The Auteur Theory

Film Theory
Chinese International School
IB Film Studies
2010-2011
“The "James Cameron" brand is on the
level of a "George Lucas" or "Steven
Spielberg." Every writer-director dreams of
having this status …”

- The Hollywood Reporter

What is the Auteur Theory?
What is the Auteur Theory?
A theory that proposes that a director is
the author of the film.

 The term ‘author’ implies that the director

is the primary creative source and,
 The director’s films express their own
distinctive vision of the world.
The Idea of the Auteur
 Emerged from specific cultural milleu:
postwar France (1940s-1950s).
 Developed by cinephiles who were
filmmakers and theorists;
 Theory published and discussed in the
influential film journal, Cahiers du Cinema.
The Idea of the Auteur

 Directors: Francois Truffaut, Eric Rohmer,

Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol

 Theorists: Andre Bazin, Alexandre Astruc

The Idea of the Auteur
 1948 – Alexandre Astruc used the word
‘camera-stylo’ (camera-pen) to describe
his idea of film as a medium of personal
expression.
 1954 – Truffaut published ‘A Certain
Tendency of French Cinema’ that
endorsed Astruc’s ideas and naming the
‘Auteur Theory’.
‘A Certain Tendency of French
Cinema’
 Average film director merely translates a
pre-existing work (novel or screenplay)
into film.
 Auteur transforms the material and makes
it his own.Writer-directors and directors
who shape pre-existing material according
to a distinctive, creative sensibility are
auteurs.
‘A Certain Tendency of French
Cinema’
 Favourably compared Hollywood films
with French cinema’s ‘tradition of quality’.
 Auteur approach focused attention on the
artistry of Hollywood and not what many
saw as its crass commercialism.
“Filmmakers like Eisenstein, Renoir and Welles had always been regarded
as auteurs… The novelty of auteur theory was to suggest that studio
directors like Hawks and Minnelli were also auteurs” (Robert Stam)
The Sarris – Kael Debate
 Theory sparked debates about which
directors deserved to be called auteurs.
 In the U.S., the discussion of authorship
appeared in the journal, ‘Film Culture’ and
in ‘The New Yorker’
 Chronicled a famous debate between film
critics, Andrew Sarris and Pauline Kael.
‘Notes on the Auteur Theory’
(1962), Andrew Sarris
 Created a version of the Auteur Theory
primarily designed to evaluate directors.

1) Whether or not an individual director is

an auteur;
2) Where a director ranks among all
auteurs
‘Notes on the Auteur Theory’
(1962), Andrew Sarris
1) Criteria:
2) Technical competence
3) A distinguishable personality
4) Films in auteur’s work must share an interior
meaning that links the director’s vision and
subject matter. E.g. Stanley Kubrick and his
imperfect humans and the flawed technology
they create in their own image.
Pauline Kael
1) Challenged Sarris’ criteria:
2) Some great filmmakers are crude directorial
technicians, e.g. Chaplin
3) ‘Distinguishable personality’ favoured repetition,
penalizing directors who risked venturing beyond a
familiar genre or style.
4) ‘Interior meaning’ too vague
5) Theory might lead critics to overvalue trivial films made
by established ‘auteurs’.
6) Theory does not take into account collaborative nature
of filmmaking.
Other limitations
1) Theory implies that director always possesses
conscious intentions to produce a film and a body of
work.
2) Though principle of dialectical tension is a good one,
the director has to have a fighting chance with the
material.
3) Some films are dominated by stars rather than
directors.
4) Some excellent films have been made by directors
who are mediocre.
5) Great directors sometimes produce bombs.
 Despite limitations, Auteur Theory remains
central to film scholarship and criticism.
 Powerful notion of film authorship exerts
an influence on filmmaking as a cultural
practice.
Film Criticism using the Auteur
Theory
 Director’s life and career become the
frame of reference;
 Look for patterns because films made by
same director in spite of differences in era,
location and technology.
 Identify whether a film is typical of (or an
aberration of) the director’s oeuvre.
Film Criticism using the Auteur
Theory
 Compare two or more directors to note
similarities and differences. E.g. Welles and
Ford
 A director’s work might be reconsidered through
it’s influence, e.g. Todd Haynes and Douglas
Sirk
 Can be used to strengthen the interpretation of a
theme. E.g. Welles and individuals corrupted by
power.
Task 1
 Recreate a 1 minute replication of one of
the following:
 1) The rooftop scene from ‘Infernal Affairs’
 2) The shower scene from ‘Psycho’, or
 3) The ‘contender’ scene from ‘On the
Waterfront’
Task 1
 Points will be awarded for how close the
following are observed:
 1) Setting
 2) Costume and Make Up
 3) Props
 4) Performance & Movement
 5) Framing & Composition.
Task 2 - Auteur or not?
 Research a director from each of the
reverse engineering project.
 Study his filmography and decide on this
person’s signature techniques or strategies;
 Should this director be considered an
auteur? Create a short documentary script
explaining your discoveries.