Yours

Documentary from the world's archives

577–624 of 6,306 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 "INTER-AMERICAN HIGHWAY" 1960s PAN AMERICAN HIGHWAY DOCUMENTARY OVERLAND TO SOUTH AMERICA 89714 Documentary Originally released by NBC News in 1965, this film "Inter American Highway Bridge of the Americas" presents the Central American section of the Pan American… Internet Archive " OIL AND SUDDEN WEALTH " 1970s MIDDLE EAST / ARABIAN GULF OPEC NATIONS DOCUMENTARY 53414 Documentary This 1979 documentary from Coronet Films looks at the development of the Middle East’s Gulf countries due to the sudden wealth the oil industry created for… Internet Archive SOUNDS IN THE SILENT DEEP HYDROPHONES UNDERWATER SOUND DOCUMENTARY 25434 Documentary Also released in slightly different form as "Voice of the Deep". this vintage Moody Institute of Science film explores the nature of sound in the deep sea.… Internet Archive Queen Elizabeth II in Pakistan 1961 · Documentary · 22 min A lighthearted 1961 British documentary about Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Pakistan. Produced by British Movietone for the Central Office of Information. Internet Archive " KENNEDYS DON'T CRY " (1975) KENNEDY FAMILY DOCUMENTARY FILM JFK, RFK, JOE KENNEDY P1 XD8666 Documentary “Kennedys Don’t Cry” (1975) is a documentary film narrated by actor Cliff Robertson that chronicles the tumultuous private and political lives as well as… Internet Archive “TRACKS OF THE IRON HORSE " 1970S TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD DOCUMENTARY PROMONTORY UTAH 59174 Documentary Released in 1976 as part of the nation's Bicentennial celebration, this documentary-style film narrated by Martin Gabel tells the story of the building of the… Internet Archive " KENNEDYS DON'T CRY " (1975) KENNEDY FAMILY DOCUMENTARY FILM JFK, RFK, JOE KENNEDY P2 XD8666 Documentary “Kennedy’s Don’t Cry” (1975) is a documentary film narrated by actor Cliff Robertson that chronicles the tumultuous private and political lives as well as… Internet Archive Water, Birth: The Planet Earth (1984, 1986 PBS Broadcast) 2023 · TV Roughly tracing the evolution of this planet's history, from the first seas to the first organisms, this documentary explains why water is so important to the… Internet Archive Sierra Leone Greets The Queen 1962 · Documentary · 21 min A 1962 British documentary about Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Sierra Leone. Lighthearted. Produced by British Pathe News for the Central Office of Information. Internet Archive 24 Square Miles 1946 · Documentary · 40 min 1946 Documentary produced for the Central Office of Information, which details living conditions in a part of rural England. Please excuse the poor picture… Internet Archive " THIS IS CHINA " 1937 DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT JAPANESE INVASION OF CHINA YANGTZE VALLEY XD13534 Documentary This black & white educational film is about life in China, the Japanese invasion of China, and Chinese Nationalist efforts to defend itself against the… Internet Archive 1953 LIFE IN THE SAHARA DESERT FILM BEDOUINS, ARTESIAN WELLS & OASIS DOCUMENTARY 46554 Documentary Life In The Sahara is a short 1953 film from Encyclopaedia Britannica Films that gives viewers a glimpse of life in the Sahara Desert in the 1950s, touching… Internet Archive Princess Mononoke Documentary Part 2 1997 · Documentary A documentary exploring the commercial production of and making of one of the most important animes of all time. Hayao Miyazaki and the crew of animators in… Internet Archive NASA APOLLO PROGRAM APOLLO 7 MISSION DOCUMENTARY FILM (Print 2) 76454 Documentary Created by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1968, this color film, “The Flight of Apollo 7,” touts the preparation and ultimate… Internet Archive ”THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE” 1982 BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS DOCUMENTARY MONDIAL HOUSE XD47854 Documentary Produced by Ronald Spencer and Pacesetter Productions, this British Telecom promo film explains the evolution of telecommunications in Great Britain, starting… Internet Archive Design For Today 1965 · Documentary · 14 min A 1965 British documentary featuring mid-century design. Produced for the Associated British-Pathé for the Central Office of Information. Internet Archive THE TRUTH ABOUT COMMUNISM COLD WAR DOCUMENTARY w/ RONALD REAGAN Part 1 49894 Documentary A crawl at the opening seconds of the 1962 film “The Truth About Communism” explains that this film was shown to Alexander Kerensky, a lawyer, politician,… Internet Archive 1954 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT POPE PIUS XII LOURDES FRANCE VATICAN CITY 48014 Documentary This Castle Films News Parade episode from 1954 tells the story of Pope Pius XII. Born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli, Pope Pius XII ( 00:42 ) served… Internet Archive "THE GREAT LOVE AFFAIR" 1966 AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE, HIGHWAYS & CAR CULTURE DOCUMENTARY 16804 Documentary The Great Love Affair is a 1966 film that features CBS News correspondent Harry Reasoner and documents the impact the automobile has had on American life. The… Internet Archive BloodSpell - Editing - Making of documentary Short This is the fourth of a series of documentaries about the making of BloodSpell, the hit Machinima series of 2006, now also available as a feature film . In… Internet Archive 1921 NEW YORK CITY DOCUMENTARY SILENT FILM "MANHATTA" 55254 Documentary Created in 1921, Manhatta is a short documentary film directed by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand, which uses the words of Walt Whitman… Internet Archive "THE AMERICAN ROAD" 1953 FORD MOTOR COMPANY DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE & MODEL T 40542z Documentary Created in 1953, "The American Road" is an epic documentary that tells both the history of the automobile in America and the story of the Ford Motor Company.… Internet Archive 1930s VACUUM TUBE MANUFACTURING DOCUMENTARY (SILENT) WESTERN ELECTRIC CO. VALVES 17974 Documentary This silent film made by Western Electric Co. details the manufacture of vacuum tubes for electronics. It likely dates to the early 1930s. The film starts… Internet Archive Shell Oil Company Oil Tanker Documentary Film "Proud Ships" 75402 Documentary Created in 1954 by the Shell Oil Company, "Proud Ships" was directed by Philip Armitage. Across and around the world from oilfields to refineries and from… Internet Archive 1954 CBS "THE SEARCH" DOCUMENTARY M.I.T. AUTOMATIC ROBOTS & DIGITAL COMPUTERS WHIRLWIND 88394 Documentary This film is an episode of ‘The Search’ a pioneering educational program that aired on CBS. This episode takes a look at the laboratories and plants that… Internet Archive World War II Anti-Aircraft Gun Documentary "Ack Ack" 77954 Documentary This WWII Ministry of Information film shows the Ack Ack gun crew using their mobile gun. The narrator speaks about the diverse backgrounds of the recruits,… Internet Archive “ NIGHTMARE IN RED ” 1959 HISTORY OF SOVIET RUSSIA DOCUMENTARY ASCENT OF STALIN (PART 2) 85594 Documentary McGraw Hill (:07) delivers a documentary "Nightmare in Red" on Soviet Russia. This is Part II of a two part film. The film begins with the death of Vladimir… Internet Archive The Nazis Strike 1943 · Feature · 40 min · Subtitles Title: The Nazis Strike Summary: The official World War II US government account of Nazi international aggression leading up to the British and French… Internet Archive NASA APOLLO PROGRAM DOCUMENTARY "THE TIME OF APOLLO" 72942 Documentary Created in 1975 and narrated by Brugess Meredith, "The Time of Apollo" looks back at the lunar missions with vivid footage and stirring music and voice-over.… Internet Archive 9th INFANTRY DIVISION IN VIETNAM 1968 U.S. ARMY BIG PICTURE DOCUMENTARY 81974 Documentary This 1968 Big Picture TV-746 color film about the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam was presented by the U.S. Army. The soldier narrator holds a book about the… Internet Archive THE SONG OF CEYLON / 1934 SRI LANKA DOCUMENTARY BY JOHN GRIERSON 59935 Documentary This black and white documentary film about Ceylon (today called Sri Lanka) is a John Grierson Production and directed by documentary filmmaker Basil Wright.… Internet Archive "CRUSADERS OF THE SKY" U.S. AIR FORCE in WORLD WAR I LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE DOCUMENTARY 22664 Documentary Crusaders of the Sky (No. AFMR-661) is a short World War I film produced by Allegro Film Productions that gives viewers a look at the first American pilots to… Internet Archive 1936 ST. THOMAS VIRGIN ISLANDS TRAVELOGUE "IN THE WAKE OF THE BUCKANEERS" (see also 53654) 72052b Documentary Created by the Department of the Interior in 1936, "In the Wake of the Buckaneers" is a wonderful travelogue about St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It shows… Internet Archive The Little Things — Filmic Walk in Brooklyn Boerum Hill 2025 · Home movie Boerum Hill, Brooklyn — November 16, 2025 This filmic walk records the rainy nighttime atmosphere of Boerum Hill in Brooklyn. The recording moves slowly… Internet Archive DESERT ARABS 1940s BEDOUINS & CARAVANS DOCUMENTARY FILM 45194 Documentary Dating to the 1940s, this silent Encyclopedia Brittanica produced film shows "Desert Arabs" -- the bedouins of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The life of these… Internet Archive "THE BIG CHALLENGE" 1967 JOHN F. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER NASA DOCUMENTARY 67614 Documentary The Big Challenge is a 1967 NASA documentary on the construction of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, showing the development of the site on Merritt Island,… Internet Archive Farrah's Story (2009) 2009 · Commercial "Farrah's Story" chronicles Farrah Fawcett's two and a half year battle with cancer. Shot with her own video camera, the intensely intimate and emotional… Internet Archive " FLIGHT DECK " 1964 AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) DOCUMENTARY (Part 2) 26814 Documentary The "Dupont Show of the Week" was an anthology program that ran from 1961 to 1964, often featuring significant Hollywood stars and comedians. The programs… Internet Archive NAVAJO RESERVATION DOCUMENTARY NEW MEXICO / ARIZONA SANTA FE RR 46024a Documentary This color film “El Navajo” is an educational documentary presented by Santa Fe Railway. It is a Telefilm Recording (a format popular in 1935-1940, and… Internet Archive SIXTH MARINE DIVISION ON OKINAWA OPERATION ICEBERG WORLD WAR II COLOR DOCUMENTARY (Part 1) 33994 Documentary Produced in 1945, "The 6th Marine Division on Okinawa" is documentary film about the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg. The film was released… Internet Archive NAVAJO RESERVATION DOCUMENTARY NEW MEXICO / ARIZONA SANTA FE RR 46024 Documentary This color film “El Navajo” is an educational documentary presented by Santa Fe Railway. It is a Telefilm Recording (a format popular in 1935-1940, and… Internet Archive The Undifferentiated Lump 1972 · Educational · 10 min Illustrates the application of behavioral shaping techniques and demonstrates the art of differential reinforcement by showing how a professor molds the… Internet Archive ”THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE” 1971 MOTORCYCLE JOURNEY ACROSS SAHARA DESERT DOCUMENTARY FILM 69555 Documentary This Christian film from 1972, presented by the Moody Institute of Science, tells the story of Dick Ewing, who became one of the first men to cross the vast… Internet Archive NASA GEMINI VIII PROGRAM DOCUMENTARY "GEMINI 8 THIS IS HOUSTON FLIGHT" 76834 Documentary This is a 1966 NASA documentary about Gemini VIII, the eighth flight in Project Gemini. The mission included the first successful docking of two spacecraft in… Internet Archive Royal Destiny 1953 · Documentary · 16 min A 1953 British documentary about Queen Elizabeth II. Produced by British Movietone for the Central Office of Information. Note: The footage is still… Internet Archive Fifty Years of Television: A Golden Celebration (1989) TV Here is the 1989 special where hosts Walter Crokite, Jane Seymour, Carl Reiner, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy present the best of television's first half… Internet Archive " MEET COMRADE STUDENT " SOVIET SCHOOL SYSTEM 1962 COLD WAR DOCUMENTARY PART 2 44224 Documentary This 1962 black and white film about Soviet schools was distributed by McGraw-Hill Text-Films, and produced and directed by Nicholas Webster. Female and male… Internet Archive How the Berlin Worker Lives 1930 · Feature