The world's archives

145–192 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 The Soilers 1923 · Short · 10 min A miner's treasure is falsely claimed by the corrupt local sheriff and the miner must fight to get it back. Internet Archive Tangled Trails 1921 · Feature · 55 min Title: Tangled Trails Summary: Corporal Jack Borden, of the Northwest Mounted Police, trails the man who killed his partner to New York City. The killer is an… Internet Archive "Our Hospitality" (1923) starring Buster Keaton and Joe Roberts 1923 · 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 Green Pastures 1926 · Cartoon · 5 min · Subtitles Mud animation by pioneer San Francisco Chinese American animator Joseph Sunn. From the "Ralph Wolfe's Mud Stuff" series. Internet Archive Communication 1928 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Interested animated instructional film detailing electronic communications in the early part of the century. Interestingly enough, the popular vocational… Internet Archive Woman to Woman 1929 · Feature · 1 h 17 min Title: Woman to Woman Summary: An amnesiac officer weds a barren socialite and adopts his son by a French ballerina. Directed by: Victor Saville Actors: Betty… Internet Archive The Paleface 1922 · Short Buster Keaton stars in this comedy as the captive of hostile Indians. His captors tie him to a stake and prepare him for death by fire. Keaton moves with the… Internet Archive So Long Letty 1929 Colorized 1929 · Feature This movie became Public Domain on 1 January 2025. Screwball Pre-Code comedy starring Charlotte Greenwood, in which mistaken identities lead to wife-swapping.… Internet Archive All The King's Horses 1926 · Film This is a recent discovery -- a 16mm print of a rare Jam Handy silent film. It's a bit title-heavy, but interesting to compare to later Handy productions. Internet Archive "A Dozen Socks" (1927) starring Alice Day 1927 · 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 "He Who Gets Slapped" (1924) starring Lon Chaney 1924 · 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 Penwiper, The 1926 · Cartoon · 3 min · Subtitles Mud animation by pioneer San Francisco Chinese American animator Joseph Sunn. From the "Ralph Wolfe's Mud Stuff" series. Internet Archive Buster Keaton's "College" (1927) 1927 · 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 Wheels of Progress 1927 · Short · 13 min · Subtitles Reviews the history of transportation in the U.S. and promotes the economic and social benefits of more and better public roads.. Internet Archive Santa Claus 1925 · Feature Internet Archive Island of Yesterday: Sumatra, Dutch West Indies, The 1920 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Goodyear's own film about its rubber plantations on the island of Sumatra, depicting Sumatra's culture in a highly patronizing and racist fashion. Internet Archive CHASING CHOO CHOOS 1927 · Feature A two reel version of Monty Banks' 1927 silent comedy feature "Play Safe", concentrating on the train scenes. Internet Archive The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Man With The Twisted Lip 1921 · Short · 26 min Episode of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series starring Eille Norwood. Special contents of this edition copyright 2010 Shane I Sullivan. Permission to… Internet Archive Buster Keaton's "The Scarecrow" (1920) 1920 · 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 Un Chien Andalou 1929 · Feature Un Chien Andalou (English translation: "An Andalusian Dog") is a 1929 French silent short film directed by Luis Buñuel, and written by Buñuel and Salvador… Internet Archive Steamboat Willie 1928 · Feature Internet Archive "One Exciting Night" (1922) director D. W. Griffith 1922 · 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 The Trap 1922 · Feature · 45 min After his mine is stolen a miner becomes obseessed with plotting revenge against the man who stole his mine. Internet Archive Metropolis (1927) 1927 · Feature I've been researching newly public domain films from 1929 and earlier, so I'm uploading the best possible copies that I can find. Regarded as one of the most… Internet Archive The Ten Commandments / Blu-ray / x264 / MKV / 720p / With Commentary 1923 · Feature The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. The… Internet Archive The Midnight Girl 1925 · Feature · 1 h 1 min 1925 directed by Wilfred Noy starring Lila Lee, Gareth Hughes, Dolores Cassinelli and Bela Lugosi. A shady opera patron, (Lugosi), is in love with the same… Internet Archive The Joyless Street 1926 · Feature The film that brought international fame to both Pabst and Greta Garbo, THE JOYLESS STREET is a stinging indictment of the soullessness of Weimar-era Vienna.… Internet Archive "Scaramouche" (1923) director Rex Ingram starring Ramon Novarro 1923 · 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 The Bat (1926) with soundtrack 1926 · Feature · 1 h 25 min 1926 directed by Roland West starring George Beranger, Charles Herzinger and Emily Fitzroy. Sets designed by William Cameron Menzies. A criminal who dresses… Internet Archive "The Mark of Zorro" (1920) starring Douglas Fairbanks 1920 · 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 College 1927 · Feature · 1 h 4 min Buster Keaton goes to college and trys to master sports ... all or any of them. Internet Archive The Sawmill 1922 · Short · 21 min This got famous for the most expensive short silent comedy that was ever produced. A bumbling sawmill employee (Larry Semon) tries to win the hand of the… Internet Archive "The Primitive Lover" (1922) 1922 · 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 "Way Down East" (1920) director D. W. Griffith, cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1920 · 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 La Souriante Madame Beudet AKA The Smiling Madame Beudet / Germaine Dulac / TV / XviD / AVI 1923 · Feature · Subtitles One of the first feminist movies, The Smiling Madame Beudet is the story of an intelligent woman trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband is used to… Internet Archive Stick Around AKA The Paper Hanger's Helper 1925 · Short · 12 min A paper hanger and his assistant make mistakes when attempting to do a job in a sanatarium. Internet Archive "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1922) 1922 · 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 Buster Keaton's "Neighbors" (1920) 1920 · 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 "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924) starring Douglas Fairbanks 1924 · 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 "Tess of the Storm Country" (1922) director John S. Robertson with Mary Pickford 1922 · 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 Koko in 1999 1927 · Feature Internet Archive "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923) starring Lon Chaney and Patsy Ruth Miller 1923 · 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 The Show 1922 · Short · 21 min A harried propman (Larry Semon) backstage at a theater must put up with malfunctioning wind machines, roosters that spit nitroglycerine, and a gang planning… Internet Archive "Camille" (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 [Kinograms Newsreel] 1925 · Newsreel · 6 min · Subtitles Typical newsreel from the silent era, featuring Jack Dempsey, a balloon race, women dancing in chilly breezes, a juggler, and opium being confiscated and… Internet Archive Buster Keaton's "The Haunted House" (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 "The Navigator" (1924) starring Buster Keaton 1924 · 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 La Souriante Madame Beudet 1922 · Short · Subtitles La Souriante Madame Beudet / The Smiling Madame Beudet Short French silent film made in 1922, directed by famed surrealist director Germaine Dulac. It is…