Documentary from the world's archives

97–144 of 6,892 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 I Lived But,... 1983 · Feature The movie is a mixture of interviews with people who worked with Ozu and clips from Ozu's movies. One actor interviewed was Chishû Ryû, who appeared in 52 of… Internet Archive Africa Speaks iPod version 1930 · Feature · 50 min · Subtitles You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . Internet Archive La Mer 1895 · Short "The Sea" Swimming in the Sea (aka Lumiere No. 11) is an approximately 40-second long actuality of four boys and a woman running down a small, makeshift pier… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E02 - In the Light of the Above 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 2 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:11 Introduction of the knowledge from captured Islamic Spanish libraries… Internet Archive "Girls Taking Time Checks" (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 Day The Universe Changed - S01E03 - Point of View 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 3 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:10 The introduction of perspective techniques transforms Europe's use of… Internet Archive Between Paranoia And Science Fiction 2011 · Feature A look at how Science Fiction had an impact on society and how it fed it to others paranoia. Internet Archive A Trip To The Planets - silent with added sound Short · 16 min Expressionistic and surprisingly accurate science fiction film from the silent age. We sea the solar system from the view of a flying saucer like vehicle of… Internet Archive Appointment in Tokyo 1945 · Feature · 54 min Title: Appointment in Tokyo Summary: Produced by the Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps, with the cooperation of the Army Air Forces and the United States… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E08 - Fit to Rule 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 8 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:11 The introduction of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution undermines the… Internet Archive The Life of Birds (1998 TV documentary series) 1998 · TV David Attenborough's comprehensive and richly detailed study of birds, examining the variety of different species and their ways of life. Internet Archive My Metier 1995 · Feature Torben Skjødt Jensen's elegant documentary is a collage of memories and reflections on one of cinema's greatest directors. Visually rich and densely layered,… Internet Archive Gow The Head Hunter 1928 Documentary ★★★★ CC: [1:00:55] HD 1922 · Feature · 1 h 10 min · Subtitles Documentary producer Edward A. Salisbury headed a cinematic expedition into the south seas of the Pacific Ocean from October 1920 through February 1922.… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E04 - A Matter of Fact 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 4 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:11 The introduction of practical mass printing ends Europe's predominate… Internet Archive White Light Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki 2007 · Feature White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki, is d ocumentary film marking the 62nd anniversary of the first atomic bombing. The film… Internet Archive VICTORY AT SEA part 1 of 4 TV · Subtitles FROM IMDB: Twenty-six episode series about naval combat during World War Two. Famous for its music score, eloquent narration and combat footage. NOTE:… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E05 - Infinitely Reasonable 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 5 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:10 The Catholic Counter-Reformation inadvertently sparks the Scientific… Internet Archive Pompeii : Secrets of the Dead 2019 · Feature "Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead" is a documentary that explores the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, which buried the ancient Roman city of… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E06 - Credit Where Its Due 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 6 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:09 The rise of land enclosure and advances in engineering help transform… Internet Archive The Blue Planet 2001 · Feature Mammoth series, five years in the making, taking a look at the rich tapestry of life in the world's oceans. Internet Archive Walking with Dinosaurs (1999 TV documentary miniseries) 1999 · TV · 2 min Walking with Dinosaurs is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery… Internet Archive The Great Rift Africas Wild Heart 2010 · Feature The Great Rift Valley in Africa was created when the African and Arabian tectonic plates separated about 35 million years ago. This series investigates the… Internet Archive "The Georgetown Loop" (1903) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 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 Day The Universe Changed - S01E09 - Making Waves 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 9 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:08 As modern theoretical physics becomes more ambiguous in nature, the… Internet Archive The Day The Universe Changed - S01E07 - What the Doctor Ordered 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 7 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:09 The advance of modern medicine and public health comes at the cost of… Internet Archive The True Glory 1945 · Feature · 1 h 20 min Title: The True Glory Summary: A documentary account of the allied invasion of Europe during World War II compiled from the footage shot by nearly one… Internet Archive "Logging In Maine" (1906) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1906 · 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 Life on Earth 1979 · Feature David Attenborough's groundbreaking study of the evolution of life on our planet. Internet Archive La Petite Fille et Son Chat 1899 · Short Director: Louis Lumière Writer: Louis Lumière Stars: Madeleine Koehler Country: France Release Date: 1899 (France) Also Known As (AKA) Filming Locations:… 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 Jacare 1942 · Feature · 57 min · Subtitles You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . Internet Archive "Cleveland Fire Department" (1903) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 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 Day The Universe Changed - S01E10 - Worlds Without End 1985 · TV The Day The Universe Changed - Season 1 - Episode 10 Video Size: 712x480 Length: 50:12 ames sums up his ideas about the effect of different worldviews on… Internet Archive "Girls Winding Armatures" (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 La Pêche Aux Poissons Rouges 1895 · Short "Fishing for Goldfish" A man holds a child of about 10 or 11 months so the child can stand on a table and look down into a large clear goldfish bowl, nearly… Internet Archive Death Mills [Todesmuehlen] 1945 · Short · 21 min Originally made with a German soundtrack for screening in occupied Germany and Austria, this film was the first documentary to show what the Allies found when… Internet Archive Marijuana 1968 · Short · 34 min Marijuana (1968) is a short film that is hosted by Sonny Bono who does a lot of preaching and signify about how marijuana is illegal and you kids shouldn't… Internet Archive CRUSADE IN THE PACIFIC part 1 of 4 TV · Subtitles Crusade in the Pacific was an independently produced television documentary series on the Pacific Theater of World War II. The twenty-six episodes were… Internet Archive "Swimming Pool, Palm Beach" (1905) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1905 · 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 "President McKinley Inauguration" (1901) cinematographer Billy Bitzer 1901 · 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 "Steam Hammer" (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 Manhatta Short · 9 min Manhatta is a A portrait of New York by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand. The title cards show quotes from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of… Internet Archive "Coil Winding Machines" (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 Time of Apollo 1975 · TV · 28 min · Subtitles A 1975 documentary looking back on the Apollo moon missions. Narrated by Burgess Meredith. Produced by Image Associates for NASA. Not strictly a TV… Internet Archive "Casting A Guide Box" (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 John Glenn Story 1963 · Short · 30 min This brief, 30-minute biographical documentary looks at the early life and professional career of American astronaut John Glenn (before his days in politics).… Internet Archive The Living Planet 1984 · Feature David Attenborough discusses the biomass and life in a variety of eco-systems spanning many of the environments found on Earth (from tropical to polar). Internet Archive Voyage To The Planets 2010 · Feature Have you ever wondered what it would be like to leave Earth? To lose sight of our home planet and go where no human has gone before? Blast-off with Voyage to…