Film Studies 211 Research Guide
This guide focuses on finding documents published between 1885-1935. When looking for such early publications, you can:
- consult recent documents and check the biblography, footnotes, etc for references to early publications and then find those publications.
- use the research tools listed on this web page to identify which early magazines, newspapers, etc. include documentation about a film.
- International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers
- Connect to Gale Reference - Arts Online
- British Film Institute Film Classics. (2 vol) PN 1995 B735 2003
- Excellent overviews and bibliographies on well-know early films.
- The New York Times Encyclopedia of Film. Vol 1 1896-1928. REF PN 1993.45 N4 1984
- Articles related to silent film taken from the New York Times.
- World Film Directors: Vol 1 1890-1945. REF PN 1998.2 W67 1987
- Extensive articles and bibliographies for many international directors.
- ProQuest Historical Newspaper:New York Times , Wall Street Journal, Washington Post
- The complete text of articles covering 1851 to recent years. Includes film reviews and other film related articles. Limit your search by date.
- Time Archive Online
- Search for magazine covers or articles.
- Times (London) Digital Archive
- Provides the complete text of articles for theLondon Times for the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries
- JSTOR
- Fulltext of journals on various topics; some are early publications.
- Periodical Archives Online
- This cross disciplinary full-text collection includes the complete text of articles from various journals and magazines from the early 20th century.
- Film Index International
- Search by film title or director. Provides some references to articles in journals from 1920s to present.
- American Cinematographer (1921-1977) -- TR 845 A47
- Bioscope (1908-1932) -- PN 1993 B5+
- Close Up (1927-1933) -- PN 1993 C6 (in paper)
- Moving Picture World (1907-1927) -- PN 1993 M88
- Photoplay (1916-1940) -- PN 1993 P54
- Variety (1905-1968) -- PN 2000 V3
- The Nation (1865-2003) -- AP 2 N25
- New Republic1914-1963) -- AP2 N35
- New Yorker (1925- ) AP2 N6763
- Selected Film Criticism. - REF PN 1995 S426 (Kept at Reference Desk)
- The complete text of some review articles from early film magazines is available. Volume 1: 1896 - 1911; Volume 2: 1912- 1920; Volume 3: 1921 – 1930; Volume 4: 1931 - 1940; Volume 6: Foreign Films: 1930-1950.
- Filmmakers in the Moving Picture World: An Index to Articles - REF PN 1993 M88
- References to articles about directors published in the Moving Picture World magazine
- Film Review Index. V.1: 1882 -1949 - REF PN 1995 F476+
- This index gives the dates of publication for film reviews published in many of the magazines listed above.
- Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed by Variety. 1907-1980 - REF PN 1995 A39 1982
- Provides dates on which articles about films or directors appeared in Variety magazine.
- Film & Television Literature Index
- Provides references to articles in film journals and also includes some full-text articles from journals published over the past 30 years
- Film Index International
- Provides references to articles in journals from 1920s to present. Search by film title or director
- International Index to Film Periodicals
- Provides references to articles in film journals from journals published over the past 40 years
- JSTOR
- A cross-disciplinary collection of journals. The complete text of 8 cinema journals is available; the most recent years are not included
- Project Muse
- Provides the complete articles of 9 cinema journals for recent years
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Full-text
- Theses and dissertations can provide a good introduction to films and directors and generally include extensive bibliographies.
Background Information
The following provide overviews of many films and directors. Check the bibliographies for references to books and articles.
Finding Books
Use CLUES to find books about a film or director or possibly actors/actresses, film studios, silent films, etc. relevant to a film. Check for autobiographies, biographies, interviews, memoirs, etc. Check for reprints of earlier books.
Use Google Books to identify parts of books or chapters that discuss the film you are researching. Check CLUES to find out if the book is available at Concordia Libraries.
You can check the library catalogues of other university libraries. If you want to borrow from other University libraries in Montreal, get a CREPUQ card at the Circulation desk in the Webster Library. If you would like to request a book from a library in Montreal and elsewhere, use the Interlibrary Loans service.
Finding Early Publications Online
Online Databases and Journals
Finding Early Publications: Paper & Microfilm
List of early film and popular magazines available in microfilm in Concordia Libraries.
Use the Film Review Index. V.1: 1882 -1949 - REF PN 1995 F476+ (Kept at Reference Desk) to identify specific dates of articles.
NOTE: You can request a scanned copy of a specific article through Article Delivery Service.
Other useful Reference Sources
Finding Recent Articles
Use one or more of the following databases to identify recent journal and magazine articles. Remember you must check CLUES to find out if the journal or magazine is available. If the journal is available in paper or microfilm at Concordia Libraries, you can request a scanned copy through Article Delivery Service.
