAM POWERED LOOM TO… Internet Archive Going Places 1948 · Film · Subtitles Defines the profit motive and dramatizes the part it has played in the economic development of our country. Stresses the need for continued industrial profits… Internet Archive Telephone and Telegraph 1946 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Telecommunications workers in the analog era. Internet Archive Passenger Train, The (Second Edition) 1955 · Film · Subtitles A young boy travels from Chicago (?) to Lamy, New Mexico via passenger train. Internet Archive Shotgun 2026 · Film · Subtitles The film discusses the implications of police officers using shotguns in urban environments, highlighting the risks of collateral damage to innocent… Internet Archive Fashions on the Ice and Snow 1940 · Film · Subtitles footage of snow trains – people outside stations trains in winter people sitting in snowtrain cars ski area and early ski lifts Thirties skiers Many shots… Internet Archive Gracias Amigos 1944 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles How World War II was won through the help of South American republics who furnished raw materials to the Allies. Internet Archive Overcoming Fear 1950 · Film · Subtitles Tells how Bill overcomes his fear of the water. Shows Mr. Barker, the swimming coach, as he talks with types of fear. Bill becomes aware of the sources of…