Prelinger Archives

1,633–1,680 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 Rural Holidays 1965 · Short · 24 min · Subtitles Explains that farmers and ranchers offer many kinds of rural recreation. Points out that community watershed lakes and picnic grounds are among the benefits… Internet Archive Stay Safe, Stay Strong: The Facts About Nuclear Weapons 1960 · Film · Subtitles 11:00:57:02 VS aerials of Washington D.C. with Washington Monument prominent in shot. 11:01:20:20 Aerial of army airbase with various aircraft parked along… Internet Archive World Trade Center 1970 · Film · Subtitles workprint; silent with some scratches and damage, but shows building of WTC towers in brief sequence, then installation of telephone plant inside center; ca.… Internet Archive Boats (aka A Boat Trip) 1938 · Film · Subtitles The story of a trip down the Hudson River from Albany to New York. Two children, boy and girl about 10 to 12 years old, explore the ship Alexander Hamilton… Internet Archive Powers of Congress, The 1947 · Film · Subtitles A fantasy is employed in this film to define and explain the powers of Congress. Mr. Williams drops off to sleep for a few minutes to find himself confronted… Internet Archive Kids Must Eat 1945 · Film · Subtitles The "Quiz Kids" use the device of their radio program to tell the story of the school lunch program of promoting better nutrition and utilizing foods in… Internet Archive Safety: In Danger Out of Doors 1978 · Film · Subtitles Bobby and Kevin are out for a fun-filled Saturday morning of rowing on the lake, but they leave the life jackets on the dock. Bobby falls in, and when Kevin… Internet Archive Dinner Party 1945 · Film · Subtitles The subject of this film is proper table etiquette and is presented in dramatized form by a group of teenagers who are attending a birthday party honoring the… Internet Archive Divide and Conquer 1943 · Film · Subtitles Nazis bomb Holland; attack on Belgium; Nazis invade France. World War II. Shows the German invasion of Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium and France, including… Internet Archive Pages From an Open Book (Part I) 1947 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles Report on Metropolitan Insurance business operations for 1947. PA9071 Pages From an Open Book 16 Koda print Internet Archive [Home Movies: Western U.S., New Mexico, Mexico, California, Colorado, Utah] 2026 · Home movie · Subtitles Many good travel and automobile tourism shots on this reel, but exposure and color quality uneven. [Kodachrome] driving POV / Fort Knox sign / LS Fort Knox… Internet Archive Elements of Investigation 1960 · Film · Subtitles Describes four steps in a criminal investigation: evaluation, crime scene, evidence, and witnesses. The film discusses the essential elements of criminal… Internet Archive America Goes Over (Part II) 1918 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Government-produced historical record of major World War I battles. Internet Archive Black Sunlight 1920 · Film · Subtitles on anthracite coal mining with animation showing how coal was created underground Pan over valley in anthracite region of Pennsylvania strip mining deep… Internet Archive Getting Acquainted with Engineering 2026 · Film · Subtitles 14:03:02:09 CU man from waist down walking along sidewalks carrying leather briefcase. 14:07:06:01 Young man wearing yellow v-neck sweater enters building; CU… Internet Archive Life-Line of the Nation 1944 · Film · Subtitles Film about the effectiveness of the the American railroad to maintain production, deliver food and other goods, and send troops to invasion fronts during… Internet Archive [Television Commercials: Folger's Coffee] 1960 · Commercial · Subtitles FOLGER'S COFFEE: 40 minutes of old Folger's commercials. Most of the Folger's ads involve a similar theme: Using white young suburban newlywed characters,… Internet Archive Who Are the People of America? 1953 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Explains how the United States came to be a diversely populated nation. Internet Archive Time For Coffee Film · Subtitles Title card: This film was made possible by the cooperation of: The A&P Coffee Division and the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Internet Archive Mail: A Story of the United States Postal Service, The 1938 · Film · Subtitles "Betty Barton of Los Angeles, with her mother's help, writes a letter to her aunt Myrna in Scranton, Pennsylvania." Early airmail operations Scenes shot at… Internet Archive Gardening 1940 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Follows a boy and a girl through a garden-raising project from the selection of seeds to the harvesting of the crops. Includes radishes, carrots, tomatoes and… Internet Archive Operator Toll Dialing: Cord Signals 1949 · Short · 3 min · Subtitles Instructional film for telephone operators. Internet Archive Life in Hollywood 1947 · Film · Subtitles Shots to be logged. Street scenes and high-angle shots of Hollywood. Many landmarks shown. Grauman's Chinese Theater. Corner Hollywood and Vine. Gags about… Internet Archive How to Listen To... New Dimensions in Sound 1957 · Film · Subtitles PRESENTS NEW STEREO RCA VICTOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS & PLAYER. DEMONSTRATES SOUND OF STEREOPHONIC REPRODUCTION. 17:12:24:00 How to Listen to New Dimensions in… Internet Archive Rochester: A City of Quality 1963 · Film · Subtitles Presents a survey of the city of Rochester, N.Y., its history, culture and economic advantages. Explains the role of good planning in the city's development. 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 It Happened in Norristown (Part II) 1937 · Short · 21 min · Subtitles Advertising film presenting landmarks, businesses and people of a town outside Philadelphia during the Depression. Producer and director: Edwin Cooper. Internet Archive Chevrolet Leader News (Vol. 3, No. 2) 1937 · Newsreel · Subtitles Promotional newsreel containing a variety of Chevrolet-centric stories. Internet Archive [Stunt Compilation] 1918 · Newsreel · 10 min · Subtitles Daredevils on skates, motorcycles, skis, airplanes, and windmills. Internet Archive With No One To Help Us 1967 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Documantary demonstrating how the formation of a food-buying club by a group of Newark welfare mothers brought about a necessary change in the community. Nice… Internet Archive Communication: A Film Lesson in General Science / Development of Communication 1927 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Venerable educational film showing technologies of communication, circa 1920s. Internet Archive Powr-Lok 1956 · Film · Subtitles 1950's mom driving yellow Lincoln convertible, picks up son at end of school day. Tail fins, chrome. Internet Archive Story of Our Flag, The 1939 · Film · Subtitles Some good stock shots to be logged. Contents. Origin and development of the United States flag. As views of a castle and an old crest are shown, the… Internet Archive Our Texas Heritage 1963 · Film · Subtitles Depicts important historical events, from the establishment of Franciscan missions to the early 1900's. Illustrates the arrival of immigrants with their… Internet Archive Every Minute Counts 1944 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Balancing work and family in a time of heightened mobilization. Internet Archive Peter Borik 1942 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles Peter Borik, a farmer, contracts tuberculosis but avoids seeking medical assistance. The film shows the grave consequences of his decision without ever… Internet Archive National Cash Register 1910 · Film · Subtitles Compilation of historical film clips on the history of the National Cash Register Company. CONTAINS GOOD MATERIAL OF CHEERING CROWDS, PICNICS, HISTORICAL… Internet Archive Wartime Nutrition 1943 · Film · Subtitles Shows the wartime work of public welfare agencies in the field of nutrition. Some good stock shots to be logged. Internet Archive Experimental "Neurosis" In a Dog 1939 · Film · Subtitles 20:53:52:05 Intertitle: “In 1932 a two year old male dog, ‘Nick’, was required to discriminate between tone of 1012 frequency and tone of 1024 for six months.… Internet Archive Marvels of Motion 1930 · Film · Subtitles Newsreel-style novelty or educational film about animal and human locomotion using voiceover, intertitles, and special photographic techniques and tricks,… Internet Archive [Edison Newsreels: San Francisco Earthquake aftermath] 1906 · Newsreel · Subtitles Edison newsreels of San Francisco earthquake / falling buildings / taking away the hurt / troops marching along Van Ness Avenue with relief supplies / pan… Internet Archive Time Pulls the Trigger 1960 · Film · Subtitles Portrays a doctor's concern for the high mortality rate among smokers. Shows the relationship between smoking and the incidence of lung cancer, heart disease… Internet Archive Kings Mountain Airplane Crash 1950 · Newsreel · Subtitles Near Woodside, California: Aftermath of air crash on Kings Mountain hillside. Newsreel story. Internet Archive Rest and Health 1949 · Film · Subtitles HIGH SCHOOL TRACK STAR BEGINS TO LAG IN HIS RUNNING BECAUSE OF LACK OF SLEEP. HE IS TIRED & GROUCHY. WHEN HE ESTABLISHES GOOD REST HABITS, HE IS REWARDED… Internet Archive Troubles of a Merchant and How to Stop Them, The (Part II) 1925 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles How a storekeeper's business suffers due to lack of financial controls and how installation of a National Cash Register restores its profitability. One of the… Internet Archive City Within a City, A 1964 · Film · Subtitles Film on the Pan Am Building in New York City. 04:04:20:18 VS men working on skyscraper construction site in New York City. Construction workers in hardhats;… Internet Archive [Parade Celebrating Chinese Republic] 1912 · Film · Subtitles San Francisco, California: Parade celebrating the formation of the Chinese Republic under Sun Yat-Sen / first parade held outside of mainland China /… Internet Archive Current Flashes 1938 · Film · Subtitles Producer's synopsis: "A vivid explanation of how the generator and electrical system of the modern automobile work."07:28:21:14 Great title sequence of…