Top twenty free films on the Internet Archive
A still from Daisies.
It might not look too slick but the Internet Archive has a ridiculous amount of free books, movies, software, photos, music and websites (yes, you can even find early versions of barnflakes.com on the Way Back Machine). All films are public domain and free to stream or download, with no registration required.
I feel a bit bad for Netflix – it’s losing customers by the millions, and I feel like I’m somewhat to blame by continually highlighting how crap it is (here, here, here, oh and here). But it is. And so are all the streaming services you pay money for. Go free and watch some classics instead; it’s doubtful Netflix will have any of these (some are still free on YouTube).
Internet Archive isn’t perfect; it’s a bit clunky, films are uploaded by users so the quality is variable – there might be several versions of the same film lurking around, so it’s worth searching to find the best copy.
1. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (Hancock, 1971)
This comes in at number one partly because it’s a very creepy and atmospheric psychological vampire film, but also it’s been hard to find for many years, only turning up recently on Blu-ray (which costs £30 to buy).
2. The Seven Samurai (Kurosawa, 1954)
I could do a top twenty films just on Japanese cinema on the Internet Archive – there’s a bunch of Kurosawa, Ōshima and Ozu – but this influential classic is a good place to start. Other Kurosawa on the Archive include Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, The Lower Depths, Drunken Angel and Stray Dog.
3. Daisies (Chytilová, 1966)
Off-beat, anarchic feminist Czech film featuring two girls and a lot of food.
4. Onibaba (Shindô, 1964)
Another Japanese film. I’ve loved this one for decades (it’s in my top 100 films), a dark, erotic and symbolic horror film about a woman and her daughter-in-law who kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. Set atmospherically amongst fields of whistling reeds in 14th century Japan.
5. The Lady Vanishes (Hitchcock, 1938)
I’ve watched this film about once a year for the last twenty years. There are lots of early Hitchcock films on the archive.
6. Carnival of Souls (Harvey, 1962)
Along with Night of the Living Dead and Night Tide, this one turns up free on many sites, including Kanopy and YouTube; all three are quirky, low budget, black and white cult classics. Carnival of Souls has similar themes to Let’s Scare Jessica to Death in its portrayal of a fragile woman who may or may not be seeing and hearing ghosts.
7. Stolen Kisses (Truffaut, 1968)
Third in the series of Truffaut’s films featuring Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud).
8. Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich, 1955)
There’s a whole section of film noirs on the archive with over 600 entries; this one is especially nihilistic as we follow Mike Hammer into cold war paranoia.
9. His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940)
Hilarious fast-talking screwball comedy with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.
10. Driller Killer (Ferrara, 1979)
Tarnished with the same video nasty brush as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Driller Killer is actually a fine, fun film.
11. Life of Oharu (Mizoguchi, 1952)
Epic tale set in 17th century Japan about the downfall of a courtesan.
12. Closely Observed Trains (Menzel, 1966)
Classic Czech New Wave coming-of-age comedy about a young man working at a train station.
13. La Règle du Jeu (Renoir, 1939)
Renoir’s satire of the middle classes was banned for two decades in France.
14. Haxan (Christensen, 1922)
Fictional horror documentary exploring the history of witchcraft through the ages.
15. In the Realm of the Senses (Ōshima, 1976)
Not the best Ōshima but any means but certainly his most infamous and sexually explicit (mentioned previously here and here).
16. Behind the Valley of the Dolls (Meyer, 1970)
Cult camp classic featuring my favourite fictional girl band, The Carrie Nations.
17. The Killers (Siodmak, 1946)
Based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway, the movie unfolds via flashback like Citizen Kane. This stylish film noir marked the debut of Burt Lancaster, playing a boxer, and made a star out of Ava Gardner. Terrific opening scene; Tarentino must have been taking notes.
18. Ivan the Terrible, Part I and II (Eisenstein, 1944)
Epic and flawed account of the Russian ruler.
19. Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)
Another classic film noir, this one with Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck with a script by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard is also on the archive.
20. Vampyr (Dreyer, 1932)
Creepy, dreamlike and surreal early vampire film.
Previously on Barnflakes
Top ten films to watch on Kanopy, April 2022
Top ten films on Kanopy, January 2022
Alternative cinematic streams
Top ten recent black and white films
The top 100 films