Find classic TV shows and films on the Internet Archive
The brilliant Internet Archive features millions of old TV shows and films that can be downloaded for free, as well as adverts, trailers, idents, news reports and much more. Some of the content comes from official sources, including the US Library of Congress and the Internet Archive itself, and is out of copyright – or in the ‘public domain’ – and therefore legal to redistribute. But there’s also a lot of stuff that’s been uploaded by users and may still be protected by copyright law.
In its Terms of Use agreement (www. snipca.com/45327), the Internet Archive covers its back by stating that your use of its content must adhere to intellectual property laws and be limited to “non-infringing or fair use under copyright law”. This is intended to deter you from reusing content you download for commercial purposes, and presumably saves the site having to vet every upload.
It also displays usage rights for most TV shows and movies to indicate whether they’re public domain or protected by a Creative Commons licence (https:// creativecommons.org). Click the link next to Usage in the item description (see screenshot above right) to see whether you can copy, modify and distribute the work without seeking permission from a copyright holder, and if you’re required to attribute the creator. A degree of common sense applies, too – a recent programme or film that has been uploaded by a user, rather than the company that produced it, is likely to be legally dubious.
With those caveats in mind, you can delve into the Internet Archive’s many collections of TV shows and films, and download what takes your fancy. The best place to start is the Classic TV section (www.snipca.com/45330), which features thousands of old American and British programmes. These are organised by decade and include episodes of The Adventures of Robin Hood (shown on ITV from 1955 to 1959), Quatermass and the Pit (BBC, 1958) and The Lucy Show (CBS, 1962-1968).
For public-domain films, visit the Movies section (www.snipca.com/45331) and browse the Feature Films category (see screenshot above right). This includes more than 16,500 titles, which date back to the early days of cinema in the 1900s. You can filter the content by year, subject, director and other criteria, or use the ‘Search this Collection’ box to look for a specific title.
Among the films you can legally download are silent comedies starring Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton; horror films including Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Day of the Triffids (1962); and classic British films such as Great Expectations (1946) and We Dive at Dawn (1943). The picture quality varies, but there are no ads and it’s all free.