Jane Sloan Media Librarian jsloan@rci.rutgers.edu Created by Ian Goulston June 2002

Research Resources: Subject Research Guides: Cinema Studies:
Reference Sources

• General
  • Websites (Separate page)
  • Encyclopedias, Guides, Companions
  • Dictionaries
  • Almanacs and Yearbooks
  • Histories
• National Cinema
• Genres
• Cinematography and Filmmaking
• The Film Industry
• Film People
• Film Characters
• Film Quotations
• Film Adaptations of Literary and Stage Works

All titles in the Alexander Library reference room unless otherwise noted. Date of publication is at the end of each call number.

General

Encyclopedias, Guides, Companions

Brewer's Cinema: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary.
REF PN1993.45.B74 1995

Cassell Companion to Cinema.
A good one-volume reference tool with entries on terminology, cinema history, people and individual films. The Cassell Companion is an updated re-release of Brewer's.
REF PN1993.45.B74 1997

**The Cinema Book.
Combined critical overview of major movements in cinema history AND cinema studies. Published by the British Film Insititute.
REF PN1994.C489 1999

**The Film Encyclopedia.
Ephraim Katz's monumental one-volume masterpiece. Perhaps the best one-volume general reference source. Entries for people and terms, but not individual films.
REF PN1993.45.K34 2001

Halliwell's Film Guide.
Comprehensive list of films with credits and brief plot summaries.
REF PN1993.45.H27a 1989

The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 1990
5-volume set with entries on films, directors, actors and actresses, and writers and production artists. All entries include bibliographies, and entries on people include filmographies.
REF PN1997.8.I58

Magill's Survey of Cinema: English Language Films. First series. PN1995.M3 [1980]
Magill's Survey of Cinema: English Language Films. Second series. PN1995.M3 [1981]
Magill's Survey of Cinema: Foreign Language Films. PN1993.45.M34 1985
Magill's Survey of Cinema: Silent Films. PN1995.75.M33 1982
The Magill's Survey series uses the familiar Masterplots format. Entries for films include plot summaries as well as commentary.

The Oxford Companion to Film.
One-volume general encyclopedia with articles on people, individual films, and subjects. Good coverage of foreign film.
REF PN1993.45.O9 [1976]

The Oxford Guide to Film Studies.
Introductory articles to major themes and types of film criticism.
REF PN1995.O93 1998

Dictionaries

Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts.
Routledge guide to theoretical terms and concepts. Similar to the Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory (see below).
REF PN1993.45.H36 2000

Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory.
Routledge dictionary of theoretical terms and concepts such as, for example, "the gaze," "suture," and "cinematic apparatus."
REF PN1993.45.C75 2000

Almanacs and Yearbooks

International Motion Picture Almanac.
Annual publication with standard almanac features such as the previous year in review, a "who's who" section, credits for the previous year's movies. Geared towards the film industry.
REF PN1993.3.I62

Histories

The Oxford History of World Cinema.
REF PN1993.5.A1O96 1995

A World History of Film.
This glossy, full color, beautifully illustrated history by Robert Sklar includes many sidebar articles on specific topics. Good supplement to the Oxford history.
REF PN1993.5.A1S555 2002

National Cinema

Africa

Guide to African Cinema.
REF PN1993.5.A35R87 1998

Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film.
REF PN1993.5.A65C66 2001

Asia

The Chinese Filmography: The 2444 Feature Films Produced by Studios in the People's Republic of China from 1949 through 1995.
REF PN1993.5.C4M37 1996

Encyclopedia of Chinese Film.
REF PN1993.5.C4Z53 1998

Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema.
REF PN1993.5.I8R277 1999

Japanese Films: A Filmography and Commentary, 1921-1989.
REF PN1993.5.J3B78 1990

The Japanese Filmography: A Complete Reference to 209 Filmmakers and the Over 1250 Films Released in the United States, 1900 through 1994.
REF PN1993.5.J3G35 1996

Australia

The Oxford Companion to Australian Film.
REF PN1993.5.A8O93 1999

Europe and Russia

The BFI Companion to Eastern European and Russian Cinema.
REF PN1993.5.E2B44 2000

Handbook of Soviet and East European Films and Filmmakers.
REF PN1993.5.R9H28 1992

Encyclopedia of European Cinema.
REF PN1993.5.E8V56 1995

Histoire du Cinéma Français: Encyclopédie des Films.
REF PN1993.5.F7B44 1986

The British Film Catalogue, 1895-1970; A Reference Guide.
REF PN1993.5.G7G5

Guide to the Cinema of Spain.
REF PN1993.5.S7D68 1997

Directory of Spanish and Portuguese Film-makers and Films.
REF PN1993.5.S7E83 1994

Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland.
REF PN1993.5.S8Q86 2000

North America

Canadian Film and Video: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature.
REF Z5784.M9L47 1997

Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film.
REF PN1993.5.C3T34 yr.2001

Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema.
REF PN1995.75.M33 1999

A Guide to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Made Film and Video.
REF PN1995.9.L37G85 1998

Latin American Films, 1932-1994: A Critical Filmography.
REF PN1995.9.L37S38 1997

Catálogo de Colecciones del Archivo de Imagenes en Movimiento. [Puerto Rico]
REF PN1993.5.P9A73 2001

Genres

General

Handbook of American Film Genres.
REF PN1993.5.U6H335 1988

Comedy

American Silent Film Comedies: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Persons, Studios, and Terminology.
REF PN1995.9.C55M53 1995

Encyclopedia of American Film Comedy.
REF PN1995.9.C55L34 1987

Film Noir, Detective, Crime, Gangster and Spy Films

Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style.
REF PN1993.5.U6F5 1992

A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties.
REF PN1995.9.G3L36 1995

A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties.
REF PN1995.9.D4L35 1995

The Overlook Film Encyclopedia. The Gangster Film.
REF PN1995.9.G3O83 1998

Gangster Films: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference to People, Films, and Terms.
REF PN1995.9.G3S84 1996

Musicals

The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 features, 1927 through 1932.
REF PN1995.9.M86B73 1996

Encyclopaedia of the Musical Film.
REF PN1995.9.M86G7

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

The A-Z of Horror Films.
REF PN1995.9.H6M3245 1997

The BFI Companion to Horror.
REF PN1995.9 .H6 B5 1996

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies.
REF PN1995.9.S26H38 2001

Golden Horrors: An Illustrated Critical Filmography of Terror Cinema, 1931-1939.
REF PN1995.9.H6S44 1996

Horror in Silent Films: A Filmography, 1896-1929.
REF PN1995.9.H6K46 1995

Nightmare Movies: A Critical Guide to Contemporary Horror Films.
REF PN1995.9.H6N4 1988

The Overlook Film Encyclopedia. Horror.
REF PN1995.9.H6M5 1994

The Overlook Film Encyclopedia. Science Fiction.
REF PN1995.9.S26H3 1994

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films; Science fiction, Fantasy, & Horror.
REF PN1995.9.F36L4

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Handbook.
REF PN1995.9.S26F73 1982

Silent Films

Silent Films, 1877-1996: A Critical Guide to 646 Movies.
REF PN1995.75.K57 1999

Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema.
REF PN1995.75.M33 1999

Westerns

The Overlook Film Encyclopedia. The Western.
REF PN1995.9.W4H37 1994

Western Movies: A TV and Video Guide to 4200 Genre Films.
REF PN1995.9.W4P58 1986

Cinematography

The Complete Film Dictionary.
Focus on technical terminology.
REF PN1993.45.K66 1997

Filmmaker's Dictionary.
Another dictionary with an emphasis on technical terminology.
REF PN1993.45.S56 2000

Film Costume, an Annotated Bibliography.
REF PN1995.9.C56P75 [1981]

The Film Industry

Film Facts.
Miscellany of facts and statistics on various aspects of film and the film industry.
REF PN1993.45.R63 2001

The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry.
Entries on companies, industry terms, studios, etc.
PN1993.5.U6S539 1998

Film People

General

A Biographical Dictionary of Film.
REF PN1998.2.T49 1994

A Cast of Thousands: A Compendium of Who Played What in Film.
REF PN1998.C65 1992

The Encyclopedia of Film.
Biographical sketches with credits.
PN1993.45.M638 1991

Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion.
Mostly biographical entries.
REF PN1993.45.H3 1988

The Illustrated Directory of Film Character Actors.
REF PN1998.A2Q56 1985

The Illustrated Guide to Film Directors.
REF PN1998.A2Q85 1983

The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema.
REF PN1998.A2I48 1983

The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers.
See the volumes on directors, actors and actresses, and writers and production artists. Include filmographies.
REF PN1997.8.I58 1990

Quinlan's Illustrated Registry of Film Stars.
REF PN1998.2.Q56 1991

The St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia.
REF PN1998.2.S68 1997

Who's Who of Victorian Cinema: A Worldwide Survey.
REF PN1998.2.W47 1996

By Country/Geographic Area

Asia

Directory of Indian Film-makers and Films.
REF PN1998.2.N37 1994

Europe

British Film Actors' Credits, 1895-1987.
REF PN1998.2.P3 1988

Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide.
REF PN1998.2.C65 2001

A Who's Who of British Film Actors.
REF PN1998.A2P365 [1981]

Film Directors Guide--Western Europe.
REF PN1998.A1P3 [1976]

Italian Film: A Who's Who.
REF PN1998.2.S74 1994

Directory of Eastern European Film-makers and Films, 1945-1991.
REF PN1998.2.D55 1992

North America

American Actors and Actresses: A Guide to Information Sources.
REF PN 1998.A2A7 1983

American Film Directors.
REF PN1995.9.P7H57 [1974]

A Biographical Handbook of Hispanics and United States Film.
REF PN1995.9 .H47 K46 1997

Encyclopedia of Film Directors in the United States of America and Europe.
REF PN1998.2.E53 1993

Film Directors: A Guide to their American Films.
REF PN1998.P24 [1974]

A Guide to American Screenwriters: The Sound Era, 1929-1982.
REF PN1998.L24 1984

Film Characters

Memorable Film Characters: An Index to Roles and Performers, 1915-1983.
Brief sketches of selected film characters. Includes film title index.
REF PN1995.9.C36L5 1984

Movie Characters of Leading Performers of the Sound Era.
Brief sketches of characters played by major actors, listed by actor.
REF PN1995.9.C36N69 1990

Film Quotations

Movie Talk: Who Said What about Whom in the Movies.
REF PN1994.9.M68 1988

Film Quotations: 11,000 Lines Spoken on Screen, Arranged by Subject, and Indexed.
REF PN1994.9.N69 1994

Film Adaptations of Literary and Dramatic Works

The Encyclopedia of Stage Plays into Film.
REF PN1997.85.T544 2001

Enser's Filmed Books and Plays: A List of Books and Plays From Which Films Have Been Made, 1928-1991.
REF Z5784.M9B385 1993

International Guide to Literature on Film.
REF PN1997.85.I58 1994

Novels into Film: The Encyclopedia of Movies Adapted from Books.
REF PN1997.85.T54 1999

Short Stories on Film
REF Z5784.M9E46 [1978]

Writers on the American Screen: A Guide to Film Adaptations of American and Foreign Literary Works.
REF Z5784.M9L28 1986