The auteur theory was introduced in the film industry in 1954 when Francois Truffaut claimed that directors are significantly using their films to express their personal ideas (Thompson and Bordwell 33). The importance of the theory has been under criticism in the recent past. Critiques have questioned the basis for which a director would be recognized as “author.” Moreover, there have been concerns on whether the auteur is recognized more based on the creative aspects of the film or on the scripts that he/she chooses to display in the film. This paper would seek to assess the components of a director’s film that are highly influential in his recognition as an auteur. Auteur theory became a predominant issue in the film industry during or slightly after the Second World War. During that time, many French movies were sold to Europe so that the people in Europe could update themselves with what had transpired in France during the world war. Those who watched the films noticed that every collection had somewhat a personal signature associated with its director. There was a certain theme or style that dominated each specific collection. This notion drew the attention of the major stakeholders in the film industry into investigating why some of the directors would present the given qualities while others could not (Truffaut 103). From the onset, auteur theory would appear simple; its primary premise that the director under certain circumstances would be recognized as the author of the film (Thompson and Bordwell 105). However, the underlying question is what the issues and circumstances investigated for a director to be considered an auteur would be. Should they be the scripts that the directors choose to use or the dominant th... ... middle of paper ... ...his works. In summary, Hitchcock, Burton and Renoir were each considered auteur based on the dominant theme and the identical style that was evident in their film collections. Consequently, it is evident that an auteur is recognized more for the creative aspects of the film, that is the theme and style used and not the ideas/scripts that he chooses to use (Traffaut 147). Works Cited Auteur Theory. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome /siryan/screen/auteur%20theory.htm BBC. Auteur Theory in Film Criticism. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A22928772 Durgat, Raymond. Auteur and Dream Factory. Cambridge. 2007. Thompson, Kristin and Bordwell, David. Film History: An Introduction. New York. McGraw Hill, 2003. Truffaut, Francois. A Certain Tendency in French Cinema. Boston. Little Brown. 2009.
In the film industry, there are directors who merely take someone else’s vision and express it in their own way on film, then there are those who take their own visions and use any means necessary to express their visions on film. The latter of these two types of directors are called auteurs. Not only do auteurs write the scripts from elements that they know and love in life, but they direct, produce, and sometimes act in their films as well. Three prime examples of these auteurs are: Kevin Smith, Spike Lee and Alfred Hitchcock.
To fully understand the relationship between a filmmaker and a composer, it is helpful to take a closer look at the filmmaker’s position towards music in film in general; these can of course differ substantially from one director to another. It seems, one must think, that the complete narrative and emotive potential of film music is not yet fully recognized and appreciated in many film produc...
With the loss of its centralized structure, the film industry produced filmmakers with radical new ideas. The unique nature of these films was a product of the loss of unified identity.
Spike Lee is a pure example of an auteur actor. He doesn’t make films please critics, but rather to make a film the way he wants. Lee won’t give in towards tension in the movie world, which is similar to the great auteurs. The inspiration Spike Lee has left on young Hispanic and African-Americans in the film world is astonishing. While becoming a godfather for the minority, Shelton Jackson Lee is considered an auteur to extent by addressing provocative subjects, playing an acting role, unique traits, and being consistent.
In Hollywood today, most films can be categorized according to the genre system. There are action films, horror flicks, Westerns, comedies and the likes. On a broader scope, films are often separated into two categories: Hollywood films, and independent or foreign ‘art house’ films. Yet, this outlook, albeit superficial, was how many viewed films. Celebrity-packed blockbusters filled with action and drama, with the use of seamless top-of-the-line digital editing and special effects were considered ‘Hollywood films’. Films where unconventional themes like existentialism or paranoia, often with excessive violence or sex or a combination of both, with obvious attempts to displace its audiences from the film were often attributed with the generic label of ‘foreign’ or ‘art house’ cinema.
John Gibbs and Douglas Pye (2005) Style and meaning : studies in the detailed analysis of film. Engalnd: Manchester University Press, pp 42-52.
The entire idea of the Auteur theory started with Francois Truffaut when he wrote an essay. In the essay, he stipulated that film is a way that directors can express their personal ideas and that this is how directors can now be classified as auteurs in their own sense.
The auteur theory is a view on filmmaking that consists of three equally important premises: technical competence, interior meaning, and personal signature of the director. Auteur is a French word for author. The auteur theory was developed by Andrew Sarris, a well-known American film critic. Technical competence of the Auteur deals with how the director films the movie in their own style. Personal signature includes recurring themes that are present within the director’s line of work with characteristics of style, which serve as a signature. The third and ultimate premise of the Auteur theory is the interior meaning which is basically the main theme behind the film.
Genres are ways of providing films with the intended associations. It is a convention in which people can refer to initially grasp the notion of a film, “for the vast publicity system that exists around filmmaking, genres are a simple way to characterize film. In fact, reviewers are often central in gathering and crystallizing notions about genres.” (Bordwell & Thompson, 2004: 110).
This New Wave aesthetic solidified film as a mainstream artform, stressing that film was carefully crafted similarly to literature. Individual directors, or auteurs, were expected to “author” their films in much the same way that an author would write a novel. This auteur theory and its accompanying aesthetic became the backbone of the French New Wave and was what drove innovation. Breaking free from the screenwriter, producer, and studio driven systems of the past, and putting the creative power back in the hands of the director was seen as a crucial step in solving Cahiers’ perceived problems with French cinema before the movement.
The films of Alfred Hitchcock provide some of the best evidence in favor of the auteur theory. Hitchcock uses many techniques that act as signatures on his films, enabling the viewer to possess an understanding of any Hitchcock film before watching it. His most famous signature is his cameo appearance in each of his films, but Hitchcock also uses more technical signatures like doubling, visual contrast, and strategically placed music to create suspense.
Think about your favorite movie. When watching that movie, was there anything about the style of the movie that makes it your favorite? Have you ever thought about why that movie is just so darn good? The answer is because of the the Auteur. An Auteur is the artists behind the movie. They have and individual style and control over all elements of production, which make their movies exclusively unique. If you could put a finger on who the director of a movie is without even seeing the whole film, then the person that made the movie is most likely an auteur director. They have a unique stamp on each of their movies. This essay will be covering Martin Scorsese, you will soon find out that he is one of the best auteur directors in the film industry. This paper will include, but is not limited to two of his movies, Good Fellas, and The Wolf of Wall Street. We will also cover the details on what makes Martin Scorsese's movies unique, such as the common themes, recurring motifs, and filming practices found in their work. Then on
Before each of these conventions is defined and analysed the process of making a Classical Hollywood film must first be described; it begins with either the completion of a script or the hiring of a scr...
It is no doubt that Martin Scorsese has heavily influenced the emulating of American film making from European influences. He is a prime example of a ‘New Hollywood Cinema’ director, not only from his ethnicity and background, but from his sheer interest in this form
“Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.