In these blogs I have been trying to decipher whether the work of Auteur Film maker Jean Luc Godard could be said to be a genre in their own right. But I think it is important to objectively decide whether Jean Luc Godard has the right to be even called an auteur. So I will research into the criterion that as an auteur is needed.
US film critic Andrew Sarris was one of the first people especially outside of European cinema to start talking about the auteur filmmaking method, in 1962 he wrote Notes on the Auteur Theory It was this essay in which the term Auteur theory was first coined, in it he states what he believes the criteria are to become an Film Auteur. The first is to have technical competency so that you are able to make a great film, this is being technically sufficient in all aspects of the film production such as editing, lighting, writing so that you can demonstrate how you want your film to be made. In this extract Sarris (1962: 662) states it as being one of the criteria
for being an auteur.” The technical competence of a director as a criterion of value.” His next point was that an auteur should distinguish a personal style over time, a “Stylistic Signature”, as Sarris (1962: 662) Stated in this quote.” The distinguishable personality of the director as a criterion of value”
A contemporary auteur that is well known for his “Stylistic Signature” is Tim Burton. His style is summed up well in this extract from an essay by Ruth Salcedo (sbccfilmreviews) “Edward Scissorhands (1990), Sleepy Hollow (1999) an
d Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) all illustrate Burton’s alienation themes, his narrative and gothic tendencies concerning outsiders and how innocence is eradicated by society. He emphasizes the bizarre, and incorporates elements of his obsession with 1950s horror movies in his intuitive and highly imaginative mise-en-scene.” Another point put forth in Sarris’ (1962: 663) essay is to include in your film, interior meaning.” The third and ultimate premise of the auteur theory is concerned with interior meaning, the ultimate glory of the cinema as an art. Interior meaning is extrapolated from the tension between a director’s personality and his material.” Interior meaning is also the most difficult of the three tiers of conditions, It means that the film should have subconsciously been given an extra dimension of meaning as the director struggles with problems while making the film and then over coming them in his own unique style.
Filmography
Sleepy Hollow, (1999) directed by Tim Burton, USA, Paramount Pictures, [DVD]
Edward Scissorhands, (1990) directed by Tim Burton, USA, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, [DVD]
Sweeney Todd: The demon Barber of Fleet Street, (2007) directed by Tim Burton, USA, Dreamworks Pictures [DVD]
Printed References
Sarris, A. (1962) "Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962," in Film Culture Reader, P. Adams Sitney, ed. New York: Cooper Square Press,
Online References
Essay on Tim Burton by Ruth Salcedo [Internet], available from: :http://sbccfilmreviews.org/?p=4356
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