Subject Guide: Film Studies

Subject Guide: Film Studies

This guide has been compiled by Prof. Spencer Means, Newman Library, and Prof. Marina Heung, English Department. Please send updated information and comments to Spencer Means.   General Web Resources Web Resource Guides
Reference Tools Finding Books / Journal Articles
Leading Journals Online Journals
Film Reviews Film History
International Film Museums and Screening Venues
Films on Video Online Films
Screenplays Associations
Distributors  

GENERAL WEB RESOURCES

Man standing behind a motion picture camera (1928)

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) The IMDb provides much useful information about films, listing, with hyperlinks, virtually every pertinent movie detail, including actors, directors, writers, producers, filming locations and trivia. There is current and historical information about awards and festivals and links to news, reviews, show times, and fan sites on the Web.

The All-Movie Guide Production information, plot summaries, ratings and reviews, biographies, and a glossary of film terms. Useful search features.  

Clamen's Movie Information Collection   A generous selection of links, including film facts, the film industry, reviews, and other film-related Web resources.

CineMedia   "The Internet's largest film & media directory," providing over 25,000 links grouped by category and searchable. Despite its gaudy appearance, this site provides a wealth of useful links.

ScreenSite   "As opposed to some Web sites that take more of a fan's approach to the media, ScreenSite stresses the teaching and research of film and television and is designed for educators and students." The site, sponsored by the University of Alabama, is available in various languages in addition to English.

CinemaSpot    A film information Web portal, with well-organized links to much useful information on films and the film industry.

Greatest Films A variety of "greatest films" lists with links to similar lists at other Web sites.

Based on the Book   "Based on the Book is a compilation of over 700 book titles, short stories, and plays that have been made into motion pictures. Utilizing the Internet Movie Database as the authority on release dates, all movies in this collection have been released since 1980."

Moviefone.com A commercial site developed by AOL, focused on current films. In addition to theater locations and showtimes for films and online ticket purchasing, the site has a number of other news and information features.

WEB RESOURCE GUIDES
(explore collections of links compiled at other institutions):

Voice of the Shuttle Film/Video Page     Extensive links on the major humanities Web site. Categories include general resources; film history; contemporary film; film theory; movie studios, film & production companies; film studies departments & programs. A search for "film" (top right of page) draws together additional subjects and links from other areas of this vast site.

Film Studies   Part of the American Communication Association's Communication Studies Center.

Selected Film Resources on the Internet   The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Guide to Library and Web Resources for Cinema   Ithaca College Library.

Film Studies Resources   University of Iowa Department of Communication Studies.

Film Studies: Guide to WWW Resources in Film Studies   The University of Indiana Libraries, Bloomington.

REFERENCE TOOLS
(find definitions, statistics, quick facts, and biographies):

DICTIONARIES AND GLOSSARIES:

Web resources:

All Movie Guide Glossary   "A detailed reference source for a wide variety of movie and film-related terms written by experts in the field." Part of the All Movie Guide Web site.

The Internet Movie Database Film Glossary   "Here, you will find definitions of terms and phrases frequently used in the world of movies, film, acting, and cinemagoing."

The Glossarist: Film Glossaries and Film Dictionaries.   A compendium of many additional film glossaries and dictionaries on the Web with brief annotations.

Newman Library Resources:

Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory. London: Routledge, 2001. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN1993.45 .C75 2001. Defines key theories and concepts related to film.

Konigsberg, Ira. The Complete Film Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Reference, 1997. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1993.45 .K66 1997.

Singleton, Ralph S. The Filmmaker's Dictionary. 2nd. ed. Hollywood: Lone Eagle, 2000. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN1993.45  .S56  2000.  

STATISTICS AND FACTS:

Web resources:

Capitol Theater, Broadway and 51st St. View to marquee (1959).

Depending on the information needed, many of the general Web resources listed above will be useful, especially for facts about individual films, "top" film lists, awards, etc. Some sites contain additional industry information. CinemaSpot, for example, has a good section of charts, including box office charts, top rentals, and top soundtracks.  

Newman Library resources:

Tibbetts, John C. and James M. Welsh. The Encyclopedia of Filmmakers. (2 vols). New York : Facts on File, c2002. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN1997.8  .I58  2000.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN1997.8  .I58  2000.   Four separate volumes cover films, directors, actors and actresses, and writers and production artists.

International Motion Picture Almanac. New York: Quigley, [annual]. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1993.3 .I55. Includes film statistics, brief biographies, film synopsis, studio histories, and international production directories.

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperResource, 2001. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN1993.45 .K34 2001. "The most comprehensive encyclopedia of world cinema in a single volume," it provides a broad range of entries about filmmakers and filmmaking, including the history of film industries in other countries, organizations and events, technical topics, biographies, and complete filmographies of most directors and all major stars.

Magill's Survey of Cinema: English language films, first series. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1980. 4 vols. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1993.45 .M3 1980. Conceived as a general reference of representative films released after 1927. Ten volumes (this set and the following one) provide in-depth analyses of English language films. A third series (below) covers foreign language films.

Magill's Survey of Cinema: English language films, second series. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 198l. 6 vols. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1993.45 .M32. Completes the ten-volume coverage of English language films begun in the "first series" (above).

Magill's Survey of Cinema: foreign language films. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1985. 8 vols. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1993.45 .M34 1985. Provides detailed analysis of representative foreign language films.

Magill's Cinema Annual. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1982-1997. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1993.3 .M34. Continues the analytical coverage of films released after the publication of Magill's Survey of Cinema, including some older films not included in the survey volumes.

The Motion Picture Guide. Chicago: CineBooks, 1985. 12 vols. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1995 .N346 1985. Provides valuable production information and brief discussions of films released from 1927-1983.

The Motion Picture Guide Annual. New York: CineBooks, 1986-1999. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. PN 1995 .M4334. An annual supplement to the original Motion Picture Guide, giving detailed information about films released during the preceding year. Ceased publication after 1999, but it remains useful for the years covered.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Web resources:

The IMDb and the All-Movie Guide provide relatively brief but sometimes useful biographies of actors, directors, and other film personnel. Some of the other general Web resources listed above have links to biographical sites.

Lives, the Biography Resource Claims to be "the largest guide to biography sites on the Web." Links to thousands of biographical sites devoted to individuals, as well as to special collections of group and subject biographies.

Biography Resource Center   Combines over 330,000 biographies on nearly 220,000 people from a variety of biographical reference sources, along with full-text articles from more than 250 magazines.

Biography Index. Biography Index is a bibliographic database that cites biographical material appearing in selected periodicals, current books of individual and collective biography, and incidental biographical material in otherwise non-biographical books.To locate the articles and books cited here, search the Full-Text Journals list and CUNY+.

Newman Library resources:

Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. 4th ed. New York: Knopf, 2002. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref.  PN 1998.2 .T49 2002.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref.. PN1997.8  .I58  2000.   Volumes 2-4 cover directors, actors and actresses, and writers and production artists.

FINDING BOOKS IN NEWMAN AND OTHER CUNY LIBRARIES

Use CUNY+, the online catalog, to find books, videos, journal titles, and other materials in all the libraries of the CUNY system. Note that the catalog can be set to search only materials in the Newman Library at Baruch or any other CUNY library, or you can search the entire system with a single search (the CUNY Union Catalog).

Relevant works can be found in CUNY+ using subject headings such as:

Film Adaptations
Film Criticism
Film Genres
Cinematography
Motion Picture Actors and Actresses
Motion Pictures
Motion Picture Music
Motion Pictures Reviews

Works relevant to specific genres of film can also be found using subject headings such as:

Silent Films
Musical Films
Film Noir
Animated Films
Comedy Films
Adventure Films

Finally, works relevant to the study of the representation of specific groups or issues in the medium of film can be found using subject headings such as:

Afro-Americans in Motion Pictures
Anti-Semitism in Motion Pictures
Religion in Motion Pictures
Social Problems in Motion Pictures
[Your topic] in Motion Pictures

Note: Information on a specific film, actor, director, screenwriter, etc., can also be found by searching under the film's title or person's name as a subject heading (e.g., "allen woody", "citizen kane").

[Suggested headings adapted with thanks from the Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries' "Guide to Film Studies"]

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES
(useful databases and indexes)

See also Leading Film Studies Journals

Databases available through the Newman Library Web site:

Academic Search Premier   Full text access to nearly 3,200 scholarly publications.  

LEXIS/NEXIS Primarily useful for reviews. Under "Guided News Search," select "Arts & Sports News" (step one), then "Book, movie, music, & play reviews" (step two).

MLA International Bibliography Available through the Literature Resource Center, this index includes scholarship in literature, linguistics, film, folklore, and cultural studies. Articles, book chapters, monographs, and dissertations are all indexed by the MLA. There are relatively few full-text links in MLA, but books and articles found here may be searched in the online catalog, CUNY+, and in the Full-Text Journals list on the resources page.

The following title is an important print index in the Newman Library:

Film Literature Index   Film Literature Index The library has volumes for 1983-1997. Location: REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. Z 5784 .M9 F45.

LEADING FILM STUDIES JOURNALS

See also Finding Journal Articles and Online Journals

Loew's State Theater. Entrance with lighted marquee (1959).

Following is a selective list of important journals in film studies. You may find other sources that are useful for your research. Links are provided to databases that contain the full text of a journal or to the online catalog CUNY+ when the journal is available in the Newman Library or in another CUNY   library. Remember that a copy of an article in a   journal not owned by the Baruch Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan, usually within 1-2 weeks.

ONLINE JOURNALS

Loew's State Theater, Times Square. Balcony II (1959).

Bright Lights Film Journal   "A popular-academic hybrid of movie analysis, history, and commentary, looking at classic and commercial, independent, exploitation, and international film from a wide range of vantage points from the aesthetic to the political."

CinemaSpace This site is still under construction, but it will contain the journal CinemaSpace from the film studies course at the University of California at Berkeley.

Genders   "Presenting innovative theories in art, literature, history, music, TV and film."

Images: a journal of film and popular culture   "Images publishes articles about movies, television, videos, and other popular visual arts." New articles and reviews are added every week.

Journal of Religion and Film Presents peer-reviewed articles and analyses of films stressing spiritual aspects. Published by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Jump Cut: a review of contemporary media   "Pioneers since 1974, analyzing media in relation to class, race, and gender."

Scope: an on-line journal of film studies   "An entirely free online journal of film studies edited by staff and students within the Institute of Film Studies at the University of Nottingham." It provides "a forum for discussion of all aspects of film history, theory and criticism." This e-journal is especially noteworthy as it is fully refereed and indexed in the MLA International Bibliography.

Senses of Cinema   "An online film journal devoted to the serious and eclectic discussion of cinema."

The Silents Majority Online Journal of Silent Film.

FILM REVIEWS

Web resources:

Movie Review Query Engine Thorough coverage of review media, with links to accessible reviews. To locate reviews of older films (1927-1980), see the Salem Guide to Critical Reviews under Newman Library Resources below.

Critics.com   For each movie, Critics.com compiles reviews and ratings from 15 critics nationwide and calculates the median rating. Each critic's name and rating are linked directly to the full review. Current films are featured on the home page, and there is a searchable archive, films listed by year (back only to 1996), and best- and worst-rated lists.

Movie Magazine International - Movie Reviews   Reviews of new and classic films, with links to other film sites.

metacritic.com/film Both a compendium and a synthesis of a broad sample of the daily and magazine press, the Web site lives up to its "meta" prefix not only by the sheer range of its critics but also by distilling them into a "metascore." There isn't much historical depth, but the site is very useful for current and recent releases.

Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews & Previews.

See also: Journal articles (databases) to search for additional reviews in magazines, journals, and newspapers.  

Newman Library resources:

Salem, James M. A Guide to Critical Reviews, Part IV: The Screenplay from The Jazz Singer to Dr. Strangelove. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1972.   2 vols. Very useful for locating original reviews of older films in magazines and newspapers. The following supplement continues the coverage through 1980.   REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. Z5781 .S16.

_____________.   A Guide to Critical Reviews, Part IV, The Screenplay. Supplement one, 1963 to 1980. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1982. No further supplements were published. REFERENCE, 2nd floor: Ref. Z5781 .S16 Part IV Suppl. 1.

FILM HISTORY

Cinema History and Cinema Studies   Site includes a useful survey of cinema history and links to other sources of information. Prepared by Prof.   Robert Yahnke of the University of Minnesota.

Film History A miscellaneous selection of links, with emphasis on early cinema. Part of the Media History Project connections pages.

Earlycinema.com   "Earlycinema.com aims to provide an introduction to the first decade of motion pictures and the developments which help shape cinema as we know it today." Sections include a timeline, pioneers (biographies), technology, quick reference (definitions and facts), essays, and other resources.

Strictly Film School - Analysis of Landmark Cinema   "Strictly Film School is a dynamic, evolving personal homage journal dedicated to the analysis of landmark world cinema from an academic perspective: universal themes, symbols and imagery, historic context and artistic genres."

INTERNATIONAL FILM

Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980).

ForeignFilms.com An interactive site, including message boards and contributions from users. Information (not always complete) about films made in other countries and about U.S. independent films. Searchable by country, genre, and language, it includes ratings, a "Top 100" list, film news, and links to other sites, mostly commercial (where to buy/rent) or industry-related.

World/Independent Film (About.com)   Links by countries and subjects to many useful sites on the Web.

Hong Kong Movie Database A site devoted to information on Hong Kong movies, it is similar to the Internet Movie Database. The basic search is by film title or personal name (actors, directors, producers, etc.). Information provided varies. There are links to movie reviews.

SCREENPLAYS

The Scripts & Screenplays Webring   Seven linked Web sites.

Movie Scripts and Screenplays Web Ring Home Site   "A bunch of Movie Scripts and Screenplays sites on the 'net in one location."

MUSEUMS AND SCREENING VENUES
(good places to view films)

American Museum of the Moving Image The Museum entrance is on 35th Avenue at the corner of 36th Street in Astoria.

BAM Brooklyn Academy of Music The BAM Rose Cinemas are located in the main BAM building at 30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn.

Anthology Film Archives 32 Second Avenue at Second Street.

Film Forum 209 West Houston Street. New York's leading movie house for independent premieres and repertory programming.

The Walter Reade Theater at the Film Society of Lincoln Center The Walter Reade Theater is located on the north side of West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, one flight up on the plaza level.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Film Collection   Founded in 1935 as the Film Library, this department's collection now includes more than 22,000 films and four million stills; the strongest international film collection in the United States, it incorporates all periods and genres. A schedule of the museum's film and media presentation will be found on its Web site..

AMC Guide (American Movie Classics cable channel schedule)   AMC, "the movie network devoted to showcasing and preserving the world of classic films, presents quality motion pictures and entertainment from the 1930's through the 1980's." It broadcasts 24 hours a day (unfortunately, with commercials).

What's on IFC   (The Independent Film Channel schedule)   IFC is "the first network entirely dedicated to capturing and presenting the irreverent style of independent film, unedited and commercially uninterrupted 24 hours a day.... Its vast collection of independent films, film strands, live events and original series and features are all distinctively packaged to accentuate IFC’s extreme personality and position as an authority on independent film." Available with certain local cable packages.

Sundance Channel   "Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel brings television viewers daring and engaging feature films, shorts, documentaries, world cinema and animation, shown uncut and with no commercials. Through its original programs, Sundance Channel connects viewers with filmmakers, the creative process, and the world of independent film." Available with certain local cable packages.

TCM Schedule (Turner Classic Movies)   TCM is a cable network showing classic films uncut and commercial free 24 hours a day. Available with certain local cable packages.

The Village Voice Movie Clock   See what's playing and where throughout the New York metropolitan area.

FILMS ON VIDEO
(places to borrow or rent films)

"Bride of Frankenstein" (1935)

Check the Newman Library and other CUNY collections by searching the CUNY+ online catalog.

The New York Public Library Donnell Library Center   "The Media Center (lower level) - one of the largest of its kind in the nation - contains important film and video collections...." See the full description and further information at the library's Web site.

If you are having difficulty finding a video to rent, try one of the following:

Evergreen Video 37Carmine (@Bedford St.) 212-691-7362
Kim’s Video 6 St. Mark’s Place (@3rd Ave.)   212/505-0311
Kim’s Video 85 Ave. A (@E. 6th St.)   212-529-3410
Kim’s Video 144 Bleecker St. (@LaGuardia Pl.) 212-260-1010
North Heights Video 46 Henry St., Brooklyn Heights 718-625-8977
TLA Video 54 W. 8th St. (@MacDougal St.) 212-228-8282
Tower Video 383 Lafayette St. (@E. 4th St.) 212-505-1166
World of Video 51 Greenwich Ave. 212-691-1281

ONLINE FILMS

Online Movies   Information about online films and links to streaming film sites. Part of the About.com World/Independent Film site.

ASSOCIATIONS

NAATA (National Asian American Telecommunications Association)  "NAATA's mission is to present stories that convey the richness and diversity of the Asian Pacific American experience to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting films, videos and new media."

American Film Institute   Nonprofit, nongovernmental corporation dedicated to preserving and developing the nation's artistic and cultural resources in film and video.

Asian CineVision Since 1976 ACV has been a non-profit media arts organization that promotes and preserves Asian American media expressions by developing and supporting film, video, and other media artists and by helping to ensure that Asian and Asian American media works reach a wide range of audiences.

Women Make Movies   Established in 1972, "Women Make Movies is a multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women."    

Third World Newsreel   "Founded in 1967, Third World Newsreel is one of the oldest alternative media arts organizations in the United States. We are committed to the creation and appreciation of independent and social issue media by and about people of color, and the peoples of developing countries around the world."

Society for Cinema & Media Studies   Founded in 1959, the Society for Cinema & Media Studies is a professional organization composed of college and university educators, filmmakers, historians, critics, scholars, and others concerned with the study of the moving image.   Membership is required, but this is the leading film studies organization in the U.S.

DISTRIBUTORS

The Criterion Collection     Important classic and contemporary films from around the world, published in "editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements."

Facets Multimedia ®   "Your source for world cinema on video."    

Frameline Distribution The nation's only distributor solely dedicated to lesbian and gay film and video.

Kino International: The Best in World Cinema   This excellent distribution company offers specializes in foreign, silent classics, and independent films.

Milestonefilms Dedicated "to discovering and distributing films of enduring artistry from both yesterday and today," its collection "ranges from the earliest days of the cinema...to brand-new American independent features, documentaries and foreign films."

New Yorker Films   "America's leading source for the films that matter on the cutting edge of world cinema," this company serves both the theatrical and nontheatrical markets, distributing films and videos for commercial release, as well as for film society and classroom venues.

Winstar Cinema An important distributor, primarily of foreign films.

Zeitgeist Films An American independent film distribution company based in New York.

Photo Credits:

(1) "[Charlie David standing in front of a motion picture camera in a room, holding on to the camera's hand crank]." Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society [DN-0086174 ] (American Memory).
(2) "Capitol Theater, Broadway and 51st St. View to marquee." Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [LC-G613-74440]
(3) "Loew's State Theater. Entrance with lighted marquee". Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [LC-G613-73747].
(4) "Loew's State Theater, Times Square. Balcony II." Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [LC-G613-73726].
(5) "Alfred Hitchcock". Stamps.net
(6) "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935).

 

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