How to Watch Free Movies From the Library of Congress
The next time you find yourself watching your streaming lineup and thinking there is nothing worthwhile, try the Library of Congress’s National Cinema Hall.
This multimedia project, launched last month, has digitized the library’s video collection and made it free. Both feature films and non-fiction films from 1890 to 1999 are available.
The Library of Congress isn’t Netflix: You won’t be able to watch current Hollywood blockbusters or every season of your favorite TV show. However, you will find historical films and newsreels, ranging from documentaries from the depression era to home videos and mental health educational series.
All films in the collection, including those protected by copyright, are available for streaming on the LOC website. Public domain files (most of them) can also be downloaded in four formats: GIF, JPEG, MP4, and Quicktime.
Visit the National Cinema Hall to watch. You can sort by date, location and topic among other categories and find out more about each movie, including availability for download, after you click on the title.
At the time of this writing, the Library of Congress has 298 items in its collection for viewing. The project plans include adding new content every month.