The world's archives

1,153–1,200 of 43,573 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 Curtiss-Wright Shorts (7 Subjects) 1944 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Short screen ads recruiting workers for aircraft manufacturing during World War II. Internet Archive Trichinosis 1942 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Shows how trichinosis infestation occurs. Describes the preparation of microscope slide specimens and, through photomicrographic sequences, the life history… Internet Archive I Wake Up Screaming (1941, U) Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis - Film Noir 1941 · Feature I Wake Up Screaming (also known.as Hot Spot) is a 1941 film noir. It is based on the novel of the same name by Steve Fisher, who co-wrote the screenplay with… Internet Archive Daffy - The Commando (1943) 1943 · Feature Daffy – The Commando is a 1943 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on November 20, 1943, and stars Daffy… Internet Archive Gospel Dynamite 1940 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles Charles O. Baptista, a Venezulean-born, US-educated piano salesman, started Scriptures Visualized Institute to produce educational and evangelism films. The… Internet Archive Confessions of Boston Blackie 1941 colorized (Chester Morris) 1941 · Feature Reformed thief Boston Blackie is accused of murdering a man at an art auction, which leads to the uncovering of an art racket. #2 of 14 "Boston Blackie" films… Internet Archive Southern Highlanders 1947 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Residents of the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee and their culture. Internet Archive ''Howdy Doody'' - Howdy Doody for President 1948 · TV · 28 min · Subtitles An episode of "Puppet Playhouse Presents Howdy Doody" from 1948. This series was among the first "hits" of television. Internet Archive Sound Recording and Reproduction (Sound on Film) 1943 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Explains the mysteries of sound recording on film. Internet Archive The Brasher Doubloon 1947 colorized (George Montgomery) 1947 · Feature Detective Philip Marlowe is hired when a rare doubloon is stolen, and he soon discovers that it is being used for blackmail purposes. Marlowe's involvement… Internet Archive Great Swindle, The (Part I) 1948 · Short · 24 min · Subtitles Union recruitment film criticizing monopoly control of the U.S. economy and advocating union membership as a defense against corporate power. Internet Archive Army 1944 · Feature Kinoshita’s ambitious and intensely moving film begins as a multigenerational epic about the military legacy of one Japanese family, before settling into an… Internet Archive Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 1943 · Feature Shadow of a Doubt is a 1943 American psychological thriller film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. The story… Internet Archive Since You Went Away 1944 · Feature Title: Since You Went Away Summary: With her husband away to fight in World War II, a housewife struggles to care for their two daughters - and a pair of… Internet Archive Nabonga 1944 · Feature · Subtitles You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . Internet Archive Bell-Bottom George 1944 · Feature · 1 h 33 min Title: Bell-Bottom George Summary: Nazi spies are out to destroy a new submarine killer, the "Firefly", being developed by the British navy. A hapless waiter… Internet Archive The Christmas Carol (as told by Vincent Price) 1949 · TV · 25 min · Subtitles The 1949 TV dramatisation of the Dicken's classic. Internet Archive The Guilty 1947 · Feature · 1 h 10 min Title: The Guilty Summary: Two guys, sharing an apartment, meet twin girls (both Bonita Granville). One's sweet, the other a major piece of bad news. The nice… Internet Archive 🎭📽️𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝📽️🎭 1941 · Feature 🎭 📽️ Simon Ward 📽️🎭 Personal Note: Simon Ward was a British actor that came from very humble beginnings. His mom was the one in the family that dreamed of… Internet Archive Johnny Stool Pigeon 1949 ★★★ Crime/Film-Noir [1:15:13] HD 1949 · Feature · 1 h 15 min · Subtitles Johnny Stool Pigeon is a 1949 American film-noir/crime film, directed by William Castle and starring Howard Duff, Shelley Winters,Tony Curtis and Dan Duryea.… Internet Archive My Favorite Brunette 1947 colorized (Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre) 1947 · Feature Baby photographer Ronnie Jackson, on death row in San Quentin, tells reporters how he got there: taking care of his private-eye neighbor's office, Ronnie is… Internet Archive Dead Of Night (1945) 1945 · Feature "Dead of Night" is a 1945 British horror anthology film where an architect named Walter Craig experiences déjà vu upon arriving at a country house, realizing… Internet Archive The Upturned Glass (1947, UK) James Mason, Pamela Kellino - Film Noir 1947 · Feature The Upturned Glass is a 1947 British film noir psychological thriller directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason, Rosamund John and Pamela… Internet Archive The Lone Ranger TV Show 1949 · TV Public domain episodes of the classic TV series. Internet Archive The Spring River Flows East, Part 2: The Dawn 1947 · Feature · 1 h 31 min · Subtitles Chinese Title: 一江春水向東流：天亮前後 The second part of the 1947 Chinese film The Spring River Flows East. Note that there are no English subtitles or dubbing. See… Internet Archive Desert Empire (Part II) 1948 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Railroad tour through the state of Utah, stopping off at many natural attractions and in Salt Lake City. Shows Bingham and other towns in Utah. Director:… Internet Archive Meats With Approval 1946 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Explains the purposes of the federal meat inspection program and how it helps to assure wholesome, clean meat for the consumer. Internet Archive Princess Iron Fan (Tien Shan Gong Zhu) 1941 · Cartoon · 1 h 13 min The first Chinese animated feature film. This a a heavily denoised, high bitrate (1800 kbps) version that some people may find easier to watch than other… Internet Archive Army Nurse, The 1945 · Film · Subtitles Shows the daily life and work of the army nurse, including training and off-duty activities. Internet Archive Book Revue 1946 · Cartoon · 7 min This one is complete. The Uncle Tom's Cabin part has been edited out of censored releases. Internet Archive The Cheaters 1945 · Feature Title: The Cheaters Summary: An eccentric wealthy family facing bankruptcy schemes to steal an inheritance, but an alcoholic ex-actor they take in for… Internet Archive Frenzy 1945 · Feature Title: Frenzy Summary: A seance is held to discover the whereabouts, and the killer, of a sculptor's wife. Directed by: Vernon Sewell Actors: Derrick De… Internet Archive Zorro's Black Whip 1944 colorized cliffhanger serial 1944 · Feature A woman (Linda Stirling) who is an expert with bullwhip and pistol dons a black costume and mask to become the avenging crusader "The Black Whip" (stuntwoman… Internet Archive Defense Comes First With Oldsmobile (1942 Oldsmobile Playlets) 1941 · Film · Subtitles Theatrical screen ad for one of the last pre-World War II automobiles, emphasizing Oldsmobile's adaptability under wartime conditions. Internet Archive Mysterious Doctor Satan 1940 colorized cliffhanger serial 1940 · Feature Only a masked hero known as the Copperhead (Robert Wilcox) can stop a mad scientist (Eduardo Ciannelli) who plots the domination of America by stealing key… Internet Archive The Friendly Ghost 1945 · Cartoon · 9 min Casper feels lonely and starts on a quest to make friends. The only problem is that everybody is too scared to be friends with a ghost. This was the very… Internet Archive Here Comes the Circus 1942 · Film · Subtitles Families, cotton candy, Coke, children, barkers, side shows, women snake charmers & sword swallowers, tent circus, parade, audience, clowns, animals,… Internet Archive Pursued (1947) Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Judith Anderson, Dean Jagger 1947 · Feature Pursued is a 1947 American Western FILM NOlR. The picture was directed by Raoul Walsh and features Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Judith Anderson, Dean… Internet Archive The Devil Bat 1940 · Feature Dr. Paul Carruthers (Bela Lugosi) is frustrated because he thinks his employers, Mary Heath (Suzanne Kaaren) and Henry Morton (Guy Usher), have cheated him… Internet Archive Secret Mission 1942 · Feature · 1 h 30 min Title: Secret Mission Summary: Three British spies and a French resistance fighter sneak into occupied France to gather information about the German forces… Internet Archive White Magic 1940 · Short · 7 min · Subtitles The physics, science and applications of light. Internet Archive Our Town (1940 Pulitzer Prize Winning Story Of Small Town Life) 1940 · Feature Plot : Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. People grow up, get married, live, and die. Milk and the newspaper get… Internet Archive Technicolor for Industrial Films 1949 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles Film promoting use of Technicolor process to industrial film producers. Internet Archive [Texas City, Texas Explosion] 1947 · Film · Subtitles TEXAS BLAST! SPECIAL RELEASE! FIRST PICTURES Footage of the Texas City explosion of 1947 great disaster footage Internet Archive [Farewell to Treasure Island] 1940 · Short · 2 min · Subtitles Conclusion of the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, California. Internet Archive Oil for Aladdin's Lamp (revised version) 1949 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles The romance of the petroleum industry, showing how dependent our society is on oil and petrochemical products. Remake and update of the original (1933) version. Internet Archive Unfinished Business 1948 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Postwar adjustment is easy for a young World War II veteran who is welcomed back to his job at U.S. Steel with a position, training courses, and counseling. Internet Archive Leave Her To Heaven 1945: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde [Enhanced] 1945 · Feature · 1 h 50 min · Subtitles Leave Her to Heaven is about a man who gets caught in the crosshairs of a woman. Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) is a young novelist who meets a socialite…