French Film and Cinema

Contents:

How to find:

Journal articles

Reviews

Books

Film websites

Associations

Festivals

More film and cinema links

Journal articles

If you are looking for journal articles on a French film or cinema topic you will need to use a database. Databases are indexes to articles that have been published in journals; some databases also index newspaper articles and chapters in books.
Many of the articles that you find will be available online, linked to the Library's collections through the database you are using. The databases will also identify articles that the Library has in print format which you can locate in the Library's Main collection.
If you're not really sure how to use a database to find journal articles on a topic, I strongly urge you to visit my Research skills: Literature search techniques pages; why not make life a bit easier for yourself?!

Databases

These are the databases that will be most useful for finding material on a French film or cinema topic.

Film & Television Literature Index (FTLI)

FTLI is definitely the best place to look for journal articles on film and TV. It is a comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing from 1976 to date. It indexes 150 film and television journals from 30 countries cover-to-cover and 200 other journals selectively for articles on film and television. Subject coverage includes film reviews, film theory, television theory, preservation, restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and more. FTLI is one of the Ebscohost research databases to which the Library subscribes.
To find journal articles I suggest you use the Advanced Search option, choose Academic Journal as the Publication Type and Article as the Document Type.

Indiana University provides free access to the earlier version of this database, FLI Online. This is the electronic version of the print Film Literature Index and contains over 700,000 articles, film reviews and book reviews published between 1976-2001.
I suggest you use the very useful Filter mechanism on your results - you can display citations based on document types: article, film review or book review, and also limit your results to English language publications.

MLA

An international index to critical literature. Coverage is 1963 to date. This is a very useful database for our purposes; over 3,700 journal titles are indexed; strong coverage of American, European, African, Asian and other literatures, including Australian. Although the main emphasis is on literature, MLA's coverage of film studies is excellent; it also indexes journals in related areas such as Cultural studies, and Media. Bear in mind that MLA doesn't index reviews.
Use the Advanced Search option. In the first box type film; leave the operator as and; in the second box type in name of film/director/actor/actress. Or you can search for topics such as film genres.

Academic search premier

Indexes and provides abstracts of articles from over 8,000 journals. Of these, full text is provided for over 4,600 journals, and more than 3,600 are peer-reviewed.
Coverage: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies.
Academic search premier is one of the Ebscohost research databases to which the Library subscribes.

Academic OneFile

A collection of peer-reviewed, full-text articles in PDF and HTML format, from more than 8,000 journals with extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, and literature. The publisher maintains a complete listing of journals covered by Academic OneFile, with details of dates of coverage.

French XX Bibliography

This is an excellent index, albeit in paper format rather than online. You'll find it in the Barr Smith Library Reference collection.
Subtitled Critical and biographical references for the study of French Literature since 1885, it's issued in annual printed volumes and there are cumulated indexes to previous issues. Part 3 of each issue is a pretty thorough index to journal articles, as well as chapters in books, on Cinema. There's a General section followed by a section dealing with individual diectors, cinema authors, cinema theorists and actors.
If you would like some help using French XX Bibliography you'll find a step-by-step explanation on my Research skills: Literature search techniques page.
Unfortunately there's no sign of an online version of French XX Bibliography; that would be bliss...!

JSTOR

Not strictly a database but a searchable collection from volume 1 onwards of a large number of core journal titles in many disciplines (in full text). Coverage is from the very first volume of every journal they cover, but excludes the last few years. The implication? -- don't use JSTOR to find articles on very recent films.

Periodicals index online (PIO)

This huge database indexes millions of articles published in the arts, humanities and social sciences over the past 300 years. Reasonable coverage of film literature. You may need to add the word 'film' to your Keyword search.
From the PIO results screen there is a link to Periodicals Archive Online which provides access to hundreds of online journals.

Factiva

A newspaper index which gives the full text of articles in the major Australian, world, and European and Asia/Pacific region newspapers.
Provides a good coverage of film, both international and Australian.
If you haven't used Factiva before, have a look at the Factiva help pages before you start searching.

Reviews

Film reviews can be useful if they come from a credible source. I suggest you use a database such as Film & Television Literature Index (FTLI) or one of the other databases I have recommended under the heading Journal articles on this page.

To search Film and television literature index for reviews, type the name of the film in double quotes and add the words 'and reviews'. Your search will look like this:

FTLI search

You might also want to use the database Factiva to find film reviews in major national newspapers.

There are many websites that provide reviews of current and classical films. Some of them are simply one person's own views about certain films and may not be any more useful to your research than, say, what your next door neighbour thinks about Amélie.
That said, it can be a useful exercise to read reviews of the films you are studying.

MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine: This is the 'biggie'; search by title of the film or by category. There are over 25,000 film titles and more than 185,000 reviews on this major database which indexes a large number of newspapers, newsgroups and other film review sources. Be prepared to be amazed by the sheer quantity; don't forget to keep your critical/analytical hat firmly clamped to your head...
Ecran Noir: A French cinézine with film reviews, celebrity spotlight, news on Cannes, and much more.
At the movies: Celebrating 20 years together on Australian television, film critics Margaret (Pomeranz) and David (Stratton) plunge into the world of cinema on ABC TV every Wednesday night at 10.00pm and repeated on Sundays at 6.00pm.
With their sophisticated and heartfelt critique to what's new on the big screen, David and Margaret combine years of experience immersed in the world of filmmaking with an encyclopaedic understanding of cinema history. Their renowned skill and expertise give Margaret and David wide access to the international stars featured in the big new releases. At the Movies presents interviews with the big names, and profiles the contributions of cinema greats. You'll find that they review many French films that are released for Australian viewing.
There's a handy Index page which has an AtoZ film listing as well as an index by star rating; you also view the films by date reviewed.

Books

To find books in the Barr Smith Library on French cinema, you'll need to use the Subject Heading option on the Library Catalogue. The best headings to use are Motion pictures France and Motion pictures France History.
You can also look up individual artists and directors, and so on; for example, here's what you see if you do a Subject Heading search for Truffaut, F.

A very useful, recently-published reference work is:

Historical dictionary of French cinema: Covers the history of French film from the silent era to the present in a concise and up-to-date details of the development of French cinema and related theoretical and cultural issues. This book includes a chronology, an introduction, photographs, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on many of the major actors, directors, films, movements, producers, and studios associated with French cinema. Going beyond mere biographical information, entries also discuss the impact and significance of each individual, film, movement, or studio.
You'll find it in the Barr Smith Library Reference collection at Call number 791.43094403 O818h.

Websites

There is a plethora of information about films on the web; your job is to find resources that are relevant to your research, and to evaluate the worth or otherwise of what you find. I maintain the Library's Search engines* page where you will find all the information you need to make effective use of these tools and to evaluate your findings.

*Please note: the Search engines page will open in a new browser window.

Here are some of the best websites I have found on French film:

The Internet movie database: France: The French section of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) indexes reports on French films (including international co-productions). You can browse titles alphabetically or use the Title search option.
IMDb is an international organisation whose objective is to provide useful and up to date movie information. It aims to capture any and all information associated with movies from across the world, starting with the earliest cinema, going through to the very latest releases and even movies still in production. It covers filmographies for all professions in the industry; plot summaries; character names; movie ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs; soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color information; country of production; genres; production companies; sound mix; reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions; laserdisc availability; languages; reviews; links to official studio pages, fan pages, image and multimedia archives; direct purchase links for movies and associated merchandise; box office grosses and Academy Award information.
BiFi: Bibliothèque du film: La Bibliothèque du Film est le premier établissement exclusivement consacré à la documentation sur le cinéma. La BiFi met à disposition de publics variés (étudiants, chercheurs, enseignants, journalistes, professionnels de la culture et du cinéma ou simples cinéphiles), via une médiathèque, une vidéothèque, une iconothèque, un centre d'information à distance, des éditions et un site internet, les richesses du patrimoine cinématographique français.
BiFi: Les dossiers thématiques de la Bibliothèque du film: 'La constitution de filmographies thématiques est une demande fréquente du public de la BiFi. Afin d'y répondre, nous avons choisi de proposer sur notre site Internet une série de dossiers thématiques fournissant une sélection de films ainsi que des ouvrages et des articles permettant d'approfondir la recherche sur le sujet traité.'
Cinéma-Audiovisuel: Ce site concerne principalement les lycées d'enseignement général et technologique mais il peut également intéresser tous ceux qui souhaitent approfondir leur culture cinématographique et audiovisuelle. Il propose une étude préparatoire ouverte et interactive aux épreuves orales du baccalauréat auxquelles sont inscrites trois oeuvres cinématographiques et un genre audiovisuel régulièrement renouvelés.
Très utile: Glossaire Cinéma-Audiovisuel.
Le Film Français: Le premier hebdomadaire des professionnels du cinéma et de l'audiovisuel depuis 1944, nous offre un blog.
Culture.fr: le portail de la culture - Cinéma: Site spécialisé proposant une sélection de ressources sur le cinéma français, coordonné par le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication.
France-Diplomatie: Cinéma français: Dossiers sur le cinéma français préparés par le Minstère des Affaires Étrangères.
filmsdefrance.com: Ce site rend hommage à toutes celles et à tous ceux qui ont participé au succès du cinéma français et vous permet de découvrir quelques-uns des plus grands trésors du septième art. Un des sites Internet les plus complets sur le monde merveilleux du cinéma français.
L'objectif de ce site est simple : promouvoir le cinéma français dans toute sa diversité et montrer la part considérable qu'il tient dans l'histoire du cinéma mondial.
Unifrance: Créée en 1949, Unifrance est l'organisme chargé de la promotion du cinéma français dans le monde. Le site internet propose des actualités, un calendrier d'événements, une chronique et une liste sur les films français à l'étranger, une base de données des films français.
CinéArtistes: Site entièrement gratuit et dédié essentiellement aux artistes du cinéma international. Cette petite encyclopédie comprend des biographies, des filmographies, des affiches et des documents photographiques, dont le seul but est de faire découvrir des vedettes, actrices, acteurs, réalisateurs, seconds rôles, d'un cinéma souvent ignoré ou parfois oublié. Qui se souvient encore de ces stars, comédiens ou artisans de l'écran qui ont pourtant fait s'enthousiasmer et rêver les foules !
AlloCiné: Offrir aux cinéphiles une source pratique et rapide d'informations sur le cinéma, tout en facilitant la réservation et l'accès aux salles, c'est la mission d'AlloCiné.
Cinéma sur le site TV5MONDE: Retrouvez chaque semaine les nouveautés du cinéma francophone. Les bandes annonces, les dépêches des tournages et les événements à ne pas manquer.
Lumière: Ce site web est l'émanation de fr.rec.cinema.discussion, forum francophone de discussions sur le cinéma.
Première: Un magazine qui présente des nouveautés du film.
Cinopsis: Le magazine belge du cinéma international. 80,000 films; 90,000 personnalités

Associations

La Cinémathèque française: La Cinémathèque française, organisme privé, en grande partie financé par l'État (Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication via le Centre National de la Cinématographie), a accompli un travail inégalé à travers le monde en termes d'une collection unique de films et de matériel 'non-film'. L'Exposition permanente Passion Cinéma présente l'histoire de la collecte et de la sauvegarde de ce qui constitue aujourd'hui notre immense patrimoine cinématographique : films, objets, appareils, costumes, archives.
Centre national de la cinématographie (CNC): Les missions principales du CNC sont : la réglementation; le soutien à l'économie du cinéma, de l'audiovisuel, de la vidéo, du multimédia, et des industries techniques; la promotion du cinéma et de l'audiovisuel et leur diffusion auprès de tous les publics; la conservation et la valorisation du patrimoine cinématographique.
L'Association Française de Recherche sur l'Histoire du Cinema (AFRHC): L'AFRHC est une association sans but lucratif (loi de 1901) qui rassemble la plupart des spécialistes français de l'histoire du cinéma, ainsi qu'un certain nombre de chercheurs étrangers. Elle publie dans le périodique 1895 les articles originaux susceptibles de faire progresser la recherche historique et soutenir la publication de travaux plus vastes concernant l'histoire du cinéma, ses méthodes, ses outils.
Fédération internationale des archives du film: La Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film regroupe une centaine d'institutions qui consacrent leurs actitivés à la sauvegarde des films, considérés tant comme des oeuvres d'art que comme des documents historiques.
Images en bibliothèques: Créée en 1989, Images en bibliothèques est une association de coopération pour la diffusion du patrimoine cinématographique et audiovisuel dans les médiathèques. Bénéficiant du soutien du Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), elle coordonne un réseau de 300 établissements et organise le Mois du film documentaire, opération nationale qui a lieu tous les mois de novembre.

Festivals

Carrefour des Festivals: Association éditrice de l'Annuaire européen des festivals de cinéma et audiovisuel puis du Guide international des festivals et site Internet entièrement dédiés à l'actualité des festivals en France. Recherche de festivals par ville; palmarès des derniers festivals mis à jour.
Festival de Cannes: Le Site officiel du Festival. Site d'informations générales et pratiques tout au long de l'année, le site officiel, pendant le Festival, couvre l'actualité de la manifestation avec des articles, des photos et des vidéos (films, Marches, photo calls, conférences de presse, évènements officiels). Les informations en ligne sont actualisées plusieurs fois par jour et font l'objet de «best of».
Les César: L'Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma a pour vocation de récompenser les réalisations les plus remarquables du cinéma en leur conférant chaque année un trophée appelé "César" (d'après le nom du sculpteur qui en a réalisé la statuette), pour encourager la création de la cinématographie et attirer sur elle l'attention du public.
Les "César" sont attribués annuellement, à la fin du mois de février ou au début du mois de mars, à l'issue d'un vote des membres de l'Académie portant sur les films présentés en salles entre le 1er janvier et le 31 décembre de l'année précédente. Les "César" sont remis au cours d'une cérémonie, "la nuit des César", télédiffusée par Canal+.
Aujourd'hui plus de 3 400 artistes et professionnels sont membres de l'Académie.
French Film Festival: The Alliance française [d'Australie] French Film Festival site with dates and programmes for screenings in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. There's also an Archives section so that you can see what you missed out on in previous festivals, from 2002 onwards.