Journal Articles
The following databases are useful for finding articles on films and filmmakers, as well as contemporary reviews of films. While you will find overlapping coverage among them, each of them searches certain unique journals, so for the most comprehensive results you'll want to search each of these. For reviews, see also Finding Film Reviews on this guide.
Film & Television Literature Index
The most comprehensive database, with coverage back to 1914 (although most coverage is 1980 to date). This is the best place to start.
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
Core U.S. and U.K. trade magazines covering film, television, theater, and music from 1880 to 2000.
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Philosophy and Film
An excellent survey of philosophical interpretations of film, with links to books and articles in the Harvard Library.
Books
Certain very famous films -- and those which have been around long enough for scholars to write about them -- have entire books devoted to them. There are also books on broader topics which devote chapters to specific films or directors. Here's how to find these books at Harvard, using HOLLIS:
- For full-length books on a film, use the Advanced Search with the 'Library Catalog' option. Search for Title of Film Motion Picture as Subject. For example: Subject contains Star Wars Motion Picture. (See first screenshot below.)
- For chapters or sections of books, use the Basic Search with the 'Library Catalog' option. Search for Director Film Title. Example: Hitchcock Family Plot. (See second screenshot below.)
If Harvard doesn't own the book you're looking for, try requesting it from one of our Ivy+ partners via Borrow Direct (you'll get it in 2-4 business days), or Interlibrary loan (takes longer, but you can get almost anything).
This search retrieves 125 books about the Star Wars series:
This search brings up a book with a chapter on Alfred Hitchcock's last movie, Family Plot:
TIP: There are lots of synonyms for the word 'film', so be sure to include these options in your search: film, movie, cinema, motion pictures