You may find it challenging to find and recognize the types of sources that can inform essays in a film history course. Some suggestions:
An historical analysis of your chosen film, like this one, is ideal - but is unlikely to exist for every film/topic
If you can’t find any academic discussion of your specific film, look for broader discussions of its issues/themes/events within the context of film, literature or popular culture in general, similar to this, OR separate from any discussion of film, as more traditional, historical discussions similar to this
Biographical information may be helpful if you are studying a film with a character from history. Look for scholarly biographies or specialized academic encyclopedias.
High quality film reviews like this one may be helpful in addition to the scholarly books and journal articles you find. Note the length and depth of this review, compared to a less appropriate, standard film review.
The following reference books (specialized encyclopedias and other tertiary or background sources) are great starting points for getting an overview or helpful context on historical events, issues and individuals related to espionage in history:
You will always find books, book chapters and journal articles via LibrarySearch (the Books, articles and more box on the library homepage)
Try limiting searches by:
Key point: Keep in mind that unlike many other disciplines, books are an important form of publication within the discipline of History. Along with providing information to help you write your paper, browsing book titles and chapter headings can often help in identifying or narrowing a research topic in the earlier stages of research.
Scholarly books and articles for History - what they are and how to find them in MRU's LibrarySearch 10:00
Skip straight to Using LibrarySearch: 3:33
Still looking for information or overwhelmed by LibrarySearch results? Use one of history-specific journal article databases on the ARTICLES tab of this guide. You will find fewer, but likely more relevant, results. Recommended databases:
For high quality film reviews written by professional film critics - rather than short, journalistic reviews - watch for the following publications. You can also search directly within the magazines below.