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European Film

This guide includes introductory readings and resources on European film, including books, articles, moving images, and more.

European Film: Selected Images

Image of Bjork in a green dress, walking

Dancer in the Dark (dir. Lars Von Trier, 2000)

Film still from Danish director Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, from FilmGrab.

Film still from Bulgarian National Film Archive newsreels

ПРЕГЛЕДЪ 96 (1943)

Film still from Bulgarian National Film Archive: Pre-socialist cinema and newsreels, via European Film Gateway.

Film still of person walking with a backpack alongside a desolate road.

Vagabond (dir. Agnès Varda, 1985)

Film still from French director Agnès Varda's Vagabond, from FilmGrab.

Film still of female robot from Metropolis

Metropolis (dir. Fritz Lang, 1927)

Film still from Austrian/German director Fritz Lang's Metropolis, from FilmGrab.

Image of three young men with bags, standing next to a wall with graffiti.

The Tribe (dir. Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, 2014)

Film still from Ukrainian director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi's The Tribe, from FilmGrab.

All About My Mother (dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 1999)

Film still from Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's All About My Mother, from FilmGrab.

film still of figure walking on a flat area, with buildings in far distance

Krakatit (dir. Otakar Vávra, 1948)

Film still from Czech director Otakar Vávra's Krakatit, from FilmGrab

Film still of woman holding a knife, crouched back in terror.

Suspiria (dir. Dario Argento, 1977)

Film still from Italian director Dario Argento's Suspiria, from FilmGrab.

Film still of man sitting on bench, smoking.

From the East (dir. Chantal Akerman, 1993)

Film still from Belgian director Chantal Akerman's documentary, From the East, from FilmGrab.

Introduction

This guide was developed in 2022 with contributions by UCLA Arts Library Student Research Assistants Marie Fucile and Jenny Le, in collaboration and consultation with Alena Aissing, Nora Avetyan, Sohaib Baig, Diana King, Gissel Rios, Shannon Tanhayi Ahari, and Matthew Vest.

While the potential scope of European film studies is vast, this guide is intended as an entry point for the study of European film generally, and by selected individual country and regional filmmaking practices. It highlights major titles held at the UCLA Library, and some additional online resources with a primary focus on continental Eastern, Western, and Central Europe. While many of the resources listed are written in English or English translation, some are only available in their original language. New resources will be added over time to supplement the content. 

European Film Reference Sources

Additional UCLA Library Research Guides

Textbooks on Film Analysis

These general textbooks can assist with analyzing films (mise en scene, editing, etc.), and provide examples for drafting film criticism.