Public Domain Movies

And Now Miguel (1953)
Running Time: mins Black & White

Written and Produced for the U.S. Government by Joseph Krumgold. Depicts the Chavez family, who herd sheep in and around Las Cordovas, New Mexico.

Jose Guadalupe Posada 1852-1913 )
Running Time: 12 mins Black & White

The work of José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), important Mexican satirist during the Porfiriato.

Mexican Ceramics (1966)
Running Time: 18 mins Color
Starring: Directed by Reino Randall and Richard Townsend
his highly informative, well-made film focused on four geograophical areas: 1) Coyotepec, 2) Metepec (the art of Timotéo), 3) Tonalá (the work of Señores Palacios and Galván), 4) Puebla. Here we see low-fire pottery making as it was done by primitive methods before the potter's wheel, and the manufacture of the beautiful blue and white Talavera and polychrome high-fire pottery of Puebla.

Mexican Village Life (1958)
Running Time: 16 mins Color
Starring: Directed by Willard Hahn
Here, Willard Hahn travels to the village of San Diego de Tecoltepec, 6 miles from Toluca. He focuses on the harvesting of maguey juice, the washing of clothes in-stream, and the town’s water cistern, as the village has no running water. The villagers board a beautiful old bus to take their goods to the nearby market in Toluca, and walk home to avoid paying the fare of several centavos.

Pottery Workers of Oaxaca (1952)
Running Time: 14 mins Black & White

This film showcases the work of the Jiménez family of Oaxaca, and the legendary Zapotec potter Doña Rosa Real de Nieto, and her traditional technique of below-ground firing.

The Land of Montezuma (1930's)
Running Time: 7 mins Black & White
Starring: film by J.H. Hoffberg
This documentary film by J.H. Hoffberg features scenes of Mexico City from the 1920s and early 1930s .