Auteur theory

Brief analysis of Andrew Sarris's 'Auteur Theory'

1. A uteur T heory: 'Auteur' is the French word for 'author'. In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a director's reflects the director's personal creative vision . Sometimes the auteur's creative voice can be distinct enough to shine through even with all of the studio interference and through the group process of making a film. In law, the auteur is the one who originally holds the copyright, as they are the creator of the film. As a result of the auteur theory, under European law, the director is considered the author or one of the authors in a film. Since 1954, auteur theory has influenced film criticism , when it was advocated by film director and critic, Francois Truffaut . This method of film analysis was originally associated with French New Wave .

2. A uteur T heory: In America, a few years later, Andrew Sarris, developed auteur theory through the writings of ‘The Village Voice’ He used the theory as a way to further analysis of what defines serious work through the study of respected writers/directors. O rigins: The term ‘Auteur Theory’ originated from Andrews Sarris’s essay ‘Notes on the Auteur Theory’ in 1962. Auteur theory draws on the work of cinema enthusiasts who wrote ‘Cahiers du Cinema’ and argued that a directors vision should be reflected in their films. Absolute Auteurs : - Alfred Hitchcock - Akira Kurosawa - Jean Renoir Alexandre Astruc’s concept of the ‘ caméra-stylo ’ (camera pen) promotes directors to wield cameras as writers use pens and to guard against the obstacles of traditional storytelling.

3. O rigins: Truffaut expressed that directors should use the mise -en-scène to imprint their vision on their work. Andre Bazin and Roger Leenhardt also expressed that the director brings the film to life and uses it to express their feelings on the subject matter. An auteur can also use lighting, setting, staging, and editing to add to their vision . According to Andrew Sarris in his ‘Notes on the Auteur Theory’, a director must accomplish technical competence in their technique, personal style in terms of how the movie looks and feels, and interior meaning . C riticism: Starting in the 1960s film critics began to criticise the auteur theory’s focus on the authorial role of the director . One reason for this is the collaborative aspect of film making. Aljean Harmetz argued that the auteur theory “collapses against the reality of the studio system ” . The New Critics argued that speculation about an author’s intention was secondary to the words on the page as the basis of the experience of reading literature.