Introduction to Film Studies 8: Auteur Theory
Introduction to Film Studies Lesson 8: Auteur Theory
Part of the Introduction to Film Studies course.
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Who is the Author?
Introduction: The Director as God
When we discuss a novel, we say, "This is a book by Hemingway." When we discuss a painting, we say, "This is a Picasso." We assume that a single human consciousness is responsible for the work.
But for the first fifty years of cinema, people did not speak this way about movies. They said, "This is an MGM movie," or "This is a Bogart movie."
Cinema is a massive industrial process involving hundreds of technicians, actors, writers, and producers. Because of this collaborative chaos, critics originally assumed that no single person could be the "artist" in charge. A director was viewed merely as a manager – someone hired to make sure the actors didn't bump into the furniture.
That changed in the 1950s with the birth of Auteur Theory. This theory argues that, despite the army of technicians, the director is the sole Author (or Auteur) of the film. It posits that a great director is not just a manager, but a visionary whose personal worldview and artistic signature can be traced across every single one of their films.
1. The History: The French Revolution
Auteur theory was born in post-war France. A group of young, rebellious critics writing for the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma (including future legends like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard) began re-watching American Hollywood movies.
They noticed something strange. If you watched five westerns by John Ford, they all looked and felt different from five westerns by Howard Hawks, even though they used the same actors, the same scripts, and the same studios.
- John Ford’s films were about community, tradition, and the landscape.
- Howard Hawks’ films were about professionalism, male bonding, and stoicism.
Truffaut published a famous manifesto titled "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema," in which he argued that there are no good or bad movies; there are only good or bad directors. This revolutionized film criticism. Suddenly, we weren't just reviewing the plot; we were reviewing the soul of the filmmaker.
2. The Three Criteria of the Auteur
The theory was brought to America by the critic Andrew Sarris, who standardized it into a "test." He visualized Auteur Theory as three concentric circles. To be considered an Auteur, a director must pass all three layers:
- Technical Competence: The director must know how to make a movie. Their lighting, editing, and blocking must be proficient. (The Mechanic).
- Distinguishable Personality (The Signature): This is the most famous criterion. You must be able to recognize their style within five minutes.
- Quentin Tarantino: Non-linear plots, extreme violence, pop-culture dialogue, bare feet.
- Wes Anderson: Perfect symmetry, pastel colors, deadpan acting, Futura font.
- Alfred Hitchcock: Voyeurism, blondes in danger, the "wrong man" accused of a crime.
- Interior Meaning: The deepest layer. The film must express a deeper philosophical worldview that comes from the director’s own soul. It isn't just about looking the same; it's about feeling the same.
3. The Counter-Argument: The Pauline Kael Debate
Not everyone agrees with this "Great Man" theory of history. The most famous opponent was the American critic Pauline Kael.
She argued that Auteur theory was elitist and ignored the reality of filmmaking. She famously wrote an essay titled "Raising Kane," in which she argued that the genius of Citizen Kane wasn't just Orson Welles; it was also the screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and the cinematographer Gregg Toland.
Kael championed the idea of Collaboration. She argued that cinema is a messy, chaotic group effort, and giving all the credit to the director is an insult to the writers, editors, and actors who actually do the work. By worshipping the "Auteur," we risk forgiving bad movies just because a "Great Director" made them. If a genius makes a boring movie, Auteur theory tries to explain why it's actually brilliant. Kael argued we should just admit it's boring.
The Philosophical Horizon: The Death of the Author
Why does this matter to philosophy? Because it leads us to the French philosopher Roland Barthes and his concept of "The Death of the Author."
Barthes argued that once a work of art is released into the world, the author's intention is irrelevant. It doesn't matter what Christopher Nolan meant when he made Inception. It only matters what you see in it.
Auteur theory tries to resurrect the Author as a God-figure, the ultimate source of meaning ("What did the director intend?"). Barthes argues that the Viewer is the true God, the one who creates meaning by interpreting the text ("What does the text say?").
When you study film, you are constantly caught in this tension: Are you trying to decode the director's mind (Auteurism), or are you trying to read the film on its own terms (Post-Structuralism)?
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Today's Prompt: The Signature
Pick a director you believe is an Auteur (e.g., Scorsese, Nolan, Gerwig, Spielberg).
- The Director: Who is it?
- The Signature: What visual or thematic element appears in all of their films? (Is it slow-motion? Father-son issues? A specific color?)
- The Verdict: Could you identify their movie without seeing the credits?
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