Prelinger Archives

2,305–2,352 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 Vista Stock Shots: Birds and Animals, Zoo 2026 · Film · Subtitles 07:22:45:16 Families and kids at zoo watching too elephants; three boy scouts in blue uniforms and yellow scarves, young man walking unicycle crosses frame.… Internet Archive Pueblo Heritage 1950 · Film · Subtitles Traces the history of the Pueblo peoples from the Mesa Verde to the present pueblos -- with emphasis on Taos, Acoma, and Zuni. Concludes with scenes of the… Internet Archive Samson and Delilah 2026 · Film · Subtitles Biblical story. Internet Archive Which Way This Time? 1940 · Film · Subtitles Log from PA-0544. Great stock shots to be logged. great animation. animation of stars making American flag animation of war paintings animation of wartime… Internet Archive Free Schools: The Hope of Democracy (Reel 1) 1932 · Film · Subtitles Some good shots to be logged. Early agricultural labor: cutting hay with scythes, etc. Covered wagons fording river Covered wagons circling around campfire… Internet Archive Profile: Jamison Handy (Part III) 1961 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Interview with Jam Handy (1886-1983), pioneer producer of sponsored and industrial films. The program, hosted by WWJ-TV host Bob Leslie, has low sound level… Internet Archive American Look 1958 · Film · Subtitles A "tribute to the American stylist," American Look shows families at leisure, children dressed in cowboy and cowgirl outfits watching television, a father… Internet Archive Head On 1938 · Film · Subtitles THE BOX-GIRDER FRAME IS THE STRONGEST AUTOMOBILE FRAME THAT CAN BE BUILT. TO PROVE THIS, A CHEVROLET TAKES ITS PLACE IN A LINE OF FREIGHT CARS AND HOLDS ITS… Internet Archive [Panama Canal] 1912 · Film · Subtitles Panama Canal: Ship on the Atlantic Ocean side of the canal / ship coming through the channel / the first (lower) lock seen from the Atlantic side / gates open… Internet Archive Inner Man Steps Out, The 1951 · Film · Subtitles Presents the problems of supervision, telling about a plant supervisor who goes to the doctor for help as a result of the tensions and unpleasant experiences… Internet Archive Belo Horizonte 1949 · Film · Subtitles Explains the development of Belo Horizonte, Brazil's 'PLANNED CITY WITH A PLAN.'. Internet Archive [Kinograms Newsreel, 1924] 1924 · Newsreel · Subtitles Washinqton DC - President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge stage a White House reception / Chief Justice Taft and Andrew S. Mellon in attendance. Placerville,… Internet Archive [Amateur film: "Travel/Cities"] 1947 · Commercial · 9 min · Subtitles Home movie showing travels to key U.S. tourist destinations, mostly by air. Internet Archive Detectin 1936 · Film · Subtitles Featuring Carlton King and Vivian Rich Our genial friend the town marshal, Jed Bascombe, has been reading several books on "How to Become a Detective." The… Internet Archive No More Road Trips? 2013 · Home movie NO MORE ROAD TRIPS? (Rick Prelinger, 2013, 79 min.), a dream ride through 20th-century America made entirely from home movies, asks whether we've come to the… Internet Archive American Choice Outtakes, Reel 6 Film Outtakes from an unfinished film, American Choice. Jam Handy Production No. M5473 Internet Archive Speech: Platform Posture and Appearance 1949 · Film · Subtitles Deals with the importance of proper posture and good appearance for the public speaker. Each element is treated from the viewpoint of the inexperienced… Internet Archive Negro Colleges in Wartime 1943 · Educational · Subtitles Content warning: the title of this film and the writing about it quoted below include an outdated term for historically Black colleges and universities.… Internet Archive Plants Make Food 1955 · Film · Subtitles Animation shows how a plant is like a food factory, depending on water, minerals, air & sunlight to manufacture food. 2 experiments shown: radish seeds… Internet Archive America Goes Over (Part IV) 1918 · Short · 17 min · Subtitles Government-produced historical record of major World War I battles. Internet Archive Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882-1945 1945 · Film · Subtitles This biographical sketch of the late President Roosevelt starts with scenes of his funeral. The film then goes back to scenes of his entry into politics in… Internet Archive Command Performance 1942 · Film · Subtitles PROCEDURES INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF SHELLAC RECORDS ARE SHOWN IN DETAIL, INCLUDING THE MAKING OF THE ORIGINAL MASTER PLATE, THE MOTHER PLATE & STAMPERS.… Internet Archive Lost Landscapes of San Francisco (Episode 14, 2019) 2019 · Film · Subtitles COMBINING a year of exciting archival discoveries with evergreen favorites from past years, this feature-length program shows San Francisco’s people,… Internet Archive Your Chance of a Lifetime! 1941 · Film · Subtitles In 1941, the United States is experiencing an unprecedented industrial boom fueled by government investments exceeding $44 billion. This surge in production… Internet Archive Facts About Film 1948 · Film · Subtitles Shows the harmful effects on 16mm film of improper projector cleaning, film threading, film rewinding and placement of film in can. Internet Archive I Want to Be a Secretary 1941 · Film · Subtitles DISCUSSES CLERICAL APTITUDES & POINTS OUT THE PREPARATION NEEDED BEFORE ONE CAN BECOME A SECRETARY. Many shots of rooms full of women typists. Internet Archive Highway Hearing 1956 · Film · Subtitles A small town learns that it is to be bypassed by a new freeway that is due for construction. In a meeting attended by local government officials, town… Internet Archive Spring Harmony 1935 · Film · Subtitles " A DRAMATIZATION OF THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE FRONT & THE REAR SPRINGS, INCLUDING AN EXPLANATION OF THE VALUE OF KNEE ACTION." Internet Archive Sorting, Checking and Packing Grocery Orders in Self-Serve Store 1940 · Film · Subtitles Great shots of groceries being rung up, 1940s grocery store, 1940s grocery assemblies. 1940s canned goods, packaged and unpackaged foods, meats in butcher… Internet Archive American Look 1958 · Film · Subtitles A "tribute to the American stylist," American Look shows families at leisure, children dressed in cowboy and cowgirl outfits watching television, a father… Internet Archive Palmour Street 1957 · Film · Subtitles SHOWS THE DAILY life of a NEGRO FAMILY IN GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA. ILLUSTRATES BASIC MENTAL HEALTH CONCEPTS BY SHOWING WAYS PARENTS CAN INFLUENCE THEIR CHILD'S… Internet Archive [Berkeley, California Fire] 1923 · Short · 5 min · Subtitles Coverage of the 1923 citywide conflagration. Internet Archive Community Development with Gunnison Homes 2026 · Film · Subtitles Gunnison Homes was a subsidiary of US Steel. Warehouse where prefabricated house parts are built. Great shots of tract housing suburban development.… Internet Archive Missile Named Mac, A 1962 · Cartoon Summary: A Missile Named Mac is an animated Bell Telephone Laboratories film that explains how modern electronics guide an intercontinental ballistic missile… Internet Archive Let's Play Fair 1949 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Sharing, taking turns and obeying rules are the basic elements of fair play. Internet Archive Threading the Cine-Kodak Special 1955 · Film · Subtitles Great instructional footage of how to thread film in a 16mm Cine-Kodak Special movie camera. Clear CU of identifying each important part of the camera.… Internet Archive Other Fellow, The 1937 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Comedian Edgar Kennedy teaches a driving safety lesson. Internet Archive Big Flash, The (Harry Langdon) 1932 · Film · Subtitles Comedy Short. Would-be photographer Harry is enlisted to take pictures of a gangster and his moll. Internet Archive Search for Zest, The 1962 · Film · Subtitles 00:02:01:06 CU elevator door open to CU to depressed man’s face wearing Malcolm X 1960s style glasses; Audio track “Boredom is this man’s problem. Boredom at… Internet Archive Consumers Want to Know (Part I) 1960 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Inside the testing labs of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. Internet Archive What Makes a Battle? 1944 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Strategy and successes of the Marshall Islands battle in World War II. Internet Archive Boredom at Work: The Empty Life 1961 · Film · Subtitles The film explores the issue of boredom and how it affects different characters. The main character, Hugh, goes to a doctor seeking help for his boredom. The… Internet Archive Chevrolet Leader News (Vol. 4, No. 1) 1938 · Newsreel · 7 min · Subtitles Promotional newsreels featuring a variety of Chevrolet-centric stories. Internet Archive [Salvation Army Mission, San Francisco] 1956 · Film · Subtitles Scenes of the South of Market area in San Francisco, California, especially the former "Skid Row" area in the vicinity of 3rd and Howard, 4th and Howard… Internet Archive [Chinese Lion Dance: Marysville, California] 1925 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Bok Kai Festival crowds, games, parade and fireworks. Internet Archive Bird Dogs 1940 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Hunting with specially-trained bird dogs. Internet Archive Escape 1940 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Escape strategies for prisoners of war. Internet Archive Music In Motion 1954 · Film · Subtitles Combines the story of visible sound in telephone research with performed orchestral music. Tom Shirley, the announcer from the radio program, "The Telephone…