Prelinger Archives

2,257–2,304 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 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 Art in San Francisco 1942 · Educational · Subtitles Surveys the art scene in San Francisco in the early years of World War II. Includes scenes of the Montgomery Block and its art studios; scenes of… Internet Archive Family at Gas Station (1956 Ford spot) 1956 · Film · Subtitles Family in 1956 Ford Crown Victoria driving down country road, looks a bit like Central California.00:11:21:14 VS tracking shot of family in blue and white… Internet Archive G Forces (TF 1-8194) 1962 · Film · Subtitles Includes EXCELLENT shot of roller coaster near the beginning of film; from POV facing the riders, and view from the coaster. Internet Archive Death to Weeds 1947 · Film · Subtitles NEW PESTICIDES, INCORPORATING 2-4-D, ARE SHOWN. GOOD CROP-DUSTING. BEFORE-AND-AFTER SCENES OF CROPS & FIELDS. "DEATH SENTENCE" TO WEEDS AT START. TIME-LAPSE… Internet Archive Network Broadcasting 1934 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles This is a silent print of the film which shows how telephone transmission lines are used to convey network programs to radio stations located in various… Internet Archive I Just Don't Dig Him 1972 · Film · Subtitles Dramatizes the problem of communication between father and son. Shows how both father and son learn to accept each other more realistically. Internet Archive Trimming Beets 1942 · Film · Subtitles Title: "We Can Beet Hitler Like This" Poster with comic sketch of Hitler is pelted with pink paint or biomas. Title: "But We Can Do More to Defeat Hitler and… Internet Archive Silent War: Colombia's Fight Against Yellow Fever, The 1945 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Military-style mobilization against epidemics. Internet Archive Gags and Gals Short · 8 min · Subtitles 0723 PA8996 Gags and Gals Internet Archive Future Unlimited Film · Subtitles Film about Los Angeles and Southern California more broadly, sponsored by Nesbitt's of California. Discusses California industries including agriculture, oil,… Internet Archive Mr. Bell (Part I) 1947 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Dramatization of the invention of the telephone. Internet Archive At This Moment 1954 · Film · Subtitles Importance of railroads to 1950s America. Focused on the importance and advancements in the railway industry. It opens with serene music and transitions to… Internet Archive Of Many Voices 1951 · Film · Subtitles Reveals the experiences of three Bell Telephone employees who are used to symbolize thousands of men and women across the country who work for telephone… Internet Archive How You See It 1936 · Film · Subtitles MOTION PICTURES ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY PERSISTENCE OF VISION. ITS PRINCIPLES EXPLAINED WITH ANIMATION, DIAGRAMS. STUNT DRIVER ROLLS CAR OVER. GOOD SHOTS… Internet Archive You Be the Doctor (Chevrolet Conference) 1965 · Talk · Subtitles Film directed at dealership sales executives. Stock shots: Red antique ambulance, Man with unblinking glassy-eyed stare (B-Movie like) Internet Archive To Conserve Our Heritage 1940 · Film · Subtitles Essentially a conservation film (re: wildlife and erosion), the reel also goes on to promote the fur and sporting (hunting/fishing) industries. Opens with… Internet Archive Fog Over Portland 1953 · Film · Subtitles Produced by Vogue Wright Studios in collaboration with the George Reuter Organization. Internet Archive Mighty Columbia River, The 1947 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Hydroelectric power, shipping, irrigation and salmon fishing. Internet Archive Unconditional Surrender 1956 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles The development of polio vaccine and the significance of its discovery. Internet Archive Along Party Lines Film · Subtitles 08:39:33:26 Pan women working at desks, secretary or clerical workers, in two rows of three. CU to boss, man in back corner desk in 1940s or 1950s style suit.… Internet Archive Outbreak of Salmonella Infection 1954 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Studies a simulated outbreak of food-borne illness caused by organisms of the salmonella group. Examines source and means of contamination, factors aiding the… Internet Archive Sightseeing in Newark, N.J. 1926 · Film · Subtitles Some shots to be logged. Hudson Terminal (or Penn Station), Newark. Pan over city as seen from tall downtown building Historical landmarks Branch Brook Park… Internet Archive Mr. Digit and the Battle of Bubbling Brook 1961 · Film · Subtitles Includes animated sequences. Film made to encourage adoption of the new all-number-calling telephone numbering system. Internet Archive Training Women For War Production Film · Subtitles Young women in wartime jobs. Camera: D. Nichols and F.B. Hyde. Narrator: Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Internet Archive Vista Stock Shots: Fairchild Semiconductor (Roll F-11) 2026 · Film · Subtitles Lots of great footage of old computers and electronics. Great CU shots of buttons in various colors flashing in rhythmic patterns. Various different early… Internet Archive Juvenile Jubilee - I Don't Want To Walk Without You Short · 3 min · Subtitles featuring Kay Lorraine, Merle Pitt's Five Shades of Blue, and Frank Wilcox as the porter Song originally from the Paramount Picture "Sweater Girl" Internet Archive Hoosier Line 1940 · Film · Subtitles Promotional film about Indiana and its railroads. 0849 Begins with the development of Indiana told from Eurocentric perspective. Opens with historical… Internet Archive [Gould can 1041: Langendorf Bakery Trucks] 1917 · Film · Subtitles Parade of Langendorf Bakery trucks from horsedrawn era to present (1917).13:11:30:10 Pan down long row of 1920s old-fashioned delivery trucks and horse… Internet Archive Farther Faster Safer 2026 · Film · Subtitles Many shots to be logged. Montage of early transportation: covered wagon, steam train, etc. Streamlined train Racing car trials at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah… Internet Archive The Meuse-Argonne Offensive Film · Subtitles Official films of the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army taken under action and service conditions in France in World War I. Internet Archive Meet Your Federal Government 1946 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Reviews the structure and function of the federal government, as seen through the eyes of a high-school senior. Explains the nature and functions of each of… Internet Archive Community Growth: Crisis and Challenge 1959 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Home builders decry unplanned suburban sprawl, 1950s-style. Internet Archive [Walking Down Rural Road and Posing] 1958 · Film · Subtitles VS women and man walking down rural road, sitting on tree stump, posing for camera. Mountain lookout Western mountains Woman in white-framed sunglasses posing… Internet Archive Price of Liberty, The 1950 · Film · Subtitles With a young Walter Cronkite. 14:43:48:02 Great zooming in shot of man in profile typing at desk, briefly looks up from his typing and looks into the camera;… Internet Archive Fire 1946 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles The benefits and dangers of fire. Internet Archive Service and Citizenship 1951 · Film · Subtitles Points out that military service should be understood as part of citizenship and that training in the everyday duties of citizenship is a part of the… Internet Archive Baltimore Plan, The 1953 · Film · Subtitles Great footage of slums, poor housing, slum clearance, rehabilitation African Americans Internet Archive Starting Now (Are You Ready for Service? No. 4) 1951 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles High school students anticipate and prepare for the military draft. Internet Archive News Magazine of the Screen, The (Vol. 2, Issue 9) 1952 · Newsreel · 24 min · Subtitles Newsreel stories reformatted for educational presentation. Internet Archive Pathe News 1935 · Film · Subtitles Shots to be logged. Victor by a Whisker. Described by Clem McCarthy. Wrestling match. Winter Grips Nation. Snow scenes from different parts of country. Polar… Internet Archive Safeguarding Military Information 1941 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Loose lips sink ships. Internet Archive No Time for Ugliness (Part II) 1965 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Shows that cities' approaches are marred by billboards and neon signs. Intimates that a demanding citizenry can have these unsightly signs removed. Internet Archive Secretary's Day, The 1947 · Film · Subtitles The daily activities of a secretary are compared with those of a stenographer to show the added responsibilities and duties of the secretary. Internet Archive [Home Movies: Trip to Mars] 1965 · Home movie · Subtitles Dramatization of a trip to Mars as presented by an 8th grade class. Add description from notes. Internet Archive Screen Traveler: Damascus and Jerusalem 1936 · Film · Subtitles Visits Damascus, known as the oldest city in the world, and Palestine, the Holy City. Shows the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Haram-esh-Sherif, Mount of… Internet Archive How We Hear 1924 · Film · Subtitles Hearing, ears, sound. Compares structure and function of the ears to the telephone. Animation of soundwaves and their perception. Internet Archive [Dole Air Race, 1927] 1927 · Newsreel · 9 min · Subtitles Aviation's elite converges on Oakland for the Dole race to Hawaii. Internet Archive Protecting Poultry Profits 1952 · Film · Subtitles 00:48 Yard full of free-range chickens 00:53 Rows of plucked chickens 01:00 CU pile of eggs 01:10 Farmer's wife feeds chickens 01:23 Woman lab worker measures…