Documentary from the world's archives

2,353–2,400 of 6,832 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. Nothing is left out for being sexual: sexual content and nudity are for adults, placed by what the archive files a film as, never by a word of its title alone (The Naked City is a police film). A film filed as pornography is listed for adults without its picture and plays nowhere yet, as the law where it would play asks for a proof of age this site does not have. A sexual depiction of a child, drawn ones too, is listed nowhere.

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 content, pornography, nudity and nudism, striptease, sexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, beheadings, atrocity footage.
Internet Archive Mr. Gaga - A True Story of Love and Dance (2015) SUBBED DEU Trailer 2015 · Commercial trailer for the movie Mr. Gaga - A True Story of Love and Dance (2015) with burned-in German subtitles Internet Archive IT MIGHT GET LOUD trailer Commercial · 2 min "It might get....odd?" "A must-see for rock fans" "Almost perfect" (IMDB reviews quotes) A 2008 rock documenrary on the electric guitar and more. Haven't seen… Internet Archive Astronomia: La Materia Oscura. Dov'è il resto dell'universo 1991 · Documentary 20th episode of the Astronomia series from Fabbri Video. OCR Analysis: astronomia-la-materia-oscura.-dov'è-il-resto-dell'universo_cover_back.png: LA MATERIA… Internet Archive GWAR: The Legendary Heavy Metal Monster Band Explained (2022) Thomas Lennnon, Dave Brockie 2022 · Commercial The powerful story of the most iconic heavy metal/art collective/monster band in the universe, as told by the humans who have fought to keep it alive for over… Internet Archive Mickey: The Story of a Mouse - Official Trailer (2022) Jeff Malmberg, Morgan Neville 2022 · Commercial Check out the trailer for Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, an upcoming documentary where director Jeff Malmberg and producer Morgan Neville examine the cultural… Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] All That Bach: A Celebration Documentary Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive A&E Biography - Kenny Rogers (WOC 4 13 2020) Documentary A&E Biography - Kenny Rogers (WOC 4 13 2020) Internet Archive Messengers (Stuart Urban documentary, excerpt) Documentary 10 minutes from the end of "Messengers" a documentary on the biology of the body (hormones and other molecules). This clip in particular focuses on the stress… Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] Great American Rail Journeys: The Copper Canyon Documentary Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual; Woody Herman And The Swingin' Herd Documentary Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive To Catch a Serial Killer with Trevor McDonald 2018 · Commercial Sir Trevor McDonald presents this documentary which explores the extraordinary pursuit of serial killer Christopher Halliwell by detective Steve Fulcher. Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] Headline Stories of the Century: 1, A Newsreel Library Of America In The News Newsreel Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive CBS Reports 1968 Documentary Promo CBS/WJW 8 1993-12-22 1993 · Documentary This video clip is a promotional segment for an upcoming CBS Reports documentary titled '1968,' highlighting a year of great historical significance. The… Internet Archive As it Happened - JFK Assassination Bump A&E 1988-11-22 1988 · Commercial This video clip appears to be a commercial bump from the program 'As it Happened - JFK Assassination'. From Network/Station: A&E Recorded in Cleveland, OH on… Internet Archive Wild America: Water Babies 1995 · Commercial A nature documentary from the Wild America series focusing on young aquatic and semi-aquatic animals in their natural habitats. The program features marine… Internet Archive Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street - Official Trailer (2021) Jim Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney 2021 · Commercial Watch the trailer for the upcoming documentary exploring the origins story of the children's television series, Sesame Street. Inspired by the book by Michael… Internet Archive The PAssionate Eye - Tipping Point - CLimate Change Doc 2008 · Documentary The PAssionate Eye - Tipping Point - CLimate Change Doc Internet Archive Michael Palin's Pole to Pole Vol. 1 1992 · Commercial Michael Palin travels from the North Pole to the South Pole in this BBC travel documentary series. Volume 1 covers the opening legs of the journey along the… Internet Archive Moonage Daydream - Official Trailer (2022) David Bowie Biopic 2022 · Commercial Check out the trailer for Moonage Daydream, an upcoming film that illuminates the life and genius of David Bowie, one of the most prolific and influential… Internet Archive Lan Yu ( 2001) Trailer Filme LGBT Commercial Um estudante gay tem um relacionamento com um empresário, e deve escolher entre a sua vida, porém heterossexual, ou uma vida honesta.… Internet Archive The Wonders of God's Creation: Animal Kingdom Commercial A religious nature documentary exploring the animal kingdom as evidence of divine creation. Part of the "Wonders of God's Creation" series, the program… Internet Archive David Attenborough's World of Wildlife - Squid & Octopus (1996) 1996 · Documentary David Attenborough's World of Wildlife - Squid & Octopus (1996) Internet Archive Fitchburg 1941 A Moment In Time (1999, Fitchburg Historical Society) 1999 · Documentary VHS Transfer Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] Headline Stories of the Century: 3, A Newsreel Library Of American Nostalgia Newsreel Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive After So Many Days 2020 · Commercial After a decade of making music together, Jim and Sam, a recently married singer/songwriter duo from Los Angeles, were not the conventionally successful band… Internet Archive I Love You, You Hate Me - Official Trailer (2022) Barney Documentary Series 2022 · Commercial I Love You, You Hate Me is a limited doc series chronicling the rise and fall of Barney the Dinosaur's furious backlash — and what it says about the human… Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] Portrait of a Legend: Sammy Davis, Jr. Documentary Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive Maximum Achievement: The Brian Tracy Story 2017 · Commercial Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 74… Internet Archive The Weather Underground 2002 · Commercial The remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous. Internet Archive World War 2 Vol. 1 Documentary VHS Copy 1986 · Documentary Documentary on the events leading to war. Internet Archive PBS Fundraising Appeal and Upcoming Series Promotion PBS/WNET 13 1986-03-05 1986 · Documentary The video clip features a fundraising appeal on PBS/WNET 13. The presenter is discussing upcoming programming, including a four-part series titled 'The Music… Internet Archive Antlers Big and Small: Mother Nature Tales of Discovery 1991 · Commercial A nature documentary exploring antlered animals in the wild, part of the Mother Nature Tales of Discovery series. The program follows moose and other antlered… Internet Archive OMNI: The Real E.T. - SETI 1990 · Commercial A production from OMNI magazine exploring the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and the scientific basis for the possibility of alien life. The… Internet Archive Speed Freaks: Man's Quest For Speed 1988 · Commercial A documentary exploring humanity's obsession with speed across vehicles and motorsports. The program covers racing history and high-speed machines from land,… Internet Archive Warbirds of World War II: P-38 Lightning 1997 · Commercial A documentary covering the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the twin-engine fighter aircraft used extensively by American forces during World War II. Part of the… Internet Archive My Old School - Official Trailer (2022) Alan Cumming 2022 · Commercial In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two… Internet Archive Hoop Dreams 1994 · Commercial Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in… Internet Archive Fort Collins: The Wrecking Ball of Progress 1994 · Documentary A documentary on the origins of Fort Collins, Colorado and historic buildings that have since been demolished. Internet Archive Nostalgia WWII Video Library #6 Commercial · 2 min Produced by the U.S. War Department, this collection of short documentaries features soldiers on the front line during World War II. Internet Archive Superhuman: The Invisible Made Visible 2020 · Commercial SUPERHUMAN: The Invisible Made Visible is based on the jaw-dropping experiences of individuals with extra-sensory powers that seem to defy the laws of physics… Internet Archive Golden Empire Documentary Promo PBS/WEAO 49 2002-09-11 2002 · Documentary This is a promotional clip for an upcoming documentary on PBS titled 'Golden Empire', set to air the following day. The documentary appears to explore the… Internet Archive A Tribute to Lucy (1986) 1986 · Documentary A documentary tribute to Lucille Ball celebrating her career, including her iconic role in I Love Lucy. The program aired in 1986 and features retrospective… Internet Archive First Love Vol. 2: Jesus Music 1998 · Commercial Second volume in the First Love series, dedicated to the Jesus Music movement — the pioneering Christian rock and contemporary gospel scene of the 1970s and… Internet Archive On the Road With Mingo Saldivar y Los Cuatro Espadas 2002 · Commercial A behind-the-scenes tour documentary following Tejano accordion legend Mingo Saldivar and his band Los Cuatro Espadas on the road. The video captures the band… Internet Archive [Vintage VHS] A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers: America on the Road Documentary Transferred from tape using the RF method. Videos processed with vhs-decode and hifi-decode. See: https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode File types included… Internet Archive My Brothers and Sisters in the North (2016) DEU Trailer 2016 · Commercial German trailer for the documentary movie My Brothers and Sisters in the North (2016) (Meine Brüder und Schwestern im Norden) full movie on archive.org… Internet Archive Washington Citizens For World Trade - Log Exports 3/12/90 1990 · Documentary Short documentary on local timber issues in Washington, State (10:30) I found this VHS at an estate sale in Portland, OR in 2017. There was only the title and… Internet Archive Fun Learning: Planets Of The Sun - Narrated By Leonard Nemoy (1985) Documentary A series of old space documentaries, with Leonard Nemoy and really cool background music (the main theme is very cheesy though).