US National Park Services Movies

John Huston directs this film giving relevance and life to the hallowed buildings and ground making up Independence National Historical Park. Through vignettes, the people and events are re-created for the present-day visitor. Featuring Eli Wallach as Benjamin Franklin.

In December 1816, seven-year-old Abraham Lincoln crossed the Ohio River with his family and began a life in the wilderness in the newly created state of Indiana. It was here, on his father's farm in Indiana, that Lincoln's journey to adulthood began. He spent 14 years here. In 1830 at the age of...

The transcript discusses the prevalent drug culture, particularly marijuana use, among youth in national parks. It highlights the perception that marijuana is less harmful than harder drugs and reflects on the challenges park rangers face in enforcing drug laws. While acknowledging the existence of...

Glenn Close narrates this National Park Service movie about the many varied aspects of Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve. Shown at Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center.

This director's cut of the William Greaves' documentary short film dramatizes the life and deeds of the noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

John Muir's High Sierra is a 1974 American short documentary film directed by Dewitt Jones produced by Dewitt Jones and Lesley Foster. This film provides a brief geologic explanation of the development of the Sierras. It visualizes selected passages from John Muir's journal of his first trip into...

The Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was an important Union victory in the the Civil War. The city was a vital rail hub that, once taken, became the gateway for later campaigns in the Deep South, including the capture of Atlanta and Sherman’s March to the Sea. A Confederate soldier called the...

Produced by the United States Geological Survey and the National Park Service during the 1959-1960 eruption of Kilauea. Narrated footage includes lava fountains and the creation of the Kilauea Iki lava lake.

In this video, visit Yorktown, Virginia, scene of the culminating battle of the American Revolution. Relive the dramatic events leading to the capture of General Lord Cornwallis and the British defeat in the autumn of 1781. As the narrator relates the historical significance, strategy, and tactics...

Kennesaw: One Last Mountain is an excellent dramatic presentation of the Civil War in 1864 and the role played by Kennesaw Mountain during the Atlanta Campaign. Several "untold stories" are included. Local Cobb County residents, unlikely combatants and the aftermath of the battle.

The official National Park Service orientation film on the April 1862 Civil War Battle of Shiloh.

The unconditional surrender of Fort Donelson was the North's first major victory of the Civil War, opening the way into the very heart of the Confederacy. This new film offers viewers insight into the battle and explores the friendship between Union General Grant and Confederate General Simon...