Film: Get Started

How to choose films by theme/subject, find movie reviews, and explore film criticism by director, film, genre, and more.

Start Learning!

This small sampling of books will help you learn more about film theory/history. Please search the library catalog, or ask a reference librarian, for more information!

What's In This Library Reseach Guide?

This guide will help you learn how to:

  • find a film relating to a social issue or theme
  • find movie reviews
  • find critical commentary about films by director, genre, era, and more

1951 movie poster for the Day the Earth Stood Still

Source: Wikimedia Commons [1951 movie poster for "The Day the Earth Stood Still"]

A Few Websites to Get You Started

A few hand-picked website to get you started in exploring film...

Films Selected to the National Film Registry: 500+ films and counting, this list provided by the National Film Preservation Board shows all the movies that have been selected for special preservation measures because of their cultural or aesthetic impact.

The Great Movies: Roger Ebert's series about films that made an impact. Covers a broad range of times, mainstream and independent films, and from countries all over the world.

Filmsite: Useful for its accessibility and breadth, but occasionally glib or inaccurate about key points of film history.

Subject Guide

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