Film Collections at Internet Archive
This week’s post is going to start out Halloween-adjacent and then meander a bit. We’re going to look at a few of the Moving Image Collections available on Internet Archive. Some of these collections are educational, some would be perfect for historical research, and some are just for fun.
The easiest way to find film collections on Internet Archive is to search:
films mediatype:collection
A word of caution before we get started. Internet Archive contains some films with content that might not be appropriate for all audiences. These are mostly marked as such; but, use your best judgement before clicking a film.
We’ll begin with our spooky October theme, then branch out from there.
Sci-Fi/Horror & Film Noir Collections
The Sci-Fi/Horror Collection and the Film Noir Collection contain 467 and 829 movies respectively (at the time of this writing), though some of those are due to duplbicate copies. Films in the Sci-Fi/Horror Collection date from 1910 to 2016, while the Film Nor Collection spans 1906 to 2021. There are films in English, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese, as well as silent films.
The earliest film in Sci-Fi/Horror is Thomas Edison’s (yes THAT Thomas Edison) Frankenstein. Both collections contain both genuine classics and obscure, largely forgotten titles.
Universal Newsreels
Once upon a time, movie theaters showed newsreels before the main feature, the way today’s theaters show trailers for upcoming movies. Internet Archive has collected digital copies of over 600 of these newsreels dating from 1932 to 1967. This is a treasure trove for anyone doing historical research.
PeriscopeFilm Collection
PeriscopeFilm is a production company supporting independent filmmakers. They have in their archive a large collection of military films. These films cover recruiting, training, combat, and history for all branches of the U.S. Military from 1914 through the mid-1980s. Also included in this archive are sex education and other medical topics, as well as some other seemingly off-topic films such as home movies and a video of the Woodstock music festival.
Other Collections
There are over 750 film-related collections on Internet Archive, including collections of films, microfilm, print media about film. Here are a few highlights that might be useful to a researcher.
Cultural & Academic Films from the Academic Film Archive and the Media Burn Independent Film Archive
35mm Stock Footage Collection, including stock footage, outtakes, and unused material
Prelinger Archive of ephemeral films such as advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films
Animation & Cartoons featuring cartoons dating all the way back to 1900
