Print Resources in Reference (1 East):
In general, it is best to know the approximate (and better, the exact) date of a film’s release because most reviews are indexed chronologically. If you do not know the release date of the film in question try finding a citation in one of the following:
- American Film Institute Catalog (E Resources or Ref PN 1998. A573 1999) or ONLINE (and may also be searched in coordination with Film Index International at Film Indexes Online ).
- Film Review Index (Ref PN 1995 .F5 1986)
- Film Index International (E Resource or PN 1993 .F5565)
- Leonard Maltin’s Movie and Video Guide (Ref PN1992 .8 .F5 D3)
- Or else go on the www and try All Movie Guide or IMDB
Reprints of Reviews:
- New York Times Film Reviews (Ref PN 1995 .N4)
A reprint of everything that has been reviewed in the New York Times (though not current). Arranged chronologically.
- Variety Film Reviews, 1907-1980 (Co Ref PN 1995 .V34 1983)
Multivolume set of reprint of Variety reviews.
- Film Review Annual (Ref PN 1995 .F463)
Though good only from 1980 to current this resource reprints full text of reviews from major publications.
- Film Daily (microfilm)
Contains full text of films reviews printed in Film Daily and its earlier titles.
Electronic Indexes to Film Reviews and Full Text Criticism:
All available from the Library’s Electronic Resources Page
Choose REVIEW under Document Type in the advanced search. This resource includes the full text of the following historical newspapers: CHICAGO TRIBUNE (1849-1988, DETROIT FREE PRESS (1831-1922), LOS ANGELES TIMES (1881-1988), NEW YORK TIMES (1851-2008), WALL STREET JOURNAL (1889-1994), and the WASHINGTON POST (1877-1995). It also includes historical black newspapers: ATLANTA DAILY WORLD (1931-2003),CHICAGO DEFENDER (1910-1975),LOS ANGELES SENTINAL (1934-2005) NEW AMSTERDAM NEWS (1922-1993), and the PITTSBURGH COURRIER (1911-2002). Finally, it contains these agregators: "Ethnic NewsWatch" (1959-present) and "ProQuest Civil War Era" (selected newspapers and pamphlets from 1850-1870).
- Expanded Academic ASAP
(E-Resource) Like Proquest, use this resource for both index to reviews (back to approximately 1980) and for full text retrieval of “reputable” publications such as The New Yorker, Variety, and The New Republic.
- Film Index International
(E Resource) may also be searched in coordination with AFI by accessing Film Indexes Online: http://catalog.lib.msu.edu/record=b4739912~S39a.
- New York Times (1851-2005)
(E Resource)Though lagging behind current dates this resource delivers full text, “captured” reviews since the beginning of reviews.
- LexisNexis Academic
(E Resource) Full text index of nation’s leading newspapers, including current NYTimes, dating back as far as early 70s.
- ProQuest
(E Resource) Much full text reprint of many trade and popular news and entertainment resources. Dates vary by publication.
Electronic Indexes to Film Criticism:
- Modern Language Association International Bibliography
(E Resource). Indexes world criticism of film reviews in professional journals (back to 1963).
- Communication & Mass Media Complete
Provides indexing and abstracting for more than 600 publications, and includes selected full-text coverage for more than 240 journals in communications, mass media, and related fields. Topics include (among many others) health communication, gender and communication, communication theory, and mass media.
- Periodicals Index Online
(PIO or, alternatively, PCI). Indexes many world film criticism titles (back to before 1900 in some cases). Articles available full-text will be linked to Periodicals Archive Online.
- Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature
English language only periodicals indexed (coverage back to 1980s).
- Blackwell Reference Online
Blackwell Reference Online contains online versions of authoritative reference publications in FILM THEORY, as well as Philosophy, Religion, Literature, Cultural Studies, History, Business, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, and Linguistics.
- Black Studies Center
Black Studies Center is a fully cross-searchable gateway to Black Studies including scholarly essays, recent periodicals, historical newspaper articles, and much more. It combines several resources for research and teaching in Black Studies: Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, International Index to Black Periodicals (IIBP), The Chicago Defender and other newspapers, and the Black Literature Index.
Writing About Film
From Dartmouth's Institute for Rhetoric and Writing. General resource for understanding context of writing about film. Includes a Glossary of Film Terms.
