The Auteur Theory- Film Rants

As you may guess from the title of this article, the auteur theory comes from the French word auteur meaning "author". This is a theory that came into full swing during French New Wave era of cinema featuring such directors as Jean Luc Goddard. In it's rawest form, the auteur theory indicates that the director is essentially an artist with a canvas or an author with a selection of empty pages. I personally don't agree with this theory for 1 big reason; when an artist paints a picture or when an author writes a novel, it's usually one person; a film, on the other hand is a collaborative effort.

Now, I'm not saying that there aren't any "auteurs" out there, in that certain directors will have particular styles, such as Burton's use of exaggerating colours mixed with bleak surroundings, Anderson's symmetrical cinematography or Tarantino's use of music. These styles would arguably make these directors "auteurs" but does that mean that they should deserve all of the credit. Good direction does make for a good film, but so does a good script and good acting. In many cases the direction wil have a lot to say for the acting and writing, but does that mean that they should be given credit for this? No.

My other big issue with this sort of elitism in cinema is the injustice of the industry. Typically the ones left at the bottom of the heap in the industry are the screenwriters. I know that many studios, producers and directors receive hundreds upon hundreds of scripts every week, but without a good script a films is useless. If a script won't allow the audience to engage with a character or keep hold of continuity then the audience will feel detached from the film and much less invested than intended. Sometimes detachment from a character is intended, but this is a rarity, and so a good script becomes a necessity. It seems that it is only during the awards season when the screenwriters get the credit they arguably deserve.

Admittedly, I am not as thoroughly educated as many others on this topic, but I have been taught the basics surrounding the auteur theory, so please do note that this is in no way a professional opinion, but a passionate film student giving his opinion on an important aspect of cinema history.