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Film Studies
Guides to Information | Encyclopedias
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Indexes | Film Criticism--Compendia
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This is only a partial list of the reference works at Green
devoted to this subject. To find others browse the call numbers PN1993-PN1998.2
and Z5784 in the Information Center (IC) located on the 1st floor
of Green East and the Humanities
and Area
Studies Resource Center, Lane Room (HASRC) located on the
2nd floor of Green West Bing Wing.
Guides to Information and Research Methods help you get started.
Handbook of American Popular Culture, 2nd ed. (Green
Library Information Center E169.1.H2643 1989) vol. 1, pp. 445-474
cover film research.
Women in Popular Culture: A Reference Guide (Green
Library Information Center HQ1426.F685 1982) pp. 136-154 "Women
in Film" discusses research and lists important works. Also try
the periodical Camera Obscura: A Journal of Feminism and Film
Theory (Green Library Stacks PN1995.9.W6C5; latest in Current
Periodicals and GenderWatch
and Project Muse
(2000+) on the Web).
Encyclopedias, handbooks, etc. provide useful information, overviews
and recommended reading.
History
The Oxford History of World Cinema, 1996 (Green Library
Information Center Ready Reference PN1993.5.A1O96) Written
by an international team of noted film historians, this work covers
all aspects of the history of film--"its development, stars, studios,
and cultural impact." Includes a bibliography and detailed index.
Cinema Year by Year, 1894-2000 (Green Library HASRC
PN1993.5 .A1 C56 2000 F) includes many stills and posters.
Movie Time: A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry
from It's Beginnings to the Present (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.5.U6B687 1995) includes a bibliography and index.
The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry
(Green Library Information Center PN1993.5.U6S539 1998) "a dictionary
of American producing and releasing companies, technological innovations,
film series, industry terms, studios, genres, and organizations."
Short bibliographies.
The Encyclopedia of Hollywood (Green Library HASRC
PN1993.5.U6S494 1990) a "history of the American film industry in
encyclopedic form." Includes a selected bibliography and index at
the back of the volume.
General
The American Film Institute Desk Reference (Green Library
Information Center PN1994 .A599 2002) includes "Movie History"
chronology, "Movie Basics," "Movie Crafts,"
short biographical sketches of "People in Film," award
winning movies and sources for further research.
International Motion Picture Almanac, annual (Green
Library Information Center PN1993.3.I55) provides a wealth of information
on films, actors (there is a large Who's Who section), and film
companies. Includes statistics, lists of award winners, top grossing
films--domestic & worldwide, and much more.
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (Green
Library Information Center PN1997.8 .I58 1997)
- Vol. 1: Films--"each entry provides full credits for the film,
a comprehensive bibliography, and an expository essay from a specialist
in the field."
- Vol. 2: Directors--each entry includes "a brief biography, a
complete filmography, a selected bibliography of works on and
by the entrant, and an expository essay by a specialist in the
field."
- Vol. 3: Actors and Actresses--entries similar in
- Vol. 4: Writers and Production Artists--entries similar in content
to Vol. 2 & 3.
The Encyclopedia of American Independent Filmmaking (Green
Library Information Center PN1993.45 .L63 2002) provides "information,
perspective, and insight into historical, technical, aesthetic,
practical, fiscal, and critical aspects of independent filmaking"
in the 21st century and beyond.
The Film Encyclopedia (Green Library Information Center
Ready Reference PN1993.45.K34 2001) emphasizes biographical
and topical material.
The Academy Awards Index: The Complete Categorical and Chronological
Record (Green Library Information Center PN1993.92.S53 1993)
gives a brief history of the awards, the nominees and winners for
each year, plus a selected bibliography.
International Films
Encyclopedia of European Cinema (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.5.E8V56 1995) contains an overview, entries with "key
factual points about a person, institution or critical concept,
as well as areas of interest and debate," statistics on production,
a bibliography and an index.
Foreign Film Guide (Green Library Information Center
PN1995.9.F67B4 1992) gives basic information, cast, and brief synopsis
for over 2,000 foreign films.
The International Film Index, 1895-1990 (Green Library
Information Center PN1998.G62 1991) provides "a comprehensive index
to films by title and director on a worldwide basis." Also includes
a bibliography of "major printed sources."
Variety International Film Guide, annual (Green Library
Information Center PN1993.3.I544) covers a wide range of topics
on film and film industry.
Guide to British Cinema (Green Library Information Center
PN1993.5.G7 M327 2003)
Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.5.I8 R2772 1999f)
A Guide to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino-Made Film
and Video (Green Library HASRC PN1995.9 .L37G85 1998)
Related works
Encyclopedia of American Studies (Green Library Information
Center E169.1.E625 2001) contains "six separate but conceptually
related articles " on various aspects of film & the film industry.
Sizeable articles with bibliographies. Cross references to related
articles.
Encyclopedia of American Social History (Green Library
Information Center HN57.E58 1992) vol. 3, pp. 1819-1834 gives an
overview of the history of film in the United States with a selected
bibliography.
The Guide to United States Popular Culture (Green Library
Information Center E169.1 .D399 2001) - alpabetically arranged articles
of varying lengths on various aspects of popular culture with brief
bibliographies and an index.
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (Green Library
Information Center E169.1 .S764 2000) - medium length articles with
lists for further reading.
Film Genre
Films by Genre (Green Library Information Center PN1998.L63
1993) "775 categories, styles, trends and movements defined" and
filmographies.
A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties
(Green Library HASRC PN1995.9.D4L35 1995) tries "to show
how previous decades influenced the present crime films both in
theme and content, and how these dramas generally reflect our culture,
our laws, and our shifting attitudes toward crime and criminals."
See also Gangster Films: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference
to People, Films and Terms (Green Library Information Center
PN1995.9.G3S84 1996)
The BFI Companion to Horror (Green Library HASRC
PN1995.9.H6B55 1996) "includes entries on actors, creative personnel,
authors, historical figures, major themes, television series, radio
shows, cliches, recurrent characters, sub-genres, properties, ephemera,
and much else."
Hollywood Song: The Complete Film and Musical Companion
(Green Library Information Center ML128.M7B65 1995) "includes data
on songs from almost 7,000 American and foreign films." Vol. 1 &
2 list movies alphabetically, while vol. 3 contains a chronological
list and indexes by personnel and song titles.
Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff (Green
Library Information Center PN1995.9.L28Z36 1996) is an annotated
guide with "critical commentary and sources for further reading
and research."
The BFI Companion to the Western (Green Library HASRC
PN1995.9.W4B45 1988) includes essays on the history of the Western,
a "dictionary of people, places, events & ideas that shaped
it," guide to the films & filmmakers, including TV westerns.
See also The Western (Green Library HASRC PN1995.9.W4H37
1991) which gives an overview and chronological listing of westerns.
Film and Literature
The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film (Green Library Information
Center PN1997.85 .T54 1998)
"Film and Literature" in vol. 38, pp. 97-226 of Twentieth-Century
Literary Criticism (Green Library Information PN771.T9) gives
an overview and essays from various viewpoints.
Enser's Filmed Books and Plays (Green Library Information
Center Z5784.M9B385 1993) "A list of books and plays from which
films have been made 1928-1991."
Films into Books: An Analytical Bibliography of Film Novelizations,
Movie, and TV Tie-Ins (Green Library Information Center Z1231.F4L37
1995) Starts with an examination of novelizations, followed by essays
by 52 of the authors involved (including Isaac Asimov), plus bibliographies
by title and author.
Diverse Groups
The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood (Green Library
HASRC PN1995.9 .M56 M85 2003) divided into sections on African
Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans,
and Native Americans.
Blacks in American Films and Television: An Encyclopedia
(Green Library Information Center PN1995.9.N4B58 1988) gives
profiles on actors as well as information about movies and television
series. See also section on film and television (pp. 51-117) in
Images of Blacks in American Culture (Green Library
Information Center NX652.A37I43 1988), and vol. 2, pp. 960-970 in
the Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
(Green Library Information Center E185.E54 1996).
Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films,
2nd ed. (Green Library Information Center PN1995.9.N4S2 1995) documents
"the all-Black cast films that were independently produced in the
United States between 1910 and 1950."
Gays and Lesbians in Mainstream Cinema (Green Library
Information Center PN 1995.9.H55P37 1993) "Plots, critiques, casts
and credits for 272 theatrical and made-for-television Hollywood
releases."
Hispanics in Hollywood : A Celebration of 100 Years in Film
and Television (Green Library HASRC PN1995.9 .H47
R49 2000)
The Hispanic Image on the Silver Screen: An Interpretive
Filmography from Silents into Sound, 1898-1935 (Green Library
Information Center PN1995.9.L37.R55 1992) entries include "a brief
scenario which details the film's Hispanic connection." The introduction
provides an overview of the subject. See also Censorship and
Hollywood's Hispanic Image: an Interpretive Filmography, 1936-1955
(Green Library Information Center PN1995.9.L37.R53 1993) and Contemporary
Hollywood's Negative Hispanic Image: An Interpretive Filmography,
1956-1993 (Green Library Information Center PN1995.9.L37R54
1994).
Jewish Film Directory (Green Library HASRC
PN1995.9.J46J48 1992) "A guide to more than 1200 films of Jewish
interest from 32 countries over 85 years."
The Film Studies Dictionary (Green Library Information Center
PN1993.45 .B53 2001) definitions
Critical
Dictionary of Film and Television Theory (Green Library
HASRC PN1993.45 .C75 2001) introduction to key concepts.
Filmmaker's Dictionary (Green Library HASRC PN1993.45
.S56 2000) definitions
Cinema
Studies : The Key Concepts, 2nd ed. (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.45 .H36 2000) "a comprehensive glossary of the main
terms and concepts in film theory and film production."
See also sources listed above.
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film (Green Library Information
Center PN1998.2 .T49 2002)
Women Film Directors: An International Bio-Critical Dictionary
(Green Library Information Center PN1998.2.F67 1995) entries include
"biographical information, critical essay, selected filmography,
and selected bibliographic information."
Who's Who in Hollywood (Green Library HASRC
PN1998.2.R34 1991) a guide "Within the A to Z format of this work
are entries both of living players and deceased players."
Who's Who in the Movies (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.45.H3 1999) very brief entries for a wide range of
actors, directors, producers, writers, and others including animal
stars.
Indexes (in paper and electronic formats) can help you identify
articles in magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals and other
resources. Those restricted to the Stanford community are marked
with the icon. Choose the after
a database name to see it's help. For other indexes see the
Databases A-Z list on the Web.
Film
Literature Index 1976-2001 on Web,
(1973+ Green Library Information Center Z5784.M9F53) includes reviews
of films (about a 1 year lag) and discussions of various topics
related to films and television. Film reviews are about a year behind
and are in section 1: "Films."
International Index to Film Periodicals (shelved on
Green Library Information Center Z5784.M9I49)
Expanded
Academic ASAP general
index to over 1500 magazines with some fulltext. (1980+)
This database includes full text of articles from Variety.
MLA Bibliography (1963+)
literature, languages, and folklore. Paper volumes for 1921-1963
are shelved at Green Library Information Center Z7006.M64.
LexisNexis
Academic - selected Lexis-Nexis files especially good
for fulltext news, business, and law information. Limited to
Stanford students, faculty, and staff.
British Humanities Index,1915+ (Green Library Information
Center AI3.B7)
Humanities Abstracts
(1974+ Green Library Information
Center AI3.H8) Author/subject index to periodicals in fields
such
as area studies, folklore, history, language, literature, philosophy,
religion & theology.
Compendia collect and print reviews.
Film Review Annual 1981+ (Green Library Information
Center PN1995.F5) also cites film reviews in other sources.
Magill's Survey of Cinema:
- Silent Films 1982 (Green Library Information Center
PN1995.75.M33)
- English Language Films First Series, 1980 (Green
Library Information Center PN1993.45.M3)
- English Language Films Second Series, 1981 (Green
Library Information Center PN1993.45.M26)
- Foreign Language Films 1985 (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.45.M34)
All the above Magill publications are updated by:
- Magill's Cinema Annual 1982+ (Green Library Information
Center PN1993.3.M3) also cites film reviews in other sources.
New York Times Film Reviews, 1913+ (Green Library
Information Center PN1995.N4) Current volumes covers 1985-1986.
Volume 6 has a cumulative index for 1913-1968. See also New
York Times Index (Green Library Information Center AI21.N44)
under "Motion Pictures."
Variety Movie Guide (Green Library Information Center
PN1995.V345 1991) "More than 5,000 Variety reviews from 1914 to
the present [1991]."
See also sources listed above.
Film Review Index vol. 1: 1882-1949; vol. 2: 1950-1985
(Green Library Information Center Z5784.M9.F513)
Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed by Variety, 1907-1980
(Green Library Information Center PN1995.A39 1982) Variety
is on microfilm in the Media-Microtext Center (MFILM N.S. 1145)
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, 1901+ (Green
Library Information Center AI3.R4) See heading "Motion Picture Reviews"
See also Readers' Guide
Retrospective (1963-1982)
Finding Film Scripts in SOCRATES:
a. Click on combined search
b. In the first search box, pull the first menu for search
type down to
"genre."
c. Input "scripts" as the search term
d. Search catalog.
(Just so your hopes don't get too high about this search, most
of the
collections listed in this fashion do not have scripts
past the 1960s.)
Web-based Script Sites:
Movie Scripts
and Screenplays Web Ring Home Site
Bibliographies:
Howard Poteet, Published Radio, Television and Film Scripts. 1975.
in Green Library Stacks: Z7223.s3.P68
Yale University's Guide for Searching Scripts:
Research
Guide in Film Studies Yale University
The Delmar Daves Collection in Stanford Special Collections:
Stanford has an archival collection of movie scripts in the
Delmer Daves collection (actual mss.), in Special Collections,
but according to the finding aid, the date range only goes up
to 1965. Here is a brief description of that collection:
Delmar
Daves Collection Description
kmk
Last modified:
September 17, 2008 |