American Avant-Garde Cinema
Film 323: Terri Francis
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)
Note that some of the article databases do have subject
headings relating to avant-garde cinema.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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]
FIAF
International FilmArchive Database