''The Motion Picture Guide'' is a film

reference work A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...

first published by

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in 1985. It was written by

Jay Robert Nash Jay Robert Nash (born November 26, 1937, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American author of more than 70 books on myriad aspects of true crime. Among Nash's crime anthologies are ''Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws'', ''Look For the Woma ...

Stanley Ralph Ross Stanley Ralph Ross (July 22, 1935 – March 16, 2000) was an American writer and actor. He was raised in Brooklyn, New York, starting his career in advertising with Chudacoff and Margulis Advertising in West Los Angeles, then soon going to ...

, and Robert B. Connelly. It was annually updated through new volumes and had a CD-ROM version, which was eventually incorporated into

Microsoft Cinemania Microsoft Cinemania was an interactive movie guide as part of the Microsoft Home series of reference and educational multimedia application CD-ROM titles produced by Microsoft and published annually beginning in 1992 until 1997. History The sof ...

Publication history

''The Motion Picture Guide'' was first published in 1985 through

. From 1992 through 1997, it was also published in CD-ROM format. This data was later incorporated into

. ''The Motion Picture Guide'' series was discontinued after the 1999 Annual edition.

Reception

The

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

cited it as an Outstanding Reference Source for 1985. Writing in the ''

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'',

Charles Champlin Charles Davenport Champlin (March 23, 1926 – November 16, 2014) was an American film critic and writer. Life and career Champlin was born in Hammondsport, New York. He attended high school in Camden, New York, working as a columnist for the '' ...

called the 1986 edition "the film fan reference book to end all reference books". Dan Greenberg, in ''

Film Quarterly ''Film Quarterly'', a journal devoted to the study of film, television, and visual media, is published by University of California Press. It publishes scholarly analyses of international and Hollywood cinema as well as independent film, including d ...

'', criticized the 1987 volume's positive reviews, saying that reviewers had overlooked poor research and errors in favor of its marketing, which highlighted its scope. Howard H. Prouty of the ''

Journal of Film and Video The ''Journal of Film and Video'' is the official academic journal of the University Film and Video Association. It features articles on film and video production, history, theory, criticism, and aesthetics. The journal is published by the Univer ...

'' wrote that the 1987 fails to live up to its hype as an authoritative source, instead synthesizing data from common

secondary sources In scholarship, a secondary sourcePrimary, secondary and tertiary sources
. ...

and ending up with contradictory information. Emma Webster of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called the 1995 CD-ROM version "a valuable tool for film buffs, students and industry people", criticizing its lack of comprehensiveness but praising its depth. Also reviewing the 1995 CD-ROM, Peter M. Nichols of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' highlighted its depth compared to competing discs from Blockbuster and Video Hound, though he said it lacks their features.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Motion Picture Guide, The Books about film Film guides 1980s books