Auteur Theory

BY LOUISE LAWS

About auteur theory

Auteur theory holds that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur" (the French word for "author"). In spite ofand sometimes even because ofthe production of the film as part of an industrial process, the auteur's creative voice is distinct enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference and through the collective process. In law, the film is treated as a work of art, and the auteur, as the creator of the film, is the original copyright holder. Under European Union law, the film director is considered the author or one of the authors of a film, largely as a result of the influence of auteur theory. Auteur theory draws on the work of a group of cinema enthusiasts who wrote for Cahiers du Cinma and argued that films should reflect a director's personal vision. The championed filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, and Jean Renoir are known as absolute 'auteurs' of their films. Although Andr Bazin, cofounder of the Cahiers, provided a forum for Auteurism to flourish, he explained his concern about its excesses in his article "On the Auteur Theory" (Cahier # 70, 1957). Another element of Auteur theory comes from Alexandre Astruc's notion of the camra-stylo or "camera-pen," which encourages directors to wield cameras as writers use pens and to guard against the hindrances of traditional storytelling. Truffaut and the members of the Cahiers recognized that movie-making was an industrial process. However, they proposed an ideal to strive for, encouraging the director to use the commercial apparatus as a writer uses a pen, and, through the mise en scne, imprint his or her vision on the work (minimizing the role of the screenwriter). Recognizing the difficulty of reaching this ideal, they valued the work of directors who came close. The definition of an Auteur was debated upon since the 1940s. Andre Bazin and Roger Leenhardt presented the theory that it is the director that brings the film to life and uses the film to express their thoughts and feelings about the subject matter as well as a world view as an auteur. An auteur can use lighting, camerawork, staging and editing to add to their vision.

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 29 April 1980) was an English film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, billed as England's best director, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in 1939 and became a U.S. citizen in 1955.
Hitchcock appeared briefly in most of his own films. For example, he is seen struggling to get a double bass onto a train (Strangers on a Train), or walking dogs out of a pet shop (The Birds), as a shadow (Family Plot) and sitting at a table in a photograph (Dial M for Murder). Alfreds most controversial film of all time was Pshyco. It was so controversial because he was so well known for beautifully shot productions, so to go from that to serious and psychological horror films, was a very big jump. The main thing this film was known for was the famous shower scene. The murder of Janet Leigh's character in the shower is the film's pivotal scene and one of the best-known in all of cinema. As such, it spawned numerous myths and legends. It was shot from December 17 to December 23, 1959, and features 77 different camera angles. A popular myth emerged that in order for Leigh's scream in the shower to sound realistic ice-cold water was used. Leigh denied this on numerous occasions, saying the crew was very accommodating supplying hot water throughout the week-long shoot. All of the screams are Leigh's. Another myth holds Hitchcock only told Leigh to stand in the shower and she had no idea her character was going to be murdered, causing an authentic reaction.

Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The Lodger (1926 - Silent) The Ring (1927 - Silent) Easy Virtue (1927 - Silent) Champagne (1928 - Silent) The Farmer's Wife (1928 - Silent) Manxman (1929) Blackmail (1929) Juno and the Paycock (1930) Murder! (1930) Skin Game (1931) Rich and Strange (1932) Number 17 (1932) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) The 39 Steps (1935) Secret Agent (1936) Sabotage (1936) Young and Innocent (1937) The Lady Vanishes (1938) Jamaica Inn (1939) Rebecca (1940) Foreign Correspondent (1940) Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) Suspicion (1941) Saboteur (1942)

Saboteur (1942) Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache (1944) Lifeboat (1944) Spellbound (1945) Notorious (1946) The Paradine Case (1947) Rope (1948) Under Capricorn (1949) Stage Fright (1950) Strangers on a Train (1951) I Confess (1953) Dial M for Murder (1954) Rear Window (1954) To Catch a Thief (1955)

The Trouble with Harry (1955) The Wrong Man (1956) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock (1958) North by Northwest (1959) Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock (1960) The Birds (1963) Marnie (1964) Torn Curtain (1966) Topaz (1969) Frenzy (1972) Family Plot (1976)

Tim Burton

Timothy Walter "Tim" Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American film director, film producer, writer, artist and animator. He is famous for his dark, gothic, macabre and quirky take on horror and fantasy style movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie, and for blockbusters such as Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, its first sequel Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland. Burton often casts certain actors in multiple directing projects. This includes Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Danny DeVito, Conchata Ferrell, Albert Finney, Carmen Filpi, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Jan Hooks, Rance Howard, Jeffrey Jones, O-Lan Jones, Michael Keaton, Martin Landau, Christopher Lee, Lisa Marie, Catherine O'Hara, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Vincent Price, Missi Pyle, Paul Reubens, Alan Rickman, Deep Roy, Winona Ryder, Diane Salinger, Glenn Shadix, Martin Short, Timothy Spall, Sylvia Sidney, Christopher Walken, Frank Welker, and Paul Whitehouse.

Films directed by Tim Burton

2012 - Frankenweenie 2012 - Dark Shadows 2010 - Alice in Wonderland 2007 - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2006 - Cinema16: American Short Films (video) 2005 - Corpse Bride 2005 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2003 - Big Fish 2001 - Planet of the Apes 2000 - The World of Stainboy (short) 1999 - Sleepy Hollow 1996 - Mars Attacks! 1994 - Ed Wood 1994 - Conversations with Vincent (video documentary) 1992 - Batman Returns 1990 - Edward Scissorhands 1989 - Batman 1988 - Beetlejuice

1986 - Faerie Tale Theatre (TV series) Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1986) The Jar (1986) 1986 - Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series) 1985 - Pee-wee's Big Adventure 1984 - Frankenweenie (short) 1982 - Vincent (short) 1982 - Luau (short) 1982 - Hansel and Gretel (TV movie) 1979 - Doctor of Doom (short) 1979 - Stalk of the Celery (short) 1971 - The Island of Doctor Agor (short)

Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 March 7, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and editor who did most of his work as an expatriate in the United Kingdom. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His films, typically adaptations of novels or short stories, are noted for their "dazzling"[1] and unique cinematography, attention to details to achieve realism and an inspired use of music scores. Kubrick's films covered a variety of genres, including war, crime, romantic and black comedies, horror, epic and science fiction. Kubrick was also noted for being a perfectionist, using painstaking care with scene staging and working closely with his actors. Leading directors, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Woody Allen, Terry Gilliam, the Coen brothers, Ridley Scott, and George A. Romero, have cited Kubrick as a source of inspiration, and in the case of Spielberg, collaboration. On the DVD of Eyes Wide Shut, Steven Spielberg, in an interview, comments on Kubrick that "nobody could shoot a picture better in history" but the way that Kubrick "tells a story is antithetical to the way we are accustomed to receiving stories".

Films directed by Stanley Kubrick

1999 - Eyes Wide Shut 1987 - Full Metal Jacket 1980 - The Shining 1975 - Barry Lyndon 1971 - A Clockwork Orange 1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey 1964 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1962 - Lolita 1960 - Spartacus

1957 - Paths of Glory 1956 - The Killing 1955 - Killer's Kiss 1953 - The Seafarers (documentary short) 1953 - Fear and Desire 1951 - Day of the Fight (documentary short) 1951 - Flying Padre: An RKO-Pathe Screenliner (documentary short)