Auteur Theory: Howard Hawks and Martin Scorsese Essay examples

I will talk about how auteur theory can be applied to the study of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and vertigo.

Alfred Hitchcock is widely regarded as a prime example of an auteur, a theory that emerged in the 1950s by Truffaut, in the ‘politique des auteurs’ of Cahiers du Cinema (Tudor 121). The auteur theory, as defined by Andrew Tudor, is premised on the assumption that “any director creates his films on the basis of a central structure”(140) and thus, if you consider their films in relation to each other, commonalities can be found within them. These commonalities work to demonstrate the view of the director as “the true creator of the film” (Tudor 122). Evidence of an auteur can be found in examining a director’s creative tendencies, in their distinctive themes and motifs, stylistic choices,

In 1962, an American film critic, Andrew Sarris, wrote the “notes on the auteur theory.” He stated that the “first premise of the auteur theory is the technical competence of a director as a criterion of

For this paper, I have decided to compare two Hitchcock films. Ever since I can remember, I have seen Alfred Hitchcock films; Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, I enjoy his work because I like the suspense, and visual effects that he was able to accomplish. Out of all of his films, I believe that my favorite Hitchcock films would have to be Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958), because I think that the two incorporate everything that is “Alfred Hitchcock”. Hitchcock films are known for being mysterious, cynical, as well as suspenseful and they are all similar because of his use of symbolism, light, repetitive actors, and repetition of theme.

“A true film auteur is someone who brings something genuinely personal to his subject, instead of producing something tasteful, accurate but lifeless rendering of the original material,” a quote by Francois Truffaut. Auteur Theory was bold and risky for Francois Truffaut and Orson Welles to carry out throughout their film, but doing so led to having a wider audience and creating impressive memorial films. This New Wave of cinema had inspired many film makers to go outside the box and has led to the creation of idolizing films. An example would be Tim Burton, who has created many loved fantasy films from his unique out-there approach to directing. Auteur Theory has really shown us the importance of creating subjects of work that really reflect

Film has been a prominent topic in society since its conception. One of the most important physical areas of film creation is located in Hollywood, California. Hollywood has produced some of the most recognizable directors and film creators. Walter Elias Disney is one major example of this. He is still extremely well known because of the vast business he created that is still thriving today. Many people have argued that his career fits within either the classical auteur theory or the structuralist auteur theory, but no argument has been as strong as the one that supports Disney’s career as the commercial auteur theory. The fact that Walt Disney’s work was very much affected by elements outside of his films shows that his career fits within the commercial, or consumer, auteur film theory.

To answer this question critics created auteur theory. A response not only to the commercial elements of film, but a response to form of art built by a community. I wonder if the transition from the individual to collective is too large of leap in the conversation of the artist. That auteur theory is (partially) in response to the classical idea of the lone artist. If it is easier to disregard the writer and actors as masons and electricians, toiling in construction, in pursuit of a single architects view of a building. The director is king, simply because he is an

Wes Anderson, an American director widely known for his idiosyncratic films, is the epitome of an auteur. However, what does being an auteur entail, and why are directors like Anderson (and e.g. Woody Allen, Akira Kurosawa or Alfred Hitchcock) separate from metteur-en-scenes or those simply regarded as filmmakers? To even begin justifying Anderson’s auteur status, prior knowledge of the history of auteur theory and its intended function is essential. Authorship was introduced by filmmaker Francois Truffaut, a catalyst of the French New Wave (1958 – 1962), to advocate that “...a great director speaks through his films no less than a master novelist speaks through his books...” (Powell, 2010, para 8). It is also used to address the

The term Auteur seems to bless a privileged group of filmmakers with an almost messiah-like legacy. Men such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford and Fritz Lange are believed to inhabit the ranks of the cinematic elite, and not surprisingly most critics are more than willing to bestow upon them the title of Auteur. By regarding filmmaking as yet another form of art, Auteur theory stipulates that a film is the direct result of its director's genius. With the emerging prominence of auteur based criticism in the 1950?s, the role of the director became increasingly integral to a film's success. However most would argue that this form of criticism didn't reach its apex until 1960s, when Andrew Sarris released his

Unlike older directors, directors in New Hollywood were both aware of critical film terms like auteurism and had nearly endless control over their production. In this way, these directors were often aware of their corpus, and tried to implement their styles into that corpus. One of the earlier auteurs that French film credits were able to identify was Howard Hawkes. Hawkes, being a classic Hollywood director, was very limited in that he could not break the established invisible editing. His auteurisms, therefore, could only be implemented thematically or through certain motifs. One of Hawks signatures was to cast a funny man as comedic relief. However, in post-production code New Hollywood, directors began to have almost total control of their corpus.

There is a certain familiarity yet suspense while watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie. In true sense – Alfred Hitchcock was an Auteur. Alfred Hitchcock was a film director and producer, who at times was also referred to as "The Master of Suspense". He pioneered many elements of the suspense and psychological thriller genres. He had a successful career in British cinema with both silent films and early talkies and became renowned as England 's best director. Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in 1939 and became a US citizen in 1955. The following essay, will, using the example of Alfred Hitchcock, discuss critically the contribution of the director to the patterns of themes and style in a group of films.

In the late history of film, few individuals have truly made something so unparalleled that it could influence the entire business. Tim Burton has delivered an extraordinary measurement of movies that elevate the inquiry, is Burton one of these individuals? Might he be clever to merely be a ordinary, if topsy-turvy, producer who has figured out how to convince everybody he is phenomenal, or would he say he is the splendid visual craftsman who utilizes his abilities to make marvelous motion pictures? The director's part in present-day Hollywood is loaded with controversy. He has earned the status of auteur. Burton is a director who has had an effect—both in the business and on the silver screen goers—and whose movies, so uncommon in their honest

Robert Drew can easily be described as one well known filmmaker of the cinema verite genre. Drew formed his own production company, Drew’s Associates, in 1960. Drew, as well as Richard Leacock, were both considered the first people for making the cinema methods what they became today. The three key areas of Drew’s philosophy for cinema verite is “knowledge, journalism, and storytelling”, which lead to him to fund his own company once he had enough recognition and a team (Levin 1/25). Drew’s Associates grew in members as more filmmakers came into the company to work with Drew and his films. The films he directed were an extension of his past and his background in photojournalism. Drew believed that facts should come before ideas. He focuses more on the people rather than the plot, which is made evident in several of his films.

When it comes to movies, many directors are good at their jobs. However, other directors are great in the art of film making. There is no doubt such statement is considered utterly subjective, but what would life be without subjectivity, for it is our differences that make us thrive against a monotonic existence. By the same token, Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan utilize their singularities to create films that for decades have impacted the movie making universe. In fact, it is their differences that provide us with a high contrast to compare and scrutinize their job and find what made them great at it.

The art of film made it’s way into the penetration stage around the turn of the century and remained there until