Standish Library: How to Locate Film Reviews: Home

Best Bets for Film Reviews--Databases

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Enter the film's title and the director's last name into the search boxes. Limit the search to the date range: the year the film was released and up to two years later. In the box that asks for document type. check "film review."
Film & Television Literature Index This link opens in a new window
Enter the film's title in the search box. Putting the title in quotes may help with long titles or those containing very common words. The document type "film review" is not used consistently in this database. You can narrow the results by "search type" afte the initial search.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Enter the film's title and the director's last name into the search boxes. Limit the search to the date range: the year the film was released and up to two years later. In the box that asks for document type. check "film review."
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Enter the film's title and the director's last name into the search boxes. Limit the search to the date range: the year the film was releasesd and up to two years later. In the box that asks for document type. check "review."
New York Times Historical This link opens in a new window

Best Bets for Film Reviews--Print Sources

Film Review Annual
Call Number: Ref. PN 1995 .F463
Highly recommended. Covers films released between 1980 and 2001. (Each volume in the series contains the full-text of reviews of films released the previous year.) Although a print source, this is one stop shopping. Each film has reviews from several sources. Reviews come from key film review periodicals such as Sight and Sound, Cineaste, and Film Quarterly, as well as from newspapers known for their film reviews.
Located along the north wall of the Library's First Floor.
Film Review Index
Call Number: Ref. PN 1995 .F47
One of the best sources for locating reviews of early films. Volume 1: 1882-1949; Volume 2: 1950-1985. Included indexes are for director, year the film was produced, and country of origin. Although many foreign films are indexed, only English language films are included.
The screenplay from The Jazz Singer to Dr. Strangelove
Call Number: Ref. PN 1995 .S3 v.1-2
"Bibliography of critical reviews of feature length motion pictures released from October, 1927 through 1963." The supplemental volume contains a listing of reviews from 1963 to 1980.
Selected Film Criticism: Foreign Films
Call Number: Ref. PN 1995 .S426 1984
Full-text of reviews from 1930-1950.

Locating Films at the Standish Library

Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window
Streaming service. Includes virtually every type of film: documentaries, feature films, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, field recordings, commercials, demonstrations, original and raw footage including tens of thousands of exclusive tiles.

DVD Collection

The Standish Library has a large collection of films (including documentaries, feature films, and even some television programs) available on DVD. Most of these films are shelved on the library's lower-level, in call number order (just like books, but in a separate section). To find out if we own a film, search Saint Search by title.

Film Reviews: Websites

RogerEbert.com
"Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitizer Prize for distinguished criticism." This website continues to add new film reviews. Biographical information and professional qualifications are provided for all reviewers.