Defining Auteurism In Film And Television

This is a difficult topic to discuss, as the research has not yielded much argument as to how auteurism in film and television is defined and redefined. Both scholarly and popular sources define auteurism as a single individual as the author of a film or TV series. None of the articles Ive researched contain a set of criteria outlining their definition of what an auteur is or what makes a person an auteur. The only argument that can be clearly observed is the argument of whether or not a single individual has the right to claim distinctive authorship for a film, being that so many people contribute to the storys look, style, personality, sound, camera-work and so on.

Andrew Sarris brought the concept of auteurism to light in the United States. Andrew Sarris: The first premise of the auteur theory is the technical competence of the director as a criterion of value. The second premise of the auteur theory is the distinguishable personality of the director as a criterion of value. The third and ultimate premise of the auteur theory is concerned with interior meaning, the ultimate glory of the cinema as an art. (FSR, 69) His theory of authorship and its set of criteria came under fire soon after its publication. An impolite critic named Pauline Kael, known for her brutal honesty, attacked Sarris notions that this theory is revolutionary. She states that Sarris idea that a good director has to be at least a good director is commonplace or common

knowledge. She argues that reducing the criticism of film to a mere formula is an exercise in failure. Film is an art and art cannot be criticized scientifically, which is what auteur theory is designed to do. [The role of the critic] is to perceive what is original and important in new work and helping others to see. - The director should be judged on the basis of what he produces his films and if he can make great films without knowing the standard methods, without the usual craftsmanship of the good director, then that is the way he works. (Film Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 3, 14)

Jim Kitses Authorship and genre: notes on the western does little to discuss auteurism and focuses more on the historical aspects of The Western as a genre and how its themes define the ideology of its many elements such as freedom, frontier, honour, integrity, and experience. Jim Kitses: (Auteur theory) In my view the term describes a basic principle and a method, no more and no less: the idea of personal authorship in the cinema and of key importance- the concomitant responsibility to honour all of a directors works by a systematic examination in order to trace characteristic themes, structures and formal qualities. (FSR, 89)

Paul Henning, creator of The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres among others, is considered to be a TV auteur. The Henning Dilemma derives from his idealization of the

traditional meets the modern or more specifically the old-fashioned farmer meets the city slicker. This theme is prevalent in many of Hennings works. Thus his comedic style and nature versus modernity themed concepts become his trademark and defines the criteria, which characterizes him as an auteur. Paul Henning: Henning used the same dramatic formula for Green Acres that he created for the Hillbillies. Modern culture versus folk culture. (DV, 62)

Terrence Rafferty, of the New York Times, disagrees with the concept of auteurism entirely. He believes that filmmaking is a collaborative process. Although the director is responsible for the visual creation that is a film, the screenwriter is the creator of the story. And it is the story that moviegoers remember. The novelist and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga recently declared: ''When they say it's an auteur film, I say auteurs film. I have always been against the 'film by' credit on a movie. It's a collaborative process and it deserves several authors.'' (FILM; Now Playing: Auteur vs. Auteur Published: October 22, 2006)

Saul Austerlitz, of the Boston Globe, poses an alternative theory created by David Kippen called The Schreiber Theory. This alternate theory grants the screenwriter with all the authorship prestige as opposed to the director. The very terminology of

auteurism raised a question: If the director was the auteur (or author) of the film, what of the poor ink-stained wretch who had actually written the script? As with any theory, auteurism had its strong points and its weaknesses. Excellent at finding the threads of continuity in seemingly disjointed careers, auteurism was at a competitive disadvantage in coping with films lacking strong directorial presences, tending to dismiss them as anomalies. ('Schreiber Theory' elevates the role of screenwriters in film history By Saul Austerlitz, Globe Correspondent | May 10, 2006)

Topping Entertainment Weeklys list of The 50 Greatest Directors and Their 100 Best Movies is, of course, Alfred Hitchcock. His body of work, from his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents to his collection of films, represents a unique style, which is unmistakably Hitchcock. His style of filmmaking revolves around the suspense thriller with shocking twist ending. The criteria for this list of greatest directors stems from the auteur theory first defined by Sarris. And what gets a director on our list of the 50 Greatest? A consistent body of work or a handful of great movies; a compelling vision; a groundbreaking style; above all, a personal stamp that cuts across films, genres, and decades. (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292135,00.html)

Sight & Sound Magazine by Nick James draws comparisons between Quentin Tarantino and Lars von Trier, a filmmaker who directed Antichrist. The film Antichrist depicts very graphic scenes meant to shock audiences such as scenes containing blood ejaculation. James - Whatever von Trier and Tarantino's flaws (perpetual adolescence?), they make unique works that attract argument and change the way you look at things. This issue carries an interview with Quentin Tarantino that will leave the reader in no doubt that he is the sole author of his own work. He may make films for Harvey Weinstein, but Tarantino is the untouchable exception who escapes that producer's notorious interference. Indeed the suspicion is that there's no one who tries to adjust Tarantino's vision. That's what the politique des auteurs is all about -- a single creative intelligence in control of his or her medium -- and Tarantino's very existence disproves the fashionable notion that auteurism is somehow dead because the machine of film-making has become too over-managed and unwieldy for sole control to rest with anyone. (JAMES, AUTEURISM VS BUREAUCRACY)

TV Auteurs face bigger challenges, as their projects have to stay afloat for a whole season or more. The success of a TV Auteur hinges on the longevity of their series. Networks are often hesitant to take chances on one individuals vision but some have had great success such as the creator of The X Files or The Sopranos. Matthew Gilbert -

Pittsburg Post: So the classic Man vs. Machine struggle surfaces in the world of network TV drama, and the Machine may be winning. David Bushman - "Auteurs are looking for a new way to move forward in terms of personal expression,"

References: 1. KIPEN, DAVID. "AUTEURISM: TRUE OR FAUX?." Afterimage 36.2 (2008): 34. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. 2. JAMES, NICK. "AUTEURISM VS BUREAUCRACY." Sight & Sound 19.9 (2009): 5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. 3. MATTHEW GILBERT, BOSTON GLOBE. "TV DRAMA CLONES SCORE SOME MAJOR HITS, MISSES :[REGION Edition]. " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette 28 Dec. 2002,ProQuest Central, ProQuest. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. 4. Pauline Kael Film Quarterly Vol. 16, No. 3 (Spring, 1963), pp. 12-26 (article consists of 15 pages) Published by: University of California Press 5. FILM - Now Playing - Auteur vs. Auteur - NYTimes.com, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=9401E3D71E30F931A15753C1A9609C8B63&scp=2&sq=auteur %20vs&st=cse. 6. Schreiber Theory' elevates the role of screenwriters in film history - The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/05/10/schreiber_theory_e levates_the_role_of_screenwriters_in_film_history/. 7. The 50 Greatest Directors and Their 100 Best Movies | Movies | EW.com, http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292135,00.html. 8. David Marc, The situation Comedy of Paul Henning: Modernity and the American folk Myth in the Beverly Hillbillies, DV 9. Jim Kitses, Authorship and Genre, FSR 10. Andrew Sarris, Notes on the Auteur Theory, FSR 11. Document View - ProQuest, http://140.234.16.9:8080/EPSessionID=f2acb181b37fecb939480c7787ef484/EPH ost=proquest.umi.com/EPPath/pqdweb? index=0&did=271774761&SrchMode=2&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType =PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1290675935&clientId=3714.