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  1. Dartmouth Libraries
  2. Research Guides
  3. Dartmouth Libraries Guides
  4. Film Studies
  5. Researching early films

Film Studies

This guide is an introduction to the resources for Film Studies at Dartmouth. If you are interested in Television, see the separate research guide for Television.
  • Introduction
  • Basic information on film
  • Finding a specific film title
  • Streaming film services
    • Readings on streaming video
  • National cinemas This link opens in a new window
  • Course guides for Film & Media Studies
  • Starting your research ...
  • Researching early films
  • Film history through the decades
    • 1960's film history
    • 1970's film history
  • Books about film
  • Film reviews
  • Journals & magazines about film
  • Film theory
    • Feminist film theory
    • Auteur theory
  • Film criticism
    • Feminist film criticism
  • Box office information
  • Film audiences
  • Mass media Industry
  • Primary sources for historical film research
    • Cinema Pressbooks from the Original Studio Collections
    • Congressional Hearings & Communism
    • Film Daily
    • Herrick Library Digital Collections
    • Hollywood and the Production Code
    • Media History Digital Library
    • Moving Picture World
  • Themes
  • Acting
  • Racial & ethnic representation on film
    • African American diaspora
    • Asian American diaspora
    • Hispanic American diaspora
    • Native American & Indigenous peoples diasporas
    • Examples on film
  • LGBTQIA+
    • Examples on film
  • Women on/in/creating Film
    • Examples on film
  • Film genres This link opens in a new window
  • Film & society
  • Screenwriting
  • Film adaptations
    • Shakespeare on film
    • Television to Film adaptations
  • Color in film
  • Film music
  • Film festivals
    • A short list of film festivals
  • Film awards
  • Disney
  • Hitchcock
  • Internet resources
  • Future of Media
  • Back to Film & Media
  • Scholarly communication This link opens in a new window
  • Video Help

Subject Librarian

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Lucinda M. Hall
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Contact:
Evans Map Room, Baker-Berry Library
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25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
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Website Skype Contact: d1128r8@kiewit.dartmouth.edu
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Subjects: Film and Media Studies, Geography, Polar Studies

Introduction

Except for Screen Studies Collection and International Index for the Performing Arts (IIPA), the other, online databases for film did not begin indexing film magazines and journals until the early 1970's.

Film indexes online

Using the Screen Studies Collections, you can search the American Film Institute (AFI) Catalog and the Film Index International  from the British Film Institute at the same time. Both catalogs include citations to industry and scholarly articles about the films. Most of the industry articles tend to be short blurbs, but were written at the time of filming. These bibliographies, whether short or long, are good starting places for finding information about the films.

  • Resource logoScreen studies collection by ProQuest
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    A comprehensive survey of current publications related to film scholarship alongside detailed filmographies. This collection includes the FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database and the detailed and complementary filmographies created by the American Film Institute (AFI) and the British Film Institute.

Newspapers

  1. Major metropolitan newspapers are a good source for movie reviews and information.
  2. You can also limit your searching to "reviews" in most of this group of databases.
  3. These newspaper archives go back before the early days of film making them an excellent source of information for early filmmaking.
  • Resource logoProquest historical newspapers by ProQuest
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    • Newspaper
    Call Number: Electronic resources
    A collection of major regional and ethnic newspapers from their beginning date to a date in the near past. The New York Times goes until 3 years ago, while the Boston Globe only goes to 1989. The Chicago Defender goes from 1905 to 1975.

Other library resource(s)

  • ATLA Catholic periodical and literature index
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    Looking at film from another viewpoint.
  • Resource logoReaders' guide retrospective, 1890-1982 by H W Wilson vis EBSCO
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    The regular Readers' Guide Abstracts covers popular literature from 1983 to the present. This retrospective version covers that same literature from 1890 to 1982. Because this is historical material, remember to search using the terms that were used during a particular time period. For example, early Black films would use the subject "Negro" or "Colored" rather than Black or Afro-American (African-American). You can also limit your searching to film reviews when looking for a particular title.

Reviews & articles for early films

These are books found mostly in Baker/Berry Reference. Depending on films researched, these books can provide you with many reviews for analysis.

  • The critical index: a bibliography of articles on film in English, 1948-1973, arranged by names and topics by John C. Gerlach & Lana Gerlach, comps.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker/-Berry Z 5784 .M9 G4
    This bibliography is a guide to articles about directors, producers, actors, critics, screenwriters, cinematographers, specific films, and 175 topics dealing with the history, aesthetics, and economics of film, the relation of film to society, and the various genres of film. [Introduction, p.viii]. Another, good source for earlier films.
  • Entertainment industry magazine archive
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    An archival resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles.
  • Film by Grove Press
    • Book
    Call Number: Library Depository PN 1994 .F437 v. 1-2 (1959-62)
    Essays on various films. An interesting read with a questionnaire that various directors answered in volume 1. Volume 1 - Audience and the filmmaker 1959 and volume 2 - Films of peace and war 1962.
  • Film by The National Society of Film Critics
    • Book
    Call Number: Library Depository PN 1993.3 .F38 1968/69-1971/72
    This "anthology" of films only covers 1968 through 1972, but the essays are grouped together by subject or genre of the films discussed.
  • Cover artThe film book bibliography, 1940-1975 by Jack Ellis
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Z 5784 .M9 E44
    ISBN: 9780810811270
    This book attempts to cite, classify, and selectively annotate over five thousand books, monographs, and dissertations about English language film between 1940 and 1975.
  • Filmmakers in the Moving Picture World: an index of articles, 1907-1927 by Annette M. D'Agostino, comp.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1993 .M89 Suppl.
    ISBN: 9780786402908
    First published on March 9, 1907, The Moving Picture World was the first trade paper of the film industry. It continued until December 31, 1927. This index directs researchers to the appropriate pages of the magazine for biographical and career data on the early filmmakers--i.e., anyone involved in making a film: actors and actresses, producers, directors, camera grinders, writers, editors, company presidents, technical directors, stunt extras, and many others.
  • Film review index by Patricia King Hanson & Stephen L. Hanson, eds.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Z 5784 .M9 F513 1986
    Volume 1 covers 1882-1949 and volume 2 covers 1950-1985.
  • Index to critical film reviews in British and American film periodicals, together with: Index to critical reviews of books about film, 1930-1972 by Stephen E. Bowles, comp. & ed.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Ref. Z 5784 .M9 B64
    English language reviews for early films.
  • The literature of the film: a bibliographical guide to the film as art and entertainment, 1936-1970 by Alan R. Dyment
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Z 5784 .M9 D9
  • Resource logoMedia history digital library by Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research
    • Open Access Icon
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    The Media History Digital Library digitizes collections of classic media periodicals that belong in the public domain for full public access. The project is supported by owners of materials who loan them for scanning, and donors who contribute funds to cover the cost of scanning.

    The Collection feature extensive runs of several important trade papers and fan magazines.
  • The new film index: a bibliography of magazine articles in English, 1930-1970 by Richard Dyer MacCann and Edward S. Perry with special editorial assistance by Mikki Moisio
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Z 5784 .M9 M29 1975
    This bibliography groups articles by subject. It includes short lists of articles on women and minority directors, producers and technicians.
  • Retrospective index to film periodicals, 1930-1971 by Linda Batty
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Ref. Z 5784 .M9 B39
    English language reviews for early films.
  • Screening the past by Screening the Past Group
    • Open Access Icon
    Call Number: Electronic journal
    Screening the Past is a peer-reviewed journal of screen history, theory and criticism.
  • Silent film performers: an annotated bibliography of published, unpublished and archival sources for over 350 actors and actresses by Roy Liebman
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Z 5784 .M9 L54 1996
  • << Previous: Starting your research ...
  • Next: Film history through the decades >>
  • Last Updated: May 23, 2025 11:30 AM
  • URL: https://researchguides.dartmouth.edu/filmstudies
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Subjects: Film and Media Studies
Tags: Arts, box office, festivals, FILM, film aesthetics, film color, film criticism, film music, film reviews, film studies, future of media, genres, LGBTQIA+, media industry, primary resources, queer cinema, representation in film, screenwriting, streaming film services, themes, women in film

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