The world's archives

2,113–2,160 of 3,051 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.
Open Images Belgische vluchtelingen 1e Wereldoorlog 1914 · Short · 5 min Opnamen van aankomst en opvang van Noord-Franse vluchtelingen aan de Nederlandse grens in Stramproy, en hun transport naar Weert tegen het einde van de Eerste… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images When They Were Kids 1912 · Short · 11 min Romantic film in which a couple who have been together for fifty years reminisce about the time they first met. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Duitse torpedojager wordt de haven van IJmuiden binnengesleept 1917 · Short · 1 min In januari 1917 wordt de zwaar beschadigde Duitse torpedojager V69 de haven van IJmuiden binnen gesleept. De schade was opgelopen na een treffen met Engelse… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Vlissingen 1918 · Short · 10 min Filmreportage van de onthulling van het standbeeld voor de Vlissingse loods en mensenredder Frans Naerebout. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Love, Speed and Thrills 1915 · Short · 14 min A chase film in which a man (named Walrus) kidnaps the wife of his benefactor (Ambrose); a wild chase then ensues. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Natuurwonderen 1915 · Short · 5 min An educational nature film in which some characteristics of a chameleon and a snake in an artificial environment are shown. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Gokster, De 1911 · Short · 7 min Drama about Mrs. Dove, who is addicted to gambling, and even sells her ring to be able to play cards once again. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Egyptenaar, De 1912 · Short · 14 min A comic one-act film in which a bellhop finds a stolen diamond and gets into an argument with the Egyptian thief. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Gerechtigheid 1912 · Short · 10 min A Western action film about two men who escape from prison to take revenge on the person who betrayed them. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Wanderer, The 1912 · Short · 6 min A wandering flute player has a beneficient influence on a number of characters through the pure tones of his music as he passes by. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Frank Merriwell in Arizona 1915 · Short · 27 min Anti-alcohol drama based on a popular series about the clever and sporty hero Frank Merriwell. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Operating on Cupid 1915 · Short · 10 min A short comic film in which a young man has himself admitted to the hospital so as to see more of his girlfriend (who is a nurse there), to the displeasure of… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images He Did and He Didn't 1916 · Short · 15 min Short comedy in which two rivals both dream about strange situations in which they attack people. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Betty and the bucaneers 1917 · Feature · 1 h 5 min Romantic adventure film in which Betty, who dreams about pirates, and her father, a gullible professor, are tricked by a bunch of real pirates. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Worries and Wobbles 1917 · Short · 13 min A farce in which a man comes home drunk, and locks himself in to avoid his angry wife. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Somebody's Widow 1918 · Short · 14 min A comedy in which the widow Mary makes a bet with her friends that she can win over a writer named Jack. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Master Mystery, The 1918 · Short · 9 min Episode of a serial in fifteen episodes with magician and escape artist Houdini in the lead. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Charlie in Turkey 1918 · Short · 9 min An animated film about the wandering figure of Charlie (known from the Chaplin films). Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Heart Snatcher, The 1919 · Short · 19 min A farce in which the poor Lamo has to flee after he tries to rob a rich cinema operator. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Boevenliefde (Some Shimmiers) 1919 · Short · 15 min A comic one-act play from a series featuring the duo of Lee Moran and Eddie Lyons, in which an aristocratic a girl embraces someone from a pub in a poor… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Eén dag koning 1919 · Short · 23 min King Ferdinand of Sodonje (King Ferdinand Saronoff) is threatened with an attack. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Pechvogel, De 1919 · Short · 24 min A comic two-act film with Western elements, based on an escape from the madhouse. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Park Your Car 1919 · Short · 8 min A once-act farce about two neighbours who purchase a car that they can use to go on drives with their wives. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Storm en noodweer in Nederland 1916 · Short · 7 min News item about the Zuiderzee flood of 1916, shown a few days after the disaster happenedA severe storm on January 14, 1916, caused flooding in many areas… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Hert, Het 1917 · Short · 9 min A silent informational film about how the red deer’s antlers grow, and how the deer use them. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Kuipen 1918 · Short · 10 min Informative film that depicts the production of wooden barrels, from the tree to the finished barrel. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Uit den schoot der aarde 1918 · Short · 10 min A short educational film about the origin of life, and the evolution of the different species. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Carborundum 1919 · Short · 10 min An informational film about the production of silicon carbide, a synthetic mineral. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Kijkjes tijdens de groote kaatspartij te Franeker 1919 · Short · 5 min Reportage about a pelota match held on August 4, 1920, in FranekerThe film opens with shots of a parade through the city, a band, and dignitaries riding in a… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Koninginnefeesten te Steenwijk 31 aug. - 1 sept. 1920 1919 · Short · 8 min Reportage about the Queen¿s Celebrations in SteenwijkFilm about Steenwijk during the Queen¿s Celebrations. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Moderne steenkolenmijn in de Vereenigde Staten, Een 1919 · Short · 15 min Industrial film about the production of coal in a “modern” mine in the United States. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Argentijnsche vlees, Het 1919 · Short · 16 min Promotional film for meat from Argentina and Uruguay, with an emphasis on the modern design of the slaughterhouses, freezing, and hygiene. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Werkspoor 1918 · Short · 2 min Corporate film about the Nederlandsche Fabriek van Werktuigen en Spoorwegmaterieel (Werkspoor)With companies like Beijnes, Allan, and Werkspoor, the… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Koninklijke Stearine Kaarsenfabriek Gouda 1918 · Short · 23 min Corporate film for the Stearine Candle Factory in Gouda, with shots of the building complex and the production process. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Utrecht 1918 · Short · 22 min Documentary about the city of UtrechtThis film is dedicated to Mayor Reiger, who had a great deal of influence on the development of Utrecht at the turn of… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Valkenburg 1919 · Short · 4 min Documentary about the ruins of ValkenburgShort documentary about the ruins of Valkenburg, which tower high above the picturesque Limburg town. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Visschersplaatsen aan de Zuiderzee 1919 · Short · 9 min Shots of life in Volendam: men in traditional clothes sitting on a bench, fishing boats in the harbour, fishermen cleaning their boats. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Bereiding van kaas, De 1919 · Short · 19 min Corporate film about the production of cheese at the Friesche Coöperatieve Zuivel-Export VereenigingCorporate film commissioned by the Friesche Coöperatieve… Open Images is not answering just now Open Images Bereiding van boter, De 1919 · Short · 26 min Corporate film about the production of butter at the Friesche Coöperatieve Zuivel-Export Vereeniging. Open Images is not answering just now Open Images 's-Gravenhaagsche vacantie-kinderfeest 1920, Het 1919 · Short · 5 min Reportage about roughly a thousand children from The Hague on their annual outing to Soesterberg. Open Images is not answering just now Internet Archive Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages 1916 · Commercial The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history. Commons Miss Australasia (1915) 1915 · Cartoon · 1 min Australian short silent animated film. Part of an Cartoons of the Moment newsreel. Commons Video of Britannia the British Tank crushing a limousine in Toronto Canada 1917 · Short · 1 min caption, “The Britannia, the British Tank which saw service in Flanders and took part in the Liberty Loan Parade on Fifth Ave, crushing a limousine in the… Commons Rue Rambuteau et boutiques du Mont-de-Piété 1919 · Short · 1 min Lieu : Paris Lieu : Paris, France Thème : Activite économique Thème : Vie quotidienne Thème : Société Thème : Première guerre mondiale Sous-thème : Boutique… Commons Population mongole 1912 · Short · 1 min Lieu : Mongolie intérieure Lieu : Mongolie Intérieure, Chine Mission : 1912 - Chine - Stéphane Passet Thème : Etres humains Thème : Société Sous-thème :… Commons Démolition des fortifications 1919 · Short · 1 min Lieu : Paris Lieu : Paris, France Thème : Habitat / Architecture Sous-thème : Travaux Sous-thème : Ouvrier Sous-thème : Fortifications Support : Nitrate [N]… Commons Grands Boulevards, Capucines et Italiens 1919 · Short · 1 min Lieu : Paris Lieu : Paris, France Thème : Activite économique Thème : Vie quotidienne Thème : Habitat / Architecture Sous-thème : Boutique / magasin… Commons Affiches contre la paix et soldats américains aux Champs-Elysées 1918 · Short · 1 min Lieu : Paris Lieu : Etats-Unis [en relation avec] Lieu : Paris, France Thème : Transport Thème : Vie quotidienne Thème : Inscription / information Thème :…