Documentary from the world's archives

49–96 of 6,538 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 A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies 1995 · Feature A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies is a 1995 British documentary film of 225 minutes in length, presented by Martin Scorsese and… Internet Archive Emma Goldman - An Exceedingly Dangerous Woman Feature · 1 h 26 min Hayatini anarsizm mücadelesine ve kadinin özgürlesmesine adayan, düsünceleri, sözleri ve yaptiklariyla “fevkalade tehlikeli bir kadin” in, Emma Goldman’ in… Internet Archive "Casting Scene" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 Killers of the Sea 1937 · Feature · 48 min Captain Wallace Caswell, Jr. became famous for killing various dangerous animals of the sea by hand. This documentary shows him killing a Tiger shark, an… Internet Archive "Children in the Surf, Coney Island" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 Stilwell Road 1945 · Feature · 50 min Documentary about the construction of the Stilwell Road--originally called The Ledo Road--a 478-mile passage from Assam, India, to Ledo, Burma, during World… Internet Archive "Panorama View, Street Car Motor Room" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 Marianas Operation 1949 · Feature This U.S. Marine Corps documentary shows the operation in the Marianas Islands group during World War 2 in detail. Phase 1. Saipan: The Invation of Saipan in… Internet Archive "Assembling A Generator" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 "Automobile Race for the Vanderbilt Cup" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 Native Land 1942 · Feature By the start of World War II, Paul Robeson had given up his lucrative mainstream work to participate in more socially progressive film and stage productions.… Internet Archive "Automobiling Among The Clouds" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 "Testing A Rotary" (1904) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1904 · 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 Jacare 1942 · Feature Psudo-Documentary of the Amazon Jungle with many staged action sequences and hepitological herpetological errors. Internet Archive THE TRUE GLORY restored. Feature · 1 h 21 min · Subtitles A postwar documentary recounting of the allies' World War 2 victory on the western front, beginning with the preparations for D-day. Introduced and partially… Internet Archive The British Royal Family (banned documentary) 1969 · Feature Royal Family (also known as The Royal Family) is a British television documentary about the family of Queen Elizabeth II. It originally aired on BBC 1 and ITV… Internet Archive What pretending to be crazy looks like 2021 · Feature Original: https://youtu.be/Mwt35SEeR9w https://web.archive.org/web/20210526185751/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwt35SEeR9w The description says: Does the… Internet Archive TARGET FOR TONIGHT video and audio upgrade Feature This version has better contrast and cleaner audio than previous IA prints. “Excellent propaganda film” “One of the better wartime documentaries” “A great… Internet Archive Land of Milk and Honey 1971 · Feature Pierre Etaix’s most radical film, and perhaps unsurprisingly the one that effectively ended his career in cinema, Land of Milk and Honey is a fascinating… Internet Archive The Battle of Britain 1943 · Feature · 52 min Title: The Battle of Britain Summary: The official World War II US government account of Great Britain's stand against the Nazi war machine after the Dunkirk… Internet Archive The American Revolution 1994 · Feature Title: The American Revolution Summary: Thorough documentary of how the American Colonies rebelled against England and the personalities involved in the… Internet Archive TUNISIAN VICTORY restored Feature · 1 h 16 min · Subtitles This print is much sharper than the previously available version and it's in the correct aspect ratio. A well regarded WW2 documentary on the western ally's… Internet Archive Paul Robeson, Tribute to an Artist 1979 · Feature Saul J. Turell's Academy Award-winning documentary short Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist , narrated by Sidney Poitier, traces his career through his… Internet Archive The Life of Mammals 2002 · Feature David Attenborough's comprehensive study of how a remarkable group of animals evolved - a group that includes ourselves. Internet Archive Human Planet 2011 · Feature A cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth Internet Archive Sea Power in the Pacific 1946 · Short · 30 min Traced in this documentary are the history and role of American sea power in the Pacific during World War II Internet Archive Sasquatch The Legend Of Bigfoot 1976 (HD) ★★½: CC [1:34:56] 1976 · Feature · 1 h 42 min · Subtitles Sasquatch, also known as Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot, is a 1976 American pseudo-documentary horror film directed by Ed Ragozzino and starring George… Internet Archive FILMING OTHELO by Orson Welles 1974 · TV · Subtitles Filming Othello is a 1978 documentary film directed by and starring Orson Welles about the making of his award-winning 1952 production Othello. The film,… Internet Archive He Walked By Night 1948: Film-Noir [1:18:55] BluRay 1948 · Feature · Subtitles He Walked by Night is a 1948 American police procedural film-noir, directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited Anthony Mann. The film, shot in a… Internet Archive Yesterday And Tomorrow In Detroit 2014 · Home movie · 1 h 10 min · Subtitles Compilation of archival film images of Detroit's people and places 1925-1976. Made to be shown to participatory audiences who identify locations, ask… Internet Archive Men of the Forest Feature · 1 h 4 min · Subtitles A paternalistic pseudo documentary produced by the US Information Service (see note) on the lives of of Georgia pulpwood loggers. The purpose of this film is… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E01 - The Way We Are 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 1 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:04 The Ancient Greece based origins of modern Western Civilization's… Internet Archive The Great Chase 1962 · Feature The elaborate and fantastic gags that comprised the breathtaking, sidesplitting chase sequences in silent films -- using cars, trains, bicycles, horses and… Internet Archive The Silk Road (1980) 1980 · TV The Silk Road is a documentary television series produced by Japan Broadcasting Corporation that first aired throughout the 1980s. The travelogue traced the… Internet Archive In Search Of Ozu 2018 · Feature Oscar-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim took a pilgrimage to Japan to get his own firsthand look at some of these iconic items, among them the bright-red… Internet Archive Hearts And Minds (1974) 1974 · Feature Hearts and Minds is a 1974 documentary directed by Peter Davis, that explores the Vietnam War through interviews with military officials, politicians, and… Internet Archive Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair 1915 · Short · 17 min Silent comedy legends Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Mabel Normand at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair Panama-Pacific Exposition. The theme of the expo was… Internet Archive The World at War - Complete Series 1973 1973 · TV The World at War is a 26-episode British documentary television series that chronicles the events of the Second World War . Produced in 1973 at a cost of… Internet Archive The Fighting President. Feature · 59 min · Subtitles This mostly accurate privately produced biography of FDR is a cinema and political curiosity. Its lavish praise for the new president who had been in office… Internet Archive To See Such Fun 1977 · Feature · 1 h 29 min Title: To See Such Fun Summary: Excerpts from 80 years of the greatest British comedies. Directed by: Jon Scoffield Actors: Frank Muir, Chesney Allen, Arthur… Internet Archive Pacific Milk Run 1943 · Short · 17 min U.S. Marine SBDs and other aircraft attack Japanese-held Islands in the Pacific during world war II. Internet Archive Target for Tonight 1941 · Feature · 47 min Title: Target for Tonight Summary: The planning and implementation of an RAF night raid on Germany in World War II, concentrating on a low level mission by a… Internet Archive Seabees Report - European Operations 1945 · Short · 29 min This World War II Documentary looks at the contributions of U.S. Navy Seabees during the invasions of Sicily, Italy, and Normandy. Internet Archive The Right To Uncensor Feature · Subtitles The right to uncensor is my second student film and my first documentary film. This was a project that was made for a final to a film class I took. I… Internet Archive "President Roosevelt's Fourth of July Oration" (1903) 1903 · 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-Great-Buster. Feature A celebration of the life and career of one of America’s most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians—Buster Keaton—whose singular style and… Internet Archive Far from Vietnam (1967) 1967 · Feature "Far from Vietnam" is a 1967 documentary that features contributions from several renowned directors, including Jean-Luc Godard and Chris Marker. The film is… Internet Archive Chateau Thierry and Beyond 1919 · Feature Title: Chateau Thierry and Beyond Summary: Directed by: REMOVE_TAG Actors: Production Company: Burton Holmes Travel Pictures Release Date: 29 June 1919 (USA)…