Auteur theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Auteur theory - Essay Example Auteurism, or film analysis based on the idea of a directorial vision, grew out of his ideas. It spread to the United Kingdom, where the review Movie became its first primary practitioner. In the United States, Andrew Sarris introduced it in his 1962 essay â€Å"Notes on the Auteur Theory.† Sarris proposed some minimal requirements for a director to be considered an auteur: the director must demonstrate a level of competence in technique, evoke an individual style in terms of how a movie feels and looks, and even terms of overall theme. His work The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968, earned a reputation as the primary text for auteurism (Auteur theory). Auteurism has had its critics. Pauline Kael of The New Yorker objected to the idea of giving the director so much credit for a project that takes so many people to complete – not just the already mentioned scriptwriter, but the cinematographer as well. Also, auteurism can contribute greatly to the cost s of making a movie, and directors who develop a record of financial losses will not be able to bring a message of any kind to the big screen (Auteur theory). Also, New Criticism challenged auteur theory with its idea of the â€Å"intentional fallacy.† This referred to the idea that the words on a page of literature, or the images on a movie screen, are more important than the intentions of the author, or the intentions of the director. Because each viewer will approach a movie with a unique set of experiences and biases., the director's intention may never filter through the images and reach the mind of the viewer. In any discussion of directors who are considered auteurs, the name of Krzysztof Kieslowski comes to the forefront. Ironically, Kieslowski entered the study of film as a sort of detour on his original career path, which involved a desire to become a theater director. It was only when the College for Theater Technicians lacked a program for theater directors that he decided to study film as well (Krzysztof Kieslowski). Sieglohr posited that an auteur will see national identity as ripe fodder for "investigation and excavation" (Hill (Year) p. ). While Three Colors takes a look at the special significance of the three colors of the French flag, Kieslowski's early work took a look, as well, at the Polish national experience. As he studied film more extensively, he decided to make documentaries rather than directing plays. His first projects focused on the daily routines of workers, soldiers, and other citizens. However, even though Kieslowski's intentions were not to make political statements, even his attempts to depict the lives of Polish citizens realistically ran afoul of the censoring