Film Studies: UC Berkeley Library
How to Find Books and Dissertations on Film History and Criticism

It is often easiest and most productive to search for books (and journal articles) using keywords and phrases. For example: In looking for a book about gender representation in American film, try searching using the words/phrases:

gender

women

sex role

masculinity (or masculine)

film (or cinema or motion pictures)

American (or United States)

Note: In Pathfinder you can use an asterisk (*) as a "wild card" at the ends of words -- for example: masculin* would yeild the keywords masculine and masculinity,

Motion pictures

Silent films

Film criticism

Motion picture authorship

Love in motion pictures

Mental illness in motion pictures

Race relations in motion pictures

Motion pictures in propaganda

Surrealism in motion pictures

Motion picture actors and actresses

Motion picture producers and directors

Screenwriters

Women in Motion Pictures

Asians in Motion Pictures

African American women in motion pictures

Homosexuality in motion pictures

Motion picture industry

Women in the motion picture industry

Title of film as subject (e.g. Birth of a nation Motion picture)

Director's name as subject (e.g. Scorsese, Martin)

Film star as subject (e.g. Chaplin, Charlie)

History

(e.g. Women in the motion picture industry -- History)

Criticism and interpretation

(e.g. Charlie Chaplin -- Criticism and interpretation)

Bibliograpy

(Asians in Motion Pictures -- (Indians in motion pictures -- Bibliography)

Plots, themes, etc.

(e.g. Religion in motion pictures -- Plots, themes, etc.)

Interviews

(e.g. Motion picture producers and directors -- Interviews)

Chronology

(e.g. Motion Pictures -- Ireland -- Chronology)

(e.g. Homosexuality in motion pictures -- Spain)

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