Consider the significance of t essays

Consider the significance of t essays Consider the significance of the auteur theory to the development of film theory and film culture. Is it still a relevant concept? In this essay, I shall endeavor to outline the beginnings of the auteur theory, and show the arguments that support and oppose the relevance of the auteur theory in modern film. It is my opinion that it is still relevant, though ultimately only to the individual. That is; the theory may be more relevant to a follower of the industry, and in particular a follower of a certain director, than to a person who takes a film at face value and has no interest in its connection with past works. There are a number of arguments both favouring, and against this theory, which I will look further into. I will concentrate on the work of Steven Spielberg, showing the influences through his work and the relevance they have with regard to auteur theory. Arising in France in the late 1940s, the auteur theory was the production of the cinematic theories of Andr Bazin and Alexandre Astruc. The theory of director as author was first put forward in Bazin's periodical Cahiers du cinema, (founded in 1951). Two of its theoreticians, Franà §ois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, later became major directors of the French New Wave . Unknown, (02/12/2000 [A-level Film Studies Tutorial, online]). The auteur theory means that a film is most valuable when it is the product of the director, and his personal style, rather than taken as the content of the film. The influences of the director can therefore be seen through all of his works, with aspects of his personal life often seen, portrayed in different manners, through each film. Ideally the director can be identified by watching the film, without knowing previously who is responsible for it. A term also used closely in conjunction with the auteur is the metteur en scene. Cahier critics distinguished between auteurs and metteurs en scene. The term metteurs...