Research Guides: Criticism: Literature, Film & Drama: Film Criticism

Film Criticism

Film criticism is the comparison, analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of films.

There are two different types of publications that offer opinions about films:

Academic criticism by film scholars that appears in scholarly journals
Journalistic film reviews that appear in newspapers and other popular media.

The film critic tries to understand why film works, how it works, and what effects it has on people; while the film reviewer looks a film's production values and general enjoyability.

Leading Film Critics Include:	Popular Film Critics Include:
Andre Bazin	Roger Ebert
Rudolf Arnheim	Pauline Kael
Siegfried Kracauer	Alex Gorina
Sergei Eisenstein	Leonard Maltin
Christian Metz	Janet Maslin
Kaja Silverman	Richard Roeper
Andrew Sarris	Joel Siegel
Bela Balazs	John Ivan Simon
Peter Bogdanovich	Barry Norman

Dickinson Databases for Film Criticism

Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Access journals, books and other published sources from around the world in all aspects of the humanities, including archaeology, area studies, art, classical studies, dance, film, gender studies, history, journalism, linguistics, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy, and religion. For citation searching: click "Cited References" at the top of the search screen. Coverage: late 1800s to present. Some full text.
Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Search for articles from English-language periodicals on subjects including anthropology, archaeology, art, classical studies, criminal justice, environmental studies, ethics, gender studies, international relations, law, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy, political science, psychiatry, psychology, religion and sociology. Use the library's "Get It!" button to obtain materials with no direct full text link. Coverage: 1907-1984. Citations only.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Explore historical and recent journals, books and images in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, with some natural science coverage. Coverage: varies - historical up to 1-5 years from current date, contains primary sources. Full text.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
Access scholarly journals and ebooks in both the humanities and social sciences. Most journals covered are up to date. Ebooks include titles in Global Cultural Studies, Poetry, Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction. Coverage: historical and current. Full text.
Readers' Guide Full Text This link opens in a new window
Search for articles in the popular press (magazines, news magazines, general interest periodicals), on topics including art, business, computers, dance, drama, education, entertainment, fashion, film & television, food, health & medicine, history, literature, news & current events, photography, popular & classical music, politics, popular culture, religion, science, sports & fitness, transportation, and travel. Coverage: 1890-1982. Some full text.

Print Resources

The New York Times Film Reviews
Call Number: REF PN1995 .N4
Film reviews from the Times, 1913-2000.
Film Review Index by Patricia K. Hanson; Stephen L. Hanson
Call Number: REF PN1995 .F513
ISBN: 0897741536

Web Resources for Film Criticism

American Film Institute
The Greatest Films
Reviews, synopses, and historical backgrounds of several hundred films.

Waidner-Spahr Library

Criticism: Literature, Film & Drama: Film Criticism

Film Criticism

Dickinson Databases for Film Criticism

Print Resources

Web Resources for Film Criticism