On this page:

1. Databases for Film Resources 
   • Direct links to research databases containing magazines, newspapers (incl. ProQuest).
   • Be sure to use filters tools in the databases to narrow your search results (e.g., restrict dates to find contemporaneous film reviews).
2. Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) Archive
   • Focuses on correspondence and documentation relating to film industry policy and public relations, distributor-exhibitor relations, censorship and self-regulation for specific companies and individuals.
3. Individual Historical Publications
   • Search specific newspapers and magazines. Exploring one publication at a time narrow the range of search results. 

Also check out UTSC Primary Sources Guide's "Primary Sources on the Internet" for historical sources covering a wider range of topics. 

1. ProQuest (1800-current date, depends on the publication)

ProQuest is a platform containing 116 databases. ProQuest contains publications (i.e., magazine, journal and book titles) in different subjects areas including film. Remember you might find content in a non-film related resource from your time period - i.e., newspapers, business or tech magazines

• Enter search terms on separate lines e.g., enter title of film on the top line, director's last name below, so as to articulate your search request. Use Boolean Operators to improve your search:
  • AND (narrows your search e.g., Paramount and Hepburn)
  • OR (widens your search e.g., blacklist or communist, MGM or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
  • Quotations marks (search for  specific phrases, e.g., "It Happened One Night", "Audrey Hepburn", "studio system")
• Sort your results (relevance, date) 
  • Sort by Date: It may be useful to arrange the results chronologically (oldest first) in order to follow the entire production process of a particular film, from gossip about potential stars to reviews and box-office grosses.
• Narrow your search results using filters on left sidebar
  • Source Type (e.g., Historical Newspapers)
  • Publication Title (e.g., New York Times)
  • Document Type (e.g., Feature, Front Page/Cover Story, Article or try excluding advertisements)

2.  Media History Digital Library (1856-1996, depends on the publication)

An essential source of primary historical information on film covering the period before, during, and after 1928-1960. Includes digitized versions of Film Daily (1918-1948), Motion Picture Herald (1931-1948), Photoplay (1914-1943), American Cinematographer (1921-1942), Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (1916-1954) and many more.

• The search platform is called Lantern 
• Great free online resource but it doesn't have many options for narrowing down your search results.
• Quotations marks (search for  specific phrases, e.g., "It Happened One Night", "Audrey Hepburn", "studio system")
• Avoid using "and", "or", "the" because database searches every word in every scanned publication. Instead use the advanced search option.

3. AFI Catalog (1893+) 

This resource for detailed production information on specific films (incl. release dates and other production-related information) as well as citations to contemporaneous reviews from newspapers (e.g., New York Times); trade & industry publications (Variety); popular magazines (Motion Picture Herald, Photoplay); and review publications (Monthly Film Bulletin), among others. Every film produced on American soil or by American production companies is indexed from the birth of cinema to the present day. 

• Scroll down the record and often you will find information about the production of the film and citation information for different reviews and articles about the film.
• N.B. There are no direct links to online content from AFI Catalog. See How to Find Journal Articles, for instructions on how to use a citation to find a journal article.

4. Film Index International (1900+) 

This is a major information resource for entertainment films and personalities produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute. With a scholarly, inclusive approach to all areas of film studies - from the very first silent movies, to art house classics or the latest blockbusters - Film Index International provides truly international coverage, indexing films from over 170 countries.

• Scroll down the record and often you will find information about the production of the film and citation information for different reviews and articles about the film.
• N.B. There are no direct links to online content from Film Index International. See How to Find Journal Articles, for instructions on how to use a citation to find a journal article.

5. Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (1880-2000)

This database contains scans of "... the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are all included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles."

• This is a ProQuest database so use the tips mentioned earlier. 

6. Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collections  

This digital collection contains a complete run of Academy Awards ceremony programs, posters, and rules books, as well as selected photographs and ephemera from the library's extensive holdings.

• Click on Advanced Search link beside the Search Button.
• The default is to search all digital collections, but you can select specific collections by clicking on Add or remove collections (to the right o the search window). 
• Be sure to limit your search result to the time period for your topic. Click on Search by Date under the advance search window and enter the time range. 

MPPDA Digital Archives (1922-1939)

• This database contains the extant records of the General Correspondence files of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc.
• "The MPPDA was the trade association for the motion picture industry, and included all the major companies producing and distributing motion pictures in the United States in its membership ... [This collection contains documents that] "describe the organization and operation of the industry's trade association, and include extensive correspondence and other documentation relating to industry policy and public relations, distributor-exhibitor relations, censorship and self-regulation. The great majority of this material is unavailable from other sources."

Note: Users must register to view the scanned documents clearly. 

Remember - To find primary sources, remember you need to restrict your search result to documents published close to the time of your film or event. If they are published later, they are secondary sources.  

Below are some of the most common publications containing contemporaneous film reviews. Except where indicated, all are available online in their entirety.

More Historical Newspapers can be found in UofT's Newspaper Research Guide

Variety 

• (1905-2000, with some exceptions, ProQuest).
• It may be useful to arrange the results chronologically (oldest first) in order to follow the entire production process of a particular film, from gossip about potential stars to reviews and box-office grosses.
• Variety (1905-1949 only) also available via Media History Digital Library.

New York Times 

• (1851+; Note: 3 year delay [most recent 3 years] , ProQuest).
• Can sort the results chronologically (oldest first) in order to follow the entire production process of a particular film, from gossip about potential stars to reviews and box-office grosses.

Monthly Film Bulletin

• (1934-1991, London UK, ProQuest).

Sight and Sound

• (1932+, London UK, ProQuest)

Film Daily 

• (1918-1948, via Media History Digital Library)
• Also this publication is available from 1948+ on microfilm at Media Commons, (3rd Floor, Robarts Library)
• Note: When searching within Film Daily (or anywhere within MHDL), use double quotes around phrases e.g., "scarlet street" OR "motion picture" OR "jackie coogan".
• A small sampling of titles included in MHDL: American Cinematographer (1921-1942); Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (1930-1949); cont. by Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (1950-1954); Motion Picture [Magazine] (1914-1941); Photoplay (1914-1940).

Film Quarterly

• Vol. 12 (1958+, JSTOR) 
• Previously this publication was the Quarterly of Film, Radio, and Television, v. 6-11 (1951-1957) and before that it was Hollywood Quarterly, v. 1-5 (1945-1951)

Films and Filming 

• (1956-1987) Print only at Robarts Library

The Chicago Defender 

• (1910-1967, ProQuest)
• The historical full-text of one of the most influential black newspapers in the United States.
• ALTERNATE VERSION: The Chicago Defender 1909+ for this latter item only, enter Chicago Defender in top search box, then select Publication Title from drop-down menu on right. Enter search terms in boxes below, e.g., micheaux.

Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers  

• (1930-1958, Media Digital History)
• The Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (SMPE) documents the technological progress of the film industry, highlighting technical developments in production and exhibition. 
• Named Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers from 1916-1929, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers from 1930-1946, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers from 1946-current date