Here are a few resources to help you watch classic films from home or learn a little more about the world of classic film, including preservation and restoration work.
STREAMING:
| TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES (website) The Turner Classic Movies (TCM) cable network shows a curated selection of films which are presented ad-free and often with host intros and “outros” which provide insights into the films. Currently, to view the channel you do need to subscribe to either a cable, satellite, or streaming service which carries the channel. Subscribers to many cable services get access to on-demand films through TCM’s website and Watch TCM app. (Note this might not be available to all streaming service subscribers or to non-US cable subscribers.) At the time of this posting, the least expensive way to obtain the channel appears to be through the Sling TV streaming service ($51.99/month for the Orange package and Hollywood Extra add-on). |
| CRITERION CHANNEL (website) Criterion Channel is a stand-alone streaming service available with a monthly or annual subscription. Criterion’s collection contains films from the early days of cinema to the present from many different countries. On the website, you can filter specifically to the decade and country you want by going to “All Films” at the top of the window and then clicking on the “Filter +” button. You can also access some “special features” such as commentaries. |
| KANOPY (website) Kanopy is a streaming service which is offered free through some schools and public libraries including the Los Angeles Public Library and County of Los Angeles Public Library. Confirm with your library on whether you should access the service through the library website or directly through Kanopy. You will probably need to create an account with your library card information and then will get access to stream a limited number of movies per month (based on “tickets” you are assigned). There are a lot of classic films available, some from such sources as Kino Lorber, Criterion, and Flicker Alley. |
| BFI PLAYER CLASSICS (website) BFI Player Classics showcases British films. The channel is available as a standalone subscription service or as a channel through other streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. |
| THE RETROFORMAT VAULT (website) Retroformat Silent Films is a local nonprofit which hosts in-person screenings of silent films with live accompaniment. They also have a Patreon page (The Retroformat Vault) with membership tiers starting at $5/month. Membership will give you access to stream a selection of silent films and other content, some of which is hard to find elsewhere. The videos are arranged like blog posts with new ones added regularly. You will need to have or create an account with Patreon. |
| AMAZON PRIME VIDEO (website) Amazon has a very large selection of classic films available for streaming. There are both ad-supported and ad-free subscriptions available. One thing to be aware of is that there is a wide variety in the quality of the videos available for classic films. There are HD “studio quality” videos and also videos with poor audiovisuals which appear to have come from damaged and/or incomplete source material. Overall, though, this is one of the largest on-demand classic film libraries available online. (Flicker Alley even has a storefront you may want to check out.) |
| TUBI (website) Tubi is a free ad-supported streaming service with on-demand and live TV options. There are a significant number of classic films available. The resolution is generally ok for viewing on a tablet or laptop, but too low for a larger TV. Some of the titles appear to be from poor quality source material, but many others are fine so you can easily find something to watch which has decent quality. An account is optional. (You can click the “guest” button if you get the log-in popup.) |
| PLUTO TV (website) Pluto TV is a free ad-supported streaming service from Paramount. The service functions much like television in that it is running multiple live channels. There are a lot of classic films on the “Paramount Movie Channel” and “Classic Movies” channel. For fans of classic TV, there is a whole category of “Classic TV” channels where you can watch Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, Andy Griffith and many others. No account is required. |
| JUSTWATCH (website) JustWatch is a search tool which can be used to find which streaming services carry a particular film or program. While it includes a very large number of streaming services, it is not entirely comprehensive, so don’t give up hope if there are no results for a particular film. However, it is a good starting place if you want to quickly check the major streaming services for a title. |
PODCASTS, ETC.:
| NOIR CITY YOUTUBE CHANNEL (YouTube page) The Film Noir Foundation’s YouTube channel contains a large number of interviews concerning film noir, including the regular “Ask Eddie” sessions with “Czar of Noir” TCM host Eddie Muller. |
| DOWN THESE MEAN STREETS PODCAST (website) Many classic film stars appeared on radio dramas which were either radio versions of films or other stories composed specially for radio audiences. On this podcast you’ll hear detective and crime stories by writers such as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler acted by film stars ranging from Vincent Price and Barbara Stanwyck to noir favorite Dan Duryea. |
| FRONT ROW CLASSICS PODCAST This NPR Illinois podcast hosted by Brandon Davis features discussions on specific films and newly-published books as well as interviews with special guests. Available through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms. |
| CINEMA JUNKIE PODCAST (web page) Beth Accomando hosts this KPBS Public Media podcast which covers a range of topics relating to both classic and current films. Past guests have included Eddie Muller, Alan K. Rode, Alicia Malone, TCM programmer Charles Tabesh, Millie DeChirico, silent film accompanist Ben Model, and Michael Aguirre of “See It on 16mm.” |
| MALTIN ON MOVIES PODCAST (web page) In this podcast, film critic Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie host discussions with special guests regarding films and filmmaking. |
| PERF DAMAGE PODCAST (YouTube page) Perf Damage is a YouTube vodcast hosted by Adam Barker and Charlotte Barker (archivist at Paramount Pictures). The episodes focus on film restoration, film history and technology. |
| NITRATEVILLE RADIO PODCAST Moderated by Mike Gebert, an administrator of the NitrateVille web forum, this podcast features discussions regarding various film-related topics with authors, historians, archivists, silent film accompanists, and many others involved in the classic film community. The podcast is available through SoundCloud and other services such as Apple Podcasts. |
| THE EXTRAS PODCAST (website) The Extras focuses on new DVD and Blu-ray releases of classic films and TV shows. |
| THE DEAD PIXEL PODCAST (website) This informative podcast features interviews with industry professionals who work in restoration, preservation, and post production. |
RESEARCH AND PRESERVATION:
| WOMEN FILM PIONEERS PROJECT (website) The Women Film Pioneers Project at Columbia University has extensive information regarding the contributions of women to early film history. The website contains biographical information on the women, a list of works, essays, articles, and resources on which films are available to view. |
| MARGARET HERRICK LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS The Margaret Herrick Library is the reference library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Some of the holdings have been digitized and are viewable on the Academy’s website. From the oscars.org homepage, go to the menu “Museum/Collections” and then “Margaret Herrick Library.” Continue on to “Resources” and then “MHL Digital Collections.” |
| THE SILENT FILM STILL ARCHIVE (website) Bruce Calvert’s site features a private collection of silent film stills, theater programs, lobby cards, publicity materials, magazine articles, and other documents. The images are organized by film title and are also searchable. |
| AFI CATALOG (website) The American Film Institute’s searchable database can provide you with information for many American feature films released between 1893 and 1993 including a film’s synopsis, credits, film format, filming locations, and one or more paragraphs about its history. |
| NATIONAL FILM PRESERVATION FOUNDATION (website) The website of the NFPF provides information on the foundation’s projects, a free download of The Film Preservation Guide, and a screening room with dozens of short films of various genres. |
| MOVING IMAGE RESEARCH CENTER (website) This website from the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center of the Library of Congress contains information on the materials held by the Library of Congress as well as a section of online resources including the “American Silent Feature Film Database,” “Copyright Issues Related to Film,” and “Preserving Your Moving Image Materials.” |
| NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY (website) This site from the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board has detailed information regarding the National Film Registry program, essays and interviews, and many links to other resources relating to film preservation. |
| NATIONAL ARCHIVES “MOTION PICTURE FILM GUIDANCE: RESOURCES” (website) The National Archives lists many links here for resources relating to film preservation. |
| ASSOCIATION OF MOVING IMAGE ARCHIVISTS (website) AMIA’s “General Resources” page provides links to a large number of online resources pertaining to archival, cataloging, copyright, podcasts, and playlists. Also see their main “Resources” menu for webinars. |
| INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM ARCHIVES (website) FIAF’s website contains extensive resources relating to preservation including free access to the current issue of the Journal of Film Preservation. |