MLA (Modern Language Association) format is a widely accepted citation style for writing academic papers, particularly in the fields of literature and the humanities. When citing a film in an MLA-formatted essay, it is important to properly format the in-text citation and the works cited entry.
To cite a film in the text of your essay, you will need to include the director's name and the year of release in parentheses, like this: (Director's Last Name, Year). For example, if you were citing Martin Scorsese's film "Goodfellas," you would write (Scorsese, 1990). If the director's name is already mentioned in the sentence, you can simply include the year of release in parentheses.
In the works cited page at the end of your essay, you will need to provide a full citation for the film. The citation should include the film's title, director, production company, and year of release. Here is an example of an MLA citation for the film "Goodfellas":
Scorsese, Martin, director. Goodfellas. Warner Bros., 1990.
If you are citing a film that you watched online or on DVD, you will also need to include the medium of release and the URL or DVD identifier. For example:
Scorsese, Martin, director. Goodfellas. Warner Bros., 1990. DVD.
or
Scorsese, Martin, director. Goodfellas. Warner Bros., 1990. Streaming on Netflix.
It is important to note that MLA format does not require the inclusion of an entry for a film in the works cited page if you are only mentioning it in passing or if it is not relevant to your argument. However, if you are using a film as a primary or secondary source in your essay, it is essential to provide a full citation in the works cited page.
In conclusion, citing a film in MLA format requires the inclusion of the director's name and the year of release in the in-text citation, as well as a full citation in the works cited page that includes the film's title, director, production company, and year of release. Following these guidelines will help you properly credit your sources and avoid plagiarism in your academic writing.