The world's archives

49–96 of 8,179 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 Won In The Clouds 1928 · Feature · 53 min · Subtitles Early aviation barnstormer Al Wilson became an acttion star in silent movies with films like this, using a simple adventure story about stolen diamonds in… Internet Archive The Lost World 1925 · Feature · 1 h 8 min · Subtitles The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam. Internet Archive The Conquering Power 1921 · Feature · 1 h 29 min From the Wikipedia entry for "The Conquering Power": "The Conquering Power is a silent film made in 1921, directed by Rex Ingram and starring Rudolph… Internet Archive The General Line 1929 · Feature · 2 h · Subtitles The General Line aka Old and New (translit. Staroye i novoye) is a 1929 Soviet film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Internet Archive The Playhouse 1921 · Short · 22 min The opening scene, a dream sequence prior to the vaudeville routines which follow, is what makes this film famous. In it Keaton plays everyone in a theatre… Internet Archive The Black Pirate 1926 · Feature · 1 h 22 min A nobleman vows to avenge the death of his father at the hands of pirates. To this end he infiltrates the pirate band. Acting in character he is instrumental… Internet Archive General Health Habits 1928 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Personal hygiene, 1920s-style. Internet Archive Sands of Sacrifice 1921 · Feature · 55 min AKA Tangled Trails Corporal Jack Borden (Neal Hart), of the Northwest Mounted Police, trails the man who killed his partner to New York City. The killer is an… Internet Archive The County Fair 1920 · Feature · 50 min This early silent film is an adaptation of Neil Burgess' play about life in New England. Internet Archive Slick Sleuths 1926 · Short · 7 min · Subtitles Mutt and Jeff play Sherlock Holmes style detectives on the trail of the mysterious "Phantom". Originally release in 1926, this film was hand coloured in the… Internet Archive The Three Musketeers 1921 · Feature · 1 h 59 min The young Gascon D'Artagnan (Douglas Fairbanks) arrives in Paris, his heart set on joining the king's Musketeers. He is taken under the wings of three of the… Internet Archive The Iron Mask 1929 · Feature · 1 h 12 min King Louis XIII of France is thrilled to have born to him a son - an heir to the throne. But when the queen delivers a twin, Cardinal Richelieu sees the… Internet Archive Sigmaboat willy 1928 · Cartoon Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be published, but it was the third one to be produced. Internet Archive The Blacksmith 1922 · Short · 20 min Blacksmiths' assistant inadvertent clowning around in the shop, gets into fight with the smithy who is then arrested and placed in jail. In the meantime, the… Internet Archive The Wizard Of Oz 1925 with Oliver Hardy 1925 · Feature 1925 remastered version with blue tint staring oliver hardy with sound Young Dorothy (Dorothy Dwan), a farm girl from Kansas, discovers that she's actually… Internet Archive The Boat 1921 · Short · 26 min Buster's handmade boat, The Damfino, is finished and is, of course, too large to get through the basement door. When he drives off with it in tow, the side of… Internet Archive The Cat and the Canary 1927 · Feature From IMDb : Rich old Cyrus West's relatives are waiting for him to die so they can inherit. But he stipulates that his will be read 20 years after his death.… Internet Archive Convict 13 1920 · Short · 20 min Buster is playing golf with Sybil when he gets knocked out. An escaped prisoner changes clothes with him. Buster goes to prison and learns that he is to be… Internet Archive The Light Of Faith 1922 · Short · 32 min This is the condensed version of the mostly lost feature film "A Light In The Dark" (1922). This film was re-cut in the 1930s to be used as an inspirational… Internet Archive The Racketeer 1929 · Feature · 1 h 5 min · Subtitles From IMDb : Tough mobster Mahlon Keane practically runs crime in New York City. He meets broke ex-society girl Rhoda Philbrooke at a society fundraiser and… Internet Archive The Fall of the House of Usher 1928 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles A cleaned up version of this . I removed the logo and most of the Spanish subtitles. You can load the mpeg2 file into DVDAuthorGUI (a free program) and create… Internet Archive The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 1921 · Feature This is the movie that made Rudolph Valentino a star. Written by June Mathis it was released in 1921 and was the best selling movie of that year. It went on… Internet Archive Finding his voice : an animated cartoon synchronized to voice & sound 1929 · Cartoon · 10 min · Subtitles Cartoon showing how sound motion pictures work, produced by a company that was an innovator in the field. Story by W.E. Erpi (pseudonym for Western Electric,… Internet Archive Miss Lulu Bett 1921 · Feature · 1 h 11 min Title: Miss Lulu Bett Summary: A once-timid young woman gains newfound confidence after a failed marriage, much to the chagrin of her miserable family.… Internet Archive Haldane of the Secret Service 1923 · Feature · Subtitles Heath Haldane (Houdini) attempts to track down the vicious criminal gang responsible for his government agent father's death while also saving the girl he… Internet Archive Pollyanna 1920 · Feature · 57 min Title: Pollyanna Summary: An orphan's optimistic outlook brings a change to the ill-tempered town in which she resides to her aunt. Directed by: Paul Powell… Internet Archive The Sea Lion 1921 · Feature · 1 h 2 min · Subtitles 1921 Silent film starring and produced by Hobart Bosworth. This film was directed by Rowland V Lee and tells the story of a bitter sea captain angry with the… Internet Archive Daydreams 1922 · Short · 19 min Buster Keaton asks the father of the woman he loves for her hand in marriage, but the father wants to see Keaton make something of himself first. "I'll leave… Internet Archive My Wifes Relations 1922 · Short · 22 min When a large Irish woman falsely accuses Buster of breaking a window he is hauled before a Polish judge who speaks no English and assumes they are there to be… Internet Archive Neighbors 1920 · Short · 17 min Neighbors / Frigo a soused (1920) info: http://www.csfd.cz/film.php?5119 http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0011508/ Internet Archive Silks and Saddles 1921 · Feature · 1 h 14 min · Subtitles Australian silent film from 1921 about the lives of the people in the horse racing world. DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY John K Wells WRITTEN BY John Cosgrove and… Internet Archive Orphans of the Storm 1921 · Feature · 2 h 23 min Henriette and Louise, a foundling, are raised together as sisters. When Louise goes blind, Henriette swears to take care of her forever. They go to Paris to… Internet Archive The Wild Party 1929 Colorized 1929 · Feature This movie became Public Domain on 1 January 2025. Clara Bow's first Talkie movie, in which she plays a party-loving college student who falls for her… Internet Archive 1924 - Les Rapaces (Greed) - De Erich Von Stroheim 1924 · Feature · Subtitles Les Rapaces (Greed) est un film américain en noir et blanc , muet. Réalisé par Erich von Stroheim , il est sorti aux États-Unis en décembre 1924 , et au cours… Internet Archive Cobra 1925 · Feature · 1 h 10 min In this later film, Rudolph Valentino plays a poor Italian noble man. He takes a job in New York and falls in love. Internet Archive The Flapper 1920 · Feature · 1 h 25 min A small town girl attends boarding school, dreams of romantic adventures, and has some. Stars: Olive Thomas, Theodore Westman, Jr., William P. Carlton, Jr.,… Internet Archive Three Ages 1923 · Feature This gut busting comedy, starring Buster Keaton, charmingly explores love in the three ages of life - the prehistoric age, the roman age, and the modern age.… Internet Archive Sky: A Film Lesson in "Nature Study", The 1928 · Film · Subtitles Possibly some shots to be logged. Boy turning around with ball in hand, shot both in and out of his POV. How a boy can make a refractive telescope. Reflecting… Internet Archive Joyless Street 1925 · Feature · 1 h Vienna in the biggest depression, directly after WW1. In a slum, Lila Leid (Tamara Geva), the wife of lawyer Leid (Alexander Murski) is murdered, Egon,… Internet Archive "A Bear, a Boy and a Dog" (1921) 1921 · Feature This gem is presented by Silent Hall of Fame. Please visit https://silent-hall-of-fame.org/ to support our non-profit mission and the legacy of silent movie… Internet Archive Outside The Law 1920 · Feature · 1 h 15 min Outside the Law is a 1920 crime film directed by Tod Browning. Browning remade the film in 1930. Black Mike (Lon Chaney) is a despicable gangster who lures… Internet Archive The Balloonatic 1923 · Short · 22 min AKA Balloonatics Buster and Phyllis endure a number of outdoor adventures trying to prove to each other their survival skills. The balloon which lands Buster… Internet Archive Why Change Your Wife? 1920 · Feature · 1 h 31 min From IMDb : Robert and Beth Gordon are married but share little. He runs into Sally at a cabaret and the Gordons are soon divorced. Just as he gets bored with… Internet Archive Bee's Buzz 1929 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . Internet Archive For The Term of His Natural Life 1927 · Feature · 1 h 33 min This is the greatest of all Austrlian Silent films. Made just before the advent of synchronised sound, this film had a limited period of commercial viabilty… Internet Archive Buster Keaton's "The Goat" (1921) 1921 · Feature This gem is presented by Silent Hall of Fame. Please visit https://silent-hall-of-fame.org/ to support our non-profit mission and the legacy of silent movie… Internet Archive Great Gabbo 1929 · Feature · 1 h 8 min · Subtitles You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . Internet Archive The General 1926 · Feature · 1 h 46 min Title: The General Summary: When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single-handedly and straight through enemy lines. Directed…