Definitions, origins, examples and how to use both Auteur Theory and Genre Analysis to define

meaning in a film text

Auteur Theory

Literally, Auteur is French for ‘Author’ and in film studies can refer to the following:

The director, producer or studio as principal ‘creator’ of a film

The filmmaker creates meaning/ideological messageA filmmaker who demonstrates technical excellenceA filmmaker who makes films of artistic merit rather than

commercial valueA filmmaker who makes films with an individual style and

themesThese individual styles and themes will often appear across

a number of different films/genres, by the same director

A definition

Any filmmaker who has UNCONVENTIONAL ideas or CHALLENGES accepted genre conventions and breaks away from them

An Easier definition……

Reservoir Dogs (Crime/Heist)

Pulp Fiction (Crime)Desperado (Western Producer/Actor)From Dusk ‘Till Dawn

(Horror)Jackie Brown (Crime)Kill Bill (Action/Martial Arts)DeathProof

(Action/Grindhouse)Inglorious Basterds (War)

Quentin Tarantino

Pulp Fiction (1993)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AHETuK70Sc

Spartacus (Historical Drama)

Dr Strangelove (Satirical Comedy)

A Clockwork Orange (Sci-Fi/Crime/Horror??)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Sci-Fi)

The Shining (Horror)Full Metal Jacket (War)Eyes Wide Shut

(Psychological Thriller)_

Stanley Kubrick

A Clock work Orange (1971)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Xc-9YeWE4&feature=related

Some Auteurs stick within one genre but employ distinctive new style and themes, for example Wes Craven re-invented the teen horror genre with a distinctive and original representation of dreams and reality, in films like:

A Nightmare on Elm Street A New Nightmare The Serpent & The Rainbow

And created the concept of ‘horror satire’ with

Scream

Wes Craven

Scream (1996)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTWf9QGdJCQ

Patton (War)The Godfather (Crime)Apocalypse Now (War)The Outsiders (Teen Drama)Peggy Sue Got Married (Comedy)Dracula (Gothic Horror)Tetro (Family Drama)

Francis Ford Coppola

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKaYOW9zMoY&feature=related

Apocalyse Now

The vertically integrated (i.e. in complete control)Hollywood Studio system (1930s-1950s) key directors: Howard Hawkes, Orson Welles, John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock,

The age of auteur freedom (Hollywood allowed creative freedom late 1960s-1970s) Coppola, Scorsese, Cimono

High concept and independent Hollywood (Hollywood went

bust from giving directors too much money in the 70’s!! Consider the cost of the previous clip!! )

(1980’s on) Tarantino, Scott, Cameron, The Coen Brothers, The Waschowski Brothers

By era…

Francois Truffaut…..coined the term ‘Auteur’ in 1954 as a reaction against French cinema repeatedly recognizing the scriptwriter as ‘author’ of a film, not the director

Andrew Saris….In 1962 popularised the idea of the Hollywood studio system as being responsible for producing key directors, such as Hitchcock, John Ford, therefore the film producer and even the studio itself could be considered part of the auteur process, not just the director

Roland Barthes…In 1968 challenged all of the above and said there was no such thing as ‘the author of a film!! It was the ‘reader’, i.e. the cinema audience or ALL OF US which defines meaning from a film text, all a director, producer or studio does recycle conventions/narratives and characters…..

Key Theorists

The GENRE ANALYST looks for patterns in a scientific, objective manner (codes/conventions etc…)

The AUTEURIST looks for creative artistic quality in a subjective manner (breaking of conventions, artistic quality etc)

Differences in analysis

Choose ONE GENRE from the following slides. Choose a genre that you are familiar with and are comfortable to study

Watch at least two examples of films (in full) which are conventional to the genre. Use your genre analysis sheets to make notes and my lists as a starting point

Watch at least one example of a film (in full) of the same genre which breaks away from the genre conventions. Use your genre analysis sheet. Remember to consider whilst watching: what makes the director of the film an auteur?

Task:

Breakfast at Tiffany’sWhen Harry Met Sally4 Weddings & A FuneralBridget JonesSex and The CityBride WarsLove and Other Drugs

Romantic comedy

By Auteur…..

Annie Hall (Woody Allen)Manhattan (Woody Allen)Punch Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)

The Breakfast ClubAbout Last NightMean GirlsElection

Teen Drama

By Auteur

BrickElephantDonnie DarkoThe Virgin SuicidesJuno

All Quiet on the Western Front

Aces HighThe Battle of

BritainThe Longest DayThe Green Berets

War

By Auteur:

The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimono)Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppola)Platoon (Oliver Stone)Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick)Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg)Saving Private Ryan (Steven Speilberg)Battle for Haditha (Nick Broomfield)Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro)The Hurt Locker (Katherine Bigelow

GoldfingerDirty HarryEnter the DragonDie HardFirst BloodTomb RaiderQuantum of

Solace

Action Thriller

By Auteur:Nikita (Luc Besson)Leon (Luc Besson)Kill Bill (Quentin Tarantino)

By Auteur…

The Good the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone)

A Fistful of Dollars (Sergio Leone)

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)

Westworld (Western/Sci-Fi)

Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimono)

The Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)

The Western

• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance• High Noon• Hang ‘em High!• Stagecoach• Rio Grande• The Magnificent Seven

Flash GordonBuck RogersCreature From

The Black Lagoon

The Incredible Shrinking Man

War of The Worlds

Independence Day

SkylineBattle Los

Angeles

Science FictionBy Auteur

Metropolis (Fritz Lang)The Day The Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise)Forbidden Planet (Fred Wilcox)Invasion of The Body Snatchers (Don Siegel)2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)Westworld ( Michael Critchon)Dark Star (John Carpenter)Star Wars (George Lucas)Alien (Ridley Scott)Bladerunner (Ridley Scott)District 9 (Neill Blomkamp)Moon (Duncan Jones)Inception (Christopher Nolan)

Sub genres; The Heist movie, the gangster movie

ScarfaceAngels with

Dirty FacesThe Thomas

Crown AffairOceans 11

Crime

By Auteur:

The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)Mean Streets (Martin Scorcese)Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet)Scarface (Brian De Palma) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)

NosferatuFrankensteinDraculaHalloweenFriday the 13th

Fright NightCarrieProm NightI Know What You

Did Last SummerWrong TurnFinal Destination

Horror

By Auteur

Night of The Living Dead (George A Romero)The Exorcist (William Freidkin)Jaws (Steven Spielberg)The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)Alien (Ridley Scott)A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven)Scream (Wes Craven)The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Mycrick)The Ring (Hideo Nakata) 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle)Rec (Jaume Balagueró)