Documentary from the world's archives

193–240 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 Rock & Roll (1995) 1995 · TV Rock & Roll (U.S. title) or Dancing in the Street: a Rock and Roll History (U.K. title) is a 10-part American-British television documentary series about the… Internet Archive Lost Worlds Vanished Lives 1989 · Feature David Attenborough's comprehensive study of fossils, which give many clues to how life existed on pre-historic Earth. Internet Archive CRUSADE IN THE PACIFIC part 4 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 Journey Into Life The Triumph Of Creation 1994 · Documentary "powerfully moving film captures...from the moment of conception...the remarkable journey that ends with the magic of birth" Internet Archive LSD-25 1967 · Short · 26 min In this educational short "Mr.LSD" explains what horrible things he can do to the human mind Internet Archive The Tree in a Test Tube 1943 · Short · 5 min Laurel and Hardy demonstrate the uses of wood in this World War II film made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Internet Archive Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life 2009 · Feature David Attenborough explores Charles Darwin's controversial theory of evolution by natural selection. Internet Archive 01 Attenborough In Paradise ( 1996) 1996 · Feature David Attenborough travels to the forests of Papua New Guinea, where 38 of the 42 kinds of bird of paradise are found. Internet Archive State of the Planet 2000 · Feature David Attenborough investigates the latest scientific research to discover whether or not there is a global environmental crisis, and, if so, what solutions… Internet Archive Sled Dogs : An Alaskan Epic 1999 · TV Follows mushers and their dogs along the 1,100 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race through Alaska. Depicts the strong bond between the mushers and their dogs… Internet Archive BBC Horizion Richard Dawkins 1987 · TV This archive includes the famous Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins appearances on the BBC Horizon series. In these two, hour long documentaries Richard… Internet Archive Hawaii's Spectacular Volcano Eruptions Short · 16 min documentary featurette Internet Archive Sonita IDFA Feature "Sonita" depicts in detail her perilous journey to freedom and narrow escape to the United States. Sonita fled from a conflict with her parents, who were… Internet Archive Rome What Lies Beneath 2013 · Feature This program follows Dr Sarah Parcak from the University of Alabama in Birmingham as she travels to the "four corners" of what was the Roman Empire and… Internet Archive Super Smart Animals 2012 · Feature By showing us how animals and birds strategize and think, this series challenges our own perceptions of what it means to be intelligent. Internet Archive This Week: Death In The West 1976 · TV Death in the West is a 1976 documentary film directed by Martin Smith, which is believed to contain the first recorded admission from a tobacco company… Internet Archive Modern Spies 2012 · Feature License to kill? How close are real spies to the Bournes and the Bonds? Peter Taylor looks at the world of the modern day secret agent, and reports on how… Internet Archive Pearls on the ocean Floor (Documentary) (2010) Short · 1 min Synopsis Pearls on the Ocean Floor is a thought-provoking documentary examining the lives of Iranian female artists living and working in and outside the… Internet Archive The Greatest Wildlife Show On Earth ( 2000) 2000 · Feature Follow the path of the sun on its annual cycle, from the Equator, across the northern hemisphere and into the South. Witness a world bursting with life, as… Internet Archive Kurt Cobain: About a Son 2007 · Feature In this visual essay style documentary, intimate audio of journalist Michael Azerrad's interviews with Kurt Cobain is played over more recently photographed… Internet Archive Alaska Spirit of the Wild 1997 · Feature A look at the Alaskan wilderness throughout the year, from the harsh winters to the rejuvenating spring, and the animals (including its human residents) who… Internet Archive Great Natural Wonders Of The World ( 2002) 2002 · Feature David Attenborough sets out on an intrepid quest across seven continents to create a unique television event to celebrate the wealth of natural features that… Internet Archive Coma 1997 · TV Racing to New York Hospital, a doctor relays urgent instructions to the ER where a child, hit by a car, lies unconscious. In this real-life drama, NOVA… Internet Archive Today 1929 · Feature Internet Archive Mystery of the Sphinx 1993 · TV The Mystery of the Sphinx is a 1993 television documentary about the Great Sphinx of Giza. It deals mainly with the conflict between egyptologists and a… Internet Archive De Brug 1928 · Short Short documentary film by legendary Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens. The vertical lift-bridge is the object of study in The Bridge.… Internet Archive Valley Town - A Study of Machines and Men 1940 · Educational · 28 min A documentary study of workers displaced by automatic machinery in a typical American steel town in the 1920's and 1930's. Follows the development of the town… Internet Archive Man with a Movie Camera 1929 · Feature Internet Archive Can the elephant be saved? 1990 · TV Between 1980 and 1990, the elephant population in Africa declined by more than half. Nova takes you into the heart of the African continent for a close-up… Internet Archive FDR and Hitler: their rise to power 1978 · Educational · 26 min · Subtitles Host and narrator, Eric Sevareid The careers and styles of Franklin D. Roosevelt, aristocrat and democrat, and Adolph Hitler, bourgeois and demagogue, are… Internet Archive With the Marines at Tarawa Short Documentary short film depicting the harrowing battle between the U.S. Marines and the Japanese for control of the Pacific island of Tarawa. Internet Archive Unknown Chaplin: 3 -- Hidden Treasure 1983 · Educational · 29 min · Subtitles Unknown Chaplin: 3 -- Hidden Treasure, Reel 1 Reel 2 available here Third in a trilogy documenting the results of film archivists / directors Kevin Brownlow… Internet Archive 03 The Lost Gods Of Easter Island ( 2000) 2000 · Feature A simple, carved figure bought at an auction in New York leads David Attenborough on a global journey from Russia to Australia, from England back to the… Internet Archive 02 A Blank On The Map ( 1971) 1971 · Feature In his now well-known role of narrator of wildlife expeditions, Attenborough accompanies a government-sponsored trek into the central New Guinea highlands to… Internet Archive Biography Channel Weird Al Yankovic 2009 · Feature The authorized documentary on the life, music and career of Al Yankovic featuring interviews and commentary from Al, Drew Carey, Seth Green, Ben Folds,… Internet Archive The Explorers (1975) 1975 · TV Here's a real rarities for you Attenborough's fan, 8 of the 10 episode of The Explorers series from 1975! To quote a redditor who said it better than I could,… Internet Archive Clips From 1998 Mabel Normand Documentary Feature clips from 1998 Mabel Normand documentary William Thomas Sherman, wts@gunjones.com, http://www.mn-hp.com Internet Archive The Pacemakers - Biba 1970 · TV · 13 min · Subtitles A series produced in Britain for international distribution. This episode is about clothing store Biba. Several online sources refer to this as being from… Internet Archive Vanished from Alcatraz 2011 · Feature It's one of the most complex prison breaks in history. Their escape is legendary, but their fate has never been revealed until now. Internet Archive Berlin Documentary 1961 · Educational National Archives and Records Administration Berlin Documentary Department of Defense. Department of the Air Force. (09/26/1947 - ) BERLIN DOCUMENTARY, WEST… Internet Archive The Truth About Climate Change 2006 · Feature Sir David Attenborough undertakes a personal journey to discover how global warming is changing the planet. The Truth About Climate Change is a two part… Internet Archive Enemy Weapons - German Infantry Small Arms 1943 · Short · 12 min This War Department Film Bulletin explains the handling and maintaining of the standard german infantery weapons in order to enable U.S. troops to identify… Internet Archive 05 The Song Of The Earth ( 2000) 2000 · Feature Famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough explores the connection between the musical heritage of humans and other animals. Internet Archive Revelation Of The Pyramids 2011 · Feature A view of Jacques Grimault's controversial, unpublished and unscientific works about the construction of Egyptian pyramids and other ancient archaeological… Internet Archive U.S. Navy Expedition to Antarctica 1946-47 "The Secret Land" documentary 24972 Documentary The Secret Land is a 1948 American documentary film about an American expedition code-named "Operation High Jump" to explore Antarctica. It won the Academy… Internet Archive Family Portrait - A Film on the Theme of the Festival of Britain 1951 1950 · Short · 23 min Family Portrait - A Film on the Theme of the Festival of Britain 1951 Documentary short directed by Humphrey Jennings. Jennings is often cited as the ‘father’… Internet Archive Russian right stuff : the mission 1992 · TV Follow Russian cosmonauts through their rigorous training, then on to half a year in space. Watch the men as they deal with the unforeseen and welcome the… Internet Archive An American Family [Complete 1973 Series + 1983 Special and 2003 Special] 2003 · TV An American Family is a 1973 documentary television series created for PBS by Craig Gilbert. Widely cited as the earliest example of reality TV in America,…