Movie Guides, Credits and Plot Summaries

Printed sources, databases and websites for general information about films and the people who make them. See also Biographical Information and Dictionaries & Encyclopedias.

• Film credits
• Motion picture actors and actresses--Credits
• Motion picture producers and directors--Biography--Dictionaries
• Motion picture actors and actresses--Biography--Dictionaries
• Hispanic American motion picture actors and actresses--Credits
• Motion picture actors and actresses--Directories
• Motion picture producers and directors--Credits
• Motion picture actors and actresses--United States--Credits
• Screenwriters--Credits
• Cinematographers--Credits
• Motion pictures--Plots, themes, etc.
• Motion pictures--Japan--Plots, themes, etc.

All-Movie Guide

A database of movies, actors/actressess, producers, directors and cast members. Movies are rated and a detailed plot synopsis is given as well as movie location, money earned, awards and links to movies with the same theme, the same personnel and the same touch and feel. Also returned are links to other members of the cast and selecting one of these give a complete biography of that person.

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. Can be searched simultaneously with Film Index International (see below) via Film Indexes Online.

Charlie Chaplin in "The Immigrant."

From the Crawford Collection, Yale University Library Manuscripts and Archives.

Annual index to motion picture credits. Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press, 1978-.

SML Stacks PN 1993 +A48 (LC).

Compiled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Annual Index to Motion Picture Credits continues Screen Achievement Records Bulletin.

Bowker's Complete Video Directory. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1990-. SML, Stacks PN1992.95 +V29 (most recent set in Reference)

Covers feature films and documentaries/educational films. Includes index to videos by subject.

British film actors' credits, 1895-1987. Scott Palmer. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, c1988.

SML Reference PN 1998.2 P3 1988

A cast of thousands: a compendium of who played what in film. Melinda Corey. New York: Facts On File, c1992.

SML Reference PN1998 +C65 1992

Clamen's Movie Information Collection

Reviews, facts, industry information, and other resources.

Directors and their films: a comprehensive reference, 1895-1990. Brooks Bushnell. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, c1993.

SML Reference PN1998 +B85X 1993

Film actors. Hollywood, CA: IFilm Pub.: Distributed to the trade by National Book Network, c2001-

SML Reference PN1998.A1 F43+

DRAMA Reference PN1998.A1 F43+

Film Index International. Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey.

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. Can be searched simultaneously with American Film Institute Catalog (see above) via Film Indexes Online.

Film Indexes Online. Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey.

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.

Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies. John Walker. New York: HarperPerennial, 1999)

SML Reference PN1993.45 +H37 1999

Includes not only a large biographical dictionary, but also lists of remakes, series, studios and production companies, a dictionary of technical and critical terms, various lists of "top" movies, lists of movie awards, and more.

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?: remakes, sequels, and series in motion pictures, videos, and television, 1896-1990. James L. Limbacher. Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian Press, c1991.

SML Reference PN1995.9 R45 +L5 1991

The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Ed. Nicholas Thomas. 4th ed. Chicago: St. James, 2000.

SML Reference PN1994 +I58 2000 [and online]

Contents: v. 1, Films; v. 2, Directors; v. 3, Actors and Actresses; v. 4, Writers and Production Artists. Includes films and personalities from all periods, places and times. Concise detailed essays that include substantial bibliographies and filmographies.

Internet Movie Database

About the IMDb

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an international organization whose objective is to provide useful and up to date movie information freely available on-line, across as many systems and platforms as possible. It currently covers over 95,000 movies with over 1,300,000 filmography entries and is expanding continuously. The database aims to capture any and all information associated with movies from across the world, starting with the earliest cinema, going through to the very latest releases and even movies still in production. It covers filmographies for all professions in the industry; plot summaries; character names; movie ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs; soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color information; country of production; genres; production companies; distributors; special effects companies; sound mix; reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions; laserdisc availability; languages; reviews; links to official studio pages, fan pages, image and multimedia archives; direct purchase links for movies and associated merchandise; box office grosses and Academy Award information.

Magill's Surveys

• Magill's Survey of Cinema-English Language Films. First Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1980. 4v.
  CCL Reference PN1993.45 M3
• Magill's Survey of Cinema-English Language Films. Second Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1981. 6v.
  CCL Reference PN1993.45 M32
• Magill's Survey of Cinema-Foreign Language Films. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1985. 8v.
  CCL Reference PN1993.45 M34 1985
• Magill's Survey of Cinema-Silent Films. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1982. 3v.
  CCL Reference PN1993.75 M33 1982

Motion picture players' credits: worldwide performers of 1967 through 1980 with filmographies of their entire careers, 1905-1983. Jeffrey Oliviero. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, c1991.

SML Reference PN1998 +O55 1991

Movie characters of leading performers of the sound era. Chicago: American Library Association, 1990.

CCL PN1995.9 C36 N6 1990

The name is familiar: who played who in the movies. Robert A. Nowlan. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1993.

CCL PN1995.9 C36 +N696 1993

Reel - The Art of Choosing Movies

Allows searching films/videos by country, genre, language, decade, and other criteria.

Who Was Who on Screen. 3rd ed. Evelyn Mack Truitt. New York: London, 1983.

CCL Reference PN1998 A2 +T78 1983