The world's archives

961–1,008 of 1,669 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 Shell Schooner Spoiler 1900 · Feature · 1 h Shell Schooner Spoiler, found on a VHS-tape with only a written text with "Shell Schooner Spoiler Internet Archive FENCING, TRICK FILM, LOGGING 1900 · Educational FENCING, TRICK FILM, LOGGING Produced: 1900 Description Shows unrelated sequences without subtitles. Part 1, two fencers parry, scoring several hits. Part 2,… Internet Archive BULLFIGHT TRICK FILM, ETC 1900 · Educational BULLFIGHT TRICK FILM, ETC Produced: 1900 Description Shows unrelated sequences without subtitles. Part 1, scenes at a bull ring show the beginning procession… Internet Archive SPORTS 1900 · Educational SPORTS Produced: 1900 Description Shows, without subtitles, various athletic activities. Part 1, men carry their racing shell to the Thames River and prepare… Internet Archive INDIA, BOATING, ETC 1900 · Educational INDIA, BOATING, ETC Produced: 1900 Description Shows unrelated sequences without subtitles. Part 1 shows a market in India. Part 2, two men perform antics in… Internet Archive DOWN ON THE FARM [COMEDY] 1905 · Educational DOWN ON THE FARM [COMEDY] Produced: 1905 Description The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: Four women climb… Internet Archive DEER HUNT AND STEEPLECHASE 1900 · Educational DEER HUNT AND STEEPLECHASE Produced: 1900 Description Part 1 shows, without subtitles, details of a deer hunt in England. The hounds are gathered and sent in… Internet Archive 8mm film filmed by Bakels in Zandvoort 1900 · Short · 12 min This is an unknown familie, catched on film by Mr. A.Bakels in Zandvoort Commons Le cochon danseur (1907) - yt 1907 · Short · 4 min French silent short puppet film, based on a music hall routine, produced by Pathé Frères. Internet Archive 8mm film van de papierfabriek van Van Gelder Papier 1900 · Short · 6 min 8mm film van de papierfabriek van Van Gelder Papier Internet Archive From Show Girl to Burlesque Queen 1903 · Feature Internet Archive The Burlesque Suicide, No. 2 1902 · Feature Internet Archive Chicks to Order 1903 · Educational Chicks to Order Produced: 1903 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5778 Internet Archive Troubles of a Manager of a Burlesque Show 1904 · Feature Internet Archive The Strenuous Life; or, Anti-Race Suicide 1904 · Feature Internet Archive A Fire in a Burlesque Theatre 1904 · Feature Internet Archive The Burlesque Suicide 1902 · Feature Commons Solar Eclipse (1900) - the first moving image of an astronomical phenomenon BFI 1900 · Short · 1 min Total solar eclipse of 28 May, 1900, filmed in North Carolina, USA - the oldest surviving moving image of a solar eclipse Commons Le Moulin maudit (1909) 1909 · Short · 5 min The Mill (Le Moulin maudit) is a 1909 stencil-coloured silent French short by Alfred Machin. Commons Драма в таборе подмосковных цыган. (1908) 1909 · Short · 2 min Surviving fragment of Drama v tabore podmoskovnykh tsygan (1908) Director: Vladimir Siversen (as V. Siversen) Writer: Vladimir Siversen (as V. Siversen) Commons Le Coucher de la mariée (1907) 1907 · Short · 3 min Le Coucher de la mariée (1907), not to be confused with Le Coucher de la mariée (1896) Director: Unknown Country: France Commons President McKinley's speech at the Pan-American Exposition (1901) 1901 · Short · 1 min The film begins by showing the introductory speaker at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. The speaker introduces the incumbent president of the United… Commons Why Mrs. Jones Got A Divorce (1900), Highest quaility 1900 · Short · 1 min Why Mrs. Jones Got A Divorce (1900) Directed by James H. White. Version with the highest available picture quality. Commons Danse javanaise (1900) 1900 · Short · 3 min Dans le théâtre indochinois de l'Exposition Universelle de 1900, costumée par Landolff, devant une toile peinte représentant des palmiers, Cléo de Mérode en… Commons Sunny Africa (1907) 1907 · Short · 2 min American silent short."Takes place in a concert hall on Eighth avenue, New York, frequented by the colored element. Buck dancing, cake walking, etc., are… Commons Pork and Beans by Theron C. Bennett (1909) 1909 · Short · 3 min Original listing and sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/36482158/scores/24835828?from=youtube_share Theron C. Bennett (1879-1937) was a capable… Commons Sweet Pickles by Theron C. Bennett (1907) 1907 · Short · 3 min Original listing and sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/36482158/scores/24743533?from=youtube_share A fine rag written by Theron C. Bennett (also… Commons England - Congregation Leaving Church, 1902 1902 · Short · 2 min This is a congregation leaving St. James Church in Hull, England in 1902. A rare view right into the turn of the century (most of the films from this time are… Commons Star Theatre 1901 · Short · 1 min Star Theatre (also known as Demolishing and Building Up the Star Theatre) is a 1901 short documentary film in which time-lapse photography is used to show the… Commons The Night Before Christmas (1905) 1905 · Short · 8 min The Night Before Christmas is a 1905 American silent short film directed by Edwin S. Porter. Commons Street Scenes in Downtown Halifax, England (Jan 1902) 1902 · Short · 3 min Second pass at this old film of Halifax, England in January 1902. Updated version of an earlier, longer upload of the same film. Speed corrected and added in… Commons Sejem v Ljutomeru (1906) 1906 · Short · 1 min Film prikazuje množico ljudi, ki se razgledujejo po sejemskih stojnicah na Glavnem trgu v Ljutomeru. 1906, Avstro-Ogrska, Slovenija Commons Cleveland Fire Department, 1900-03 1900 · Short · 1 min Fire department in Cleveland, Ohio. The subject is the activities of a fire department that can be seen coming out of the fire engine house located across the… Commons Alice in Wonderland (1903) 1903 · Short · 8 min 1903 silent film Commons Création de la serpentine France 1908 Segundo de Chomón (extrait version colorislée) - Copie 1908 · Short · 1 min This is "Création de la serpentine France 1908 Segundo de Chomón (extrait version colorisée) " by Ellison William on Vimeo,… Commons Na domačem vrtu (1906) 1906 · Short · 1 min Na vrtu pred hišo se najprej sami igrajo otroci Draga, Božena in Vladimir. V drugem kadru se jim pridruži še mama Matilda, v igri se približujejo in… Commons Execution of Leon Czolgosz (1901) by Thomas Edison 1901 · Short · 3 min Execution of Czolgosz, with panorama of Auburn Prison. The film begins by showing railroad cars in the foreground with the overshadowing walls of a state… Commons Victorian-Edwardian workers caught on film (1901) 1901 · Short · 5 min Did a second pass at speed/sound this amazing old footage by Mitchell and Kenyon in North England 1901. The first time I uploaded this a year ago I really… Commons Street Scenes in Kristianstad and Karlshamn, Sweden, 1908 1908 · Short · 4 min Very old film of Edwardian-era Sweden life in the year 1908. Worked on/set footage to a natural rate and added in sound for ambiance (sound removed on upload… Commons Queen Victoria In Dublin (Rare archive footage from 1900) 1900 · Short · 2 min Queen Victoria In Dublin (Rare archive footage from 1900) [HD]. This incredibly rare piece of footage, over 110 years old, is one of only two pieces of… Commons A Native Street in India (1906) 1906 · Short · 2 min Part of India on Film: 1899 – 1947 This collection of newly digitised films is part of the BFI's contribution to the UK-India Year of Culture 2017, in… Commons Tram Ride Through Sheffield, England, 1902 1902 · Short · 5 min Very old film taken from the front of a tram in Sheffield, England in 1902. Set to a natural rate and added in sound for ambiance (sound removed on upload to… Commons Histoire d'un crime 1901 · Short · 4 min Histoire d'un crime, 1901 silent movie by Ferdinand Zecca, described as the first crime film in history. Commons Emigrants (i.e. immigrants) landing at Ellis Island - 1903 · Short · 2 min "Shows a large open barge loaded with people of every nationality, who have just arrived from Europe, disembarking at Ellis Island, N.Y. A most interesting… Commons Delhi, Great Capital of India (1909) 1909 · Short · 3 min Delhi, Great Capital of India. Part of India on Film: 1899 – 1947 This collection of newly digitised films is part of the BFI's contribution to the UK-India… Commons The Cheese Mites (1903) 1903 · Short · 2 min The Cheese Mites (1903) is a British short silent documentary film, produced by Charles Urban and directed by F. Martin Duncan. Part of Charles Urban's 1903… Commons Le village de Namo - Panorama pris d'une chaise à porteurs (1900) 1900 · Short · 1 min Lumiere Film Catalogue no. 1296 Filmed by Gabriel Veyre for Lumière Brothers in the village of Namo (Indochina). With the camera set on a pulled rickshaw, a… Commons The Tempest (1908) 1908 · Short · 11 min The Tempest is a 1908 silent short adaptation of Shakespeare's play by Percy Stow.