Oxford LibGuides: Film Studies: Films

Introduction

Films in physical formats can be searched via SOLO. Some online films can be found via SOLO, but you may need to check some online platforms separately. On this page you will find recommended libraries and e-resources containing films.

Borrowing films

Please see the English Faculty Library and Taylor Institution Library websites in the box below (Principal Collections) for details of the borrowing allowances for films.

Please note that films may only be borrowed for educational purposes, and that commercial copyright regulations strictly forbid the copying of DVDs and videos.

Both the English Faculty Library and the Taylor Institution Library have portable DVD players which may be borrowed. The Taylor also has a small viewing room which can be booked.

DVDs which are not in Region 2 (European) formats have been labelled with warning stickers. If you wish to borrow an item in Region 1 (North American) format, or any other non-Region 2 format, please only do so if you are sure that your DVD player/PC is capable of playing these formats. Playing a non-Region 2 DVD on some European standard DVD players/PCs can result in damage to the machine. Readers borrow material at their own risk.

Physical films

DVDs at the English Faculty Library

This box outlines where to find films; see the Books page for information about locating book collections.

Use SOLO, the library catalogue which covers the majority of the Library collections of the University of Oxford, to search our collections for films, books, journals and other resources.

Help with films

For those wishing to learn more about searching for physical collections in Oxford, we recommend the following:

SOLO: Search Oxford Libraries Online guide
A guide for students and researchers at the University of Oxford, or those visiting, who seek support in using the Bodleian Libraries resource discovery tool, SOLO.
Using SOLO to Find Film Studies Material
A guide to finding Films Studies material on SOLO.

Bodleian English Faculty Library
British and American cinema, and a selection of other English-language films, are located at the English Faculty Library, where there is a collection of approximately 2,900 films on DVD and Blu-ray, including such genres as film noir, the western, horror and melodrama. The film collection also includes a number of Shakespearean productions and other films of general literary interest.
Taylor Institution Library
The Taylor Institution Library focuses on European cinema. The Taylor has a growing collection of approximately 5,300 films on DVD and Blu-ray, including works by key European directors such as Bergman, Fassbinder, Fellini, Godard and Renoir. The library also acquires films from around the world (including Latin America, China, India and Japan).

Bodleian Japanese Library
The Bodleian Japanese Library holds approximately 160 videos of Japanese film, educational materials on Japan and television recordings. There are viewing facilities in the library.
Bodleian Social Science Library
The Social Science Library has approximately 600 videos and DVDs, mostly documentaries relevant to refugee studies.

There are additional film collections at:

Some college libraries also have film collections, including:

Online films

Online films refers to films hosted on digital platforms that can be streamed to a personal device or Reader PC. The tabs above list streaming platforms useful for Film Studies to which University members have access.

Individual films available via Kanopy can be found in SOLO, but individual films in Box of Broadcasts are not listed in SOLO so this resource needs to be checked separately when you are looking for a film.

Access

Depending on provider, you may need to use your Oxford Single Sign On to access materials.

BoB (formerly Box of Broadcasts)
- This link opens in a new window
Access restricted to within the United Kingdom only. This resource requires you to log in with your Oxford SSO again at the homepage. This resource requires you to register before use.
Alternative name: Box of Broadcasts

BoB is an on demand TV and radio service for education. It allows staff and students at subscribing institutions to search an archive of over 2 million broadcasts, record programmes from over 65 free-to-air channels, and create their own playlists, clips and clip compilations. Content includes BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, ITV, Channel 4, Film4, 10 foreign language channels, BBC Shakespeare Archive content dating back to the 1950s, and more.

Kanopy

Free films on BFI Player
Alternative name: Free films on BFIPlayer
Shorts and features from the British Film Institute's national and regional archive.

Recommend a film

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the film you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below (Oxford Single-Sign On required).

Recommend a purchase

Taylor Institution Library Blog

Launched in January 2015, the aim of the Taylor Institution Library blog is to highlight items of interest in the library collections and to contribute to bibliographical scholarship in modern languages.

Previous posts include one on the Taylor's collection of Polish cinema, and another on the library's collection of Brazilian film.