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Innis Library, University of Toronto

Cinema Studies Research Guide:

French Cinema

Finding Books on French Cinema
Bibliography of Print Material in U of T Libraries

Finding Journal Articles
(Choose Search for Articles. Under Option 1, choose Cinema
Help with finding journal articles.

Media Commons (University of Toronto)
Film Reference Library (Cinematheque Ontario)

Online resources
Avant-garde, Underground, and Experimental Cinema (incl. Dada and Surrealist film & works about individual filmmakers) (UC-Berkeley)
French Cinema: Reviews and Articles about Selected Films (UC-Berkeley)
Studies in French Cinema v. 1:1+ (full-text)
Yale French Studies, No. 17, Art of the Cinema, 1956 (Special issue)
Yale French Studies, No. 60, Cinema/Sound, 1980 (Special issue)

Finding books on French cinema

The subject headings below were obtained from the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) available at/near the reference desk of every Library. The main LC Subject Heading for the more commonly used terms like "film" or "movies" or "cinema" is motion pictures, under which you'll find a lengthy alphabetical list of narrower subject headings such as Silent films below.

Material on any of the course-related topics listed below can be found by entering the appropriate LC Subject Heading in the University of Toronto Catalogue (UTCat), then choosing the subject search option. Use a subject search also to find material on individual directors, e.g. Gance, Abel (last name, first name) and films, e.g. Grande illusion (do not use articles).

• Algeria History Revolution, 1954-1962 Motion pictures and the revolution
• Experimental films France History
• Film criticism France
• France Civilization 20th century
• France Social life and customs 20th century.
• French literature Film adaptations
• Historical films France History and criticism
• Motion picture audiences France Paris
• Motion picture industry France History
• Motion picture producers and directors France
• Motion pictures and literature France
• Motion pictures France
• Motion pictures, French United States
• Motion pictures Political aspects France
• Motion pictures Social aspects France
• National characteristics, French
• New wave films France
• Silent films France History and criticism
• Pathe Freres (U.S.) History
• War stories French History and criticism
• Women motion picture producers and directors France
• Women motion picture producers and directors French-speaking countries

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Bibliography of Print Material in U of T Libraries

NOTE: The bibliography below has not been updated since 2003, but may still be useful. For books published since 2003 (and there are many), use the Subject Headings above to search in UTCat.

The following is a selective bibliography containing English-language material published between 1980-2003 approx. The U of T Library System has substantial holdings of French-language material; find it by performing a subject search in UTCat using any of the headings listed above.

Reference and background material

• Bergan, Ronald and Robyn Karney. Foreign Film Guide. (Alternate title: The Faber Companion to Foreign Films PN 1995.9 .F67B42 1992 INNR)
  PN 1995.9 .F67B47 1992 ROBA, INNR
  Gives brief synopsis and credits for over 2,000 foreign films. Includes directors' index.
  
• Biggs, Melissa E. French films, 1945-1993: a critical filmography of the 400 most important releases.
  PN 1993.5 .F7B52 1996 SMCR, GENR, VUPR
  
• Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: the key concepts.
  PN 1993.45 .H36 2000 INNR, ROBA
  An in-depth glossary on key theoretical terms, Hayward's work also provides historical overviews of key genres, film theory and film movements. It includes a bibliography, personal name and subject indexes, and an index of films.
  
• Hughes, Alex and Keith Reader, eds. Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture.
  DC 33.7 .E53 1998 GENR, VUPR
  
• International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 3rd ed. 4 vols.
  PN 1997.8 .I6 1997X GENR
  PN 1997.8 .I58 1997 VUPR
  The "Dictionary" provides encyclopedic and bibliographic information in separate volumes about selected Films; Directors; Actors and Actresses; and Writers and Production Artists. Includes bibliographies, and essays by specialists in their area.
  
• The Oxford History of World Cinema. Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, ed.
  PN 1993.5 .A1O96 1996 ROBA, INNR, VUPR, TRIN
  Covers all aspects of the history of film - "its development, stars, studios, and cultural impact...". Chronological coverage of French cinema includes sections on 'French Silent Cinema', 'The Popular Art of French Cinema', and 'New Directions in French Cinema'. Essays focus on institutional factors as well as individual films and filmmakers. Includes bibliographies and detailed index.
  
• Pallister, Janis L. French-speaking Women Film Directors: a guide.
  PN 1998.2 .P28 1997 ROBA, VUPR
  Comprehensive in scope, the "Guide" seeks to include "...every woman whose name has been important enough to have been mentioned...." It contains annotated bibliographies - both general and geographical by country - directors' filmographies, a thematic index, film title and personal name indexes, and a glossary of cinematic terms.
  
• Temple, Michael. The French cinema book. PN1993.5 .F7 F7 2004 INNC, ROBA
  
• Vincendeau, Ginette. The Companion to French Cinema.
  PN/1993.5 .F7V56 1996 ROBA
  PN 1994 .V56 1996 VUPR
  Covering the period from 1895 to the mid-1990s, the "Companion" provides an accurate and comprehensive picture of French cinema, including both its key figures and 'golden eras', and its popular traditions. It contains the following:
  • An historical overview of French cinema
  • A core section of over 200 alphabetically arranged entries on personnel, critical concepts, and institutions
  • A section entitled 'French cinema in Europe' which includes entries on film personnel from other countries who have made a significant contribution to French cinema, and entries on pan-European issues
  • Appendices on production and audience statistics in Europe and a select bibliography on European and French cinema.
• The Women's Companion to International Film. Annette Kuhn, ed.
  PN 1993.45 .W6 1994 INNR, VUPR
  PN 1993.45 .W66 1990 GENR
  "Shaped by feminist pespectives", the "Companion" contains a section on French cinema (p. 163-166) and sections on selected French women filmmakers past and present. Entries arranged alphabetically.

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French Cinema: theory, analysis, criticism

• Abel, Richard. The cine goes to town: French cinema, 1896-1914.
  PN 1993.5 .F7A63 1998 INNC
  PN 1993.5 .F7A63 1994 SMC, VUPT, ROBA, SCAR, ERIN
  
• ---. French cinema: the first wave, 1915-1929.
  PN 1993.5 .F7A64 1984 ROBA, VUPT
  
• ---. French film theory and criticism: a history/anthology, 1907-1939. v. 1. 1907-1929; v. 2. 1929-1939.
  PN 1995 .A22 1988 INNC, ROBA, SMC, VUPT
  
• ---. The red rooster scare: making cinema American, 1900-1910.
  PN 1993.5 .U6A68 1999 INNC, ROBA
  
• Andrew, (James) Dudley. Mists of regret: culture and sensibility in classic French film.
  PN 1993.5 .F7A745 1995 INNC, SMC, VUPT, ROBA
  
• Armes, Roy. French cinema.
  PN 1993.5 .F7A775 1985 ROBA, VUPT
  
• Atack, Margaret. May 68 in French fiction and film : rethinking society, rethinking representation.
  PQ 307 .P64A72 1999 ROBA
  
• Austin, Guy. Contemporary French cinema: an introduction.
  PN 1993.5 .F7A95 1996 INNC, SMC, VUPT, ROBA
  
• ---. Claude Chabrol. 1999.
  PN 1998.3 .C6A87 1999 SMC ROBA
  
• ---. Stars in Modern French film.
  PN1993.5 .F7 A97 2003 ROBA
  
• Bazin, André. French cinema of the occupation and resistance: the birth of a critical esthetic. 1981.
  PN 1993.5 .F7B313 SMC, ROBA
  
• Bordwell, David. French impressionist cinema: film culture, film theory, and film style.
  PN 1995.9 .I45B6 1980 VUPT
  
• Buss, Robin. The French through their films.
  PN 1993.5 .F7B86 1988 ROBA
  
• Cahiers du cinéma, the 1950s: neo-realism, Hollywood, new wave. Jim Hillier, ed.
  PN 1995 .C29 1985 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
  
• Cahiers du cinéma, 1960-1968: new wave, new cinema, reevaluating Hollywood. Jim Hillier, ed.
  PN 1995 .C295 1986 INNC, VUPT
  PN 1995 .C29 1985 ROBA
  
• Cahiers du cinéma, 1969-1972: the politics of representation. Nick Browne, ed.
  PN 1995 .C296 1990 INNC, VUPT
  PN 1995 .C29 1985 ROBA
  
• Cahiers du cinéma. Volume four, 1973-1978: history, ideology, cultural struggle: an anthology from Cahiers du cinéma, nos. 248-292, September 1973-September 1978. Edited by David Wilson
  PN 1995 .C297 2000 INNC, VUPT
  
• Cinema, colonialism, postcolonialism: perspectives from the French and francophone world. Dina Sherzer, ed.
  PN 1993.5 .F7C4788 1996 INNC, SMC, ROBA
• Colombat, Andre Pierre. The Holocaust in French film.
  PN 1995.9 .H53C66 1993 SMC, ROBA, VUPT
  
• Crisp, C. G. The classic French cinema, 1930-1960
  PN 1993.5 .F7C78 1997 SMC
  
• ---. Genre, myth, and convention in the French cinema, 1929-1939.
  PN1993.5 .F7 C785 2002 INNC, ROBA, SMC, VUPT
• Dine, Philip D. Images of the Algerian War: French fiction and film, 1954-1992.
  PQ 673 .D55 1994X ROBA
  
• Durham, Carolyn A. Double takes: culture and gender in French films and their American remakes.
  PN 1995.9 .R45D87 1998 SMC, ROBA
  
• Ehrlich, Evelyn. Cinema of paradox: French filmmaking under the German occupation.
  PN 1993.5 .F7E38 1985 SMC, ROBA
  
• Flitterman-Lewis, Sandy. To desire differently: feminism and the French cinema.
  PN 1995.9 .W6F59 1996X ROBA
  PN 1995.9 .W6F59 1990 INNC, NEWC, ROBA, OISE/WERC
  
• Forbes, Jill. The cinema in France after the new wave.
  PN 1993.5 .F7F56 1992 ROBA
  
• France in focus: film and national identity. Elizabeth Ezra and Sue Harris, eds. 2000.
  PN 1993.5 .F7F68 2000 ROBA
• France on film: reflections on popular French cinema. Lucy Mazdon, ed.
  PN 1993.5 .F7F68 2001 INNC, ROBA
• French cinema in the 1990s: continuity and difference; essays. Phil Powrie, ed.
  PN 1993.5 .F7F72 1999 ROBA
• French film: texts and contexts. Susan Hayward and Ginette Vincendeau, eds. . 2nd ed.
  PN 1993.5 .F7F74 2000 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
• Gender and French cinema. Edited by Alex Hughes and James S. Williams.
  PN 1993.5 .F7G46 2001 INNC, ROBA
• Greene, Naomi. Landscapes of loss: the national past in postwar French cinema.
  PN 1993.5 .F7G72 1999 INNC, ROBA, VUPT, SMC
  
• Grossvogel, David I. Didn't you used to be Depardieu?: film as cultural marker in France and Hollywood.
  PN1995.9 .R45 G76 2002 ROBA, VUPT
• Harvey, Sylvia. May '68 and film culture.
  PN 1993.5 .F7H37 1980 INNC, ROBA
  
• Hayward, Susan. French national cinema.
  PN 1993.5 .F7H39 1993 INNC, SMC,VUPT, ROBA
  
• Images across borders, 1896-1918: nationality in world cinéma; representations, markets, influences and reception. Richard Abel et al., eds.
  PN 1995 .C499 1995 ROBA
• Kline, T. Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson). Screening the text: intertextuality in new wave French cinema.
  PN 1993.5 .F7K57 1992 INNC, ROBA, SMC
  
• Lanzoni, Remi Fournier. French cinema: from its beginnings to the present.
  PN 1993.5 .F7L33 2002X ROBA
• Marie, Michel. The French new wave: an artistic school; translated by Richard Neupert.
  PN 1993.5 .F7M2713 2003 INNC, ROBA
• Michalczyk, John J. The French literary filmmakers. 1981.
  PN 1993.5 .F7M48 ROBA
  
• Neupert, Richard John. A history of the French new wave cinema. Richard Neupert.
  PN1993.5 .F7 N48 2002 SMC
  PN1993.5 .F7 N47 2002 INNC, VUPT
• On translating French literature and film. Myriam Salama-Carr, ed.
  PQ 144 .O53 2000 ROBA
• Pauly, Rebecca M. The transparent illusion: image and ideology in French text and film.
  PN 1993.5 .F7P35 1993 SMC, VUPT, ROBA
  
• Powrie, Phil. French cinema in the 1980s: nostalgia and the crisis of masculinity.
  PN 1993.5 .F7P68 1997 SMC
  PN 1995.9 .M46P69 1997 VUPT, ROBA
  
• --- and Keith Reader. French cinema: a student's guide.
  PN1993.5 .F7 P64 2002
• Reader, Keith. Cultures on celluloid. 1981.
  PN 1993.5 .U6R4 ROBA
  
• Rediscovering French film. Maty Lea Bandy, ed.
  PN 1993.5 .F7R35 1983 INNC, ROBA
• Revisioning Duras: film, race, sex. Edited by James S. Williams.
  PQ 2607 .U8245Z853 2000 ROBA
• Slavin, David Henry. Colonial cinema and imperial France, 1919-1939: white blind spots, male fantasies, settler myths.
  PN 1993.5 .F7S587 2001X ROBA
  PN 1993.5 .F7S55 2001 VUPT
• Spaas, Lieve. The Francophone film: a struggle for identity. 2000.
  PN 1993.5 .F7S62 2000 INNC, ROBA, VUPT
  
• Tarr, Carrie. Cinema and the second sex: women's filmmaking in France in the 1980s and 1990s.
  PN1993.5 .F7 T27 2001 NEWC
  
• Ulff-Moller, Jens. Hollywood's "film wars" with France: film-trade diplomacy and the emergence of the French film quota policy.
  PN1993.5 .U6 U15 2001X ROBA
  
• Vincendeau, Ginette. Stars and stardom in French cinema. 2000.
  PN 1993.5 .F7V57 2000 ROBA
  
• Waldman, Harry. Paramount in Paris: 300 films produced at the Joinville Studios, 1930-1933, with credits and biographies.
  PN 1999 .P3W36 1998X ROBA
  
• Williams, Alan Larson. Republic of images: a history of French filmmaking.
  PN 1993.5 .F7W55 1992 INNC, VUPT, SMC, ROBA
  
• Wilson, Emma. French cinema since 1950: personal histories.
  PN 1993.5 .F7W56 1999 VUPT

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