While some of the resources in this guide are freely available, most research databases and electronic journals and many online library services have access restrictions that require that you be a current Washington University student, faculty member, or staff member. See this page for help.
Academic Search Complete This resource is designed specifically for academic institutions, is the world's largest scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database containing full text for nearly 4,700 publications, including more than 3,600 peer-reviewed publications. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for nearly 8,200 journals in the collection.
Classic Mexican Cinema Contains film magazines from 1902-1965, rare lobby cards, and the personal scrapbook of Fernando de Fuentes, all scanned from the archives of the Filmoteca of the UNAM in Mexico.
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive An archival research 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 all included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles. Magazines have been scanned cover-to-cover in high-resolution color, with granular indexing of all articles, covers, ads and reviews.
Film and Television Literature Index Film and Television Literature Index is a comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. It has been designed for use by a diverse audience that includes film scholars, college students, and general viewers. Subject coverage includes film and television theory, preservation and restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.
Film Index International (BFI) A major information resource for entertainment films and personalities produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute. With a scholarly, inclusive approach to all areas of film studies - from the very first silent movies, to art house classics or the latest blockbusters - Film Index International provides truly international coverage, indexing films from over 170 countries.
Film Scripts Online, contains 1,009 scripts by 1,062 writers together with detailed, fielded information on the scenes, characters and people related to the scripts. In addition, the database includes facsimilie images for more than 500 of these screenplays. Most of the scripts have never been published before, and nowhere else are they available online.
Hollywood, Censorship, and the Motion Picture Production Code, 1927-1968 The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Production Code Administration Files collection documents forty years of self-regulation and censorship in the motion picture industry. The Production Code was written in 1929 by Martin J. Quigley, an influential editor and publisher of motion picture trade periodicals, and Reverend Daniel A. Lord, a Jesuit advisor to Hollywood filmmakers. Officially accepted in 1930 by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), the precursor organization to the MPAA, the Production Code presented guidelines governing American movie production. The five hundred titles selected were chosen by the staff of the Special Collections Department, Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
MLA International Bibliography Produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the electronic version of the bibliography dates back to the 1920s and contains millions of citations from journals & series, as well as book publishers. Currently a collection of 2.3 million citations drawn from 4,400 journals and other key global sources, MLA adds new records for 65,000 books and articles each year. Coverage includes literature from all over the world - Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.
Media History Digital Library A non-profit initiative dedicated to digitizing 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. We have currently scanned over 1.3 million pages, and that number is growing. Collections feature Extensive Runs of several important trade papers and fan magazines.
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Cinema and Media Studies Cinema and media studies includes a dizzying array of subfields: film history, television studies, media studies, critical theory, visual arts, cultural studies, digital culture, game studies, popular culture, and the study of the moving image. Oxford Bibliographies in Cinema and Media Studies has recruited many of the finest scholars in cinema and media studies to chart a path through the information thicket and toward a carefully organized, thoroughly peer-reviewed account of the most important books, articles, and Web sites.
Performing Arts Periodical Database A performing arts journal resource with nearly 300,000 indexed articles, plus detailed abstracts and full text from 1864 to current, covering film, theatre and dance.
Readers’ Guide Retrospective (1890-1982) (4 users) Use this to find contemporary magazine reviews of movies.
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film (2007) This reference provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to film and film studies, covering such aspects as production, national traditions, studios, genres, critical theory and film history.
A comprehensive survey of current publications related to film scholarship alongside detailed and expansive filmographies. Includes AFI Catalog, FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database and Film Index International.