Film Studies Research Guide 

American Avant-Garde Cinema
Film 323: Terri Francis

• Subject Headings in Orbis
• Major Avant-Garde Cinema Journals of 1950-1980
• Finding Articles and Reviews

Subject Headings in Orbis

Books on avant-garde cinema do not always get subject headings indicating "avant-garde." Often the subject headings list the director (e.g., Stan Brakhage), genre (e.g., documentary), and/or national origin (e.g., United States), without any entries on style. However, there are hundreds of books using one of these subject headings:

• Experimental films
• Avant-garde (Aesthetics)

Major Avant-Garde Cinema Journals of 1950-1980

Afterimage (London, England) [microform]: ___ [NOTE: Don't confuse this with the journal Afterimage published in Rochester, NY]

Artforum: Arts Library, N1 A814 (LC)+

Cahiers du Cinema:

1951-1964: SML Yale Classification, Hae60 C119 and CCL, PN1993 C34B

1964-current: SML Yale Classification, Hae60 +C119 (Oversize)

Cantrill's Filmnotes: SML LC Classification, PN1993 C35

Cineaste: SML LC Classification, PN1993 C55+ (Oversize)

Film Culture: SML LC Classification, PN1993 F556+ (Oversize)

Jump Cut: SML LC Classification, PN1993 J85+ (Oversize)

Millennium Film Journal: SML LC Classification, PN1993 M55

Positif: SML LC Classification, PN1993 P67 [NOTE: The Yale Library does not have 1952-1978]

Finding Articles and Reviews

NOTE: The databases give few or no citations before 1973, so you will almost certainly miss significant reviews and possibly articles if you depend only on the online tools. Be sure to look through indexes in print and other resources.

Selected indexes are listed below. There is also a full list of article indexes.

American Film Institute Catalog

SML Reference PN1998 +A43

Online catalog of every American film from 1893 to 1970. Searchable by keywords; film titles; cast, crew, and character names; subject; genre and more. Most records include extensive plot summaries and comprehensive filmographic information, plus citations to reviews and articles. See also Film Indexes Online.

FIAF International FilmArchive Database

Continues: International Index to Film Periodicals. 1972- (New York: Bowker, 1973-)

SML, Reference Z5784 M9 +I58 (LC)

Indexes 65-80 international periodicals of "aesthetic or critical value." The paper version has separate volume of subject headings for this index. The online version also includes a number of specialized bibliographies (silents, Latin American cinema), and information about film archives and collections. NOTE: the FIAF database has subject headings (also called descriptors) for "Avant-garde films," Experimental Films" and "Underground Films."

Film Index International (Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1994-98)

Film Index International covers all genres of film, from the first silent movies and art-house classics to recent sci-fi blockbusters. Content is very current and is updated twice yearly. FII offers Quick or Precision Search options for background on over 100,000 films from over 170 countries, including 55,000 personalities, 500,000 periodical articles on film and filmmakers, U.S. and international film award winners, and over 1 million cast and credit references. See also Film Indexes Online.

Film Indexes Online (Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1994-98)

Film Indexes Online is a portal that allows one to simultaneously search both the American Film Institute Catalog and Film Index International. For descriptions of these databases, please see their entries on this page.

Film Literature Index (Albany, NY: Filmdex, 1974-)

SML, Reference Z5784 M9 F55 (LC)

One of the most important index for research in Film Studies -- covering film criticism from 1974 to the present. Indexes over 300 international film periodicals. Film title, personal name, and subject indexes are included. Film Literature Index also includes critical articles on television and video (section two). For earlier scholarship, consult the Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals, below. There is no online version of this index yet. NOTE: the FLI database has subject headings for "Avant-garde," "Avant-garde film" and "Experimental Film."

Film Review Index. Ed. Patricia King Hanson. (Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1986)

SML Reference Z5784 M9 +F554 (LC)

Two-volume comprehensive index of movie reviews from 1882 through 1985.

The Hollywood Reporter

SML Microform Room, Film S3204 [1934 to 1990]

SML Stacks, PN1993 H65+ (LC) [1988 to present]

International Index to the Performing Arts

IIPA draws its current content from more than 130 international periodicals and also indexes articles and obituaries appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post. IIPA covers nearly all aspects of the world of performing arts, including film, theater, and opera. Most IIPA records in the current file (1998 forward) contain an abstract.

MLA Bibliography (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1921- )

SML Reference, Index Case [Z7006 M63 (LC)]

The MLA Bibliography indexes critical materials on literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore. It also includes film studies. The database provides access to citations from over 4,000 journals and series published worldwide, as well as books, essay collections, working papers, proceedings, dissertations, and bibliographies. The print volumes go back to 1921 and the database covers from 1963 to the present. The MLA Bibliography continues the Modern Language Association Annual Bibliography. For earlier volumes, check the SML Card Catalog under "Modern Language Association."

New York Times Film Reviews (New York: Arno, 1970- )

SML Reference PN1995 +N49

Indexed photographic reprints of film reviews as they appeared in the the New York Times from 1913-1968. There is a single name/title index for these volumes. From 1969 to the present, volumes are annual cumulations of articles.

See also: New York Times online through ProQuest, Lexis-Nexis, or Factiva.

Variety and Daily Variety

SML Microform Room, Film S2206 [1905 to most recent microfilm reel; current issues in the Periodical Reading Room, Section X-9]