From Screenpedia

Contents 1 Auteur = author 2 Evolution of the auteur theory 3 Godfathers of the auteur theory and of the French New Wave (nouvelle vague) 3.1 Henri Langlois 3.2 André Bazin (1918-1958) 3.3 Auteur theory’s manifesto: 3.4 François Truffaut, “A Certain Tendency in the French Cinema” (1954) 3.5 Alexander Astruc 4 Auteur theory moves out of France 4.1 UK: Movie 4.2 US: Andrew Sarris, “Notes on the Auteur Theory” (1962) 4.2.1 The debate ended with the book: American Cinema: Directors & Directions (1968) 4.3 Peter Wollen, Signs and Meaning in the Cinema (1969) 4.4 Two main categories of auteurist critics

Auteur = author

• This theory states that the person most responsible for the way the film looks is the director.

Evolution of the auteur theory

• Post-WW II France
  • WWII ended in France in 1945
    • All the backlog of U.S. films helped fuel the explosion of Film Interest.
    • Film magazines, societies, and film archives started.

Godfathers of the auteur theory and of the French New Wave (nouvelle vague)

• Beginning in 1959-1960.

Henri Langlois

• Founded the Cinémathèque Française in 1936 and was a key figure about teaching film in this time period.
  • This place had film archives and screening rooms.
    • This meeting place provided film history.

André Bazin (1918-1958)

• He co-founded and was the editor of Cahiers du Cinéma ( Notebook of films)in April 1951 until his death in 1958.
• he attacked the film establishment and wanted something new and different.
• Provided a forum for New Wave directors.

Auteur theory’s manifesto:

François Truffaut, “A Certain Tendency in the French Cinema” (1954)

• " A Certain Tendency in the French Cinema" (1954)
• Attacked the "Tradition of Quality"
  • Bloated adaptations of French literary classics.
    • François hated them because the directors were just skillful directors from print to cinema, but did not add their unique perspective to it.

• Metteur-en-scene
  • is a director who doesn't add their own personality, perspective, and vision to the adapted for screen films.

• He advocated for “la politique des auteurs”="policy/polemic of authors"
• Auteur=director who invests his or her own vision in film.
  • For ex. auteurs=D.W. Griffith, Eric von Stoheim, Howard Hawks, John Ford, Alfred Hitchock.
    • There weren't a lot of women directing at this time.
• Looks for recurring themes, narrative structure, and visual/sound style.

• Bazin is best known for Qu'est-ce que le cinéma? (What is Cinema?)
  • He was more interested in realism than auteur theory.

Alexander Astruc

• Filmmaker and critic
• “la caméra stylo”= camera as stylus.
  • camera as pen=they were developing their own "language: of cinema.
• The director is the author of the film.

Auteur theory moves out of France

UK: Movie

• First English-language auteurist journal in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

US: Andrew Sarris, “Notes on the Auteur Theory” (1962)

• This is where the half French/half English phrase comes from.
• Major film debates of the 1960s:
  • Was it vital? Did it explain how film works?

The debate ended with the book: American Cinema: Directors & Directions (1968)

• Index of films with director and year was created.
  • This was an aid for people who wanted to talk about films and their directors.
  • Essays on directors arrayed in categories
    • For example, "The Pantheon"
• This book became the Bible for Auteur critics.

Peter Wollen, Signs and Meaning in the Cinema (1969)

• It was important to author theory because the was the one who came up with the first history of author theory.

Two main categories of auteurist critics

1. Mise-en-scene critics
   • focused on visual style as an expression of the auteur.
2. Structuralist critics
   • Narrative structure
   • And binary thematic opposition.