Prelinger Archives

241–288 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 Long Distance 1941 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles The film "Long Distance" explores the significance of long-distance communication in America, highlighting the intricate network of wires and technologies… Internet Archive Coffee House Rendezvous (Part I) 1969 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Shows coffeehouses sponsored by churches and community organizations and how they function as gathering places for countercultural youth. Internet Archive Henry Ford's Mirror of America (Part I) 1962 · Short · 17 min · Subtitles Compilation of images and sequences from the Ford Film Collection, with excellent footage of United States history, culture, industry and daily life between… Internet Archive [Amateur films: Ivan Besse collection: Britton, South Dakota 1938-39] (Part I) 1938 · Home movie · 19 min · Subtitles Daily life in a South Dakota town during the Great Depression, shot by Ivan Besse. This footage is on 0692_HM_Ivan_Besse_collection_Britton_South_Dakota_1938-3… Internet Archive From Dawn to Sunset (Part I) 1937 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles This classic example of "capitalist realism" depicts a day in the life of Chevrolet workers in the U.S., while attempting to convince them that their own… Internet Archive Day In The Death Of Donny B. 1969 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Docudrama, shot Cinema-Verite style, which follows a junkie on his never-ending quest for money, and ultimately, his fix. Internet Archive Visit to Wurlitzer, A (Part I) 1950 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Tour of the Wurlitzer factory located at North Tonawanda, N.Y., showing the manufacture of "coin-operated phonographs." A color sequence introducing the… Internet Archive [Amateur film: Texas Farm Family] 1952 · Home movie · 10 min · Subtitles Scenes from the daily life of a Texas farm family. Internet Archive Freedom Highway (Part II) 1956 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles A Greyhound bus transports us through the landscape of American mythology. Directed by Harold Schuster. Director of Photography: Jerry Fairbanks. Screenplay:… Internet Archive Something for Nothing 1940 · Cartoon · 8 min · Subtitles Cartoonist Rube Goldberg creates a little animation to explain how fuel is converted to power in the modern automobile engine. Internet Archive Big Bounce, The 1960 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles The story of the Echo communications satellite project, and how scientists learned to bounce a radio signal off a big balloon. Written by Robert Engel and Leo… Internet Archive Big Train, The (Part I) 1950 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Operations of the New York Central Railroad. Producer and director: Victor Solow. Introduced by NYCRR president Alfred E. Perlman. Internet Archive Power to Serve, The 1957 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles How the electric company makes Cleveland the "best location in the nation." Introduced by Elmer L. Lindseth, President of Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.… Internet Archive [Amateur film: Wathen collection: Greenwich Village, New York Snowstorm, and Coney Island] 1944 · Home movie · 14 min · Subtitles Amateur film made in Manhattan, New York City during World War II, showing a Greenwich Village street art exhibition, springtime at Coney Island, and… Internet Archive Bookbinders 1961 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Shows the work of bookbinders and the final steps in the process of manufacturing printed books. From the "Americans at Work" series. Internet Archive San Francisco Earthquake Aftermath, Part 1 1906 · Film · Subtitles Scenes of displaced people and damaged buildings in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Original film is in need of repair, jumps and rolls out… Internet Archive Three Little Kittens 1938 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Story of three little kittens from shortly after the time they are born until they are old enough to "work" on the farm where they live. Internet Archive American Thrift (Part II) 1962 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Expansive tribute to the "Woman American," her thrifty purchasing habits, and the American system of mass production. Internet Archive Design for Dreaming 1956 · Film · Subtitles Produced to bring the 1956 G.M. Motorama to audiences unable to see it in major cities, this fim introduces the new 1956 cars, Frigidaire's "Kitchen of… Internet Archive Tuesday in November 1945 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles PLEASE NOTE: A vastly improved version of this film made from a 35mm preserved print is available here: http://archive.org/details/Tuesday_in_November… Internet Archive Divide and Conquer (Part I) 1943 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Shows the German invasion of Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium and France, including the evacuation of the British forces at Dunkirk. From the "Why We Fight"… Internet Archive Ingenuity in Action (Part I) 1958 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Made for hot rod fans; explains how to prepare and enter a car show; also serves as an ethnographic account of the "nomadic tribe of hotrodders". Internet Archive What Makes Us Tick 1952 · Cartoon · 11 min · Subtitles The animated film explores the life of a typical American family, focusing on John Q Public, who manages his finances through investments and savings. It… Internet Archive Operation Crossroads (Part I) 1946 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Documents Able Day and Baker Day blasts of the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Island in the Pacific. Contains footage from many of the ground and aerial cameras… Internet Archive The Plow That Broke The Plains (Part I) 1936 · Short · 22 min · Subtitles Classic drama which details the Great Plains during the Depression. With Cinematography by Leo Hurwitz, Ralph Steiner, Paul Ivano and Paul Strand. Selected… Internet Archive Making of a Shooter 1946 · Short · 24 min · Subtitles This Kodachrome film shows how a teenage boy learns to become a safe and accurate shooter. Famous riflemen appearing include Ned Lilly, Dick Shaughnessy,… Internet Archive American Harvest (Part II) 1955 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles This institutional film was designed to promote Chevrolet's corporate citizenship rather than any specific model of automobile. While it forcefully… Internet Archive Plantation System in Southern Life, The 1950 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Eurocentric view of the plantation system and its effect on Southern U.S. culture. Internet Archive Olds Minute Movies [Futuramic 1948] 1948 · Short · 3 min · Subtitles Theater advertisements for the first all-new automobile to be placed on the market after World War II, the Oldsmobile Futuramic. Internet Archive RCA Presentation: Television, An 1939 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Early promotional film introducing TV to the American public, probably coordinated with the rollout of scheduled broadcasting at the 1939 New York World's… Internet Archive Our Changing Family Life 1957 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles How patterns of family living have changed from the 1880s to the 1950s, shown in dramatized sequences. Internet Archive Test Tube Tale 1941 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles The magic of industrial chemistry and its effects on our immediate environment. Shows new products such as nylon stockings and transparent raincoats, and also… Internet Archive Don't Be Afraid 1953 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Analysis of a child's fear of darkness leads him and us to understand the nature and kinds of fear. Internet Archive Days of Our Years 1955 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Disturbing and sometimes maudlin trilogy of accidents and their effects on railroad workers and their families, shot with virtuosity in working-class Los… Internet Archive Original Films Of Frank B Gilbreth (Part I) Film · Subtitles Essentially a summary of work analysis films which were taken by Frank B. Gilbreth between 1910 and 1924 showing a number of industrial operations from which… Internet Archive Big Train, The (Part II) 1950 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Operations of the New York Central Railroad. Producer and director: Victor Solow. Introduced by NYCRR president Alfred E. Perlman. Internet Archive [Besler Corporation Promo Film: Steam-Driven Vehicles] 1932 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Demonstrates the practicality of steam-driven automobiles, airplanes and trains. Internet Archive [Television Commercials: Telephone] 1970 · Commercial · 4 min · Subtitles Three TV commercials; one set in St. Louis, Missouri, another on Mount Washington, New Hampshire, and a quick review of telephone history. Internet Archive Atom and Biological Science, The 1952 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Describes some of the biological effects of high energy radiations on plants and animal cells. Explains how typical experiments are conducted and demonstrates… Internet Archive Tribune-American Dream Picture 1924 · Short · 7 min · Subtitles Astonishing film sponsored by a newspaper which held a contest for the most unusual dream and then made it into a short film. A woman dreams of losing her… Internet Archive How to Say No: Moral Maturity 1951 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles How to say no to unwanted smoking, drinking and petting, and still keep your friends. Internet Archive Highlights 1965: A Progress Report (Part II) 1965 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles 1965 NASA Progress Report, from the Office of Space Science and Application. Produced by Norwood Studios, Inc. for the National Aeronautics and Space… Internet Archive [Amateur film: New Orleans Carnival Week, February 22, 1941] 1941 · Home movie · 9 min · Subtitles Mardi Gras: Parade of Nor. Internet Archive Princess and the Pauper, The 1939 · Cartoon · 9 min · Subtitles Nicky Nome, a spinoff from "A Coach for Cinderella" and hero of this cartoon, rescues a treasure-laden pauper from the Valley of Jewels, taking him to the… Internet Archive When You Grow Up 1973 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Film for middle-school children about vocational choices and opportunities in the U.S. Great shots of early 1970s children and adults pursuing everyday… Internet Archive Working Dollars 1957 · Cartoon · 10 min · Subtitles Animated explanation of how the stock market works, told through the story of an Everyman named Mr. Finchley Internet Archive Avenge December 7 (Pearl Harbor) 1942 · Short · 1 min · Subtitles War bond sales promo stridently advocating vengeance against Japan for bombing of Pearl Harbor. Internet Archive Towers, The 1957 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Simon Rodilla and the building of the Watts Towers in south-central Los Angeles.