JAPN 111 Resource Guide

According to MLA Style Center:

Films are collaborative works, so how you cite them depends on the focus of your discussion. If you are focusing on the director’s choices, begin your works-cited-list entry with the director’s name. If you are discussing various aspects of the film—such as the story, the actor’s performances, and the director’s choices—begin your entry with the film’s title. As always, key your in-text citation to the first element of the entry.

If your argument concerning Seven Samurai focuses on the director, you would cite the film the following way:

Kurosawa, Akira, director. Seven Samurai. Criterion Collection, 1998.

If your argument concerning Seven Samurai focuses on the larger film, you would cite it in the following way:

Seven Samurai. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Criterion Collection, 1998.

View more film citation examples at MLA Style Center.

Need to verify director or other movie information? Check iMDb.

Important, make sure you reference information related to MLA 9--the 9th and most recent edition of this style handbook.