MAR 100B: Film and Television History, Mid-20th Century to the Present

The fulltext (including print ads) of these three newspapers (back into the pre-cinematic era) are searchable through these databases.
Ads can be seen and printed exactly as the appeared in print (in PDF format).
To search for print ads, put the film title, or a few words from the title, into the search box and select "Citation and document text" from the drop down menu. Then limit to "advertising" (in the Times), or "display ad" (under "Document Type" for NYT and LAT). Limiting to a particular date range (the month your film was released, for example) is also a good idea.

The library owns Variety (in print, on microfilm or online) from 1905 to the present. Many films were advertised in Variety.
To locate advertisments, one can either just browse the issues at the time of the release of the film, or look in those issues in which the film was reviewed in Variety (to do this, consult . Variety Film Reviews PN1995 .V34 Main Ref, or Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed By Variety, 1907-1980. PN1995 .A39 1982 Main Ref).

These sources are also excellent for finding reviews. Follow the directions above, only limit to "Reviews"
An alternate approach is to use the fulltext print compilation of reviews from the NYT. The New York Times Film Reviews (1913 to 1998) PN1995 .N5 Info Commons Ref.

Covers 1890-1982. Indexes the most popular, general-interest periodicals published in the United States.
If you find a review indexed here, you'll need to then search our Library Catalog to see if we own the periodical (newspaper/magazine) for the date it was published, jot down the date/volume and page number, and then go find it in the library.

Variety Film Reviews (1938-1994) PN1995 .V34 Main Ref. or Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed By Variety, 1907-1980. PN1995 .A39 1982 Main Ref.

Both are indexes of all reviews from Variety.
We have Variety on microfilm. It is on the first floor at MICROFILM 4989 (in the compact shelving). If you need help finding it, or using the microfilm readers, ask at the Express Documents Center at the base of the stairs.

Search for your film title and then scroll to the bottom (past the film credits) for reviews & other critical articles.
The most recent articles are listed first. Those contemporary with the film's debut will be at the end.
You will need to search our Library Catalog to see if we own the journal the review is in.

Search for your film title in the Index to Film Periodicals Plus section of this resource. Reviews are listed chronologically, with the most recent first.
Coverage begins in 1972, so if your film was published prior to that, try another database or index.
You will need to search our Library Catalog to see if we own the journal the review is in.