An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise, or author. Sometimes each one is directed by a different

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

or written by a different author, or may even have been made at different times or in different countries. Anthology films are distinguished from " revue films" such as ''

Paramount on Parade ''Paramount on Parade'' is a 1930 all-star American pre-Code revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Lothar Mendes, Ott ...

'' (1930)—which were common in Hollywood in the early decades of

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

composite film In cinematography a composite film is a feature film whose screenplay is composed of two or more distinct stories. More generally, composite structure refers to an aesthetic principle in which the narrative structure relies on contiguity and li ...

s, and

compilation film A compilation film, or compilation movie is a film composed of scenes and shots taken from two or more prior films or television programs and edited together so as to make a new film, whether on the same or a different subject. The most common e ...

s. Anthology films are often mistaken with

hyperlink cinema Hyperlink cinema is a style of filmmaking characterized by complex or multilinear narrative structures with multiple characters under one unifying theme. History The term was coined by author Alissa Quart, who used the term in her review of the ...

. Hyperlink cinema shows parts of many stories throughout a film, whereas anthology films show story segments of one at a time. Some mistaken examples include ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

'' (1994) and '' Amores Perros'' (2000), distributing their storylines non-chronologically, separated by segments.

Films

*''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly ...

'' (1916) *''

If I Had a Million ''If I Had a Million'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Paramount Studios anthology film starring Gary Cooper, George Raft, Charles Laughton, W. C. Fields, Jack Oakie, Frances Dee and Charlie Ruggles, among others. There were seven directors: ...

'' (1932) *'' Fantasia'' (1940) *''

Tales of Manhattan ''Tales of Manhattan'' is a 1942 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier. Thirteen writers, including Ben Hecht, Alan Campbell, Ferenc Molnár, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Donald Ogden Stewart, worked on the six stories in this film ...

'' (1942) *''

Flesh and Fantasy ''Flesh and Fantasy'' is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Robert Cummings, and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previ ...

'' (1943) *''

Dead of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 British supernatural horror anthology film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Sally Ann Howes, and Michael Redgrave. Produ ...

'' (1945) *'' L'Amore'' (1948) *''

Quartet In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...

'' (1948) *'' Trio'' (1950) *''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...

'' (1951) *''

O. Henry's Full House ''O. Henry's Full House'' is a 1952 American anthology film made by 20th Century Fox, consisting of five films, each based on a story by O. Henry. The film was produced by André Hakim and directed by five directors from five screenplays with ...

'' (1952) *'' Actors and Sin'' (1952) *'' Love in the City'' (1953) *''

Siamo donne ''We, the Women'' (also known as ''Of Life and Love'' and in ) is a 1953 Italian portmanteau film divided into five segments and directed by five different directors. Four of these segments focus upon alleged events in the private lives of the f ...

'' (1953) *'' Invitation to the Dance'' (1956) *''

Love and the Frenchwoman ''Love and the Frenchwoman'' is the US title of a 1960 French anthology film originally entitled ''La française et l'amour''. It starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Dany Robin. The movie was a big hit in France with admissions of 3,056,736.< ...

'' (1960) *''

Boccaccio '70 ''Boccaccio '70'' is a 1962 comedy anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli and Luchino Visconti from an idea by Cesare Zavattini. It consists of four episodes, each by one of the directors, all about ...

'' (1962) *''

Love at Twenty ''Love at Twenty'' (, , , , ) is a 1962 French-produced omnibus project of Pierre Roustang, consisting of five segments, each with a different director from a different country. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. ...

'' (1962) *''

Mondo Cane ''Mondo Cane'' (a somewhat coarse Italian expletive, literally ) is a 1962 Italian mondo documentary film and directed by the trio of Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco E. Prosperi, with narration by Stefano Sibaldi. The film ...

'' (1962) *''

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

'' (1963) *''

The Devil and the Ten Commandments ''Le Diable et les Dix Commandements'' () is a French film from 1962 directed by Julien Duvivier that consists of seven sketches (eight in the versions shown in Germany and Japan) played by an ensemble cast that includes Michel Simon, Micheline ...

'' (1963) *'' Ro.Go.Pa.G.'' (1963) *''

Countersex ''Controsesso'', internationally released as ''Countersex'', is a 1964 Italian anthology comedy film directed by Franco Rossi, Marco Ferreri and Renato Castellani. All the episodes have sex as main theme. The episode of Ferreri is considere ...

'' (1964) *''

My Wife My Wife may refer: *My Wife (1918 film), ''My Wife'' (1918 film), an American silent film *''My Wife'', English language title for the 1942 Indian film ''En Manaivi'' *My Wife (1964 film), ''My Wife'' (1964 film), an Italian comedy film *My Wife (so ...

'' (1964) *'' The Yellow Rolls-Royce'' (1964) *''

Kwaidan is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (''kai'') meaning "strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition" and 談 (''dan'') meaning "talk" or "recited narrative". Overall meaning and usage In its broadest sense, ''kaidan'' refer ...

'' (1964) *'' Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures'' (1965) *'' Le bambole'' (1965) *''

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors ''Dr Terror's House of Horrors'' is a 1965 British anthology horror film from Amicus Productions, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, written by Milton Subotsky, and starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. It was th ...

'' (1965) *''

Six in Paris ''Six in Paris'' () is a 1965 French comedy-drama anthology film. Cast and segments "Saint-Germain-des-Prés" Directed by Jean Douchet * Jean-Pierre Andréani as Raymond * Jean-François Chappey as Jean * Barbara Wilkin as Katherine Segment a ...

'' (1965) *'' 4x4'' (1965) *''

Sex Quartet ''Sex Quartet'' (US title: ''The Queens'', , ) is a 1966 Italian-French comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, Mauro Bolognini, Antonio Pietrangeli and Luciano Salce. It starred Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, Monica Vitti and Raquel Welch. Plot ...

'' (1966) *'' The Witches'' (1967) *'' The Illustrated Man'' (1968) *'' Spirits of the Dead'' (1968) *'' The House That Dripped Blood'' (1971) *''

Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

'' (1972) *'' Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)'' (1972) *''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' (1972) *'' The Vault of Horror'' (1973) *''

From Beyond the Grave ''From Beyond the Grave'' (also known as ''The Creatures from beyond the Grave'') is a 1974 British anthology horror film from Amicus Productions, directed by Kevin Connor, produced by Milton Subotsky and based on short stories by R. Chetwynd ...

'' (1974) *''

Trilogy of Terror ''Trilogy of Terror'' is a 1975 American made-for-television anthology horror film directed by Dan Curtis and starring Karen Black. It features three segments, each based on unrelated short stories by Richard Matheson. The first follows a col ...

'' (1975) *''

It Can't Be! ''It Can't Be!'' () is a 1975 Soviet Union, Soviet Anthology film, anthology comedy film directed by Leonid Gaidai. It consists of three short stories, based on the works of Mikhail Zoshchenko: ''Crime and Punishment'', ''Fun Adventure'' and ''Wed ...

'' (1975) *''

Germany in Autumn ''Germany in Autumn'' () is a 1978 West German anthology film about the period of 1977 known as the German Autumn, which was dominated by incidents of terrorism. The film is composed of contributions from different filmmakers, including Rainer ...

'' (1978) *'' Heavy Metal'' (1981) *'' The Monster Club'' (1981) *''

Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, ...

'' (1982) *'' The Adventures of Monica and Friends'' (1982) *''

Nightmares A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

'' (1983) *'' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983) *'' Kaos'' (1984) *''

The Company of Wolves ''The Company of Wolves'' is a 1984 British Gothic fantasy horror film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Micha Bergese, and Sarah Patterson in her film debut. The screenplay by Angela Carter and Jordan was a ...

'' (1984) *'' Shake, Rattle & Roll'' series (1984–present) *'' Cat's Eye'' (1985) *'' The New Adventures of Monica and Friends'' (1986) *''

Aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

'' (1987) *''

Creepshow 2 ''Creepshow 2'' is a 1987 American comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Gornick, and the sequel to '' Creepshow''. Gornick was previously the cinematographer of the first film, and the screenplay was written by George A. Romero who w ...

'' (1987) *'' Martha, Ruth and Edie'' (1988) *''

New York Stories ''New York Stories'' is a 1989 American anthology film consisting of three segments with the central theme being New York City. The first is ''Life Lessons'', directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The ...

'' (1989) *''

Mystery Train "Mystery Train" is a song written and recorded by American blues musician Junior Parker in 1953. Originally performed in the style of a Memphis blues or rhythm and blues tune, it was inspired by earlier songs and later became a popular rockabil ...

'' (1989) *''

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...

'' (1990) *'' Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'' (1990) *''

Montreal Stories ''Montreal Stories'' (), also titled ''Montreal Sextet'' in some releases, is a Canadian drama film, released in 1991 as an homage to the city of Montreal, Quebec on the occasion of its 350th anniversary.Night on Earth ''Night on Earth'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It is a collection of five vignettes, taking place during the same night, concerning the temporary bond formed between taxi driver and pas ...

'' (1991) *''

Necronomicon The ''Necronomicon'', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. ...

'' (1993) *''

Twenty Bucks ''Twenty Bucks'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Keva Rosenfeld and starring Linda Hunt, Brendan Fraser, Gladys Knight, Elisabeth Shue, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, David Schwimmer, Shohreh Aghdashloo and S ...

'' (1993) *''

Chungking Express ''Chungking Express'' is a 1994 Hong Kong anthology crime dramedy film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woma ...

'' (1994) *''

Four Rooms ''Four Rooms'' is a 1995 American anthology farce black comedy film co-written and co-directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. The story is set in the fictional Hotel Mon Signor in Los Angeles o ...

'' (1995) *'' Rendezvous in Paris'' (1995) *''

Tales from the Hood ''Tales from the Hood'' is a 1995 American black horror anthology film directed by Rusty Cundieff (who also wrote the film with Darin Scott) and starring Corbin Bernsen, Rosalind Cash, Rusty Cundieff, David Alan Grier, Anthony Griffith, Wings H ...

'' (1995) *''

Cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...

'' (1996) *'' Troublesome Night'' series (1997–2017) *''

The Red Violin ''The Red Violin'' () is a 1998 anthology Drama (film and television), drama film directed by François Girard and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Carlo Cecchi and Sylvia Chang. It spans four centuries and five countries telling the story of a myster ...

'' (1998) *''

The Animatrix is a 2003 adult animated science fiction anthology film produced by the Wachowskis. The anime compiles nine animated short films, detailing the backstory of ''The Matrix'' film series, in addition to providing side stories that expand the uni ...

'' (2003) *''

Coffee and Cigarettes ''Coffee and Cigarettes'' is a 2003 independent anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film consists of eleven short stories which includes the earlier three short films; themes are often comedic and depressed, share coffee a ...

'' (2003) *''

Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

'' (2004) *'' Cine Gibi: O Filme'' (2004) *''

Sin City ''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir Comic book, comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Prese ...

'' (2005) *'' Hood of Horror'' (2006) *''

Paris, je t'aime ''Paris, je t'aime'' (; ) is a 2006 anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different '' arrondissements'' (districts). The 22 directors include Guri ...

'' (2006) *'' Wag Kang Lilingon'' (2006) *'' Batman: Gotham Knight'' (2008) *'' Kerala Cafe'' (2009) *'' Cinco'' (2010) *'' Please Do Not Disturb'' (2010) *'' Burning Palms'' (2010) *''

The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...

'' (2011) *''

24/7 in Love ''24/7 in Love'' is a 2012 Filipino romantic comedy film directed by John D. Lazatin, Mae Czarina Cruz-Alviar, Frasco Santos Mortiz and Dado C. Lumibao from Star Cinema. The film was released nationwide on November 21, 2012. The film is a rom ...

'' (2012) *''

V/H/S ''V/H/S'' is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting, and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of six fou ...

'' (2012) *'' All Hallows' Eve'' (2013) *''

5 Sundarikal ''5 Sundarikal'' () is a Malayalam romantic anthology film. It contains five short stories on love about five types of women. The stories are directed by Shyju Khalid, Sameer Thahir, Aashiq Abu, Amal Neerad, and Anwar Rasheed, and feature an en ...

'' (2013) *'' Tuhog'' (2013) *'' V/H/S/2'' (2013) *'' V/H/S: Viral'' (2014) *'' Wild Tales'' (2014) *'' A Gift'' (2016) *''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

'' (2017) *''

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs ''The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'' (titled on-screen as ''The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Other Tales of the American Frontier'') is a 2018 American Western anthology film written, directed, produced, and edited by the Coen brothers. It stars Ti ...

'' (2018) *''

Lust Stories ''Lust Stories'' is a 2018 Indian Bollywood, Hindi-language anthology film, consisting of four short film segments directed by Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar and based on the concept of the 2013 anthology film Bo ...

'' (2018) *'' Kathasangama'' (2019) *'' Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia'' (2020) *''

Aanum Pennum ''Aanum Pennum'' () is a 2021 Indian Malayalam cinema, Malayalam-language anthology film featuring three segments directed by Venu (cinematographer), Venu, Aashiq Abu and Jay K. The film explores the stories of man-woman relationships in the b ...

'' (2021) *''

Ajeeb Daastaans ''Ajeeb Daastaans'' () is a 2021 Hindi-language anthology film, consisting of four short film segments directed by Shashank Khaitan, Raj Mehta, Neeraj Ghaywan and Kayoze Irani. The film was produced by Karan Johar and Netflix. At the 2021 ...

'' (2021) *''

V/H/S/94 ''V/H/S/94'' is a 2021 American found footage horror anthology film written by David Bruckner, and Brad Miska. The sequel to '' V/H/S: Viral'' (2014), it is the fourth installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise. Set in 1994, the film acts both a ...

'' (2021) *''

The French Dispatch ''The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'' (or simply ''The French Dispatch'') is a 2021 American anthology comedy drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo ...

'' (2021) *''

V/H/S/99 ''V/H/S/99'' is a 2022 American found footage horror anthology film produced by Studio71 and Bloody Disgusting. The sequel to '' V/H/S/94'' (2021), it is the fifth installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise. Set in 1999, the film features five f ...

'' (2022) *'' The House'' (2022) *'' We Are Still Here'' (2022) *'' V/H/S/85'' (2023) *''

Lust Stories 2 ''Lust Stories 2'' is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language anthology film, and second installment of ''Lust Stories'', consisting of four short film segments directed by R. Balki, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Ravindernath Sharma and Sujoy Ghosh. Co-produc ...

'' (2023) *'' Kinds of Kindness ''(2024) *''

That Christmas ''That Christmas'' is a 2024 animated Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Simon Otto (in his directorial debut) and written by Richard Curtis and Peter Souter. Produced by Locksmith Animation, it follows entwined storylines based on short ...

'' (2024) *'' V/H/S/Beyond'' (2024) *'' Predator: Killer of Killers'' (2025)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthology Film Film styles Film genres

Films

See also

References