Compiled by Katherine Downton, M.S.L.I.S. and Jamie Schmid, M.S.L.I.S.
Maintained by Jamie Schmid, M.S.L.I.S.,
Reference Librarian and English Liaison Librarian
Updated March 4, 2008

This guide identifies basic resources for film studies. The materials are located in the Reference Department on Level 1 of Pius XII Memorial Library or are available via the World Wide Web. The guide is not comprehensive; rather, it should be used as a starting point for research for undergraduate students at Saint Louis University.
 

Academic Search Premier - 1975-present
This multidisciplinary database provides indexing and abstracting for 8,040 journals.

For reviews: Type the film title in the search box. Limit by document type to Entertainment Review.

Art Abstracts Full Text - 1984-present
Indexing of over 350 international art publication begins in 1984. Abstracts are available from Spring 1994, and full text, most of which begins in 1997 or later, is available for approximately 100 journals. Publications indexed include journals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. For older reviews and/or criticism (1929-present) see the print version of the Art Index, Ref. N1 .A67.

For reviews: Search for the film title and limit by Document Type to Film Reviews.

Chicago Tribune (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) - 1849-1986
Search the Chicago Tribune to find film reviews.

For reviews: Type film title in search box. Under More Search Options, limit by Document Type to Review.

Film Literature Index. 1976-2001
Indexes 150 film and television periodicals from cover-to-cover and 200 other periodicals selectively for articles on film and television. This is a citation index only, with no full text.

Humanities Full Text - 1984-present
Indexes and/or abstracts over 600 humanities periodicals. Includes film reviews.

For reviews: Type the film title in the search box. Limit by Document Type to Film Review.

JSTOR
This archival journal resource provides access to the full-text of over 500 journal titles. Note that the last 1 to 7 years of each journal are not available in this resource.

For reviews:Click on Advanced Search. Type the film title in the Exact Phrase search box and narrow your search to reviews.

LexisNexis Academic
Provides online access to full-text national and international newspapers.

For reviews: Click on News in the red bar at the top of the page. In the Enter Search Terms section, type the film title and limit your search to In Headline. In the Select Sources section, select Book, Movie, Music, Play, and Video Reviews. Specify your date range and search.

Metacritic.com
Metasite that links to full reviews from a cross section of sources.

MLA International Bibliography - 1926-present
This is an excellent source for locating citations for scholarly articles on film. It indexes books, book chapters, dissertations and articles from over 3,000 journals in film studies, language, linguistics, literature, and folklore.

Movie Review Query Engine

Canby, Vincent, and Janet Maslin. New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies. New York: Times Books, 1999.
    Ref. PN1995 .C313 1999
One thousand New York Times film reviews from 1927-1998. Includes brief film credits.

New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) - 1851-2004
Search the New York Times to find film reviews.

For reviews: Type film title in search box. Under More Search Options, limit by Document Type to Review.

Periodicals Index Online - 1665-1995
Indexes the articles in over 4,000 periodicals in the humanities and social sciences from their first issues to 1995. As of December 2005, over 500 journal titles are at least partially available in full text in the complementary database, Periodicals Archive Online. The focus is on 20th century periodicals. However, periodicals in the 20th century that extend back into the 17th, 18th, & 19th centuries are indexed from their earliest volumes. The scope is worldwide and includes journals in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and other Western languages.

Project Muse
This electronic journal collection provides full-text access to nearly 250 scholarly journals.

For reviews: Click on Advanced Search. Search for the film title by Title Reviewed.

Time Out Film Guide. 14th ed. London: Penguin Books, 2006.
    Ref. PN1998 .T46
Selected reviews published in Time Out magazine since 1968.

Times Digital Archive - 1785-1985
Search The Times (London) to find film reviews.

For reviews: Click on Advanced Search. Type film title in search box. Limit search to reviews.

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Search the SLU Libraries Catalog, to find books about film. If you are unable to find what you need, search MOBIUS, a library catalog that contains the holdings of over fifty college and university libraries in Missouri.

See also WorldCat, an extensive database that includes library materials cataloged by libraries that contribute their records to OCLC, the U.S. national database. Use it to search for books, recordings, etc.; it will not identify journal articles.

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All Movie Guide
Find credits and plot synopses here. Keep in mind that anyone can submit film reviews on this site.

Elliot, Wilhem. Videohound's World Cinema: The Adventurer's Guide to Movie Watching. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1999.
    Ref. PN1995.9 .F67 W56 1999
Brief description and reviews are provided for over 800 international films produced during the 20th century.

Walker, John, ed. Halliwell's Film, Video & DVD Guide. 21st ed. New York: HarperPerennial, 2006.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .H27
Very brief synopsis and evaluation for U.S. and international films. This frequently published volume would be most useful for selecting a video to rent rather than as a source for a paper.

Internet Movie Database
If you're going to go to one film site on the Web, make it this one. Find credits, plot summaries, biographical information, trivia, quotes, and more.

Klotman, Phyllis Rauch, and Gloria J. Gibson. Frame by Frame II: A Filmography of the African American Image, 1978-1994. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1997.
    Ref. PN1995.9.N4 K58 1997

Magill, Frank N., ed. Magill's Survey of Cinema: English Language Films. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1980.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .M3
Short critical reviews of English language films released before 1981.

---. Magill's Survey of Cinema: Foreign Language Films. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1985.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .M34 1985
Short critical reviews of foreign language films released before 1985.

Magill's Cinema Annual. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1982-.
    Ref. PN1995 .M252
Essay reviews of significant U.S. and foreign films that played in the U.S. during the past year. Includes review citations, credits, and obituaries.

The Motion Picture Guide. Chicago: Cinebooks, 1985-.
    Ref. PN1993 .M4334
Provides review essays, film credits and star ratings for films released during the past year. This comprehensive guide is great for finding information on films outside the mainstream cinema.

Pendergast, Tom, and Sara Pendergast, eds. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.
    Ref. PN1997.8 .I58 2000
Entries in the first volume on films include production information, credits, a selected bibliography of works about film, and a critical essay.

Richards, Larry. African American Films Through 1959 : A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1998.
    Ref. PN1995.9.N4 R54 1998

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American Film Institute Awards

Cannes Film Festival

Gebert, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1996.
    Ref. PN1993.9 .G43 1996
Find award winners from 1921-1995. Includes the Oscars, Golden Globes, New York Film Critics Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, MTV Movie Awards, and People's Choice Awards.

Golden Globe Awards

O'Neil, Tom. Movie Awards: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics, Guild & Indie Honors. New York: Perigee, 2001.
    Ref. PN1993.92 .O53 2001
Includes both winners and leading nominees.

Osborne, Robert A. 70 Years of the Oscar : The Official History of the Academy Awards. New York: Abbeville Press, 1999.
    Ref. O'Size PN1993.92 .O82 1999

Oscar.com

Sundance Film Festival

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Allon, Yoram, Del Cullen, and Hannah Patterson, eds. Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide. New York: Wallflower, 2001.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .C66 2001

---. Contemporary North American Film Directors. 2nd ed. London: Wallflower, 2002.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .W385 2002

Film Directors: A Complete Guide. 15th ed. Los Angeles: Lone Eagle, 2001.
    Ref. PN1998.A2 D568 15th ed. 2001.
Lists directors and their films. No personal biographical information is included.

Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies. 4th ed. New York: HarperPerennial, 2006.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .H3

Internet Movie Database
If you're going to go to one film site on the Web, make it this one. Find credits, plot summaries, biographical information, trivia, quotes, and more.

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: 2001.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .K34 2001
Entries on filmmakers and filmmaking. Surveys of specific movies are not included.

LoBrutto, Vincent. The Encyclopedia of American Independent Filmmaking. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .L63 2002

Monush, Barry. Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the Silent Era to 1965. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2003.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .S38 2003

Pendergast, Tom, and Sara Pendergast, eds. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.
    Ref. PN1997.8 .I58 2000
Consists of volumes on directors, actors and actresses, and writers and production artists.

Shiri, Keith. Directory of African Film-Makers and Films. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1992.
    Ref. PN1993.5.A35 S48 1992

Thomson, David. A Biographical Dictionary of Film. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1994.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .T49 1994
Includes actors, actresses, writers, and producers.

Tibbets, John C. and James M. Walsh. The Encyclopedia of Filmmakers. 2 vols. New York: Facts on File, 2002.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .T53 2002

Unterburger, Amy, ed. Women Filmmakers and Their Films. Detroit: St. James Press, 1998.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .W66 1998
Entries on directors, producers, animators, art directors, editors, writers, etc. Each entry includes a biography, filmography, selected bibliography of works by and on the entrant, and an essay.

Vazzana, Eugene Michael. Silent Film Necrology. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .V38 2001
Actors, actresses, directors, etc. that worked in the silent film industry. Each entry consists of very brief birth and death information and a bibliography of works about them.

Wakeman, John, ed. World Film Directors. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1987.
    Ref. PN1998.2 .W67 1987

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Baskin, Ellen. Enser's Filmed Books and Plays: A List of Books and Plays from which Films Have Been Made, 1928-1991. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1993.
    Ref. PN1997.85 .B385 1993

Ross, Harris. Film as Literature: Literature As Film: An Introduction to and Bibliography of Film's Relationship To Literature. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
    Ref. PN1995.3 .R67 1987

Tibbetts, John C. Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film. New York: Facts on File, 1998.
    Ref. PN1997.85 .T54 1998

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Gehring, Wes D., ed. Handbook of American Film Genres. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
    Ref. PN1993.5.U6 H335 1988

López, Daniel. Films by Genre: 775 Categories, Styles, Trends, and Movements Defined, with a Filmography for Each. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1993.
    Ref. PN1998 .L63 1993

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Buehrer, Beverley Bare. Japanese Films: a Filmography and Commentary, 1921-1989. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1990.
    Ref. PN1993.5.J3 B78 1990

International Motion Picture Almanac. 78th ed. New York: Quigley Publications, 2007.
    Ref. PN1993.3 .I55
The year in film, top grossing films, awards, statistics, biographies, film releases, producers and distributors, production services, professional organizations, etc.

Murray, Scott. Australian Film 1978-1992. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1993.
    Ref. PN1993.5.A8 A955 1993

Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey, ed. The Oxford History of World Cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
    Ref. PN1993.5 .A1 O96 1995

Russell, Sharon A. Guide to African Cinema. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
    Ref. PN1993.5 .A35 R87 1998

Variety International Film Guide. London: Andre Deutsch, 2004.
    Ref. PN1993.3 .I544 2004
Surveys the year in film in various countries.

Vincendeau, Ginette. Encyclopedia of European Cinema. New York: Facts on File, 1995.
    Ref. PN1993.5 .E8 V56 1995

Zhang, Yingjin. Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. New York: Routledge, 1998.
    Ref. PN1993.5.C4 Z53 1998

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Corey, Melinda. Dictionary of Film Quotations. 1st ed. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1995.
    Ref. PN1994.9 .C67 1995

Internet Movie Database
If you're going to go to one film site on the Web, make it this one. Find credits, plot summaries, biographical information, trivia, quotes, and more.

Nowland, Robert A. Film Quotations : 11,000 Lines Spoken on Screen, Arranged by Subject, and Indexed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994.
    Ref. PN1994.9 .N69 1994

Rees, Nigel, comp. Cassell's Movie Quotations. New York: Sterling Pub., 2000.
    Ref. PN1994.9 .C29 2000

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Beaver, Frank E. Dictionary of Film Terms: The Aesthetic Companion to Film Analysis. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994.
    Ref. TR847 .B43 1994

Bognár, Desi K. International Dictionary of Broadcasting and Film. Boston: Focal Press, 1995.
    Ref. PN1990.4 .B64 1995
    2000 ed. online via netLibrary
Covers technical terminology in the production of film and television. A useful tool for those who plan to pursue broadcasting or filmmaking.

All Movie Guide Glossary
Glossary of film terms.

Heyward, Susan. Key Concepts in Cinema Studies. London: Routledge, 1996.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .H36 1996
Includes definitions of film genres, movements in World Cinema, film theories, and production terms.

Konigsberg, Ira. The Complete Film Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Reference, 1997
    Ref. PN1993.45 .K66 1997

Pearson, Roberta E., and Philip Simpson, eds. Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory. London: Routledge, 2001.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .C75 2001

Singleton, Ralph S., and James A. Conrad. Filmmaker's Dictionary. 2nd ed. Hollywood: Lone Eagle Pub. Co., 2000.
    Ref. PN1993.45 .S56 2000

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Beaver, Frank E., ed. 100 Years of American Film. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 2000.
    Ref. PN1993.5.U6 A59 2000
Provides historical and cultural context for films and their makers. Includes quotations, budget and box office information, photos, trivia, and Academy Award nominees and winners.

Chronicle of the Cinema. New York: DK Pub., 1997.
    Ref. PN1993.5.A1 C5255 1997
Covers 100 years of films and cinema history in a journalistic style.

Slide, Anthony. The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998.
    Ref. PN1993.5.U6 S539 1998
Entries on American film companies, technological innovations, terminology, studios, genres, and organizations.

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