An Auteur is a filmmaker who has a personal style that manifests in tension, shot style, thematic consistencies, perceptible world vision that leave a traceable mark or signature upon the films much like an author or a painter would on their work. The auteur theory holds that the director is the primary person responsible for the creation of a motion picture with his or her distinctive, recognizable style. After the ban of imported films during the Second World War was lifted in Europe ,new styles, genres and filmmakers from the United States and elsewhere made their way through France. Andre Bazin was the founder, in 1951, of Cahiers du cinema and is often seen as the father of auteurism because of his appreciation of the world-view and style of such artists as Charlie Chaplin and Jean Renoir
During World war two Joseph Goebbels control the french film industry and banned all foreign films but after the war ended a flood of American films made there way through France, especially Paris. among them were the works of Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock Nicholas Ray, Anthony Mann, and others of the western and film noir genres.
During World war two Joseph Goebbels control the french film industry and banned all foreign films but after the war ended a flood of American films made there way through France, especially Paris. among them were the works of Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock Nicholas Ray, Anthony Mann, and others of the western and film noir genres.
For Auteur I decided to look at Martin Scorsese. I first saw Goodfellas(1990) when i was 13 and was blown away. It was His films have a real grittiness and rawness to them. The personal life of Martin Scorsese sheds a great deal of light onto his cinematic career. Diagnosed with severe asthma as a child, Scorsese was unable to participate in any athletic activities, leaving him two sanctuaries: the Catholic Church and the local movie theater. Growing up in Little Italy, Scorsese was inspired predominantly by the Neo-Realist Italian filmmakers of the 1960s, endlessly influential in his early works as a film major at New York University. His first feature film, Who’s That Knocking at my Door? (1969), was a semi-autobiographical feature on growing up in Little Italy. The film also marked Scorsese’s first collaboration with Harvey Keitel, who would later serve as Scorsese’s cinematic alter ego in Mean Streets (1973.)
There are a lot of themes throughout scorsese film, mainly to do with mortality or the lack or it. He uses religious undertones through his films, Like Harvey Keitel's Character, Charlie in Mean Streets and his battle with his catholicism and this desire to be a gangster. He also uses subtle Christ like poses with Frank Costello in The Departed(2006) and Jake La Motta In Raging bull which end up with their ultimate defeat and also the symbolism in The Last Temptation of Christ(1988). Charlie(Mean Streets)His penance comes in the symbolic representation of Johnny Boy, his unpredictable cousin who owes money to everyone. Charlie’s attempts to escape this immoral world are undermined by the chaos caused by Johnny Boy. What is interesting in the film is Charlie repeatedly uses a flames to burn his finger – like a sort of self-flagellation to somehow feel closer to Christ or as if he were testing the fires of Hell to assure himself that he will be ready for his judgment day.
There are a lot of themes throughout scorsese film, mainly to do with mortality or the lack or it. He uses religious undertones through his films, Like Harvey Keitel's Character, Charlie in Mean Streets and his battle with his catholicism and this desire to be a gangster. He also uses subtle Christ like poses with Frank Costello in The Departed(2006) and Jake La Motta In Raging bull which end up with their ultimate defeat and also the symbolism in The Last Temptation of Christ(1988). Charlie(Mean Streets)His penance comes in the symbolic representation of Johnny Boy, his unpredictable cousin who owes money to everyone. Charlie’s attempts to escape this immoral world are undermined by the chaos caused by Johnny Boy. What is interesting in the film is Charlie repeatedly uses a flames to burn his finger – like a sort of self-flagellation to somehow feel closer to Christ or as if he were testing the fires of Hell to assure himself that he will be ready for his judgment day.
Most of his film are set in large cities, particularly New York using the scum and grime if the concrete jungle as a reflection of hell for his Anti heroes and the violence they commit following their rise to power and eventual fall, again another reference to Christ. The way he glorifies the violence the character commits and makes you feel for them for the hardship and loneliness they are subjected too. He achieves this with close ups of the characters face like in Goodfellas where Henry get arrested or in the scene in Raging Bull where La Motto is boxing in the ring with minimal light
Scorsese has a tendency to work with the same people over and over. From his earlier days working with actors like Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, and Robert De Niro and cinematographers like Michael Chapman to his recent work with Leonardo Dicaprio and cinematographers Michael Ballhaus and Robert Richardson.
http://www.webofstories.com/people/michael.chapman/48?o=SH
Part of his style as a director is the way in which he shoots. His unique use of freeze frames allows his to speak to the audience like the opening scene in Goodfellas “ as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster” or his long tracking shots. He uses classical and classic rock both diegetically and non diegetically to control the viewers emotion.
Scorsese has a tendency to work with the same people over and over. From his earlier days working with actors like Harvey Keitel, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, and Robert De Niro and cinematographers like Michael Chapman to his recent work with Leonardo Dicaprio and cinematographers Michael Ballhaus and Robert Richardson.
http://www.webofstories.com/people/michael.chapman/48?o=SH
Part of his style as a director is the way in which he shoots. His unique use of freeze frames allows his to speak to the audience like the opening scene in Goodfellas “ as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster” or his long tracking shots. He uses classical and classic rock both diegetically and non diegetically to control the viewers emotion.
There are both pros and cons with auteur theory. One of the good points about it is the marketing of an auteur. When people see that its a Martin Scorsese film or a Quentin Tarantino film they know its going to be a based around gangsters and violence.
There are both pros and cons with auteur theory. One of the good points about it is the marketing of an auteur. When people see that its a Martin Scorsese film or a Quentin Tarantino film they know its going to be a based around gangsters and violence.
The are quite a lot of bad points about auteur theory too. One of the main points is the fact that they are 200 or so people working on a film at one time and to say that the director is the only artist and his vision is the only one that counts even though there is a cinematographer, a producer, a scriptwriting and so on. With that point just like scorsese many directors tend to work with the same crew on many of these films.a movement in Germany once believed that script writers are the primal force in a film's style; after all, the director must work within the confines of the script. But you could argue that the director has the ultimate control, and is therefore responsible for the film's final output. In a collective medium, it is almost impossible to establish who has the most control.
Another problem with Auteur is that is creates a hierarchy in the film industrial, assuming that auteur are better than normal directors. The case could be stated that that is try because if you look at the greater director, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa , Orson Welles, John Ford, Coen Brothers, David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick are just some of the directors considered Auteurs and have made some of the greatest films of all time( not just a personal opinion).
Although human beings are incapable of talking about themselves with total honesty, it is much harder to avoid the truth while pretending to be other people. They often reveal much about themselves in a very straightforward way. I am certain that I did. There is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself.”- Akira Kurosawa
There is also the director who aren’t considered auteurs, these are called Metteur en scene, which basically means they are competent directors but lack their own personal style. Peter Jackson would fall under the category. Even though he has a large body of work his most recognisable films, Lord of the rings and the hobbit film are just an adaptation of someone else work which removes the artistic creativity that an Auteur have.
References
Joseph Thomasson. 2011. The Auteurship of Martin Scorsese. [ONLINE] Available at: https://filmcliche.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/the-auteurship-of-martin-scorsese/. [Accessed 09 March 15].
Unknown. 2007. Auteur Theory in Film Criticism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A22928772. [Accessed 09 March 15].
There are both pros and cons with auteur theory. One of the good points about it is the marketing of an auteur. When people see that its a Martin Scorsese film or a Quentin Tarantino film they know its going to be a based around gangsters and violence.
The are quite a lot of bad points about auteur theory too. One of the main points is the fact that they are 200 or so people working on a film at one time and to say that the director is the only artist and his vision is the only one that counts even though there is a cinematographer, a producer, a scriptwriting and so on. With that point just like scorsese many directors tend to work with the same crew on many of these films.a movement in Germany once believed that script writers are the primal force in a film's style; after all, the director must work within the confines of the script. But you could argue that the director has the ultimate control, and is therefore responsible for the film's final output. In a collective medium, it is almost impossible to establish who has the most control.
Another problem with Auteur is that is creates a hierarchy in the film industrial, assuming that auteur are better than normal directors. The case could be stated that that is try because if you look at the greater director, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa , Orson Welles, John Ford, Coen Brothers, David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick are just some of the directors considered Auteurs and have made some of the greatest films of all time( not just a personal opinion).
Although human beings are incapable of talking about themselves with total honesty, it is much harder to avoid the truth while pretending to be other people. They often reveal much about themselves in a very straightforward way. I am certain that I did. There is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself.”- Akira Kurosawa
There is also the director who aren’t considered auteurs, these are called Metteur en scene, which basically means they are competent directors but lack their own personal style. Peter Jackson would fall under the category. Even though he has a large body of work his most recognisable films, Lord of the rings and the hobbit film are just an adaptation of someone else work which removes the artistic creativity that an Auteur have.
References
Joseph Thomasson. 2011. The Auteurship of Martin Scorsese. [ONLINE] Available at: https://filmcliche.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/the-auteurship-of-martin-scorsese/. [Accessed 09 March 15].
Unknown. 2007. Auteur Theory in Film Criticism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A22928772. [Accessed 09 March 15].