LibGuides: A Film Research Guide: Film History

Film History > Finding Books

Film History > Finding Articles

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Index to journal articles, books, and dissertations in literature, including materials covering film history.
Drama Criticism This link opens in a new window
Includes an extensive collection of original criticism, demonstrating how a playwright or screenwriter's work has been interpreted and received over time.
Humanities International Index This link opens in a new window
Cover-to-cover indexing and abstracting for over 1,700 journals in the humanities, including articles, books, and reference works covering film history.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Scholarly journal archive with a "moving wall" (generally 3 to 5 years) of back-issue coverage. Includes full text for 14 film studies journals.
JSTOR has provided complimentary access during Covid to JSTOR Archives & Primary Source Collections until June 30, 2021.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Index and full text collection of scholarly journals in the humanities from many of the world's leading university presses and scholarly societies. Includes film studies journals.
Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Covers scholarly journals in communication and mass media studies

Film History > Search Tips

Using designated Subject headings from The Library of Congress can help find relevant materials more effectively (both for books in the library and articles in the databases). You can often create correct subject headings by following them as a model. Some examples of subject headings for film history:

Motion Pictures - History

Silent Films - History

Documentary Films - History and Criticism

Motion Pictures - Spain - Chronology

Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951 - Criticism and Interpretation

Film History > Journals

Historical Journal of Film, Radio, & Television
"An interdisciplinary journal of research, scholarly articles, book reviews and archival reports concerned with the evidence produced by the mass media for historians and social scientists, and with the impact of mass communications on history."
Media History Digital Library
A digital collection of classic journals and magazines related to film history.
Framework: The Journal of Cinema & Media
Scholarly journal dedicated to theoretical and historical work in media and film scholarship.
Wide Angle
Scholarly journal covering film studies, international cinema, and the history and aesthetics of film.

Selected Film History Resources

A History of the French New Wave Cinema
Call Number: PN1993.5.F7 N48 2007
Edison: The Invention of the Movies
Call Number: DVD 593-596
Historical Comedy on Screen: Subverting History with Humor
Call Number: PN1995.9.C55 H57 2011
Silent Films, 1877-1996
Call Number: Reference - PN1995.75 .K57 1999
The Filming of Modern Life
Call Number: PN1995.9.E96 T88 2011