Yours

Documentary from the world's archives

433–480 of 6,278 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 “ BENITO MUSSOLINI ” 1962 BIOGRAPHY OF ITALIAN FASCIST DICTATOR DOCUMENTARY FILM 57384 Documentary This film, an episode of the venerable show "Biography", tells the story of Benito Mussolini; the first modern dictator of a united Italy. The film opens with… Internet Archive Minnie The Moocher and Many, Many, More (1981 documentary) TV This documentary for PBS showcases the classical musical performers brought up during the Harlem Renaissance era of the 1920s, '30s and '40s, including Cab… Internet Archive “THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY” 1942 JOHN FORD FILM U.S. NAVY PACIFIC THEATER WWII DOCUMENTARY FILM 42104 Documentary Produced and directed by John Ford, who risked his life to make it, this famous U.S. Navy documentary film is titled “The Battle Of Midway” chronicles one of… Internet Archive 1970 DOCUMENTARY “THE MAN CALLED EDISON” THOMAS EDISON, THE MOTION PICTURE CAMERA & INDUSTRY Documentary Produced in 1970 by Spectra Pictures Corp., "The Man Called Edison" chronicles inventor Thomas Edison’s involvement in the motion picture industry. It… Internet Archive The Heart of the Dragon: 11 -- Creating 1984 · Educational Anthony Quayle Discusses contemporary Chinese arts (painting, music, poetry), and explores the philosophic and historic traditions, especially religious,… Internet Archive Censored! (1999 AMC documentary) 2024 · TV This documentary from American Movie Classics features a collection of early film clips between 1896 and arond 1920 that explains how early cinema was… Internet Archive National Geographic Mega Machines Diamond Diggers 2005 · Feature Located in Alberta, Canada is the world’s largest known single deposit of oil worth trillions of dollars. However, the oil is trapped in a complex mixture of… Internet Archive The Hole in the Ground 1962 · Documentary · 28 min A 1962 British short film featuring a dramatised nuclear attack, and the monitoring of fallout. Yes, I realise the file is misspelled! Produced by R.H.R.… Internet Archive 1940s ORGANIZED CRIME DOCUMENTARY JOHN DILLINGER & BONNIE and CLYDE 46544 Documentary This film begins with a promo for the documentary film "Killers All", a 1945 exploitative documentary about organized crime. Following the promo is a related… Internet Archive BBC Documentary Hells Angels London 1973 TV BBC Documentary Hells Angels London 1973 Internet Archive Popeye Popumentaries Cartoon Documentaries from the Popeye 1933-1938 Collection. Internet Archive Accuracy First 1928 · Feature Internet Archive How to Fly the P-47 1943 · Short · 1 h 6 min Training film demonstrating basic operation of the P-47 pursuit plane. Internet Archive 21A.550J/STS.064J DV Lab: Documenting Science Through Video and New Media, Spring 2011 2011 · Talk View the complete course: http://ocw.mit.edu/21A.550JS11 Instructor: Christine Walley, Chris Boebel This video collection includes three lectures that explore… Internet Archive WITH THE MARINES AT TARAWA 1945 ACADEMY AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY 23554 Documentary WITH THE MARINES AT TARAWA is a 1944 short documentary film directed by Louis Hayward. It used authentic footage taken at the Battle of Tarawa to tell the… Internet Archive DAY OF FREEDOM: OUR ARMED FORCES LENI RIEFENSTAHL GERMAN WEHRMACHT DOCUMENTARY (SHORT VERS.) 26224 Documentary Created for home use, this short, silent version of TAG DER FREIHEIT: UNSERE WEHRMACHT (English: Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces) was directed by Leni… Internet Archive Shanhkayskiy dokument 1928 · Feature Internet Archive SAN PIETRO reformatted Short · 32 min The high quality 1.5GB mpeg2 file of this film found elsewhere at IA is reformatted here as a 358MB mpeg4 (mp4) with no loss in video quality. Filmed where it… Internet Archive Salt for Svanetia 1930 · Feature Internet Archive 1966 COMMUNIST CHINA " RED CHINA YEAR OF THE GUN? " MAO ZEDONG DOCUMENTARY XD13394 Documentary This color educational film is about Red China and offers a look inside Communist China and Hong Kong during the Cold War period of the 1950s and 60s. It is… Internet Archive The Time Of Our Lives (1989 KCET documentary) 2021 · TV Originally airing on September 21, 1989 on KCET in Los Angeles, this Emmy-winning special discusses how the passage of time affects everyday lifestyles, from… Internet Archive THE RIVER reformatted Short · 31 min This item has been reformatted from a 1GB MPEG2 file found elsewhere at IA. The award-winning documentary on the Mississippi River which emphasizes the… Internet Archive CREATION OF STATE OF ISRAEL DOCUMENTARY ISRAEL REBORN 56164 Documentary On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman… Internet Archive Odyssey- Little Injustices: Laura Nader Looks At Law (S2E6) 2023 · TV Taken a trip to a small village in Mexico with the anthropologist in this 1981 episode from this short-lived PBS series, lasting just two seasons. Internet Archive Combat Bulletin No.106 (UN Forces Consolidate Below 38th Parallel) 1951 · Short · 20 min This film shows operations in korea during 20 December 1950 through 20 January 1951, which include UN forces being evacuated from Hungnam and the flight of… Internet Archive A Badger's Bad Day (revised) 1959 · Educational Follows a young badger who is sprayed by a skunk and discovers the many animals who live in the forest. Revised edition copyrighted 1977. Internet Archive Wisdom Of The Wild 1940 · Documentary · 12 min A 1940 British short documentary which is both a nature documentary about the eating habits of animals, and a WW2 film advising people to not waste food. The… Internet Archive The Queen's State Visit To Iran 1961 · Documentary · 13 min A 1961 British documentary about Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Iran. The film is also a travelogue which shows various Iranian locations. Produced for the… Internet Archive Lisboa 1930 · Feature Internet Archive Combat Bulletin No.107 (UN Forces Move North) 1951 · Short · 17 min The combat in Korea during 20 january through 20 February 1951, including Suwon as it is captured and Red resistance as it stiffens on the central front Internet Archive The Blue Planet I ★ BBC Earth with English Closed Captions and MKV 2001 · Talk The Blue Planet I (Seas of Life) - is a complete BBC Earth Series: with English Closed Captions and MKV Versions - Converted from a 5 DVD set for your viewing… Internet Archive WORLD WAR I DOCUMENTARY AMERICA GOES OVER REEL 1 22684 Documentary This silent film is Reel 1 of AMERICA GOES OVER, a silent documentary propaganda film produced by the US Army Signal Corp in 1918. The film documents the… Internet Archive A Great Railroad At Work Short A promotional documentary on the wartime daily passenger and freight operations of the New Haven Railroad which served Southern New England and was the rail… Internet Archive Television (1988 PBS documentary series, ep. 8- Promise) 2023 · TV The last of the eight-part miniseries documenting the electronic medium focuses on the question if TV has fulfilled its promise thanks to the development of… Internet Archive "AIR SEIGE" FIFTEENTH AIR FORCE RAID ON PLOIESTI WWII OPERATION TIDAL WAVE DOCUMENTARY 75212 Documentary "Air Siege" is a 1944 short film produced by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), narrated by Ronald Reagan, describing the 15th Air Force's bombing… Internet Archive " MEIN KAMPF " ADOLF HITLER'S RISE TO POWER IN GERMANY 1961 DOCUMENTARY FILM Part 2 4964 Documentary Made in 1961, "Mein Kampf" was one of the first documentary films to chronicle the life of Adolf Hitler and his rise to power. This is Part 2 which begins… Internet Archive "TEN SECONDS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD" 1945 ATOMIC BOMB DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA DOCUMENTARY 75794 Documentary Narrated by Richard Baseheart and produced by David L. Wolper, "Ten Seconds That Shook the World" (1963) is a factual and chronological account of the events… Internet Archive Southward with Prince Philip 1957 · Documentary · 12 min A 1957 British documentary showing Prince Philip on tour. Produced by Rayant Pictures for the Central Office of Information. Locations include: Antarctica,… Internet Archive [Documentary Of Inland Waterway 1929)] 1929 · Documentary Silent amateur footage of the waterway around Elizabeth City, various boats, a boat lauching, the country club, golf club and hotel. Probably shot by the… Internet Archive " THE AMERICAN WOMAN IN THE 20th CENTURY " 1964 WOMEN'S HISTORY DOCUMENTARY PART 1 XD4979 Documentary Produced by David L. Wolper, this TV special "The American Woman in the 20th Century" dates to 1964. This groundbreaking documentary explores changes in… Internet Archive " RACE FOR THE MOON ” 1965 NASA APOLLO PROGRAM SPACE RACE DOCUMENTARY TV SPECIAL XD49994 Documentary This 1965 black and white documentary TV special (part one of two) offers viewpoints on the value of NASA’s Apollo space program, evaluating the risks and… Internet Archive "THE NEGRO IN ENTERTAINMENT" 1950s AFRICAN AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE XD13544 Documentary This black & white educational film is about African Americans in Entertainment and this was made in 1950 by Chesterfield Cigarettes. Opening titles: Liggett… Internet Archive REPORT FROM THE ALEUTIANS reformatted Short · 43 min This 360MB mpeg4 (mp4) video file has been reformatted from a 1.5GB mpeg2 file found elsewhere at IA. A government documentary on the air campaign in the… Internet Archive " CHOSIN TO HUNGNAM " KOREAN WAR DOCUMENTARY CHOSIN RESERVOIR USMC MARINE CORPS 81594 Documentary This black & white educational film is about the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, a campaign early in the Korean War, part of the Chinese Second Offensive… Internet Archive A CHRONICLE OF THE AMERICA'S JAZZ AGE "THE GOLDEN 20s" DOCUMENTARY 30264 Documentary A Chronicle of America's Jazz Age is a 1950 American documentary film produced by Richard de Rochemont. The film is narrated by Frederick Lewis Allen, Robert… Internet Archive "THE FIGHTING LADY" *RESTORED VERSION* USS YORKTOWN IN WWII EDWARD STEICHEN DOCUMENTARY 21154 Documentary "The Fighting Lady" is one of the great documentaries to emerge from WWII. Shot in 1944, it was directed by famed photographer Edward Steichen and narrated by… Internet Archive “PYGMIES OF AFRICA” 1939 MBUTI PEOPLE CENTRAL AFRICA / CONGO PYGMY DOCUMENTARY 66014 Documentary This 1939 black and white classroom film produced by Encyclopedia Britannica Films in collaboration with H.C. Raven of the American Museum of Natural History… Internet Archive " IRANIAN SNAPSHOTS " 1952 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DOCUMENTARY FILM CREW TEHRAN IRAN POINT FOUR 69404 Documentary Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Browse our products on Amazon:…